It’s one of the wildest scandals in Hollywood history: In 1951, major Hollywood producer Walter Wanger (Jon Hamm) went to prison for shooting an agent who he suspected was having an affair with Joan Bennett (Zooey Deschanel), Wanger’s actress wife. When the dust settled, Wanger was accepted back into Hollywood’s inner circle with open arms, while a puritan panic virtually ended Bennett’s career in movies and her family would never be the same. How did Joan — the youngest member of one of America’s most famous acting families, and one of the key femme fatales of 1940s film noir — end up a real-life fallen woman, paying a public price for her husband’s crimes? In this limited podcast series, Joan and Walter’s granddaughter/filmmaker Vanessa Hope, and film historian/podcaster Karina Longworth (You Must Remember This), tell the untold story of the Bennett/Wanger romance and professional partnership — a film noir played out in real life.
Latest episodes
Showing 13 · updated from the feed
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Sep 25 47 min
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Sep 21 59 min
Episode 10: The Woman in the Window
In one last noir twist, Joan marries for a fourth and final time to a man with a secret life. The last chapter of our story takes us from the Greenwich Village cross-dres
Oct 19 2021 50 min
Episode 9: Dark Shadows
While the shooting seems to enhance Wanger’s reputation in Hollywood’s eyes, the media frenzy that follows enacts a sharp price on the lives of Joan Bennett (Zooey Descha
Oct 12 2021 48 min
Episode 8: I Want to Live!
Walter Wanger (Jon Hamm) emerges from prison, and relaunches his career by producing several important films inspired by his experience, including the Oscar-winning I Wan
Oct 5 2021 56 min
Episode 7: The Shooting
In December 1951, Walter Wanger (Jon Hamm) points his gun at Jennings Lang’s (Griffin Dunne) groin and fires -- and Joan Bennett’s (Zooey Deschanel) life and that of her
Sep 28 2021 42 min
Episode 6: Man Hunt
In the years after World War II, the political climate abruptly shifts, and Walter Wanger’s (Jon Hamm) history of using movies to promote progressive causes makes him a t
Sep 21 2021 43 min
Episode 5: The Apartment
The third member of the Bennett/Wanger love triangle is Jennings Lang (Griffin Dunne), an agent at MCA, then the largest talent agency in the world. In 1951, Lang represe
Sep 14 2021 39 min
Episode 4: The Reckless Moment
Walter Wanger (Jon Hamm) bets everything on a different Joan -- Joan of Arc, starring Ingrid Bergman -- and comes up short, as the actress playing the saint sparks an int
Sep 7 2021 45 min
Episode 3: Scarlet Street
Collaborating with mad genius Fritz Lang, Joan (Zooey Deschanel) and Walter (Jon Hamm) hit the peak of both their careers and their marriage. After the success of the ult
Aug 31 2021 50 min
Episode 2: The Man I Married
Walter Wanger (Jon Hamm) transforms Joan Bennett’s (Zooey Deschanel) acting career by giving her a makeover. Now a raven-haired woman of mystery, Joan does her part durin
Aug 24 2021 51 min
Episode 1: Private Worlds
Already a divorced mom while still in her teens, Joan Bennett (Zooey Deschanel) becomes a movie actress out of financial necessity, but she struggles to define herself as
Aug 17 2021 1 h 04 min
Introducing Love is a Crime
When Hollywood mogul Walter Wanger (Jon Hamm) shot an agent he suspected was having an affair with his actress wife, Joan Bennett (Zooey Deschanel) — one of the key femme
Aug 10 2021 4 min
Chart trend
Position in the Film History chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#65#128JulAugSepOct
#2
all-time peak
7
days in the top 3 since Nov 2024
Chart positions
Where Love is a Crime ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 22, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
This is simply the best podcast ever about Old Hollywood. I wish the same team would follow up with another “season” done with such taste and such thorough research.
Oliver Hazan · Aug 2025
Wow, what a life journey she had. As a fan of Dark Shadows, somehow I always found Joan Bennett fascinating. I wrote a fan letter once and she wrote back! Who knew that backstory was so intriguing as well. Kudos to the podcast writers, cast and crew for making listening so enjoyable and educational. While much of her life was outlined contentiously, I feel the podcast reveals the strength she exhibited throughout and garners posthumous, well-deserved appreciation.
PeteS Ohio · Nov 2023
I’m a huge fan of Karina’s work and this was a wonderful project that taught so much film history throughout!
My only complaint was with the voice acting from Zooey Deschanel and John Hamm. I love both of these actors but their performances here are old-Hollywood stereotypes rather than embodying these real people.
trashflower · Jun 2023
I was surprised by the negativity of the other two reviews. For one, I thought the “narration” and the “inserts” of tapings and interviews were spot on. The objection to the “feminism” stuff was ridiculous as that was such an important part of the history. Beautifully written and presented, this is an important piece of American and Hollywood history, interestingly done by people with strong connections to the people involved. Could not be better!
Cozy222 · Nov 2022
It is difficult to follow this podcast that is written like a movie script rather than a spoken narrative. The narrator makes awkward pauses and does not pronounce names correctly. I realize it’s supposed to be a “period” piece, but the many of the actors’ voices are too over the top. We could do without the annoying background music too. Sound levels need correcting.
PodWalker50 · Sep 2021
Your content is great. Your affected, over pronunciation is painful and distracting. Your flat-out MIS-pronunciation of the names of actors, directors, and well-known places is disrespectful to both your listeners and your subject matter—and it really calls your credibility into question.
This is both sad and preventable.
I know for a fact that you didn’t start out this affected and fake-sounding. The early episodes of You Must Remember This were like a breath of fresh air—great content, well-researched, and presented in an imaginative way.
Then for some reason you decided to have a “style” and make yourself distinctive. Well, it backfired and instead you annoy and alienate more and more listeners with every episode. That can’t be your intent. . .can it?
ani.w.w · Nov 2022
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