Podcast Summary

Todo Concostrina – "23 de octubre de 1928: Nace la RKO de Joseph Kennedy, sexo, mentiras, cine y extorsión"

Host: Nieves Concostrina
Co-host: Marta del Vado
Date: October 24, 2024

Overview

In this episode, Nieves Concostrina delves into the darker, lesser-known side of the Kennedy family, focusing on Joseph Kennedy’s involvement in the American film industry. She uses the founding of RKO Pictures on October 23, 1928, as a springboard to uncover tales of crime, sex, lies, and extortion. True to her style, Concostrina strips away the myths, critiques the sanitized Kennedy legacy, and explores the murky intersections of power, business, and Hollywood.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Deconstructing the Kennedy Family Myth

• Critical overview of the Kennedy legacy:
  • The official narrative around the Kennedys, especially John F. Kennedy (JFK), is highly sanitized—"blanqueados todos, tienen un baño de lejía encima que no veas" (Nieves, 00:42).
  • The JFK Library and Museum in Boston is characterized as a "gran fraude, una gran mentira", more about preserving a myth than reality (01:53).

2. Joseph Kennedy: The Patriarch’s True Face

• Origins and dubious rise:
  • Joseph Kennedy is described as either the "jefe del clan" or outright "el padrino" (Nieves, 03:05), linked to banking, mafia ties, prohibition-era bootlegging, and political corruption.
  • Anecdotes include his diplomatic failure in London—defending Hitler and the Nazis, causing a scandal so severe Churchill nearly had him arrested (03:27).
  • Kennedy’s double standards highlighted; a church-going Catholic on Sundays, but a law-breaking power broker the rest of the week (05:11).

  "Los Kennedy iban a misa todos los domingos y de lunes a sábado el patriarca delinquía y se saltaba nueve de sus diez mandamientos." – Nieves (05:18)

3. Kennedys, Hollywood, and Sex Scandals

• Kennedy men and their affairs:
  • Not only business, but also personal liaisons with Hollywood greats: Marilyn Monroe (with more than one Kennedy), Audrey Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Angie Dickinson, and Joseph Kennedy’s own affair with Gloria Swanson (04:15).
  • Angie Dickinson’s comment on her night with JFK:

    "Fueron mis seis minutos más excitantes de su vida." – Nieves recounting Dickinson (04:22)

• Theme: The Kennedy men had plenty "de lo que callar"—plenty to hide.

4. Joseph Kennedy’s Hollywood Gambit

• Entrepreneurial Moves:
  • Not motivated by art, but by profit—"pasando por encima de la ley, de la moral, de las personas. Lo suyo era pasta y poder" (Nieves, 05:13).
  • Started by acquiring small cinema chains in New England around 1919, quickly realizing that film production was even more lucrative.
  • Purchase of FBO in 1926 and mass production of Westerns, which were highly popular (06:14).

5. The Birth of RKO and Ruthless Expansion

• Founding of RKO:

  • RKO emerged in October 1928 as a result of Kennedy’s business maneuvers, aiming for vertical integration: production, distribution, and exhibition (06:52).
  • His ambition: acquire more theaters, especially on the West Coast.

• The Showdown with Alexander Pantages:

  • West Coast theaters were dominated by Greek-American Alexander Pantages (or Padazis), controlling over 80 cinema venues (07:56).
  • Kennedy, through RKO, tried to purchase the chain, offering a fraction of its real value. When rebuffed, Kennedy allegedly resorted to intimidation: blocking Pantages from distributing RKO films (09:11).

6. Scandal and Extortion: The Pantages Case

• The set-up (or not):
  • After resisting Kennedy’s offers, Pantages was accused of raping a 17-year-old dancer, Eunice Springer (10:27).
  • Media manipulation played a huge role. The Los Angeles Examiner, run by William Randolph Hearst (a Kennedy ally), led a defamatory campaign against Pantages, exploiting his foreignness and accent (12:03).

  "La prensa tuvo muy fácil poner a todo el mundo de parte de la joven estadounidense y defenestrar a ese empresario griego..." – Nieves (11:10)

• Outcome:
  • Pantages was rapidly convicted to 50 years (12:30), although later acquitted on appeal after it became clear he’d been effectively condemned by public opinion rather than evidence (12:34).
  • By the time he was freed, his life and business were destroyed, and RKO picked up his cinemas for a paltry sum (13:30).

7. Reflections & Final Thoughts

• Impact:
  • The episode calls into question the sanitized, heroic version of the Kennedy legacy, making a case for revisiting the family’s story with a more critical eye (14:06).

  "Por lo menos esta familia tiene mucho que revisitar. Muchísimo." – Nieves (14:06)

• Wider historical parallel:
  • Linking this Hollywood scandal to other notorious cases of media-driven public lynching in Spain and elsewhere.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Es probablemente el museo con más mentiras o medias verdades del mundo."
  — Nieves Concostrina on the JFK Library (01:33)
• "El patriarca de esta familia era un delincuente con todas las letras. Y eso en el museo de Boston no te lo dice. No está bonito."
  — Nieves Concostrina (04:00)
• "Él seguía el rastro del dinero pasando por encima de la ley, de la moral, de las personas. Lo suyo era pasta y poder."
  — Nieves Concostrina on Joseph Kennedy (05:13)
• “Los periodistas impúdicos saben cómo hacer mucho daño.”
  — Nieves Concostrina (11:49)
• "Nunca, nunca se demostró que Kennedy estuviera implicado... pero que fue el principal beneficiado, eso sí que está clarísimo."
  — Nieves Concostrina (12:56)

Timeline & Timestamps

• 00:42 — Critique of the Kennedy family myth and museum.
• 03:05 — Introduction to Joseph Kennedy, "el padrino".
• 05:11 — Joseph Kennedy’s contradictory religious and criminal life.
• 06:14 — Kennedy’s early Hollywood moves and business strategy.
• 07:56–09:11 — Conflict and negotiation with Alexander Pantages.
• 10:27–12:03 — The rape accusation against Pantages and Kennedy’s associates’ role.
• 12:30–13:30 — Pantages’ conviction, acquittal, and ruin—Kennedy’s business gain.
• 14:06 — Reflection on the need to revise the Kennedy story.

Conclusion

This episode offers a sharp, irreverent look at the origins of RKO, the checkered legacy of Joseph Kennedy, and the murky interplay between cinema, power, and criminality in early Hollywood. Nieves Concostrina calls out the sanitized American narrative, highlighting the darkness behind the Kennedy family legend in a tone that's both provocative and entertaining.