Show Notes
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 executives, and even inventors. This season will feature some heavy hitters like Lucille Ball, Elaine May, Debbie Allen, Mae West, and Barbra Streisand, and some lesser-known actresses like Adrienne Shelly who made a big impact. And an inventor, Hedy Lamarr. But first? We have to start with one of the most important female directors of the 20th century.
I can’t kick off my season on actresses who became power players without talking about Ida Lupino. The petite British actress with the femme fatale voice became one of the ONLY directors working in the 1940s and 50s. She made a lot of historic firsts, including being the first woman to direct film noir. She directed boundary-breaking independent films and then went on to direct some of the most legendary episodes of early television. This is why she often comes up in discussions of women directors or women in film history, and that’s exactly what our podcast is about. Her film The Hitch-Hiker is part of the National Film Registry, and her films Outrage and The Bigamist are considered important works of 20th-century art. Learn about her life, career, and triumphs in today's episode!
This episode originally aired earlier in 2026 on Grab Bag Collab. Directora was created by Stephanie Weber, who researches, writes, records, edits, and hosts all episodes. Episode art by Brock Alter. Please visit Directora on Instagram or TikTok for clips of things discussed in the episode. Email [email protected] for questions, concerns, and compliments. And, kindly rate and review!
Sources:
Donati, William J. Ida Lupino: A Biography. University Press of Kentucky. April, 1996.
Kuperberg, Clara and Julia. Ida Lupino: Gentlemen and Miss Lupino. (2021)
Longworth, Karina. “The Many Loves of Ida Lupino”. You Must Remember This. July 10, 2014.
Lupino, Ida. “Outrage.” 1950.
Lupino, Ida. “The Bigamist.” 1953.
Lupino, Ida. “The Hitch-Hiker.” 1955.
Ida Lupino- Documentary. Film Historian. Oct 12, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XCu7O9sw-Q
This is your life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UgbgrLve7A
Walsh, Raoul. “They Drive By Night.” 1940.
Wellman, William. “The Light That Failed.” 1939.
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