Come join us on
The Backlot.
Step onto The Backlot — the members-only Patreon of When They Were Making It.
Inside, you’ll find bonus episodes, companion pieces, behind-the-scenes stories, extra research, and deeper dives into the films, stars, scandals, studios, myths, and backstage machinery of classic Hollywood.
It’s where the stories continue after the main episode ends — with more context, more discoveries, and more of the glorious, messy, utterly human history behind Hollywood’s greatest legends.
Join us on The Backlot and help keep these stories alive, at https://www.patreon.com/whentheyweremakingit/.
$5 (USD) / month
Your Visitor Pass gets you through the studio gate and onto The Backlot of WTWMI — the first stop for bonus stories, members-only extras, and a little more movie magic between episodes.
Every month, you'll get two mini-episodes exploring the films, stars, scandals, studios, myths, and backstage machinery of classic Hollywood.
Every main-feed subject also comes with its own exclusive Backlot After the Cut audio companion: why I chose the subject, ten facts that didn't make the cut, what surprised me in the research, and how the story shaped Hollywood and culture. The episode after the episode.
The gates are open — come on in.
What's included:
Two Visitor Pass mini-episodes every month
Backlot After the Cut audio companions for every main-feed episode subject
Click here to join The Backlot and get your Visitor Pass.
$10 (USD) / month
Studio Insider takes you deeper into The Backlot of WTWMI — with even more bonus audio for listeners who want to go further.
Each month, you'll get four Backlot mini-episodes in total — the two included with Visitor Pass, plus two additional Studio Insider minis — along with a monthly, main-feed-worthy full-length bonus episode exploring a classic Hollywood person, film, or story, and a Backlot audio companion for every main-feed episode subject.
You'll also get a monthly Q&A audio episode — submit your questions about classic Hollywood, the research, or the show through Patreon comments, social media, or email, and I'll answer them each month.
Altogether, that means at least six bonus audio releases beyond the main feed every month: four mini-episodes, one full-length bonus episode, and the monthly Q&A — plus a Backlot audio companion for every main-feed episode subject.
The studio doors are open — you're on the inside now.
What's included:
Four Backlot mini-episodes every month (two Visitor Pass minis + two Studio Insider exclusives)
One full-length bonus episode every month
Monthly Q&A audio episode
Backlot audio companions for every main-feed episode subject
Everything included in Visitor Pass
Click here to join The Backlot and become a Studio Insider.
Full Bonus Episodes (Studio Insider Tier)
Barbara Stanwyck: The Woman Hollywood Couldn't Break
Grace Kelly: The Movie Star Who Became a Princess
Theda Bara: Hollywood’s Original Femme Fatale
COMING THIS MONTH – Montgomery Clift: The Golden Boy Hollywood Couldn’t Save
Mini Bonus Episodes
Thelma Todd: Hollywood's Ice Cream Blonde Mystery
The Haunted Soundstage: Stage 28 at Universal
Central Casting: The Factory Behind the Faces
Queer Hollywood: The Hidden Lives Under the Studio System
The Hollywood Sign: From Real Estate Ad to Hollywood Ghost Story
Lillian Roth: The Star Hollywood Built Up, Broke Down, and Couldn't Forget
The Production Code, Part 1: The Rules That Shook Up Hollywood
Poverty Row: Hollywood's Other Studio System
The Disappearance of Jean Spangler: A Torn Purse, a Cryptic Note, and an Enduring Hollywood Mystery
Chateau Marmont: Movie Stars, Sordid Stories, and Hollywood's Most Notorious Hideaway
Hollywood's Gossip Columnists: Feuds, Scandals, and the Power to Make or Break Stars
The Production Code, Part 2: Joseph Breen, the Legion of Decency, and How the Code Reshaped Hollywood
COMING THIS MONTH – Alice White: Hollywood's Bad-Girl Flapper — Fame, Scandal, and a Career Cut Short
COMING THIS MONTH – Ingagi: The Racist Exploitation Hoax That Shocked 1930s America
COMING THIS MONTH – Hollywood Beauty Routines: Face Tape, Ice Water, and the Bizarre Quest for Perfection
COMING THIS MONTH – The Production Code, Part 3: Hollywood Learns the Rules — Living Under the Code
After the Cut: Companion Episodes
Marilyn Monroe
Rudolph Valentino
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Lana Turner
Barbara Stanwyck
Marlon Brando
Grace Kelly
Mae West
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Dorothy Dandridge
Shirley Temple
COMING SOON – Charlie Chaplin
A century of Marilyn.
June 1, 2026, marks 100 years since Marilyn Monroe was born. To honor her centennial, WTWMI launches with a three-part series tracing her invention, her rise, and the cost of becoming the most famous woman in the world.
Listen to Part One, Part Two, and Part Three now.
A story of strength, ambition, and self-invention — about a girl who shouldn't have had a chance, and the woman she gave everything to become.
WTWMI — listen now, wherever you get your podcasts.