Creator and host Erin Carlson of the Stars of the Golden Age podcast is more than just another entertainment podcaster. She’s become an institutional repository for an era of classic movie-making that is gradually being forgotten by current generations.
How many people remember Robert Mitchum? Lena Horne? Paul Robeson? Mary Pickford was one of the biggest names in Hollywood in the 1920s. Now, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone under 70 who remembers her.
The vehicles to get to know these icons of Hollywood’s golden age are disappearing. TCM is still viable, but almost axed by Warner/Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who’s a bottom-line guy. You can also see classic movies on AMC, The Criterion Channel, or Kanopy, but these are not mainstream vehicles for discovery.
Indie podcaster Erin Carlson to the rescue. Here’s her elevator pitch for Stars of the Golden Age “It’s a show that highlights the lives of legends from film, music, and the birth of television during Hollywood’s Golden Age and the few years surrounding it. I will dive into the early lives that led to stardom for some of the biggest names in Hollywood’s golden age… and I’ll shine the light on some lesser-known names as well.”
Carlson began the podcast in June 2024 and started strong, with an episode on actress Vivian Leigh of Gone with the Wind fame, who suffered from mental illness for much of her life. Since then, she has maintained a consistent release schedule, and her show is technically solid, featuring superior sound quality. Her background music to the narrative is carefully chosen and enhances the story. Moreover, Carlson is an outstanding narrator. She doesn’t rush, adds pauses, so the listener can reflect, and inserts just enough of her views and experiences to be interesting without being disruptive.
My favorite episodes so far are about movie stars I knew little about. For example, the April 8th show on Robert Mitchum, who was decidedly one of the unlikeliest people to become a movie star.
Carlson tells us: “Actor Robert Mitchum graced movie and television screens from the 1940s into the 1990s. He had such a cool and unique presence, and just wait until you hear about the wild life he led! Robert Mitchum was no ordinary man. His story is quite a wild tale.”
She wasn’t kidding. Brawls, arrests, pot smoking (remember, this is the 1950s), multiple affairs, and carousing were trademark Mitchum habits.
During Women’s History Month, Carlson shared the tales of three trailblazing women — Mary Pickford, Ida Lupino, and Lucille Ball.
To be clear, Carlson focuses more on the star’s personal life than their acting career. Therefore, it’s not a movie review podcast. She would make a good psychologist because she analyzes these stars quite effectively.
We asked Erin if she ever gets mistaken for Erin Carlson, the well-known culture and entertainment journalist. Erin answered: “I’m not aware of any mistaken identities, but I do believe her photo is attached to my bio on Google’s AI overview. I just hope SHE doesn’t mind me trying to come onto the scene with her name!”
In actuality, Erin Carlson had a far more idyllic childhood than many of the stars she profiles on her podcast.
Erin recalls: “I had an ideal, perfect 1980s and 1990s childhood. I am more thankful for than ever now that I spend so much time reading about the tragic early lives many of the individuals I cover had. I grew up in Northern Minnesota on Lake Superior and still live on that great lake today, just a few miles from where I grew up… I can’t imagine leaving her. I’m married to the best man in the world, and we are the proud parents of three German Shorthaired Pointers, who kindly allow us to live in their house with them.”
Most people don’t grow up wanting to be independent podcasters, and Erin is no exception.
Erin tells us: “As far as my career goals as a child… definitely not a podcaster since that was a far-futuristic reality, and definitely not the career I did land on. I wanted to be an architect. It’s funny how life turns out, isn’t it? In terms of many aspects of my life, I am so happy my vision didn’t become my reality. I love my life soooooo much and can’t imagine any other life for myself.”
Then we found out about Erin’s job! It’s no surprise that she would work in a field that gives back to society.
Erin says: “I have an insanely fulfilling career as an early childhood teacher. I own and operate a nature preschool, and I spend my days with the best humans imaginable… all 3, 4, and 5-year-olds. Our learning day is completely outdoors for half the year, and when we are forced inside during our cold Minnesota winters, we still venture outside for hours every day. Our days are filled with hiking, gardening, nature exploration, raising monarch butterflies, collecting maple sap to make maple syrup, getting muddy, rescuing insects from danger, snowshoeing, and I could go on and on.”
Erin then talks about her future: “My goal is to ease up a little time from my class schedule as the podcast grows (hopefully!) and I would love nothing more than to have Stars of the Golden Age eventually be my full-time job. I do have an idea for a second podcast that aligns well with my current show, but I barely have time for this one so that will have to be a dream for now! For now, I can’t imagine waking away from my students quite yet, but I won’t be walking away from podcasting either. But eventually, yes… when I have the heart to close the door on education, I would love to be a full-time writer and podcaster.”
Erin explains her podcasting journey: “I’ve listened to podcasts since before podcasts were podcasts. I’ve listened to NPR programming since I was a teenager… of course I didn’t tell any of my friends that! I listened to This American Life, Fresh Air, A Prairie Home Companion, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, The Story with Dick Gordon, The Splendid Table…. Oh, I miss those last two so much. Then as podcasts hit the scene and grew like wildfire, I was so happy. I don’t watch television and only watch movies for my podcast research, so I have podcasts going all the time.”
Erin continues: “A few years ago, I thought maybe it’s something I would like to do. I have always had a love for writing, so maybe I could pull off writing and recording a scripted show. When I finally started, I didn’t even give myself time to think about it. I ordered a mic and all the basic things I would need, and just started. Those first few episodes are rough, but I have learned so much along the way.” We asked Erin why did you pick this topic, Stars of the Golden Age?
Erin answers: “Well, along with listening to NPR like a 65-year-old man when I was a 15-year-old girl, I also loved watching old movies and TV shows as a kid. I always felt like I was born in the wrong decade… the modern world wasn’t for me. The golden age of Hollywood has just always been so magical in my eyes. Of course, now I know that it wasn’t always pretty behind those golden scenes, but I feel good about having a platform to share some of those stories. With each new generation, these stories are further lost. It’s an honor to help keep them alive.”
Erin Carlson is one of the few podcasters who produces episodes called Sensory-sensitive… NO background/transition music. It’s just another indication of how thoughtful and considerate she is.
There is a crudeness and cruelty to America’s fixation with movie stars/celebrities. Shows like TMZ delight in not just making them human, but sadly, inhuman. Social media like X rips up celebrities and seems to delight in the process.
That’s why I highly recommend Stars of the Golden Age. Creator /host Erin Carlson doesn’t viciously attack these movie stars. Nor does she attempt to vilify them. Instead, in a tone I can only describe as “Midwestern Earnest,” Erin narrates the life stories of movie stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood with an invigorating sense of wonder and admiration. Listening to her show, you’ll quickly learn that many of those stars had brutal, often violent, childhoods.
I’m adding a new ending to Podcaster Profiles.
“Please support Erin Carlson so that she can make independent podcasting her full-time job.”
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