Directora

Hedy Lamarr: Actress, Spy, Inventor of WiFi

This season closes on one of the wildest true Hollywood stories: the life and inventions of Hedy Lamarr. The actress was always smarter than everyone else in the room. He

Barbra Streisand: Singer, Actress, Director, Legend

It’s easy to take Barbra Streisand for granted because she really is good at everything. From singer and actress to director and producer, Barbra is a perfectionist who f

Debbie Allen: From Fame to Famous Director & Producer

Debbie Allen wears a thousand hats. The actress and dancer might be best known for starring in Fame, but she has directed and produced incredibly important television sho

TV Actress to Hitmaker: Penny Marshall

Penny Marshall and her brother Garry were mainstays of 1970s and 80s sitcoms. Garry's little sister became a big star when she starred in the Happy Days spinoff, Laverne

Comedy Queen and Studio Executive: Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball is everyone's favorite funny redhead! Decades after her hit sitcom I Love Lucy, there are still references to the gags she performed on her hit show. People

Adrienne Shelly: From Muse to Acclaimed Director

The musical Waitress is a modern success, a smash hit that has people around the world singing along to its soundtrack. Fans of the musical might not realize that it was

The Mother of Improv Comedy: Elaine May

“The devastating thing about Elaine is that she’s better at everything - writing, directing, acting - than anyone else I know.” That quote comes from director Clive Donne

The Actress Who Went to Jail for Sex: Mae West

“Come up and listen sometime.” Mae West was an icon of old Hollywood. She has been impersonated by The Looney Tunes and Drag Queens alike. She was a woman who was so ahea

The Trailblazing Ida Lupino

Welcome to season two of Directora: Actresses Who Became Power Players! This is a great season. Yes, we have directors, but we also have writers, producers, studio exec

The Director Whose Film Was Banned Due to A Food Fight

If you're a quirky internet/Tumblr girl, the chances are super high that you've seen images of the 1966 Czech film Daisies. The images are vibrant, striking, and adorable

The Nazi Director: Leni Riefenstahl

Leni Riefenstahl was one of the most important directors of the 20th century. She pioneered several filmmaking techniques and forever influenced how sports and action are

Pauline Kael's Brutal Reviews Changed Hollywood

"She's so f***ing mean," Quentin Tarantino once said of film critic Pauline Kael. Kael was known for brutally harsh film reviews that could make or break a movie. People

Alla Nazimova and Hollywood's Queer Pioneers

When I was planning episodes, a friend suggested that I talk about lavender marriages. Lavender marriages were essentially fake Hollywood marriages set up by studios, age

Who Was the First Black Female Director?

Season one of Directora is all about foundations. We've talked about the first female director ever, and we talked about Hollywood's first successful female director. Tod

Sex Sells Feminism: Stephanie Rothman

They say sex sells, but can sex also sell feminist ideas? That's what director Stephanie Rothman did in the 60s and 70s. European movies and groovy new ideas inspired the

Hollywood's First Female Director: Lois Weber

Lois Weber was a powerhouse director in her day. She wrote and directed blockbuster films. She experimented with split-screen storytelling, wrote boundary-pushing materia

Welcome to Directora!

What is Directora? Listen to this short trailer that talks about what the podcast is, who it is for, and what's happening next. This is a podcast that celebrates the hist

The First Female Filmmaker: Alice Guy-Blaché

On the very first episode of Directora, host and creator Stephanie Weber introduces herself and the premise of the entire podcast. This podcast celebrates the history of