Hollywood 360

Hollywood 360 is the podcast version of a radio show that plays clips of classic radio programs. It includes fun facts and quizzes about those programs and current plays, films, songs, and TV shows. Hosts Carl Amari and Lisa Wolf test each other's entertainment wisdom. They quiz listeners, too. Wolf has a musical theater background. She works in film, TV, and radio. Amari has produced award-winning films, radio, and TV shows for over 40 years. Amari spent two decades acquiring licensing for 60,000 original radio programs. He shares those recordings and remarkable stories about them through this podcast.

Featured radio programs on Hollywood 360 include Gunsmoke, Dragnet, and Jack Benny. In one Jack Benny clip, Benny's valet, Rochester, brought him a sardine sandwich when he wanted corned beef. A sardine slips down Benny's sleeve before he goes onstage. He asks why Rochester brought him root beer when he wanted Coca-Cola. Rochester answers, "That's funny. I asked for 7-Up." Benny asks to switch his toupee for one with a widow's peak. It's a silly sequence that's hard to find on the radio anymore.

The podcast's games include "Name That Tune," where they play a song clip to test their lyrical memory. The hosts often sing along. Amari says one listener asked him to stop singing so listeners could hear the musician. He stopped for a week but resumed because he loves singing. Both hosts have great voices.

Hollywood 360 also includes "Beat the Host," where listeners compete against the hosts. In a competition about Elvis Presley, Wolf asks if his pink Cadillac was once blue. She also asks if Elvis had two presidents in his lineage and whether he had a brown belt in karate.

The cheerful podcast shares little-known entertainment facts. Listeners learn how much Janet Leigh's body double earned for the Psycho shower scene. The hosts reveal which Oscar-winning film's lead actor was the studio's third choice. (Ronald Reagan declined the role.)

Hollywood 360 is fun for families to listen to together. It's safe for young listeners, nostalgic for older listeners, and educational for all. New episodes air weekdays.