When They Were Making It

Patrick Rankin

Topics: Film History · History

No. 87 in TV & Film▲9

The real human stories behind classic Hollywood's greatest films and legends. Marilyn Monroe. Casablanca. Audrey Hepburn. The Wizard of Oz. Charlie Chaplin. Breakfast at Tiffany's. Alfred Hitchcock. Sunset Boulevard. What do they all have in common? They had to make it first. Each week, we go beyond the legend to explore classic Hollywood's biggest icons and most beloved films. Not the myths. Not the takedowns. The whole human story. From the silent era to the early 1960s — the people, the films, and the impossible work of becoming a legend. WTWMI is written, produced, and hosted by Patrick Rankin. Original artwork by Simone Beech and original music by Lionel Ziblat. A new chapter...

Latest episodeAlfred Hitchcock, Part 3: The End of an Era — Psycho, The Birds, and a Changing HollywoodOctober 27, 2026 · 110 min

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Latest episodes

1. Alfred Hitchcock, Part 3: The End of an Era — Psycho, The Birds, and a Changing HollywoodOctober 27, 2026 · 110 min
2. Alfred Hitchcock, Part 2: Building a Golden Age — Grace Kelly, Vertigo, and the Road to PsychoOctober 20, 2026 · 89 min
3. Alfred Hitchcock, Part 1: Becoming the Master of Suspense — Fear, Power, and the Fight for ControlOctober 13, 2026 · 86 min
4. Fay Wray & King Kong (1933): The Making of the Original Scream Queen — RKO, Damsels in Distress, and Hollywood's Impossible SpectacleOctober 6, 2026 · 96 min
5. Edward G. Robinson: Hollywood's Literal OG — Little Caesar, the Blacklist Era, and the Man Behind the Movie GangsterSeptember 29, 2026 · 86 min
6. Judy Garland's A Star Is Born (1954): Hollywood's Most Complicated Comeback — A Fragile Icon, Studio Butchering, and an Infamous Oscar UpsetSeptember 22, 2026 · 93 min
7. Veronica Lake: The Making and Unmaking of a Movie Star — Film Noir Stardom, a Fallen-Star Story, and the Woman Behind It AllSeptember 15, 2026 · 76 min
8. Charlie Chaplin, Part 2: The War Against Hollywood's Most Famous Man — Private Scandals, Political Persecution, and American ExileSeptember 8, 2026 · 99 min
9. Charlie Chaplin, Part 1: The Making of the World's Greatest Comedian — Victorian Poverty, Silent Superstardom, and a Troubling Private LifeSeptember 1, 2026 · 90 min
10. Shirley Temple: Hollywood's Most Famous Child Star — Depression-Era Stardom, the Studio System, and an Extraordinary Second ActAugust 25, 2026 · 92 min

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