You Must Remember This is a storytelling podcast exploring the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century. It’s the brainchild and passion project of Karina Longworth (founder of Cinematical.com, former film critic for LA Weekly), who writes, narrates, records and edits each episode. It is a heavily-researched work of creative nonfiction: navigating through conflicting reports, mythology, and institutionalized spin, Karina tries to sort out what really happened behind the films, stars and scandals of the 20th century.
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
21: The Birth of Barbra Streisand’s A Star is Born
There have been four Hollywood films made under the name and/or with the basic story of A Star is Born. The most reviled version is the one starring Barbra Streisand, mad
Nov 4 2014 38 min
20: LIZ <3 MONTY
Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift were best friends and co-stars in three films. This episode tracks Taylor's relationship with the troubled Clift, from their first,
Oct 28 2014 35 min
19: Raquel Welch, From Pin-up to Pariah
Raquel Welch, a former cocktail waitress and divorced mother of two, found herself in the odd position of being an old-fashioned sex goddess in the age of flower children
Oct 21 2014 33 min
18: The Many Loves of Howard Hughes, Chapter 4: Jane Russell
Our long-running series on the women in the life of the infamous aviator/filmmaker continues with a look at Hughes’ professional and personal relationship with Jane Russe
Oct 14 2014 41 min
17: Theda Bara, Hollywood’s First Sex Symbol
Theda Bara might be the most significant celebrity pioneer whose movies you’ve never seen. She was the movie industry’s first sex symbol; the first femme fatale; and she
Oct 7 2014 36 min
16: Marlon Brando 1971-1973
This is the story of how, with two movies shot in 1971, Marlon Brando turned his career around, spent his regained celebrity capital on an act of social activism, and put
Sep 29 2014 40 min
15: Madonna, from Sean to Warren, Part Two
In the concluding chapter of a two-part episode about Madonna and movies, we talk about her mutually beneficial professional and personal involvement with Warren Beatty.
Sep 23 2014 40 min
14: Bacall, After Bogart
When Humphrey Bogart died, Lauren Bacall was just 32 years old. This is the story of how Bacall spent the remaining 57 years of her life, and her lifelong struggle to fin
Sep 16 2014 32 min
13: Bogart, Before Bacall
A look at how Humphrey Bogart became Bogey, tracing his journey from blue blood beginnings through years of undistinguished work and outright failure, to his emergence in
Sep 9 2014 33 min
12: Madonna, from Sean to Warren, Part One
Over the course of two episodes, we will explore the high-cinephile period of Madonna's life and work, roughly bracketed by her relationship with Sean Penn and ending wit
Sep 2 2014 35 min
11: The Many Loves of Howard Hughes: Katharine Hepburn, 1938
A crossover episode, uniting our two ongoing series, The Many Loves of Howard Hughes and Follies of 1938, focusing on Hughes’ relationship with Katharine Hepburn, which p
Jul 25 2014 27 min
10: Follies of 1938, Chapter 2: Kay Francis, Pretty Poison
In May 1938, the Independent Theater Owners Association published a full-page paid editorial in The Hollywood Reporter, branding a number of big stars — including Mae Wes
Jul 18 2014 33 min
9: The Many Loves of Howard Hughes, Part 2: The Many Loves of Ida Lupino
In this second installment of our ongoing series, The Many Loves of Howard Hughes, we explore the life, loves and work of Ida Lupino. Hughes dated Lupino when she was a t
Jul 10 2014 34 min
8: Follies of 1938, Part 1: Hollywood’s Greatest Year
This micro-episode sets up a topic we’ll be exploring throughout the summer: the films, stars and scandals of 1938. By midway through that year, Hollywood was in such a d
Jul 2 2014 18 min
7: The Many Loves of Howard Hughes, Chapter 1
The first episode of a multi-part series on the Hollywood romances of Howard Hughes traces Hughes’ arranged marriage at age 18 to Southern society belle Ella Rice; his af
Jun 24 2014 36 min
6: Isabella Rossellini in the 1990s
Today we celebrate the 62nd birthday of actress/model/filmmaker Isabella Rossellini. She was born into Hollywood scandal: her mother, Ingrid Bergman, was denounced on the
Jun 17 2014 32 min
5: The Lives, Deaths and Afterlives of Judy Garland
Today we’re commemorating the life and career of Judy Garland, who died 45 years ago this month. Signed to a studio contract at the age of 13, encouraged to become a pill
Jun 9 2014 37 min
4: (The Printing of) the Legend of Frances Farmer
During the last year of his life, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain was obsessed with Frances Farmer, an actress from his hometown of Seattle who died in 1970. Farmer’s beauty and un
May 27 2014 31 min
3: Happy 110th Birthday, Val Lewton
A Very Special Halloween Episode! The writer-producer Val Lewton produced and ghost-wrote 11 films in just three years as head of the horror unit at RKO, many of which —
May 7 2014 35 min
2: Frank Sinatra in Outer Space
Welcome to the second episode of You Must Remember This, the podcast devoted to exploring the secret and or/forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century. Today, we lo
Apr 16 2014 29 min
Chart trend
Position in the TV & Film chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#32#63AugSepOct
#10
all-time peak
2
days in the top 10 since Nov 2024
Chart positions
Where You Must Remember This ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 30, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
This podcast is amazing. It’s well researched, thought provoking, entertaining and often tells the stories of forgotten or unsung contributors to the film industry. I’ve been a listener for a long time and I appreciate the perspectives given. The commentary is always insightful and informative. But I’m especially grateful for the consideration this podcast takes to be inclusive and to amplify the experiences and contributions made throughout Hollywood’s history by marginalized communities
RahRahInTheSkyWDiamonds · Oct 2026
I love this podcast. Don’t get me wrong. I have discovered many films actors and directors and I really value her commentary. However, and this is a BIG ‘however’ … The fake accents are so cringeworthy that I stopped listening to several of them. They are distracting, insulting, and sometimes downright wrong. Why you think that doing pathetic Alfred Hitchcock impersonation or god-awful French accent for every “on every French film director adds to the listeners enjoyment is so beyond me. They’re not funny, they’re not accurate and frankly, they are in poor taste
Jenny McPike · Oct 2026
I’ve listened to season 15 twice - that’s that good. Second time around I listened at 1.2x speed and it changed my experience for the better. Longworth is very good at her job but her delivery/voice acting might not be for everyone. Adjusting the speed was a game changer. Didn’t diminish the other voices in the show and kept it at a pace closer to the other podcasts we all know and love.
NewYorkNell · Sep 2026
I love finding new sources to tell me behind-the-scenes stories about Old Hollywood, and this podcast certainly offers plenty of those. While I appreciate the willingness to knock these icons off their pedestals, I eventually grew tired of what seemed to be a rather arrogant and mean-spirited tone. One partial season was enough for me.
Pokerface Chet · Sep 2026
We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.
Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of You Must Remember This, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
