The Podcast You Must Remember This Will Delight Film Fans

Karina Longworth

The golden age of Hollywood has slowly been fading out of pop culture for quite some time, to the point where its fans have become a niche subculture within the movie community. We are seeing movies from the ’70s, ’80s, and even ’90s becoming “classics” in this day and age. As time passes, society’s memory bank fills to overflowing, but that doesn’t stop Karina Longworth from hosting a successful podcast about the history of Hollywood.

The You Must Remember This podcast is a one-woman show. Longworth has a passion for old Hollywood, and it shows immediately when the podcast starts. You step into the realm that she has created: a seductive world full of mystery and fame. You are drawn in by Longworth’s mesmerizing voice, and you want to listen to every word.

The format of the podcast is storytelling. If you have ever listened to Serial or Lore, it’s very similar. What I love about this podcast, though, is how dramatic the host is, and how effective that drama is. With other podcasts, it can be a bit much when sound effects come into play, and sometimes the voice acting is poor. However, in You Must Remember This, sound effects aren’t overused, and this makes you hang on every word Longworth says.

Longworth focuses on the facts, and she even has a whole series on the “fake news” theme. She doesn’t treat urban legends as truth; instead, she dissects the rumors. She shows you the root cause of the gossip, and she explains what really happened. She does interject her opinion, but not very often. She acts more like a journalist with credibility.

The downside of the podcast is that there is a lot of information. It takes Longworth several minutes to set up the premise of the episode sometimes, and I have found myself getting lost in my own thoughts as she does this. This isn’t because the podcast is boring; it’s just a lot of setup. However, the payoff is usually worth it. Longworth knows she has a lot to cover, and some subjects are even broken up into several episodes. I feel like you do need some knowledge of old Hollywood to understand just who she is talking about at times. The podcast could still be an interesting listen for anyone, but for the cinephiles it’s an absolute treat.

If you are a die-hard movie fan, you will probably be more interested in Longworth’s older episodes that focus on profiles of silent-film/golden-age Hollywood actors. One of my favorites is about Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart’s famous romance. If you are a more casual movie fan, her newer episodes will be more of interest; the most recent is about the beauty industry in Hollywood.

If you are looking for a podcast that dives into the rabbit hole that is old Hollywood, this podcast is perfect. It’s interesting even if you aren’t very familiar with the subject matter because, as I said, Longworth’s newer episodes are about broader themes that many people can relate to. Personally, though, I could listen to Karina Longworth talk all day long about anything, and I would still hang on her every word.