Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story (1987) 1.06

Howard's Way

Howard Hughes bought RKO in 1948 and soon thereafter started to tinker with the studio including making changes to movies that were in production. Hughes took a lot of interest in the design of Jane Russell's clothing and in other aspects of many of the female actors at RKO.

Stewart Granger tells a story about a plan he had to kill Hughes when Granger and Jean Simmons were married. They didn't go through with the plan.

Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story (1987) 1.05

Dark Victory

This episode starts with b-movies, moves on to film noir, and ends on the subject of the black listing of screen writers, producers, and directors who were accused of being communists and who refused to play ball with the congressional committees questioning them. Things really started to change at RKO in 1948 after Howard Hughes bought the studio.

Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story (1987) 1.04

It’s All True

This episode focuses on Orson Welles tenure at RKO.

Citizen Kane was Welles’ first movie. He was starting from ground zero in terms of learning the process. He had the creative energy needed. He leaned heavily on others to teach him or handle the technical aspects of film making. 

RKO chief George Schaefer got increasingly nervous and wanted to know what was going on in the production of Citizen Kane. He had a spy on the set. Welles did what he could to keep accurate information from flowing to Schaefer. 

Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story (1987) 1.03

A Woman's Lot

This episode focuses on three women and some of their work in front of and behind the camera. All three were interviewed for this documentary series. They are Ginger Rogers, Katherine Hepburn, and Lucille Ball.

Other people interviewed for this episode were

• Pandro Berman, producer
• Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
• Garson Kanin, director
• Fay Kanin, writer
• Linwood Dunn, Optical Effects

Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story (1987) 1.02

Let's Face the Music and Dance

This episode is focused entirely on the team of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

The people who were interviewed for this episode include

• Fred Astaire
• Ginger Rogers
• Hermes Pan, choreographer
• Pandro S. Berman, producer
• Hal Borne, Astaire/Rogers Accompanist
• Allan Scott, writer
• Erik Rhodes, actor
• Maurice Zuberano, set designer
• Joseph Birox, Camera Operator

Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story (1987) 1.01

Birth of a Titan

narrated by Ed Asner

RKO was formed by David Sarnoff and Joe Kennedy, the father of JFK, just as the sound of era of film was beginning. It was unsuccessful in its early years despite lots of attempts to innovate. Most of the people interviewed for this episode worked behind the camera. Some of them talked about the technical innovations, most of which had to do with visual effects or the ways that sound was recorded.