The cheerleader-in-chief for the American Olympic movement was a brilliant, self-made Chicago tycoon named Avery Brundage. Brundage did more to ensure the success of the Berlin Games than anyone except Hitler. But what exactly were his motivations? We meet the man behind the curtain and witness his secret shame. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

With the fate of the Olympics on the line, Charles Sherrill travels to Germany to take up the question of Jewish athletes directly with the Führer. We dig through a dusty archive to uncover a long-buried account of their meeting. The wolf met with the chicken. Guess who won?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Charles Sherrill was everything a gentleman of his generation was supposed to be: rich, handsome, charming, Ivy-Leagued. He was impossibly well connected and extravagantly mustachioed. He was also the person who, as much as anything, decided whether American athletes would participate in the 1936 Olympics. Faced with one of the great moral dilemmas of the day, America needed the wisdom of Solomon. Instead, it got the wisdom of Sherrill.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

In the early 1930s, Adolf Hitler granted a rare interview to the American journalist Dorothy Thompson. When Hitler later came to power, and prepared to stage the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Thompson’s warning about the man she’d met would frame the central debate over the games: Should we go?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Here's an early preview of another Pushkin Industries podcast that you may enjoy, also hosted by Malcolm. Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage is a new podcast telling extraordinary tales of heroism. The Medal of Honor is awarded for bravery in combat that goes far above and beyond the call of duty – those acts of heroism and courage that save lives despite impossible risk. Each week on the show, Malcolm dives into the story behind a different Medal of Honor recipient. If you enjoyed this clip, you can find Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage wherever you're listening now. See omnystudio.com/list ..read more

Here's an episode from another Pushkin Industries podcast that you may enjoy. Introducing Lost Hills: Dark Canyon. This season, host Dana Goodyear investigates one of Malibu's greatest unsolved mysteries. In 2009, 24-year-old Mitrice Richardson was arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for failing to pay her bill at a restaurant in Malibu, CA. After being released from Lost Hills Station shortly after midnight, she disappeared. Eleven months later, her skeletal remains were discovered in a canyon some six miles away.  For nearly 15 years, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s ..read more

Here’s a clip from a Pushkin Industries audiobook that you may enjoy: The Art of Small Talk. Hilarious and practical advice for how to up your small talk game from comedians, actors and self-appointed experts on chit-chat, Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair. Casey and Jessica share six simple rules for how to engage in small talk and achieve the connectedness we all crave with any and everyone. Enjoy this clip from The Art of Small Talk, featuring Malcolm. And if you’re interested in hearing more small talk tips, get the complete audiobook at: Pushkin: https://www.pushkin.fm/audiobooks/the-art ..read more

Here’s an episode from another Pushkin Industries podcast that you may enjoy. Introducing Deep Cover: The Nameless Man. This season, host Jake Halpern tells the epic tale of two federal agents who investigate a rumor about a murder that supposedly took place 15 years prior. It is also the story of a family searching for answers about why their brother was killed. These two storylines collide in a courtroom in Philadelphia, where murder, memory, and morality go on trial.  Listen to Deep Cover wherever you find your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more

Malcolm recently sat down with friend and award-winning theologian Lee C. Camp to discuss his journey on the acclaimed podcast No Small Endeavor. In this episode, they explore a host of Malcolm's stories – from receiving permission from his mother to cut class to spending three days a week in Freudian therapy as a young adult – all which contributed to who he is today. Produced by Great Feeling Studios and PRX, No Small Endeavor brings thoughtful conversations with bestselling authors, artists, theologians and philosophers – like Hollywood legend Rob Reiner, and Civil Rights hero Reverend Jame ..read more

In 1986, Cameron Crowe, the film director, and Nancy Wilson, of the rock group Heart, got married. They honeymooned in a little cabin in the Pacific Northwest, and while they were there decided to write a musical, about Elvis as a cab driver in Seattle. They wrote and recorded demos of all the songs, and called it “Blue Seattle.” It became a lost masterpiece that never saw the light of day. In our Development Hell season finale, Cameron joins Malcolm to share the songs and tell the story behind “Blue Seattle” for the very first time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more