Don Simpson reigned over Hollywood after joining forces with his producing partner Jerry Bruckheimer in the 1980s. Around town, the studio executive-turned-producer’s addiction to sex workers and drugs was no secret — and for decades, he wielded his power in the industry to continue his nefarious and erratic ways.  

For a full list of sources and citations for this episode, visit https://variety.com/h/variety-confidential/.

Don Simpson reigned over Hollywood after joining forces with his producing partner Jerry Bruckheimer in the 1980s. Around town, the studio executive-turned-producer’s addiction to sex workers and drugs was no secret — and for decades, he wielded his power in the industry to continue his nefarious and erratic ways.  
For a full list of sources and citations for this episode, visit https://variety.com/h/variety-confidential/.

Variety Confidential is a new true crime podcast that dives into Variety’s historic archives to explore stories of sex, money and murder in the entertainment industry. Season one, titled “The Secret History of the Casting Couch,” will detail the notorious Hollywood casting couch through the decades and draw parallels between recent sex scandals and those of the past, illustrating that sexual predation in the industry is as old as the Hollywood Hills.

Variety Confidential is a new true crime podcast that dives into Variety’s historic archives to explore stories of sex, money and murder in the entertainment industry. Season one, titled “The Secret History of the Casting Couch,” will detail the notorious Hollywood casting couch through the decades and draw parallels between recent sex scandals and those of the past, illustrating that sexual predation in the industry is as old as the Hollywood Hills.

Variety Confidential

Don Simpson "80s Hits and 80s Excesses"

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b0befce8-6c87-4ff1-bef9-b0f20150df9a/transcript

After starring in the 1935 film “Captain Blood,” actor Errol Flynn became the big screen’s foremost swashbuckler. Seven years later, two underage girls accused the golden age movie star of statutory rape. In “When You’re A Star,” the sixth episode of Variety and iHeart Podcasts’ true crime podcast “Variety Confidential,” host Tracy Pattin and co-host Matt Donnelly, Variety’s senior entertainment and media writer, look back at Flynn’s 1943 rape trial. 

For a full list of sources and citations for this episode, visit https://variety.com/h/variety-confidential/.

After starring in the 1935 film “Captain Blood,” actor Errol Flynn became the big screen’s foremost swashbuckler. Seven years later, two underage girls accused the golden age movie star of statutory rape. In “When You’re A Star,” the sixth episode of Variety and iHeart Podcasts’ true crime podcast “<a href="https://variety.com/t/variety-confidential/">Variety Confidential</a>,” host Tracy Pattin and co-host Matt Donnelly, Variety’s senior entertainment and media writer, look back at Flynn’s 1943 rape trial. 
For a full list of sources and citations for this episode, visit https://variety.com/h/variety-confidential/.

Errol Flynn "When You're a Star"

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/89d2e01f-b627-480f-b47c-b10100088f6a/transcript

Known for “Chinatown,” “Rosemary's Baby” and “The Pianist,” Roman Polanski is one of the most acclaimed directors in cinematic history. He is also a convicted child rapist who has faced several sexual assault allegations over the course of his career.  



In “Disgraced Genius,” the fifth episode of Variety and iHeart Podcasts’ true crime podcast “Variety Confidential,” host Tracy Pattin and co-host Matt Donnelly, Variety’s senior entertainment and media writer, examine Polanski’s downfall after decades of Hollywood reverence. 

For a full list of sources and citations for this episode, visit https://variety.com/h/variety-confidential/.

Known for “Chinatown,” “Rosemary's Baby” and “The Pianist,” Roman Polanski is one of the most acclaimed directors in cinematic history. He is also a convicted child rapist who has faced several sexual assault allegations over the course of his career.  
 
In “Disgraced Genius,” the fifth episode of Variety and iHeart Podcasts’ true crime podcast “Variety Confidential,” host Tracy Pattin and co-host Matt Donnelly, Variety’s senior entertainment and media writer, examine Polanski’s downfall after decades of Hollywood reverence. 
For a full list of sources and citations for this episode, visit https://variety.com/h/variety-confidential/.

Roman Polanski "Disgraced Genius"

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/62760c2e-b1a8-47e8-93b6-b0fa00245d4f/transcript

In episode 3 of “Variety Confidential,” host Tracy Pattin and co-host Matt Donnelly unearth the story of Henry Willson, an aggressive, midcentury Hollywood talent agent and manager who succeeded in both spotting and taking advantage of young actors within whom he saw potential for fame.  



Willson, a closeted gay man, would lure dozens of handsome young men, or “beefcakes” as they would come to be known, to his Los Angeles home after wining and dining them and promising fame. “He seems to have insinuated himself into their lives,” Pattin explains. “He became their friend, the parent, the protector, and in many cases, their lover.” 



For a full list of sources and citations for this episode, visit https://variety.com/h/variety-confidential/.

In episode 3 of “<a href="https://variety.com/t/variety-confidential/">Variety Confidential</a>,” host Tracy Pattin and co-host Matt Donnelly unearth the story of Henry Willson, an aggressive, midcentury Hollywood talent agent and manager who succeeded in both spotting and taking advantage of young actors within whom he saw potential for fame.  
 
Willson, a closeted gay man, would lure dozens of handsome young men, or “beefcakes” as they would come to be known, to his Los Angeles home after wining and dining them and promising fame. “He seems to have insinuated himself into their lives,” Pattin explains. “He became their friend, the parent, the protector, and in many cases, their lover.” 
 
For a full list of sources and citations for this episode, visit https://variety.com/h/variety-confidential/.

Henry Willson "The Man Who Invented Beefcake"

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5ada3518-bab6-4a31-90e8-b0eb014f2df3/transcript

Don Simpson "80s Hits and 80s Excesses"

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