Fascination

What do Tennessee Williams and Herodotus have in common? The story of a woman named Nitocris, a pharaoh, a queen - perhaps entombed or created by folklore itself...but a legend passed on through generations. While disputed (and some would say disproved) it wouldn't be the first time a patriarchal system tried to erase a woman from history completely. What is it they say about revenge being best served cold...well, it must have been on the menu - this is a story about a royal banquet where the guests got tanked...literally. @fascinationpod

"Did you ever hear of the phantom train?" On Saturday September 6th 1879, readers of The Wichita Kansas Herald were treated to a good ol' fashioned ghost story. What set it apart (aside from it being published and republished nationwide) was the type of ghost, the central character to an old railroad switchman's tale - a phantom train. Not just any train, the funerary train of arguably the most important person in United States History...President Abraham Lincoln. As mentioned in the introduction, there is an amazing book by author Peter Manseau entitled; The Apparitionists: A Tale of Phantoms, Fraud, Photography, and the Man Who Captured Lincoln’s Ghost. The book explores the influence (and importance) of photography in this particular era - and while unrelated to this particular story, it illuminates a confluence of cultural, technological and sociological factors that might help explain it...@fascinationpod

As the summer fades and the promised autumnal chill comes creeping, we're reminded of the ghoulish traditions of Halloween... Do you know the Irish tale of Stingy Jack? Before you place a candle in your gourd this year...come with me to a sleepy village in the 1700's - where a miserly old blacksmith, with pint in hand and prank in mind - unwittingly seals his fate, forever. Park your PSL and gather 'round for a fully realized retelling of the story - a story where we learn that the Devil doesn't always make you do it - when you do it to yourself. Special thanks to actor Mark Manning for voicing the authentically Irish - Stingy Jack. @fascinationpod

As Charlie Chaplin once said of Valentino, he was; "...now one of the immortals..."Thirteen years after arriving in America, "The Great Lover", Hollywoods first Matinee Idol, was struck down at the height of his fame. At just thirty-one years old, the mononymous Italian actor had burned through the hearts of millions - and dismantled the foundation of American masculinity. Unlucky in his own pursuits with love, professionally Valentino was poised for even greater heights, but some believe his fate was sealed when he purchased a jinxed ("cursed") ring - one he wore for a film that would become the worst flop of his career. Was beauty actually the curse that plagued him? Was it the ring that ushered in such swift misfortune? Did the death and tragedy that followed the passing of his fabled "Destiny Ring" wreak supernatural havoc among those who wore it...or were they all just a series of dark coincidences? S2 Ep 1 - The Curse of Valentino @fascinationpod ©℗2021 Pickle & Pie Productions

Introducing Season Two! Your host Angelo D'Agostino is back with all the sizzling details this second season has to offer... Okay, so an entire season dedicated to Marilyn Monroe wasn't your bag? Yah, we heard you...we heard you (sheesh)!!! Hold onto your hats and pigtails, because THIS season, we're switching gears and going full-on episodic! That's right, individual episodes dedicated to the weird, wonderful and fascinating (of course). It all kicks off with the season premiere "The Curse of Rudolph Valentino"

It was 1962 and Marilyn Monroe was en route to Mexico City. Landing to a flurry of activity, it was announced that day, she'd been awarded a Golden Globe and would be presented with the honor at the awards show that season...The trip, initially meant to be a quick, necessary getaway to purchase furniture and décor for her new home - evolved into a prolonged celebration. Her first night in CDMX, a cocktail reception was held in her honor at the Continental Hilton Hotel, in the following days she visited Luis Buñuel on the set of “El Angel Exterminador” (The Exterminating Angel), lunched with legendary film star Silvia Pinal, attended a party given by Emilio “El Indio” Fernández and spent time visiting local orphanages. It was on this trip that she met a young, handsome, wiry screenwriter named Jose Bolaños. A bit of a playboy, Bolaños was married Italian actress Venetia Vianello, but his whirlwind affair with Monroe would forever be a part of his own legacy…Having died in 1994, Bolaños was relatively quiet about his relationship with the star, especially after her death. Hardly any interviews exist today - but I've managed to piece together a full narrative of his story with Marilyn, gratefully assisted by actor Bernardo Vega. Visit @bervega on Instagram to see more of his work. This Season One Finale brings a quiet end to our look at Marilyn Monroe. Massive thanks to everyone who gave their time and talents to help me bring this story to life. @fascinationpod

Long have we been told that when there's blood in the water, the shark comes chasing… but what if the shark was really the one bleeding…what if the desperation was not coming so much from the prey, but from the predator?When Hildi Greenson gifted her late husband's collection of writings, lectures and ephemera to the UCLA Library of Special Collections, it should have been a relatively quiet transaction. A credit to any archive, some of the contents among the many, many boxes shuttled over from the Greenson residence came one strict proviso…boxes concerning Dr. Ralph Greenson's work with Marilyn Monroe must be sealed until January 1st, 2039. "Box 39" as it's come to be known - may hold the answers some us are looking for, it may even disclose Greenson's own assessment of what happened that final day. Whatever the reason for sealing up those documents, it's apparent that Hildi Greenson was striving to guard the memory of Monroe her husband tried so hard to preserve. While all of the players in this tragedy are all gone from this world - the story is far from over. @fascinationpod

Listener's Note: If you may be triggered by topics surrounding mental health, suicide or acts of self harm, please feel free to skip this episode. If you or someone you know is suffering from mental health challenges or need information on resources, please visit afsp.org or text TALK to 741741 for help outside the U.S. please visit save.org for more information. The John Huston film 'The Misfits' remains Marilyn Monroe's final, completed appearance in a motion picture. Making the movie was like a trip to a salt mine for the entire cast…and for Marilyn the emotional impact was devastating. It left her depleted, defeated, depressed. The whole endeavor was art imitating life for everyone involved… 'The Misfits' was Arthur Miller's warped "valentine" to Monroe…and their failing marriage. It would be a non-comedic role for Marilyn, one that allowed her to flex her chops and stage a bit of a Hollywood perception intervention. The personal and professional pressure Monroe was under was intensified by the location, the harsh, dry Nevada desert where they filmed. Cast alongside the dark-hearted heartthrob Montgomery Clift and the "King" of the silver screen Clark Gable, "The Misfits" was marquee gold. A tepid response at the box office, the loss of Gable (who suffered a fatal heart attack just two weeks after filming ended) and the collapse of her third marriage - Monroe soon found herself involuntarily committed to the Payne-Whitney Psychiatric Clinic in New York. During that time Marilyn wrote a six page letter to her L.A. based psychiatrist Dr. Ralph Greenson. Letters similar to this one would be included in a forgotten archive Dr. Greenson's widow gifted to the UCLA Special Collections Dept. at the Charles E. Young Research Library. This collection, including research, session notes and sealed folders of notes re: Monroe - was given under one condition, the Monroe papers were to be left sealed until 2039. @fascinationpod

Casual acquaintances, the world is full of casual acquaintances. Sometimes casual acquaintances can produce a serendipitous spark… It was the director John Huston who first introduced Marilyn Monroe to Truman Capote during the filming of his noir crime-caper The Asphalt Jungle… though Capote had a cultural disdain for the Hollywood machine - like anyone and everyone - he was starstruck, and as many artists before and after - the artist in him recognized the muse in her, immediately… When Marilyn made the move to Manhattan years later - she had reinvented herself as a student of life - absorbing every piece of culture she could get close to…this included people. While she bettered her craft through a rigorous schedule at The Actor's Studio, rehearsing scenes with the likes of Marlon Brando, she was bewitched by the literati. In today's episode we explore the unlikely, casual friendship between two lions of industry, two misfits of reinvention that had more in common than some would think… Thank you to Sherri Marmon at Penguin Random House and Mr. Alan U. Shwartz, Mr. Capote's attorney, friend and Trustee of The Truman Capote Literary Trust, excerpts taken from "A Beautiful Child" in Truman Capote's collection of stories in the book Music for Chameleons is used with permission given by The Truman Capote Literary Trust. @fascinationpod

If two’s company…three is most certainly a crowd. At just twenty-two years old, Marilyn was quickly climbing a ladder that would eventually lead her to super-stardom. She’d been through a wild love affair with a man who’s hot and cold sides seemed to ebb and flow with the tide. She had convinced herself that she should marry him, but walked away when he told her he didn’t think a woman “like her” would be the kind he'd want as mother to his young daughter. She threw herself into a rigorous trinity of voice lessons, dance lessons and acting classes where she stumbled upon Natasha Lytess, her first dramatic coach. Lytess, a German ex-pat theatre actress turned acting teacher, was a hard woman who seemed just as eager to break her new student’s spirit as she was to build up the essence of her character. When the stroke of midnight rang on New Year’s Eve 1948 - Monroe would actually dance out of the arms of unrequited love and directly into the sights of William-Morris super agent Johnny Hyde. Hyde wasted no time taking his Cinderella away from the ball, first to Palm Springs - and then to a plastic surgeon. Just a few months into the year, Marilyn had studio heads in a platinum daze - all made possible by Johnny’s careful instruction and a newly charted course, of which he was her guide. It may have been her willingness to please anyone who seemed willing to help her, but Marilyn soon found herself in a grey area. Hyde’s affection for his client was only matched by Lytess’ own romantic obsession - and while the walls felt as if they were closing in, before they did, 20th Century Fox would present Monroe with an exclusive contract for a seven year stretch. Despite her newfound good fortune, however, tragedy was waiting in the wings, and the cycle of Marilyn's repeated abandonment would start all over again…@fascinationpod

Whether it's a desert oasis or the mental manipulation of a trompe l'oeil, the art of illusion is a delicate craft. We sometimes discount the importance of illusion…it's make believe, false, unreal, pretend. But those who dedicate themselves to the art of illusion would argue that it's the possibility, the belief that something could be real - that spurs the imagination turning the idea of a façade into something much more tangible. Marilyn's work as an actor sometimes eclipsed the woman she fought hard to become. But the enduring legacy of her on-screen characters are testament to the work and dedication she held - sometimes in spite of the movie business itself. 'The Thinking Body' by Mabel Elsworth Todd would become synonymous with Monroe. A handbook, she herself, credited with developing the seductively choreographed movements that seemed to steal focus and burn scenery…. Ever the student, Marilyn understood that she needed to recreate herself into a masterpiece and then carefully follow her own recipe for it, time and time again. I'm joined today with master-vocal impressionist, drag legend and Billboard charting recording artist - Jimmy James. Jimmy bucked the system with a drag illusion of Marilyn that bewildered and confused the hetero-normative daytime talk show circuit of the 80'sand 90's. Famous for his unmatched physical and vocal impression of Marilyn, Jimmy was pushing his artistry well before the now wildly accepted superstars of drag. To find out more about Jimmy James, visit: jimmyjames.com or facebook.com/jimmyjameshollywood@fascinationpod

It's safe to say that we know less in life than we can readily explain away. The people we admire, follow and fear - they've all walked this path - sometimes leaving energetic breadcrumbs along the way... Pick up a book, read the humanity in the brushstrokes of a painting or seek out the intention in the seamless smoothed marble faces carved by the masters...it's all there. Whether you're guided by faith, or religion, science or common sense - we all need a goal post to aim for. And if we aim to fix what was left untended in our physical life - maybe the spirit is assigned a secret mission in the afterlife-life? Everyday new galaxies and new, habitable, super planets are located - the universe as we know it is folding and expanding and redefining itself - so why shouldn't we do the same? In previous episodes we've explored the traumas and abuses that plagued Marilyn's life. For this episode we're joined by Los Angeles based Spiritualist, Madame Pamita - who'll give her own unique and spirit guided perspectives on Marilyn and much of her spirit's "unfinished business". For more information about Madame Pamita please visit: parlourofwonders.com@fascinationpod

The hero's journey is beset with obstacles - but flipping through the pages of any legend, you start to get the feeling that each story follows an eerily similar path. Marilyn was often referred to as "a Siren" - but just like her dizzy blonde character - Sirens have been misidentified, confused and stripped of their original form...they've been cast in a role they were never meant to play. As a Muse, one of Marilyn's most successful friendships was with her make-up artist, Allan "Whitey" Snyder. Though largely uncredited for most of his work with Monroe, Snyder perfected the "look" we so closely identify with the star. In this episode we dive into the world of glam with EMMY Nominated, Celebrity Make-up Artist Gregory Arlt, discussing make-up as the medium for the Muse - and a whole lot more! For more info on Gregory and all his projects visit:gregoryarlt.com @fascinationpod

WAITING TO BE SEEN: So much of who and what we are, and how we respond to our life as adults is formed in the very beginning stages of consciousness. In this episode, we look at the climate and circumstance in which young Norma Jeane was born into. An unstable mother, an early life full of abandonment and abuse - she survives and transforms - but those early cracks and fissures of trauma only seem to widen with time... Joining the conversation is Dr. Chris Donaghue (PhD, LCSW, CST, ACS). Dr. Chris helps unpack a how life experiences impact and ultimately shape, our reactions and responses. For more info on Dr. Chris and all his projects visit: drchrisdonaghue.com EDITOR'S NOTE: Norma Jean is married off by her "Aunt Grace" to a neighbor in an effort to keep her from another move to the Los Angeles Orphans Home Society. Jim Dougherty was twenty-one years old when he wed his bride in 1942 - she was only eighteen days into her sixteenth birthday. @fascinationpod

GO TUX YOURSELF: A few (too many) cocktails on the Upper East Side and a boozy walk down Lexington Avenue unlocks a haphazard tour of Marilyn’s Manhattan. September 15th, 1954 – one high heeled walk onto a subway grate (which in itself is a feat) will become a moment, forever enshrined in our collective consciousness. @fascinationpod

Who is MM?It started with a trip to the bank… My lifelong fascination with one of the world’s most enigmatic film stars would begin by unwrapping a black velvet purse under the unnerving hum of fluorescent lights - locked in a room of safety deposit boxes. Join me, Angelo D’Agostino for Season 1 of FASCINATION - Marilyn Monroe. In this debut series, I unpack, dismantle, and explore the misunderstood genius of her complicated life. FASCINATION is replete with personal stories, reminiscences, interviews with experts, authors and friends. The format is half story-time and half story-sleuth with a little bit of drama thrown in for good measure. ℗ MMXX Pickle & Pie Productions