As one who has written about Alfred Hitchcock I am very knowledgeable about the director this has to be one of the worst bios about him I’ve ever experienced. I jumped to the chapter about VERTIGO & was shocked that it left out key facts while others were just plain wrong. If fudging the facts wasn’t bad enough it’s difficult to listen to as the podcaster has a bad habit of trailing off every sentence where by the end of each you have to strain to hear him. Anyone who gives this podcast a positive review must not know much about the director and it’s podcasts like this that creates erroneous narratives that disgustingly gets propagated. Just because someone creates a podcast about a particular subject doesn’t mean it’s well researched, and while I admit I heard only one chapter it was enough to warn others: stay away.

I am a long time horror fan and well aware of the work of Val Lewton but I am so deeply moved, entertained, and overjoyed at the work here. Thank you so much for all the hard work, attention to detail and obvious love put into this story I can barely stop listening long enough to write this. Thank you so much!!

This is one of the best podcasts around. The writing is brilliant, the narration is soothing to listen to - quietly dramatic. When each episode ends, regardless of its length, you just want to hear more. Wish there were more podcasts done as well and of this quality. Can’t recommend it highly enough.

The writing. The narration. The facts. It’s amazing. Been recommending to everyone ❤️

I’ve never written a review about a podcast and I have listened to many over the years. But I’m willing to take the time because this podcast is entertaining, informative, and I love the pace, format. And narrators voice. Well done!!

The different series that Adam has created are absolutely astounding in terms of research, engagement, production value, and attention to detail. The long-form podcasts fly by. Whether it’s Universal Monsters, Val Lewton, Alfred Hitchcock, or Cary Grant, I cannot recommend all of the Secret History of Hollywood series enough.

By a wide margin.

It's fabulously written & narrator's voice is lovely but goes from near whisper to BLAST. every other sentence punctuated with a musical queue so distracting and uneven it's tarnishing what could be something extraordinary. Please consider a different approach to recording & mastering. Straining to listen then having my eardrum punctured by Bernard Hermann has forced me to quit- it's too frustrating

Adam Roche has developed a formula for creatively presenting films from Hollywood’s Golden Age, but his greatest achievement is his ability to bring the film industry’s greats to life in his marathon, monumental biographies—from the pioneering studio heads and btheir rises and falls, warts and all, to hours and hours of biographies of the likes of Cary Grant, Jean Harlow, Alfred Hitchcock, and Audrey Hepburn. Adam is a terrific storyteller with a strong, sexy British accent he’s never afraid to twist and turn into every character and gender in his well-researched narratives. Hooray for Hollywood!

The writing and his voice. Done!!

Absolutely brilliant series on a relatively unknown genius. The 11 parts were detailed and sad and amazing with many twists and turns. Unbelievable that he doesn’t have a star on Hollywood Blvd. I also saw on YouTube that there isn’t a recording of his voice. The whole series was great! Thank you so much for this. I will be buying the box set of his RKO horror movies shortly.

Love this pod. It’s so immersive and entertaining. There really only a few series out from behind the paywall at any given time, but the episodes are epically long, so I seldom run out of stuff to listen to. Very well done.

This is one of the best podcasts I’ve ever heard, in any genre. The host of The Art of Crime recommended it as a must-listen pod, and he wasn’t wrong. I started with the series on Val Lewton. It was so thoroughly researched and compelling written. And the production values are through the roof. The host does all of the voices with incredible psychological insight and skill. This is the best movie history podcast, hands down.

The whole series has been excellent so far. The 11 part miniseries Shadows covers the history of iconic writer/ producer Val Lewton. It is a masterpiece, with intros of tales and histories that inspired Lewton’s tales read by guest Mark Gatiss. Lewton’s rich history is then dramatized by host Adam Roche doing voices for each person. ❤️

This is my second time listening to “Shadows”, one of the Secrets of Hollywood Series. It held me spellbound—I laughed, I cried, and I spent a lot of time pondering what I’d listened to afterward. I’m an appreciator of Val Lewton’s films, but thanks to Adam Roche’s brilliant storytelling, I’ve now watched all of his horror films and appreciate them and the sensitive, extraordinary man who brought them into being on a much deeper level. The “Shadows” series is an incredible tribute, a great artistic achievement and, happily, one of many from Secrets of Hollywood. Thank you!

Fascinating stories narrated so beautifully!

This is a fantastic show. Fascinating and riveting, funny and heartbreaking. Adam is doing a wonderful service preserving and presenting the magic and memories of the great “dream factory” that is old Hollywood. Best of all there’s so many more goodies on the show’s Patreon app. One of my favorites is the 7th Heaven Radio Hour. It’s definitely worth the price of admission. I’m so glad I found this show.

I love this podcast. I started listening about 2 years ago. I’ve listened to every episode of both this and Attaboy Clarence now and can’t wait for the new ones to come out!!!

There’s something magical about how old Hollywood captures our imagination. This podcast, along with You Must Remember This, pays tribute to how we got to where we are now with “the movies.” It’s fascinating history from not so long ago that changed everything for us all, and how we believe who we are. The delivery is perfect! Thank you!

I love this podcast! Look forward to every episode. Keep it going 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

I know these tales are theatrical by their very nature, but I feel I must express my gratitude to you for telling them how you do. A great storyteller breathes life into the dead & I think you’ve made the grade with much skill! Wonderful. Thank you mate

Really well researched and written, but part of his delivery is breathlessness and whispering the ends of words or lines, which means listening in my car in max out the volume and still can’t catch the ends of words and phrases. I don’t have a loud car. I get the delivery for the drama, but it sometimes makes it frustrating to listen. That said, thorough, dramatic and well researched, so great Hollywood podcast in that way.

I call myself a Cineast and I love listening to and watching stories of behind-the-scenes Hollywood. This show is well-researched and I find myself learning something with every episode. Of course, I know a lot of it is historical fiction since there are conversations and thoughts expressed that no one could have been privy to, not even the subjects' biographers. But I still enjoy it. If I had to mention something I didn't like, it would be all the different voices the host tackles. I don't think they are necessary to the enjoyment of the show. Plus the host's British accents gets in the way of a realistic portrayal of Americans -- not to mention his British grammar. Americans say "Paramount Studio was..." not "Paramount Studio were..." That's just a pet-peeve from a former (American) English teacher.

So enjoying this ! One of my favorite podcast.

One of the very best podcasts I’ve ever heard!! Thank you

This podcast is so much more than a typical podcast. It is a deep dive into the history of cinema as we know it today. This has become one of my favorite things to listen to and can’t wait to hear the next story that is told.

Can’t stop won’t stop. This show is so compelling, the host/creator’s writing and research and performance are extraordinary. So glad I found it!

Hey now. If you are looking for deep dives into cinema history, including details about actors, producers, directors, and the other many factions that go into creating movies of the golden age, this is the channel for you. You’ll also be rewarded with the relevant social and cultural histories that impacted not only individuals in the movie business, but also the issues that are presented in the movies, including the Hayes code, the laws of coverture, sexism, racism, and the impact of economics and war, all of which are covered in the excellent scholarship presented here.

Ok maybe the style of old timey radio story telling isn’t my podcast thing but even if it were i couldn’t listen to any of them because the volume level is so low i have to go almost full volume to hear it.

Wow. This is frankly a stunning achievement in podcasting. Well written, paced and all with excellent sound design. Well done creators!

Was recommended to try this podcast and started with Shadows the Val Lawton story. Knowing nothing about him or his horror genre of the 1940s I was totally captivated. Love the research and telling of the story and the back stories of other characters of the period. Made me want to find and at h his movies. Can’t wait to start Carey - feel bereft now this one is over - thank you!!

Like approaching a Lynch film or a Joyce novel, I don’t tread lightly to each epic episode here. We owe this creator our full commitment and attention, not because six hours plus run times but the transporting storytelling maintained within hour by hour. This is art as podcast and there's nothing finer. My hope is their work is appreciated in the same company of pioneers documented in these tales. GO PATREON THIS ENDEAVOR RIGHY NOW!!!

Great content, but the narrators voice is low volume and the British accent is sometimes so thick it’s hard to understand. However, the background music ends up blaring because the narration is hard to hear. I’ve adjusted all sound controls but the music is obnoxiously loud and drowns out the narration. I wish there was a way to turn off the music.

Have been happily addicted to this marvelous podcast since the first episode. Adam is an astounding writer, producer & does all the voice work. Can’t say enough good things!!! I just became a proud ‘co-producer’ by becoming a supporter on Patreon & it’s the best $$ I’ve ever spent. Bravo!!!!💕👍🔥🔥🔥

Just came across this podcast. Throughly enjoyed it. Definitely a lot work went into it. Well researched and keeps my attention. Will there be a continuation of the Cary series? Seemed to stop right after he did Penny Serenade film and his involvement with Barbara Hutton. There hasn’t been an update for several months. I’m sure they take a lot of time to produce. I greatly appreciate the effort. But, I wonder when/if there will be a new episode. Thank you.

I am addicted to this series! I love it! What an in-depth look —not only into Hollywood icon Carey Grant’s fascinating life—but into history in general! Please tell me that the next Volume is due out soon— I can’t wait!

I love everything about this podcast.

Bullets and Blood is just a first rate wonderful series. Kept me enthralled in the stories of the Warner family and of one of my favorite actors, James Cagney. The final episode brought tears to my eyes. Just a fantastic podcast!

Bullets & Blood is sooo good. James Cagney now has a place in my heart, he is brought to life in this podcast so well. The conflicts and tragedies of the Warner brothers has me hooked. Such a brilliantly written podcast!

I just finished listening to Bullets & Blood - Parts 1 & 2. Only one word describe these podcasts that's Great!

I love this podcast. The storytelling and weaving of Hollywood stories is amazing. The narrator is fabulous. I could not stop listening to the Cary Grant episodes. So good!

This is hands down one of my favorite podcasts. The stories of old Hollywood are great, and the amount of research and care that goes into production is incredible. But you don’t even need to be that interested in Hollywood - the podcast is worth your time just for the sheer joy of listening to top notch storytelling.

I cannot wait to hear more about the life and career of this fabulous and interesting actor

Simply fabulous! I laughed, i cried, i laughed again… best ever!

I'm a Lewton fan that has just stumbled on this podcast in 2022. Here I'm sitting, with my cat named Val on my lap, and I've never enjoyed listening to anything more.

The presentation and development of these stories are amazing. Great stories behind the curtains. I like the way they build the stories more like a novel than a podcast. Very special.

This is truly a captivating podcast. I look forward to every episode. Tom Hiddleston’s voice is perfect for this podcast, and his Boris Karloff isn’t bad! I have learned a lot and been absolutely entertained. Thank you!

Very informative and entertaining at the same time. Adam has created a great series of podcasts. I even signed up with Patreon to hear EVERYTHING!!! Worth every cent!

Late to the party, I just recently discovered podcasts and ecstatically stumbled upon this superlative series. Run, don’t walk to listen. Adam Roche is a self-taught wunderkind. A voice to die for, a captivating story teller, a stellar researcher…and his audio editing is as professional as you can get. I listen while I’m hiking and can’t wait to get on the trail to pick up where I left off. Support this extraordinary talent!

Loving this! Thank you