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Albert Whelan
Albert Whelan (born Albert Waxman; 5 May 1875 – 19 February 1961) was an Australian popular singer and entertainer, who was prominent in English music halls during the first half of the 20th century. Biography The son of an immigrant Polish Jewish pawnbroker, Whelan was born in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1875 (as was his fellow music-hall performer Florrie Forde). He worked as an accountant and mechanic before moving with a friend in 1898 to the goldfields at Coolgardie, Western Australia, where the pair entertained the prospectors and miners by singing and dancing. After returning to Melbourne, he appeared on local variety bills. He emigrated to Britain in 1901, making his debut in a novelty dance act at the Empire, Leicester Square, and later appearing in the musical '' The Belle of New York''. He rapidly honed his act, and settled on a style which would vary little over his career. Immaculately dressed in bow-tie, hat, coat, scarf, tails, and gloves, he sang, danced and p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melbourne, Victoria
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung–Taungurung language, Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropolitan area known as Greater Melbourne, comprising an urban agglomeration of Local Government Areas of Victoria#Municipalities of Greater Melbourne, 31 local municipalities, although the name is also used specifically for the local government area, local municipality of City of Melbourne based around Melbourne City Centre, its central business area. The metropolis occupies much of the northern and eastern coastlines of Port Phillip Bay and spreads into the Mornington Peninsula, part of West Gippsland, as well as the hinterlands towards the Yarra Valley, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billy Bennett (comedian)
William Robertson Russell Bennett DCM MM (21 November 1887 – 30 June 1942) was a British comedian who specialised in parodies of dramatic monologues and was billed as "Almost a Gentleman".Midwinter (2004) Life Bennett's father, John Bennett, and his performing partner, Robert Martell, formed a music hall slapstick comedy duo. Billy Bennett trained as an acrobat but was initially reluctant to follow his father on the stage, instead enlisting in the army. Bennett briefly left the army to become a comedian but soon re-enlisted at the start of World War I, where he enjoyed a distinguished career in the 16th Lancers and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, the Military Medal and the Belgian Croix de Guerre.Richard Anthony Baker, ''Old Time Variety: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2011, , pp.67-70 In 1919, he began his stage career, appearing with Mark Lupino and in Fred Karno's army. Bennett's favourite act was to mock and parody the dramatic monologues of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danny Boy (1941 Film)
''Danny Boy'' is a 1941 British drama film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring David Farrar, Wilfrid Lawson, Ann Todd, John Warwick, and Grant Tyler. ''Halliwell's Film and Video Guide'' describes the film as a "sentimental drama with music; not for the critical."John Walker (ed.) '' Halliwell's Film and Video Guide 2000'', London: HarperCollins, 1999, p.201 Cast * David Farrar - Martin * Wilfrid Lawson - Newton * Ann Todd - Jane Kaye * John Warwick - Carter * Grant Tyler - Danny * Wylie Watson - Fiddlesticks * Tony Quinn - Maloney * Nora Gordon ''Nora Gordon'' (29 November 1893, West Hartlepool, County Durham – 11 May 1970, London) was a British film and television actress. She was married to Leonard Sharp. Her daughter was the actress Dorothy Gordon. She also appeared in a number o ... - Mrs Maloney * Pat Lennox - Manager * Albert Whelan - Scotty * Harry Herbert - Skinny References External links * 1941 films 1941 drama films Films directed by Oswald M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stardust (1938 Film)
''Stardust'' is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by Melville W. Brown and starring Lupe Velez, Ben Lyon and Wallace Ford. Production began in November 1936 at the Rock Studios in Elstree.Wood p.92 The film's sets were designed by the art director George Provis. It is also known by the alternative titles ''Mad About Money'' and ''He Loved an Actress''. Synopsis In order to grab some headlines a rumba dancer pretends to be a South American heiress. She takes in an aspiring independent film producer who tries to persuade her to invest in his first screen production. As each bluffs the other film moves towards completion. Cast * Lupe Velez as Carla de Huelva * Ben Lyon as Roy Harley * Wallace Ford as Peter Jackson * Jean Colin as Diana West * Harry Langdon as Otto Schultz * Mary Cole as Peggy * Cyril Raymond as Jerry Sears * Ronald Ward as Eric Williams * Arthur Finn as J.D. Meyers * Philip Pearman as Prince * Andreas Malandrinos as Ambassador * Olive Sloane as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Girl In The Taxi (1937 Film)
''The Girl in the Taxi'' is a 1937 British musical comedy film directed by André Berthomieu and starring Frances Day, Henri Garat and Lawrence Grossmith. It was based on the stage musical ''The Girl in the Taxi'' and was part of a trend of operetta films produced during the decade. It was shot at Ealing Studios in London.Wood p.95 The film's sets were designed by the art director Jean d'Eaubonne. A separate French-language version '' Chaste Susanne'' was shot at the same time by Berthomieu, with Henri Garat being the only actor to appear in both versions. Synopsis In Paris the head of a purity league is in fact leading a far from model lifestyle. Cast * Frances Day as Suzanne Pommarel * Henri Garat as René Boislurette * Lawrence Grossmith as Baron des Aubrais * Jean Gillie as Jacqueline * Mackenzie Ward as Hubert * John Deverell as Emile Pomarel * Helen Haye as Delphine * Ben Field as Dominique * Albert Whelan as Alexis * Laurence Hanray as Charencey * Joan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Action For Slander
''Action for Slander'' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Clive Brook, Ann Todd and Googie Withers. The plot is about an army officer who is falsely accused at cheating at cards by a man whose wife he had an affair with and struggles to clear his name. It was an adaptation of the 1937 novel ''Action for Slander'' by Mary Borden. Plot Major George Daviot is left by his wife Ann due to their growing estrangement and her knowledge that he has fallen in love with another woman, Josie Bradford, the wife of one of his fellow officers. Daviot goes off with friends for a weekend party at a country house attended by a number of prominent figures including businessmen and politicians as well as Captain Bradford and his wife. The tension between Bradford and Daviot is obvious during grouse shooting as Bradford is clearly aware of Daviot's affair with his wife. That evening, during a game of cards played for high stakes, Daviot is accused of cheating by Grant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stars On Parade (1936 Film)
''Stars on Parade'' is a 1936 British musical film directed by Oswald Mitchell and Challis Sanderson and starring Robb Wilton, Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane. It takes the form of a variety show featuring a number of music hall acts. It was made at Cricklewood Studios in North London. It was a released as a first feature on a Double Bill with the supporting feature ''What the Puppy Said''.Chibnall p.21 Cast * Robb Wilton - Norman, the police sergeant * Arthur Lucan - Old Mother Riley * Kitty McShane - Kitty Riley * Sam Barton - Himself * Mabel Constanduros - Grandma Buggins * Horace Goldin - Himself * Max Harrison - Himself * Syd Harrison - Himself * Pat Hyde - (Accordionist) Herself * Jimmy James - Himself * Edwin Laurence - Speaker at Meeting * Navarre - Himself * Pat O'Brien - Himself * John Rorke - Himself * The Sherman Fisher Girls - Themselves, Dancers * Debroy Somers Debroy Somers (born William Henry Somers; 11 April 1890,1939 England and Wales Register i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matinee Idol (film)
''Matinee Idol'' is a 1933 British crime film directed by George King and starring Camilla Horn, Miles Mander and Marguerite Allan. The screenplay concerns a young actress who is suspected of murder. It was shot at Wembley Studios in London. The film's sets were designed by the art director J. Elder Wills. It was a quota quickie distributed by United Artists.Chibnall p.274 Plot summary A young actress is suspected of murder when a matinee idol she had prevented seducing her sister is found dead. Cast * Camilla Horn as Sonia Vance * Miles Mander as Harley Travers * Marguerite Allan as Christine Vance * Viola Keats as Gladys Wheeler * Anthony Hankey as Sir Brian Greville * Hay Petrie as Mr Clappit * Margaret Yarde Margaret Yarde (2 April 1878 – 11 March 1944) was a British actress. Initially training to be an opera singer, she made her London stage debut in 1907. She often played domestics, landladies and mothers. Filmography * '' A Cigarette-Maker's ... as Mrs Cla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phonofilm
Phonofilm is an optical sound-on-film system developed by inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case in the early 1920s. Introduction In 1919 and 1920, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film process, DeForest Phonofilm, which recorded sound directly onto film as parallel lines. These parallel lines photographically recorded electrical waveforms from a microphone, which were translated back into sound waves when the movie was projected. Some sources say that DeForest improved on the work of Finnish inventor Eric Tigerstedt — who was granted German patent 309.536 on 28 July 1914 for his sound-on-film work — and on the Tri-Ergon Exchange, patented in 1919 by German inventors Josef Engl, Hans Vogt, and Joseph Massole. The Phonofilm system, which recorded synchronized sound directly onto film, was used to record vaudeville acts, musical numbers, political speeches, and opera singers. The quality of Phonofilm was poor at first, improved ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eamonn Andrews
Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ Authority), which oversaw the introduction of a state television service in the Republic of Ireland. Early life Andrews was born in Synge Street, Dublin, and educated at Synge Street CBS. He began his career as a clerk in an insurance office. He was a keen amateur boxer and won the Irish junior middleweight title in 1944. Broadcasting career By 1944 he was the Hon. Secretary of St. Andrew's Boxing Club. In 1946 he became a full-time freelance sports commentator, working for Radio Éireann, Ireland's state broadcaster. In 1950, he began presenting programmes for the BBC, being particularly well known for boxing commentaries, and soon became one of television's most popular presenters. The following year, the game show ''What's My Line?'' be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
This Is Your Life (British TV Series)
''This Is Your Life'' is a British biographical television documentary, based on the 1952 American show of the same title. It was hosted by Eamonn Andrews from 1955 until 1964, and then from 1969 until his death in 1987. Michael Aspel then took up the role of host until the show ended in 2003. It briefly returned in 2007 as a one-off special presented by Trevor McDonald. In the show the host surprises a special guest, before taking them through their life with the assistance of the 'big red book'. Both celebrities and non-celebrities have been featured on the show. The show was originally broadcast live, and over its run it has alternated between being broadcast on the BBC and on ITV. The surprise element was a very important part of the show; if the guest heard about the project beforehand, it would be cancelled. History The British version of the show was launched in 1955 on the BBC and was first presented by Ralph Edwards to the first "victim", Eamonn Andrews, who was th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grand Order Of Water Rats
The Grand Order of Water Rats is a British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organisation based in London. Founded in 1889 by the music hall comedians Joe Elvin and Jack Lotto, the order is known for its high-profile membership and benevolent works (primarily within the performing industries). Origin In 1889, two British music hall performers, Joe Elvin and Jack Lotto, owned a trotting pony called "Magpie". As the pony was a regular race winner, its owners decided that they would use the profits to help performers who were less fortunate than themselves.Charlie Chester, ''The Grand Order of Water Rats: A Legend of Laughter'' – W.H. Allen, London (1984) pg 12 One day, as Elvin was driving the pony back to its stables in the pouring rain, a passing bus driver called out, "Wot yer got there, mate?" "Our trotting pony!" replied Elvin. Observing the bedraggled, soaked condition of the pony, the driver shouted back, "Trotting pony? Looks more like a bleedin' water r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
