The Plot Thickens

Lighting the Fire

One decision could make or break The Bonfire of the Vanities: who will play the female lead? It comes down to two actresses -- established, expensive Melanie Griffith or an unknown, alluring 19-year-old named Uma Thurman.

Reaching for the Stars -- and Paying the Price

Tom Hanks signs on to play amoral stockbroker Sherman McCoy, and he's so beloved that nobody recognizes how wrong he is for the part. But the hardest decision comes when the director insists that a Jewish judge be played by a Black actor.

The War Zone

Shooting hasn’t even started and the movie is already under attack. Courtroom locations, snippets of dialogue, even a single shot of a plane landing at JFK -- every little decision becomes a battle as the crew preps for filming.

Wire Without a Net

The cast shows its true colors: some are easygoing and relatable, but not Bruce Willis. Meanwhile, Bronx residents show up to throw eggs and lightbulbs at the filmmakers, and one irate New Yorker confronts Brian De Palma directly.

Hollywood Heat

As production moves to Los Angeles, the specter of sexism clouds the movie. Rumors swirl among the crew: Melanie Griffith's breasts have gotten bigger, and one actress has secretly been having an affair on the set.

The Best Movie We've Ever Made

With production in Los Angeles, Brian De Palma feels the pressure from prying studio executives -- and from Bruce Willis, who starts directing other actors on how to be funnier.

You've Got To Be a Genius To Make a Movie This Bad

The Bonfire of the Vanities tanks with both critics and the moviegoing public. De Palma leads the autopsy, trying to understand how all these smart people made all the wrong decisions.

The Devil's Candy Bonus Episode

Author Julie Salamon joins TCM Host Alicia Malone for a revealing interview about what you didn’t hear during our second season of The Plot Thickens.

Jamestown

In a small town in New York, young Lucille Ball becomes enamored with showbiz after watching vaudeville acts and silent movies at the amusement park near her home.

New York City

Lucy heads to Broadway where she meets her first girlboss: fashion baroness Hattie Carnegie, who hires Lucy to model coats and dresses for New York high society.

Hollywood

For her first movie role, Lucy wears a flesh-toned bodysuit and waist-length blonde wig while chained to a rock. But her clowning on set gets her noticed, and she begins to land larger and larger parts.

Desi

Forced from his native Cuba by violent revolution, and armed with an appetite for girls and gambling, Desi Arnaz sparks a dance craze in the nightclubs of Miami and sweet-talks his way into New York society.

Desilu

From the start, Lucy and Desi fight as fiercely as they love. After a spur-of-the-moment elopement, the newlyweds buy a small ranch north of Hollywood and call it "Desilu."

I Love Lucy

With a TV deal from CBS, Desi assembles a ragtag team of collaborators to make a new kind of program, one that would rewrite the rules of television.

Red Scare

At the height of Lucy's popularity, the government kicks off a political investigation that threatens to ruin her career.

The End of Desilu

Lucy and Desi’s production company expands as they buy the RKO lot. But the strain of running an empire takes its toll, and Desi falls further into gambling, drinking and philandering.

Boss Lady

Escaping Hollywood after her split, Lucy heads east for a chance to star on Broadway. There she meets a new man, a Borscht Belt comedian with a bad toupee and even worse business sense.

Twilight

Lucy sinks into a depression after the failure of her newest show and becomes a reclusive yet fiercely competitive backgammon player.

Bonus Episode: Lucie Arnaz

More from Ben Mankiewicz’s fascinating interview with Lucie Arnaz, who speaks about working with her mom, growing up on the RKO studio lot, and what made "I Love Lucy" special.

Bonus Episode: Aaron Sorkin

Ben Mankiewicz speaks to Aaron Sorkin, the writer-director of Being the Ricardos, about what drew him to Lucy’s story, Lucy and Desi’s intense relationship, and the danger they faced when HUAC thought Lucy was a communist.

Bonus Episode: Carol Burnett, Kate Flannery and Kate Micucci

Ben Mankiewicz speaks to three celebrity fans about how they were influenced by Lucille Ball, Lucy’s incredible talent for physical comedy, and why "I Love Lucy" is still beloved today.

Bonus Episode: J.K. Simmons

Ben Mankiewicz speaks with the Oscar-winning actor about playing William Frawley in "Being the Ricardos," and how Frawley's tumultuous relationship with Vivian Vance informed the characters of Fred and Ethel Mertz.

Trailer: Here Comes Pam

This is the story of Pam Grier as only she can tell it. Her sudden stardom, her iconic roles, her fights against the system. It's a story of bravery, both onscreen and off.

The Black West

Growing up in Colorado, young Pam Grier endures racism and trauma but finds solace in horses and the beautiful countryside. As a teen, she visits Los Angeles for the first time and gets caught in the middle of the historic Watts Rebellion.

I'm Not From Here

Newly arrived in Los Angeles, Pam learns underground filmmaking at UCLA and sings backup for some of the biggest musical acts of the '60s. She also has her first serious romance, with a towering basketball phenom named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

An Actor Prepares

Pam heads to the Philippines to star in a pair of “women in prison” movies, where she endures volatile weather, skimpy costumes and cobra encounters. She learns everything she can about filmmaking, and her raw talent is soon recognized on the set.

The Queen of Blaxploitation

Pam's career hits new heights as Black-themed movies take the country by storm. She stars in four low-budget films in the span of one year, including two bonafide hits: Coffy and Foxy Brown.

Looking Good

As the Blaxploitation craze comes to an end, Pam fights for better roles and hobnobs with the biggest names in showbiz. She meets the love of her life, a hot young comedian named Freddie Prinze -- whose personal demons lead to heartbreak and tragedy.

I'm Gonna Die for Paul Newman

Pam finds love on a movie set when she's cast opposite superstar comedian Richard Pryor. She sets out to change Richard's self-destructive ways and succeeds -- for a little while.

Ms. Jackie Brown

After receiving a devastating diagnosis, Pam leaves Hollywood and heads home to Colorado. But she's lured back into the spotlight when the hottest director in Hollywood gives her the role of a lifetime.

Bonus Episode: Quentin Tarantino

More from Ben Mankiewicz's interview with Quentin Tarantino, who speaks about making Jackie Brown, enjoying Blaxploitation and first seeing Pam when he was an impressionable 10-year-old boy.

Bonus Episode: Jacqueline Stewart

Ben Mankiewicz speaks to film professor, TCM host and Director and President of The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Jacqueline Stewart about Pam Grier’s star image, the legacy of Blaxploitation and meeting Pam at the TCM Classic Film Festival.

Bonus Episode: Bob Minor & Jadie David

Legendary stunt performers Jadie David and Bob Minor go in-depth about their most dangerous stunts, working with Pam Grier and breaking through as Black stuntpeople in the early '70s.

Bonus Episode: Donald Bogle & Racquel Gates

Film scholars Racquel Gates and Donald Bogle detail the rise and fall of Blaxploitation, and how Pam Grier transcended the genre and stayed iconic for decades afterwards.