Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia

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This article is about the podcast. For other uses, see Root of all evil.

Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia
Presentation
Hosted by
  • Yvette Gentile
  • Rasha Pecoraro
LanguageEnglish
UpdatesWeekly
Production
ProductionZak Levitt[1]
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Publication
Original releaseFebruary 13 –
April 3, 2019
Provider
Related
Related showsI Am the Night

The Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia or simply, Root of Evil, is an American investigative crime podcast covering the Black Dahlia murder and suspect George Hodel.[2] The podcast was produced as a partnership between Cadence13 and TNT as a companion to the fictional television series I Am the Night.[2][1] The podcast was created by Zak Levitt, and hosted by Yvette Gentile and Rasha Pecoraro, George Hodel's great-granddaughters.[1][3] It features interviews with those who were impacted by the murder, including Hodel's relatives.[4][5] The podcast charted in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, reaching the number one spot in the United States on April 21, 2019.[6][7]

Background[edit]

Main article: Black Dahlia

In 1947, Elizabeth Short, known as the Black Dahlia, was brutally murdered.[1] The murder remains unsolved; however, George Hodel, a surgeon, was one of the primary suspects. After George Hodel's death in 1999, his son, Steve Hodel, a former homicide detective with the Los Angeles County Police Department, desired to learn more about his father and discovered information leading him to believe that George Hodel was the killer of the Black Dahlia.[7][8]

The podcast is hosted by Hodel's great-granddaughters, Yvette Gentile and Rasha Pecoraro, the daughters of Fauna Hodel. Throughout the podcast, the sisters interview their relatives, discuss 70 years of family history, and reveal the ways the family changed after the Black Dahlia case.[9] After her death in September 2017, Fauna Hodel's daughters began to sort through the things she left behind. In the podcast, Gentile and Pecoraro analyze audio recordings between Fauna and her mother, Tamar, George's daughter. Gentile and Pecoraro also reflect upon the weight that the Hodel name carries.[10] This is the first time that the family members have publicly spoken about their past.[11][12] Gentile and Pecoraro believe that their great-grandfather did kill Elizabeth Short.[13]

Episodes[edit]

No.TitleRunning timeOriginal air date
1"Saved By The Ghetto"46:25February 13, 2019 (2019-02-13)
2"A Skilled Surgeon"40:16February 20, 2019 (2019-02-20)
3"George's Gift"43:23February 27, 2019 (2019-02-27)
4"The Minotaur"47:19March 6, 2019 (2019-03-06)
5"Traumatic Reenactment"58:07March 13, 2019 (2019-03-13)
6"Supposin' I Did Kill The Black Dahlia"68:56March 20, 2019 (2019-03-20)
7"The Troubling Questions"42:09March 27, 2019 (2019-03-27)
8"You Only Have One Family"46:44April 3, 2019 (2019-04-03)

Awards and nominations[edit]

The podcast was nominated for "Best Crime Podcast" at the 2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards, but lost the award to Man in the Window.[14][15]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d McDonell-Parry, Amelia (February 8, 2019). "New Podcast Explores Black Dahlia Murder". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 17, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Wynne, Kelly (June 4, 2019). "TRUE STORY BEHIND 'ROOT OF EVIL' PODCAST, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER AND FAUNA HODEL". Newsweek. Archived from the original on June 17, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  3. ^ "How 'Root of Evil' podcast digs deep into Black Dahlia murder". The Today Show. March 13, 2019. Archived from the original on March 17, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Weibe, Sheldon (January 23, 2019). "TNT AND CADENCE 13 REVEAL AUDIO TRAILER FOR ROOT OF EVIL COMPANION PODCAST!". Eclipse Magazine. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  5. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (December 17, 2019). "TNT to Launch 'I Am the Night' Companion Podcast". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  6. ^ "TNT / Cadence13 – 'Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia' American iTunes Chart Performance". iTunes Charts. Archived from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Root of Evil The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia". Chartable. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  8. ^ Hodel, Steve; Pezzullo, Ralph (2009). Most Evil: Avenger, Zodiac and the Further Serial Murders of Dr. George Hill Hodel. Dutton. ISBN 978-0-525-95132-2.
  9. ^ Standley, Laura Jane; McQuade, Eric (December 27, 2019). "The 50 Best Podcasts of 2019". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  10. ^ "Root of Evil". The Futon Critic. December 17, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  11. ^ "TNT and Cadence13 Announce ROOT OF EVIL". Broadway World. December 17, 2018. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  12. ^ Cridland, James (February 13, 2019). "Root of Evil launches: Q&A with Tyler Moody". PodNews. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  13. ^ "'Root Of Evil' Podcast Hosts Share Dark Family Secrets For First Time". Dr. Phil. March 27, 2019. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  14. ^ Marquina, Sierra (January 18, 2020). "2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards: Full List of Winners". iHeartRadio. Archived from the original on January 18, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  15. ^ "iHeartRadio Podcast Awards 2020 Nominees Announced (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. November 12, 2019. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2020.


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