Untold Legends: Hedy Lamarr
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About This Podcast
What makes someone a “true legend”? Untold Legends gives legendary status to those who deserve it – and tells their story.
NEW season: You may well have heard of the Austrian-born US actress Hedy Lamarr - a Jewish refugee who escaped the Nazis to become a Hollywood star. However, for most of her life, she didn’t receive proper recognition for her role as an inventor. She was known for starring in dozens of films, including Algiers, Samson and Delilah, Ecstasy, Boom Town and My Favourite Spy. But few people knew Hedy was also a gifted inventor. One of the technologies she co-invented laid a key foundation for future communication systems, including GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi. Presented by inventor and model Andini, and featuring special guest, Hollywood actor, AnnaSophia Robb, Untold Legends: Hedy Lamarr, explores the life of a woman whose intellect was often overshadowed by her image.
Untold Legends: Hedy Lamarr is an 8-part series.
Previously, from Untold Legends: Ora Washington was the champion the world ignored. You might know this tennis and basketball star, were it not for the colour of her skin. Former US basketball star and vice president of Atlanta Dream, Renee Montgomery, investigates Ora’s story. Ora dominated black women’s tennis, which was segregated in the 1920s and 1930s.
Untold Legends is from the BBC World Service, Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.
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Recent Episodes
S2E8 Hedy Lamarr: 8. Hedy’s Legacy
Hedy’s tumultuous life has taken so many twists and turns. Will she finally get the recognition she deserves as an inventor? We speak to US Navy commanders, a Microsoft inventor and Hedy’s daughter…
S2E7 Hedy Lamarr: 7. Hedy on Trial
As Hedy Lamarr gets older, her acting work dries up and she is again embroiled in a public scandal. She is accused of shoplifting. To make things worse, she is taking addictive “remedies” prescribed…
S2E6 Hedy Lamarr: 6. Striking out
Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil’s visionary invention fails to make an impact with the US Navy. The actress decides it’s time to quit MGM Studios to explore new avenues as an independent movie…
S2E5 Hedy Lamarr: 5. Pianos and patents
The Hollywood star wants to help defeat Hitler, so Hedy Lamarr comes up with an invention. Troubled by what is happening in the Second World War, Hedy works with the avant-garde composer, George…
S2E4 Hedy Lamarr: 4. Hollywood
Hedy’s new life in Hollywood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The party lifestyle isn’t for her and she struggles to make her MGM debut. Eventually though, the film offers start rolling in, starting…
S2E3 Hedy Lamarr: 3. Inventing Hedy
A Hollywood deal transforms Hedy Kiesler into Hedy Lamarr - her greatest invention yet? After a daring escape from her husband and the advance of Hitler’s Nazis into Austria, Hedy Lamarr arrives in…
S2E2 Hedy Lamarr: 2. The golden cage
A wealthy arms dealer and a world on the brink of war. After the scandal of the Ecstasy movie, Hedy gets married. The threat from the growing influence of the Nazi Party is intensifying in Austria…
S2E1 Hedy Lamarr: 1. The Ecstasy girl
A scandal in Vienna: Hedy Lamarr’s debut movie is considered so sexual; it is banned in several countries. Hedy has dreams of becoming a star, but are those dreams over before they’ve even really…
S2E1 Season 2 trailer: Hedy Lamarr
A refugee who escaped the Nazis, a feminist filmmaker and beauty icon, and one of Hollywood’s most famous golden-age stars. You might think you already know her story, but there’s another side to…
S1E8 Ora Washington: 7. Flowers for Ora
“Possibly the best female athlete” of her era – why was Ora Washington forgotten? And we meet her family, who are relieved that their Aunt Ora’s achievements are now being acknowledged: “I felt so…
S1E7 Ora Washington: 6. Defending her throne
Cracks appear after two decades at the top of black tennis. A new generation of elite athletes want her crown. But is Ora ready to retire? Her hair is greying now and she wears glasses on court. Can…
S1E6 Ora Washington: 5. Playing like a ‘real woman’
Ora is at the peak of her sports, but off the court, stars are expected to appear “sufficiently feminine”. If you didn’t, you faced prejudice. Please note, this episode contains some outdated…
S1E5 Ora Washington: 4. Queen of two courts
Basketball beckons. The elite tennis player tries a new sport – and it’s a crowd puller. Ora’s quickness and agility translate to the basketball court, as her career takes off in tandem with tennis.…
S1E4 Ora Washington: 3. Advantage Ora
Can she beat the best? Ora is the underdog against the crowd favourite, the formidable Isadora “Izzy” Channels of Chicago. It’s a brutally hot day in Harlem and the mood is tense. Everything is at…
S1E3 Ora Washington: 2. A radical statement
“She loved to compete”: Ora takes her first tennis lesson. But race, sex and class prejudice stand in her way. It’s the 1920s and Ora has gone north to Philadelphia – a city of opportunity and…
S1E2 Ora Washington: 1. An empty chair
Who was Ora Washington? The southern farm girl who wanted more. But recognition came too late – why was the guest of honour at a star-studded event missing? Ora was a brilliant tennis and basketball…
S1E1 Season 1 trailer: Ora
The Queen of two courts. Ora Washington is the star the world ignored. It’s time everyone knew her name. Ora was a black tennis champion in the era of racial segregation in the United States. She was…
Frequently Asked Questions
Untold Legends: Hedy Lamarr has published 17 episodes since August 2022, covering topics in Film History, Personal Journals.
Untold Legends: Hedy Lamarr is currently dormant with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 28m.
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