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The Plot Thickens

The Plot Thickens

TCM 71 Episodes Oct 8, 2026

The Plot Thickens is a podcast from TCM that delves into the stories behind classic films. Its sixth season focuses on the making of the 1963 film Cleopatra, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and starring Elizabeth Taylor. The series explores the production's many challenges, including medical emergencies, climate disasters, and a scandalous love affair. Host Ben Mankiewicz investigates his own family history to understand why the film, despite its potential, became a notorious box office failure.

Episodes

The Breakout
The Breakout Oct 8, 2026 3251 Stanley heads to Hollywood to direct The Killing, a crime caper with a famous cast and a confusing storyline.  The film tanks at the box office but attracts the attention of movie star Kirk Douglas, who agrees to star in Stanley's next project.  Stanley decides to adapt the antiwar novel Paths of Glory, which he films in Germany and unexpectedly meets the love of his life. Learn more abo
The Opening Gambit
The Opening Gambit Oct 1, 2026 2754 Stanley takes his first crack at filmmaking, starting with shorts and moving up to low-budget independent features.  His family bankrolls his productions and his friends act as cast and crew, but his efforts fail to turn a profit.  As his first marriage begins to crumble, Stanley plays chess for quarters, until a new friend gives him a shot at the big time. Learn more about your ad choic
The Bronx Kid
The Bronx Kid Sep 24, 2026 3005 Stanley Kubrick grows up rooting for the Yankees, playing drums, and watching World War II newsreels at the local movie theater. At age 13, his father gifts him his first camera, which leads to a prestigious job at a famous magazine... and the opportunity to watch a film being made on the streets of New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Season 7 Trailer 3: Stanley
Season 7 Trailer 3: Stanley Sep 17, 2026 111 Actor Sterling Hayden details the worst day of his life, which occurred on the set of Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Stanley, from Turner Classic Movies and Criterion, starts September 24. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Season 7 Trailer 2: Stanley
Season 7 Trailer 2: Stanley Sep 10, 2026 110 Katharina Kubrick recalls life at home with her famous father, where music was a constant presence. Stanley, the new season of The Plot Thickens, starts September 24. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Season 7 Trailer: Stanley
Season 7 Trailer: Stanley Sep 3, 2026 141 Steven Spielberg tells Ben Mankiewicz about the deal he struck with Stanley Kubrick for information about a famous cut scene from Dr. Strangelove. Stanley, an eleven-episode limited series, begins September 24. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ben Answers Your Cleopatra Questions
Ben Answers Your Cleopatra Questions Sep 18, 2025 2444 Ben Mankiewicz received hundreds of voicemails about Cleopatra, and now he's answering them! Well, as many of them as he can. In this special bonus episode, Ben weighs in on the six-hour cut of Cleopatra, what Richard Burton thought of the movie, Judy Garland's love for Joe Mankiewicz... and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ask Ben Your Cleopatra Questions!
Ask Ben Your Cleopatra Questions! Aug 26, 2025 60 We’re doing our first-ever Q&A bonus episode, and we want your questions! Call 404-885-0013 to leave a voicemail for Ben. You can ask about Cleopatra, Ben's great-uncle Joe Mankiewicz or the stars of the movie. Remember to tell us your first name and where you're calling from. We might use your voice in the episode so keep it clean! And be on the lookout for the Q&A bonus episode next month. Learn
Wildly Successful and Much Maligned
Wildly Successful and Much Maligned Aug 21, 2025 2814 The fate of 20th Century Fox hangs in the balance as Cleopatra premieres. Critics and audiences weigh in, Elizabeth and Richard face momentous life decisions, and Joe sinks into a deep depression.  For years to come, Joe and the Mankiewicz family reckon the difficult legacy of Cleopatra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mankiewicz vs. Zanuck
Mankiewicz vs. Zanuck Aug 14, 2025 2754 Joe’s body reaches its breaking point, and he’s forced to film the last few scenes from a wheelchair.  But when production wraps, Fox installs a new studio head, Darryl F. Zanuck, who undercuts Joe’s authority and takes over the edit of Cleopatra.  Soon, Joe and Zanuck wage a very public battle for control of the movie, just months before it’s finally released.  Learn more about your ad choices. V
Le Scandale
Le Scandale Aug 7, 2025 2817 Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s love affair becomes a tabloid sensation.  Richard drinks and Elizabeth cries, they fight and make up, all while trying to keep the affair from their spouses and the public. When the press infiltrates the set and reports on every ugly development, Joe struggles to hold the production together. But as the budget balloons, Joe starts taking the blame for everythi
The Girl is on Salary
The Girl is on Salary Jul 31, 2025 3053 Joe Mankiewicz decides to recast two leading men and hires Richard Burton and Rex Harrison – major talents who turn out to be major headaches. He also moves filming to a new country, where the budget spirals out of control. Joe works against the clock to meet the studio’s deadline to start shooting, and he nearly pulls it off… until Richard Burton puts the moves on his married co-star Elizabeth Ta

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