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A Christmas Carol (1954 TV Musical)
"A Christmas Carol" is the December 23, 1954 episode of the hour-long American television anthology variety series, ''Shower of Stars''. The episode is an adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella of the same name. ''Shower of Stars'' had a four-season run from 1954 to 1958 on CBS, alternating every fourth week with the dramatic anthology series ''Climax!''. It was also one of the few American TV productions of the time telecast in the UK, in 1956. Unusually for the time, it was presented on film and in color. Only a black-and-white print of this episode seems to have survived, and it has been released on DVD. The commercials seen live during the program have also survived. The program is introduced on kinescope by host William Lundigan. The production boasted a script and lyrics by noted American playwright Maxwell Anderson, and a score by Bernard Herrmann. Fredric March, in his only known portrayal of the role, starred as Ebenezer Scrooge, and Basil Rathbone portrayed Marley ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shower Of Stars
''Shower of Stars'' (also known as ''Chrysler Shower of Stars'') is an American variety television series broadcast live in the United States from 1954 to 1958 by CBS. The series was broadcast in color which was a departure from the usual CBS programming practices of the 1950s. Overview ''Shower of Stars'' is typically composed of musical comedy revues with an occasional straight play. It was shown on approximately a monthly basis during its run (1954-1958), and was designed to contrast with the heavy dramatic content of the program with which it shared its timeslot, ''Climax!'' Both programs were sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, and both were hosted by William Lundigan. Famous entertainers of the era who appeared multiple times on ''Shower of Stars'' included Jack Benny, Bob Crosby, Betty Grable, Van Johnson, Shirley MacLaine, Fredric March, Frankie Laine, Ethel Merman, Basil Rathbone, Red Skelton, Mario Lanza and Ed Wynn Liberace. March and Rathbone starred as Ebenezer Sc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sally Fraser
Sally Fraser (December 12, 1932 – January 13, 2019) was an American actress who appeared on television and in numerous films. She became best known for appearing in low-budget science fiction films of the 1950s. Biography Spotted after singing on a local TV show, Fraser was encouraged to take drama lessons and eventually gained experience in stage plays. On television she appeared opposite Tyler MacDuff in the episode "The Saga of Clement O'Toole" of the western series, ''Annie Oakley''. She also appeared on Guy Madison's series, ''The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok''. She was in the 1954 TV presentation of ''A Christmas Carol'' starring Fredric March, in the role of "Belle, sweetheart of Scrooge's youth, and as the Spirit of Christmas Past." On May 27, 1954, Fraser was part of the Anderson family in a pilot for the television version of ''Father Knows Best.'' The pilot was broadcast as an episode of ''Ford Television Theatre''. Fraser played the older daughter but (as with al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1954 American Television Episodes
Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head office of IBM. * January 10 – BOAC Flight 781, a de Havilland Comet jet plane, disintegrates in mid-air due to metal fatigue, and crashes in the Mediterranean near Elba; all 35 people on board are killed. * January 12 – Avalanches in Austria kill more than 200. * January 15 – Mau Mau leader Waruhiu Itote is captured in Kenya. * January 17 – In Yugoslavia, Milovan Đilas, one of the leading members of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, is relieved of his duties. * January 20 – The US-based National Negro Network is established, with 46 member radio stations. * January 21 – The first nuclear-powered submari ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adaptations Of A Christmas Carol
'' A Christmas Carol'', the popular 1843 novella by Charles Dickens (1812–1870), is one of the British author's best-known works. It is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a greedy miser who hates Christmas, but is transformed into a caring, kindly person through the visitations of four ghosts (Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future). The classic work has been dramatised and adapted countless times for virtually every medium and performance genre, and new versions appear regularly. Public readings The novel was the subject of Dickens' first public reading, given in Birmingham Town Hall to the Industrial and Literary Institute on 27 December 1853. This was repeated three days later to an audience of 'working people', and was a great success by his own account and that of newspapers of the time. Over the years, Dickens edited and adapted the piece for a listening, rather than reading, audience. Dickens continued to give public readings of ''A Christma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Elliott
Richard Damon Elliott (April 30, 1886 – December 22, 1961) was an American character actor who played in over 240 films from the 1930s until the time of his death. Early years Elliott was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Career Elliott played many different roles, typically as a somewhat blustery sort, such as a politician. A short, fat man, Elliott played Santa Claus on the Jimmy Durante, Red Skelton, and Jack Benny programs. Elliott had a couple of memorable lines in ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946), in which he scolded James Stewart, who was trying to say goodnight to Donna Reed, advising him: "Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death?" He also had a few memorable appearances in episodes of the '' Adventures of Superman'' television series. He appeared three times as Stanley on the CBS sitcom '' December Bride'', as well as on two of ABC/Warner Brothers' western series, ''Sugarfoot'' and ''Maverick''. He was cast as the prospector Peter Cooper and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
June Ellis
June Georgina Ellis Bromly (3 June 1926 – 26 June 2011) was an English film and television actress. She was married to director Alan Bromly (1915–1995). Filmography Film roles * ''The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp'' (1954) - Sally * ''Sky West and Crooked'' (1965) - Mrs. Cheeseman * ''Quatermass and the Pit'' (1967) - Blonde * ''Ring of Bright Water'' (1969) - Barmaid * ''Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969) - Bess * ''Frenzy'' (1972) - Maisie - Barmaid (uncredited) * ''Yanks'' (1979) - Mrs. Shenton * ''Hot Moves'' (1985) - Old Lady in Park * '' The Girl in a Swing'' (1988) - Lady at Auction * '' Getting It Right'' (1989) - Mrs. Wagstaffe * ''Younger and Younger'' (1993) - Auntie E Television roles * ''The Prisoner'' (1967) - Number Forty-eight (''A Change of Mind'') * ''Paul Temple'' (1969–1970) - Kate Balfour * ''Porridge'' (1974) - Isobel Fletcher * ''Poldark'' (1977) - Lady Whitworth * '' All Creatures Great and Small'' (1978–1989) - Mrs Mason / Mrs. Bellerby * ''Fawlty T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bonnie Franklin
Bonnie Gail Franklin (January 6, 1944 – March 1, 2013) was an American actress, known for her leading role as Ann Romano in the television series '' One Day at a Time'' (1975–1984). She was nominated for Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe Awards. Early life Franklin was born January 6, 1944, in Santa Monica, California, the daughter of Claire (née Hersch) and Samuel Benjamin Franklin, an investment banker who founded the Beverly Hills chapter of B'nai B'rith. Her parents were both Jewish immigrants, her father from Russia and her mother from Romania; they married in Montreal before moving to the United States. Her family moved to Beverly Hills when she was 13 years old, and she graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1961. She attended Smith College, performing in an Amherst College production of '' Good News'' as a freshman. She moved back to California to attend UCLA, and earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1966. Career Franklin first appeared on television at age ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Miles (American Actor)
Peter Miles (April 1, 1938 – August 3, 2002) was the stage name of American child actor Gerald Richard Perreau-Saussine. Article printed on three pages2nd page After his film career ended, he turned to writing under the pen name Richard Miles. Early life Born in Tokyo, Miles was the son of Eleanor Alfrida (Child) and Robert Henri Perreau-Saussine, and the older brother of actresses Gigi, Janine, and Lauren Perreau. He was educated at Beverly Hills Catholic School and graduated from Loyola High School in Los Angeles, California. Acting career His first screen appearance was as the uncredited son of Humphrey Bogart's character in ''Passage to Marseille'' (1944). Other notable film credits include '' Enchantment'' (1948), ''The Red Pony'' (1949), and ''Quo Vadis'' (1951). With then began appearing on television, guest starring in episodes of ''Father Knows Best'', ''The Lone Ranger'', and ''77 Sunset Strip'', among others, and he was a regular on ''The Betty Hutton Show'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Queenie Leonard
Queenie Leonard (born Pearl Walker; 18 February 1905 – 17 January 2002) was a British actress. She was the last surviving cast member of ''And Then There Were None'' (1945) until her death in 2002. Biography She was born as Pearl Walker in Manchester, Lancashire, England in 1905 and began performing on stage with her father when she was 14 years old. She debuted on film in 1931. She had already amassed 20 years of stage and screen experience when, in 1941, she made the first of more than 30 Hollywood films. She also appeared in cabaret in Britain and in the United States, starred in a one-woman show, acted in television sitcoms, and provided voices for Disney animated films. She retired in 1966. Her last appearance was in 20th Century Fox's ''Doctor Dolittle''. Leonard was married to film designer Lawrence P. Williams from 1936 to 1947, and to actor Tom Conway from 1958 to 1963. Both unions were childless and ended in divorce. Leonard was legally blind for part of her ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Craig Hill (actor)
Craig Hill (born Craighill Fowler; March 5, 1926 – April 21, 2014) was an American film actor from Los Angeles, California. Career He began his film career as a contract star for 20th Century Fox beginning with ''Cheaper by the Dozen''. He also appeared in Sam Fuller's ''Fixed Bayonets'' (1951) and John Ford's ''What Price Glory'' as well as in a key role opposite Kirk Douglas in the 1951 crime drama ''Detective Story''. After leaving Fox, he co-starred in Universal's ''The Black Shield of Falworth'' (1954) and appeared in several American television shows. He is best known for co-starring in the Desilu Studios television series ''Whirlybirds'' from 1957 to 1960, playing "P.T. Moore". In the mid-1960s, he moved to Spain and gained a new series of fans as a lead actor in several Spaghetti Westerns beginning with ''Hands of a Gunfighter'' (1965). He starred in several Euro Horror films as well, including ''The Bloodstained Shadow'' (1978) and ''The Monsters of Terror'' (1970). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tiny Tim (A Christmas Carol)
:; Timothy "Tiny Tim" Cratchit is a fictional character from the 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'' by Charles Dickens. Although seen only briefly, he is a major character, and serves as an important symbol of the consequences of the protagonist's choices. Character overview Tiny Tim is the young, ailing son of Bob Cratchit, Ebenezer Scrooge’s underpaid clerk. When Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present he is shown just how ill the boy really is (the family cannot afford to properly treat him on the salary Scrooge pays Cratchit). When visited by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Scrooge sees that Tiny Tim has died. This, and several other visions, led Scrooge to reform his ways. At the end of the story, Dickens makes it explicit that Tiny Tim does not die, and Scrooge becomes a "second father" to him. In the story, Tiny Tim is known for the statement, "God bless us, every one!" which he offers as a blessing at Christmas dinner. Dickens repeats the phrase at the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Cratchit
Bob Cratchit is a fictional character in the Charles Dickens 1843 novel '' A Christmas Carol''. The abused, underpaid clerk of Ebenezer Scrooge (and possibly Jacob Marley, when he was alive), Cratchit has come to symbolize the poor working conditions, especially long working hours and low pay, endured by many working-class people in the early Victorian era. In the novel When Cratchit timidly asks Scrooge for Christmas Day off work so he can be with his family, Scrooge at first threatens to dock his pay, but reluctantly agrees on the condition that Cratchit comes to work early the day after Christmas. Cratchit and his family live in poverty because Scrooge is too miserly to pay him a decent wage. Cratchit's son, Tiny Tim, is crippled and sick; according to the Ghost of Christmas Present, Tim will die because the family is too poor to give him the treatment he needs. While Cratchit's family curses Scrooge for his stinginess, however, Cratchit says he feels sorry for his employer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
