TCM Announces Lucille Ball and The Bonfire of the Vanities for New Season of Hit Podcast The Plot Thickens
The Plot Thickens, Season 2: The Devil’s Candy Premieres June 29
Season 3 Celebrates The Incomparable Lucille Ball This Fall
Turner Classic Movies’ (TCM) award-winning podcast The Plot Thickens will premiere season three in October, diving into the life and work of the indelible Lucille Ball. Featuring more than 50 new interviews, you’ll hear Lucy’s full story, from her early years as a model to her triumphant takeover of television. Host Ben Mankiewicz will delve into the private world of America’s funniest redhead and uncover the many triumphs and tragedies, with surprising revelations at every turn.
TCM also announced today the return of The Plot Thickens, Season 2: The Devil’s Candy coming Tuesday, June 29, going behind the scenes of the infamous 1990 film The Bonfire of the Vanities. This season was produced in partnership with Campside Media.
One of the biggest novels of the 1980s, The Bonfire of the Vanities had all the makings for a hit motion picture: a dark comedy with heart and bite; an A-list director and a star-studded cast; and the most powerful movie studio in the world behind it. It then became known as a box-office disappointment, and the making of it was all witnessed by one woman, Julie Salamon, a journalist embedded in the production. Nobody noticed Salamon, but she noticed everything, documenting every argument, every wrong turn, every well-intentioned decision. When the dust settled, she turned her experience into the best-selling book The Devil’s Candy.
So what went wrong? Hosts Ben Mankiewicz and Julie Salamon venture onto the closed set and revisit archival recordings of Brian De Palma, Tom Hanks, Melanie Griffith and others, as they set about making one of the most anticipated films of its time, only to end up a fiasco for the ages.
“There have been plenty of lemons in movie history, but none that have been so meticulously recorded,” said TCM Primetime Host Ben Mankiewicz. “Julie Salamon’s book was a gift to film lovers, film students, and perhaps most critically, movie executives. She lays out a blueprint for what will go wrong if you lose your way. We’re thrilled to bring her book and her recordings to life with this season of the podcast.”
The Bonfire of the Vanities makes its TCM premiere on Monday, July 5, as part of a night dedicated to Brian De Palma:
8:00 PM ET The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
10:15 PM ET Obsession (1976)
12:00 AM ET Sisters (1972)
1:45 AM ET Blow Out (1981)
4:00 AM ET Body Double (1984)
The first trailer for Season 2: The Devil’s Candy can be downloaded on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Interviews, press kit, and episodes 1 & 2 are available for review upon request.
Learn more at tcm.com/Podcast.
About The Plot Thickens
The Plot Thickens is the first official podcast from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) about movies and the people who make them. Season one was a seven-episode documentary about the life and work of Oscar®-nominated director, writer, and actor Peter Bogdanovich titled “I’m Still Peter Bogdanovich” that launched in May 2020. The first season garnered more than one million downloads within two months and several industry awards: it was named a Webby Honoree; won best podcast website from the 2020 Adweek Podcast Awards; and was nominated for best entertainment podcast at the inaugural Ambie Awards.
About Turner Classic Movies (TCM)
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a two-time Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world highlighting the entire spectrum of film history. TCM features the insights from Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz along with hosts Alicia Malone, Dave Karger, Jacqueline Stewart and Eddie Muller, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests and serves as the ultimate movie lover destination. Currently in its 26th year as a leading authority in classic film, TCM offers critically acclaimed series like The Essentials, along with annual programming events like 31 Days of Oscar® in February and Summer Under the Stars in August. TCM also directly connects with movie fans through events as the annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, the TCM Big Screen Classics series in partnership with Fathom Events, as well as through the TCM Classic Film Tour in New York City and Los Angeles. In addition, TCM produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs, and hosts a wealth of material online at tcm.com and through the Watch TCM mobile app.
Publicity Contact
Taryn Jacobs