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Americathon
''Americathon'' (also known as ''Americathon 1998'') is a 1979 American comedy film directed by Neal Israel and starring John Ritter, Fred Willard, Peter Riegert, Harvey Korman, and Nancy Morgan, with narration by George Carlin. It is based on a play by Firesign Theatre members Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman. The movie includes appearances by Jay Leno, Meat Loaf, Tommy Lasorda, and Chief Dan George, with a musical performance by Elvis Costello. Plot In the (then-near future) year 1998, the United States has run out of oil, and many Americans are living in their now-stationary cars and using nonpowered means of transportation such as jogging, riding bicycles and rollerskating. Many Americans wear tracksuits. Paper money has become completely worthless, with all business transactions being conducted in gold; even a coin-operated elevator warns "Gold Coins Only". In search of leadership, Americans elect Chet Roosevelt as president of the United States. Roosevelt, a "cosmically ins ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neal Israel
Neal Israel (born July 27, 1945) is an American actor, screenwriter, film and television producer, and director best known for his comedic work in the 1980s for films such as ''Police Academy'', ''Real Genius'', and ''Bachelor Party''. Biography Career Raised in Manhattan in a Jewish family, Israel started his career on the Broadway stage as assistant to legendary director George Abbott. After working at the New Dramatists Guild and the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference, he came to Los Angeles, and was an executive at both ABC and CBS. During this time he wrote and directed the break through indie hit ''Tunnel Vision,'' which introduced such future stars as Chevy Chase, John Candy and Al Franken. On television, he wrote '' Ringo,'' a special that starred Ringo Starr and George Harrison. He then wrote with his partner, Pat Proft, the first ''Police Academy'' movie, which spawned six sequels. He directed and co-wrote ''Bachelor Party'', which starred Tom Hanks. He followed t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chief Dan George
Chief Dan George (born Geswanouth Slahoot; July 24, 1899 – September 23, 1981) was a chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, a Coast Salish band whose Indian reserve is located on Burrard Inlet in the southeast area of the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He also was an actor, musician, poet and an author. The Chief's best-known written work is "My Heart Soars". As an actor, he is best remembered for portraying Old Lodge Skins opposite Dustin Hoffman in ''Little Big Man'' (1970), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and for his role in ''The Outlaw Josey Wales'' (1976), as Lone Watie, opposite Clint Eastwood. Early years Born as Geswanouth Slahoot in North Vancouver,Christine Armstrong, Hidden in plain sight: contributions of Aboriginal peoples to Canadian Identity and Culture', 2005: Univ. of Toronto Press, p. 14. . Accessed October 13, 2015. his English name was originally Dan Slaholt. The surname was change ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nancy Morgan
Nancy Karen Morgan (born April 1, 1949) is an American actress. Early life Morgan is the daughter of Marjorie (née Greenfield) and Samuel A. Morgan. Jr. She is a niece of John "Red" Morgan, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery during World War II in 1943, events later fictionalized in the movie ''Twelve O'Clock High''. Career Morgan starred with Ron Howard in Howard's directorial debut ''Grand Theft Auto'' as well as starred with Italian film star Terence Hill in a feature film and European television series based on comic-strip hero Lucky Luke. For many years Morgan and her husband John Ritter co-hosted the national United Cerebral Palsy Telethon together. They also co-starred in television movies ''The Dreamer of Oz'' and '' Heartbeat'', and in the feature film '' Americathon.'' Morgan also made a guest appearance in Ritter's television series ''Hooperman.'' Personal life Morgan married actor John Ritter in 1977, and they had three children: Jason (b. 1980), Ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Ritter
Johnathan Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor. Ritter was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is known for playing Jack Tripper on the ABC sitcom ''Three's Company'' (1977–1984), and received a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the role in 1984. Ritter briefly reprised the role on the spin-off ''Three's a Crowd'', which aired for one season, producing 22 episodes before its cancellation in 1985. He appeared in over 100 films and television series combined and performed on Broadway, with roles including adult Ben Hanscom in '' It'' (1990), '' Problem Child'' (1990), ''Problem Child 2'' (1991), a dramatic turn in ''Sling Blade'' (1996), and ''Bad Santa'' in 2003 (his final live action film, which was dedicated to his memory). In 2002, Don Knotts called Ritter the "greatest physical comedian on the planet". His final roles include voicing the title chara ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elvis Costello
Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nominated for the Brit Award for Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist, Best British Male Artist. In 2003, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Costello number 80 on its Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Costello began his career as part of London's Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock scene in the early 1970s and later became associated with the first wave of the British punk and new wave movement that emerged in the mid-to-late 1970s. His critically acclaimed debut album ''My Aim Is True'' was released in 1977. Shortly after recording it, he formed the Attractions as his backing band. His second album ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phil Proctor
Philip Proctor (born 1940) is an American actor, comedian and a member of the Firesign Theatre. He has performed voice-over work for video games, films and television series. Career Of the four members of Firesign Theatre, Proctor has had the greatest amount of mainstream exposure as an actor. A boy soprano in his youth, he worked extensively in musical theatre, including numerous juvenile female roles in productions of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. In his early adult career, he worked in musical theatre on Broadway, the West Coast and in touring productions. During this period Proctor worked with many famous names, including composer Richard Rodgers, and forged important social connections, becoming close friends with notable figures including Henry Jaglom, Brandon deWilde, Peter Fonda and Karen Black. Proctor also appeared occasionally on television in small roles, including episodes of ''Daniel Boone (1964 TV series), Daniel Boone'', ''All in the Family'', and ''Night Cou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on the list of best-selling music artists. His ''Bat Out of Hell'' trilogy — ''Bat Out of Hell'' (1977), '' Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell'' (1993), and '' Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose'' (2006) — has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. The first album stayed on the charts for over nine years, still sells an estimated 200,000 copies annually, and is on the list of best-selling albums. After the commercial success of ''Bat Out of Hell'' and ''Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell'', and earning a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for the song "I'd Do Anything for Love", Aday nevertheless experienced some difficulty establishing a steady career within the United States. The key to this succes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monica Johnson
Monica Johnson (February 21, 1946 – November 1, 2010) was an American screenwriter whose film credits included ''Mother'', ''Lost in America'', '' Modern Romance'', '' Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again'' and '' The Muse''. Her television credits included ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', '' Laverne & Shirley'' and ''It's Garry Shandling's Show''. She was a frequent collaborator with Albert Brooks. Early life Johnson was born Monica Lenore Belson in 1946 in Colorado, but was raised in El Centro, California and spent her early years in medical and dental assistants’ school. Career Her brother, Jerry Belson, an Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and film producer, hired her to type scripts for the TV series '' The Odd Couple'' around 1972; noticing that his sister added jokes to the scripts which met with the producers' approval, he suggested that she partner with Marilyn Suzanne Miller to form a writing team. Initially working under her married name of Monica Mcgowan in 1973, she ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harvey Korman
Harvey Herschel Korman (February 15, 1927May 29, 2008) was an American actor and comedian who performed in television and film productions. His big break was being a featured performer on CBS' ''The Danny Kaye Show'', but he is best remembered for his performances on the sketch comedy series ''The Carol Burnett Show'', for which he won four Emmy Awards, as well as his partnership with Tim Conway. Korman also appeared in several comedy films by Mel Brooks. Early life Korman was of Russian Jewish descent and born in Chicago, the son of Ellen (née Blecher) and Cyril Raymond Korman, a salesman. He served in the United States Navy during World War II. After being discharged, he studied at the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University) and at HB Studio. He was a member of the Peninsula Players summer theater program during the 1950, 1957, and 1958 seasons. Career Early years Korman's first television role was as a head waiter in ''The Donna Re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Riegert
Peter Riegert (born April 11, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Donald "Boon" Schoenstein in ''Animal House'' (1978), oil company executive "Mac" MacIntyre in '' Local Hero'' (1983), pickle store owner Sam Posner in ''Crossing Delancey'' (1988), Lt. Mitch Kellaway in '' The Mask'' (1994), and glove manufacturer Lou Levov in '' American Pastoral'' (2016). He directed the short film ''By Courier'' (2000), for which he was nominated along with producer Ericka Frederick for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. On television, Riegert had a recurring role as crooked Newark Assemblyman and later State Senator Ronald Zellman in seasons three and four of the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' (2001–2002), appeared as George Moore in the first season of the FX series ''Damages'' (2007), and portrayed Seth Green's father in the comedy series '' Dads'' (2013–2014). He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance in the HBO film ''Barba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fred Willard
Frederic Charles Willard (September 18, 1933 May 15, 2020) was an American actor, comedian, and writer. He was best known for his roles in the Rob Reiner mockumentary film ''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984); the Christopher Guest mockumentaries ''Waiting for Guffman'' (1996), '' Best in Show'' (2000), ''A Mighty Wind'' (2003), '' For Your Consideration'' (2006), and ''Mascots'' (2016); and the ''Anchorman'' films; as well as for his television roles on ''Fernwood 2 Night'', ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', and ''Modern Family'' the latter of which earned him two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Early life Frederic Charles Willard was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 18, 1933. Willard's mother, Ruth (née Weinman) was a housewife. His father, Frederick Charles Willard, died in 1945 when he was 12 years old. He was raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Willard graduated from the Kentucky Military Institute in 1951 and the Virginia Military Institute in 1955. He was stationed in Germany wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009, he started a primetime talk show, ''The Jay Leno Show'', which aired weeknights at 10:00p.m. ET, also on NBC. Prior to the premiere of Leno's prime time show, O'Brien's ratings as the new ''Tonight Show'' host had already suffered a decline, however. When O'Brien turned down NBC's offer to have Leno host a half hour monologue show before ''The Tonight Show'' to boost ratings amid reported viewership diminishing, Leno returned to hosting the show on March 1, 2010. He hosted his last episode of this second tenure on February 6, 2014. That year, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. Since 2014, he has hosted ''Jay Leno's Garage,'' and the 2021 revival of ''You Bet Your Life''. Leno writes a regular column in ''Popular Mechani ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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