Show Notes
Greg Jenner is joined in twentieth-century America by Dr Hannah Thuraisingam Robbins and comedian Desiree Burch to learn all about singer and Hollywood actress Lena Horne. Born into a middle class Black family in New York, a young Lena Horne soon followed in the footsteps of her actress mother and made her début at the famous Cotton Club aged only 16. After making her name as a singer and performer – and following the end of her tumultuous first marriage – Horne transferred to the west coast and bagged a Hollywood contract with MGM. There, she appeared in a number of classic films, including Stormy Weather and Cabin in the Sky. Over the next several years, she would also perform for the troops in the Second World War, fall in love with and marry a white composer and arranger, undertake an international tour, and become one of the most popular nightclub performers of the post-war era. But the racism of segregation-era America would also shape and limit the career of the woman known as ‘the first Black pin-up girl’, eventually leading her to the civil rights movement and Black activism in the 1960s. This episode traces Lena’s journey from young dancer to Hollywood star and renowned vocalist, along the way exploring her connections with figures including Billie Holliday and Martin Luther King Jr., and the injustice she spent so much of her career fighting against.
If you’re a fan of the history of cinema, mid-century America, and Black cultural icons, you’ll love our episode on Lena Horne.
If you want more musical icons with Desiree Burch, listen to our episodes on Paul Robeson, Josephine Baker, and Broadway Musicals. And for more film history, check out our episodes on the history of Bollywood and Sarah Bernhardt.
You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.
Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Rosalyn Sklar Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars
More from You're Dead to Me
Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Greece by historian Dr Emily Hauser and comedian and actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe to learn about the epic poems the Iliad and Odyssey. Traditionally attributed to the poet Homer, these works tell parts of a legend that has fascinated us for centuries: the story of the Trojan War. Featuring a cast of unforgettable characters – Achilles, Odysseus, Paris, Helen, Hector and Agamemnon – the war between ancient Greece and Troy has inspired writers, artists and filmmakers for over a millennium. But the Iliad and Odyssey only recount episodes of this much bigger story. The Iliad, focusing on the hero Achilles, takes place in the closing stretches of the war. And the Odyssey tells the tale of Odysseus’s perilous voyage home after the Greeks have triumphed In this episode, we trace the origins of the poems in the 8th century BCE, looking at whether Homer really wrote them and how these originally oral tales came to be written down, before exploring the fantastical tales they tell. Along the way, we also look at whether or not the Trojan war really happened, how the ancient Greeks defined heroism, and examine the role of gods and monsters in the poems and the lives of their heroes. This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Auréliane Perrin Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars
Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Corin Throsby and Stuart Goldsmith to look at early cultural fandom in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although many consider Beatlemania to be the start of what is now considered fan culture, Greg and his guests consider some much earlier and often hilarious examples of the birth of fandom. This episode was recorded live at the 2022 Hay Festival. This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed. Research by Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow Written by Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner Produced by Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner Assistant Producer: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow Project Management: Isla Matthews Audio Producer: Abi Paterson
When Germany's biggest magazine Stern announced in 1983 that they'd found the long-lost diaries of Adolf Hitler, the world was poised to rewrite history. Unfortunately, they were fake.
Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Martha McGill and comedian Marjolein Robertson in early modern Scotland to learn all about beliefs in witches, fairies, ghosts and more. Jacobean Scotland is famous for witch trials, partly inspired by King James’ obsession with witches – he even published a book on the subject, ‘Daemonologie’. But beliefs in other supernatural beings existed in early modern Scotland too. Protestant ministers discouraged and then encouraged the telling of ghost stories to reinforce the faith of their congregations. One minister theorised that fairies were halfway between men and angels. People worried that the devil might enter through their pores or eyes. And at his trial, a man told a story about his voyage to fairyland and relationship with the Faerie Queen herself. This episode explores these myriad beliefs, asking what cultural and social purpose they served, and how they came to be recorded in the nineteenth century by writers like Sir Walter Scott. If you’re a fan of gothic ghost stories, histories of magic and superstition, and scary fairies, you’ll love our episode on Scottish supernatural beliefs.
Greg Jenner is joined in medieval England by Dr Erin Goeres and comedian Alison Spittle to learn all about the tumultuous events of 1066, famously depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry, to celebrate its arrival in London. The death of Edward the Confessor without an heir in January 1066 kicked off a three-way battle for the English throne. The contenders? His brother-in-law, Harold Godwinson, who had himself crowned before Edward’s body was cold. His cousin William, already duke of Normandy. And the Norwegian king and famed warrior, Harald. Over the course of just a few short weeks in early autumn, the fight between these three decided the fate of a nation. This episode explores the personalities of these men, taking in Harald’s dramatic life of exile in Constantinople, William’s illegitimacy, and Godwinson’s political credentials – and troublesome little brother, Tostig. And it tells the story of the battles they fought for the throne, at Fulford, Stamford Bridge, and most famously Hastings. And it asks, how accurate is the Bayeux Tapestry, and did Harold really get an arrow in the eye? If you’re a fan of larger than life historical figures, bloody battles and messy medieval family drama, you’ll love our special episode on 1066. The programme is part of Radio 4's Norman Day, marking the arrival of the Bayeux Tapestry in Britain with programmes reassessing the Norman Conquest and its meaning for us today. If you want more on the events surrounding 1066, we’ve got episodes on Emma of Normandy and the Bayeux Tapestry. And for more from Alison Spittle, listen to our episode on the Early Medieval Papacy.