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Black Widow (1954 Film)
''Black Widow'' is a 1954 American DeLuxe Color mystery film in CinemaScope, with elements of film noir, written, produced, and directed by Nunnally Johnson, based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Patrick Quentin. The film stars Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney, and George Raft. Plot Peter Denver, a renowned Broadway producer, is attending a cocktail party hosted by the viciously haughty and celebrated actress Carlotta "Lottie" Marin and her quiet husband Brian Mullen when he meets Nancy "Nanny" Ordway. The seemingly naïve Nanny, a 20-year-old aspiring writer, says she hopes to make it big in New York. She convinces a reluctant Peter to persuade his wife, Iris—another famous actress, who is temporarily out of town—to agree to Nanny's use of the couple's apartment to write in during the day. After the Denvers return from the airport and find Nanny hanging dead in their bathroom, a variety of people Nanny has recently met in New York begin to reveal deeper and dark ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nunnally Johnson
Nunnally Hunter Johnson (December 5, 1897 – March 25, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and playwright. As a filmmaker, he wrote the screenplays to more than fifty films in a career that spanned from 1927 to 1967. He also produced more than half of the films he wrote scripts for, and directed eight of those movies. In 1940 he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for ''The Grapes of Wrath'', and in 1956 he was nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film for ''The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit''. Some of his other notable films include '' Tobacco Road'' (1941), ''The Moon Is Down'' (1943), ''Casanova Brown'' (1944), ''The Keys of the Kingdom'' (1944), '' The Woman in the Window'' (1944), ''The Mudlark'' (1950), '' The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel'' (1951), ''My Cousin Rachel'' (1952), ''The Three Faces of Eve'' (1957), ''Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation'' (1962), and ''The Dirty D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Film Noir
Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ''film noir''. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key, black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography. Many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Great Depression. The term ''film noir'', French for 'black film' (literal) or 'dark film' (closer meaning), was first applied to Hollywood films by French critic Nino Frank in 1946, but was unrecognized by most American film industry professionals of that era. Frank is believed to have been inspired by the French literary publishing imprint Série noire, founded in 1945. Cinema historians and critics defined the category ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mabel Albertson
Mabel Ida Albertson (July 24, 1901 – September 28, 1982) was an American actress of television, stage, radio and film who portrayed Phyllis Stephens in the TV sitcom ''Bewitched''. Early years Mabel Ida Albertson was born on July 24, 1901, in Haverhill, Massachusetts, to Flora (Craft) and Leopold Albertson, who were Russian-born Jewish immigrants. Her younger brother was actor Jack Albertson who was best known for playing Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Albertson's mother, a stock actress, supported the family by working in a shoe factory. Albertson graduated from the New England School of Speech and Expression. Albertson traced her show business career back to age 13, when she was paid $5 per performance to play piano behind palm trees for a reader. She later moved to California and became involved with the Pasadena Playhouse. She "moved directly into professional stage work in stock, vaudeville, and night clubs, appearing with Jimmy Durante." Televisi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hilda Simms
Hilda Simms ( Moses; April 15, 1918 – February 6, 1994) was an American stage actress, best known for her starring role on Broadway in '' Anna Lucasta''. Early years Hilda Simms was born Hilda Moses in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one of 9 siblings. She was the daughter of Emile and Lydia Moses, Roman Catholics of Creole descent. When Simms starred in the critically acclaimed Broadway hit '' Anna Lucasta'', her mother Lydia refused to attend the play on Broadway, stating that she would not watch her daughter play a prostitute as she didn't raise her that way. Simms and her siblings were raised devout Catholics in Minneapolis and walked several miles to school each morning to attend the Basilica of St. Mary on the outskirts of Minneapolis. Before becoming an actress, Simms planned to be a teacher. She studied dramatics at the University of Minnesota before lack of funds forced her to leave. Career Simms relocated to New York, acting in radio dramas and becoming a member of the A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skip Homeier
George Vincent Homeier (October 5, 1930 – June 25, 2017), known professionally as Skip Homeier, was an American actor who started his career at the age of eleven and became a child star. Career Child actor Homeier was born in Chicago, Illinois on October 5, 1930. He began to act for radio shows at the age of six as Skippy Homeier. At the age of 11, he worked on the radio show ''Portia Faces Life'' as well as making "dramatic commercial announcements" on ''The O'Neills'' and '' Against the Storm''. In 1942, he joined the casts of ''Wheatena Playhouse'' and ''We, the Abbotts''. From 1943 until 1944, he played the role of Emil in the Broadway play and film '' Tomorrow, the World!''. Cast as a child indoctrinated into Nazism who is brought to the United States from Germany following the death of his parents, Homeier was praised for his performance. He played the troubled youngster in the film adaptation of '' Tomorrow, the World!'' (1944) and received good reviews playing opposite ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cathleen Nesbitt
Cathleen Nesbitt (born Kathleen Mary Nesbitt; 24 November 18882 August 1982) was an English actress. Biography Born in Birkenhead, Cheshire,Before 1 April 1974 Birkenhead was in Cheshire England to Thomas and Mary Catherine (née Parry) Nesbitt as Kathleen Mary Nesbitt in 1888 of Welsh and Irish descent, she was educated in Lisieux, France, and at the Queen's University of Belfast and the Sorbonne. Her younger brother, Thomas Nesbitt, Jr., acted in one film in 1925, before his death in South Africa in 1927 from an apparent heart attack. She made her debut in London in the stage revival of Arthur Wing Pinero's ''The Cabinet Minister'' (1910). She acted in many plays after that. In 1911, she joined the Irish Players, went to the United States and debuted on Broadway in ''The Well of the Saints''. She also was in the cast of John Millington Synge's ''The Playboy of the Western World'' with the Irish Players when the whole cast was pelted with fruits and vegetables by the offend ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Otto Kruger
Otto Kruger (September 6, 1885 – September 6, 1974) was an American actor, originally a Broadway matinee idol, who established a niche as a charming villain in films, such as Hitchcock's ''Saboteur''. He also appeared in CBS's ''Perry Mason'' and other TV series. He was the grandnephew of South African president Paul Kruger. Early life and education Born in Toledo, Ohio, Kruger was of German descent. He was the son of Bernard Alben Kruger and Elizabeth Winers Kruger and the grandnephew of South African pioneer and president Paul Kruger. Otto was musically trained, but switched careers and became an actor after studying engineering at the University of Michigan. Career Making his Broadway debut in 1915, Kruger quickly became a matinee idol. Though he started to get noticed in the early 1920s, it was the 1930s when his career was at its height. His sound film debut came in '' Turn Back the Clock'' (1933) and he made an appearance in the film '' Chained'' (1934). Though he pla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virginia Leith
Virginia Leith (October 15, 1925 – November 4, 2019) was an American film and television actress. Career Leith starred in a few films, with her most productive period coming in the 1950s. Her debut was also the first film directed by Stanley Kubrick, a self-financed art house film, ''Fear and Desire'' (1953). She signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox in 1954 and had leading roles in films such as ''Violent Saturday'' (1955), ''Toward the Unknown'', ''On the Threshold of Space'', and opposite Robert Wagner and Joanne Woodward in the crime drama ''A Kiss Before Dying (1956 film), A Kiss Before Dying'' (all 1956). Her most recognizable role may have been that of a decapitated woman whose head is kept alive in ''The Brain That Wouldn't Die'' (1962, shot 1959). She left acting after her 1960 marriage to actor Donald Harron. Following her divorce from Harron, in the 1970s Leith resumed her career and appeared mainly in television shows, including ''Starsky and Hutch'', ''Bar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reginald Gardiner
William Reginald Gardiner (27 February 1903 – 7 July 1980) was an English actor on the stage, in films and on television. Early years Gardiner was born in Wimbledon, England, and he was a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. . pp. 465–466. His parents wanted him to be an architect, but he insisted on a career as an actor. Stage and radio Gardiner started as a ''super'' on stage and eventually became well known on the West End stage. "He appeared in British revues, plays and films before delighting Broadway audiences in 1935 with a wallpaper imitation act in ''At Home Abroad''." His other Broadway credits include ''Little Glass Clock'' and ''An Evening with Beatrice Lillie''. He was also well known to radio listeners, and was known on the air for his amusing train and car noises. Film Gardiner worked in almost 100 movies. He st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peggy Ann Garner
Peggy Ann Garner (February 3, 1932 – October 16, 1984) was an American child actress. As a child actress, Garner had her first film role in 1938. At the 18th Academy Awards, Garner won the Academy Juvenile Award, recognizing her body of contributions to film in 1945, particularly in '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' and ''Junior Miss''. Featured roles in such films as '' Black Widow'' (1954) did not help to establish her in mature film roles, although she progressed to theatrical work and she made acting appearances on television as an adult. In the mid-1940s, as a promotional trailer to the popular Christmas holiday movie '' Miracle on 34th Street'' Garner appeared as herself on a studio lot accompanied by other young performers. In 1961 she starred next to Richard Boone in the episode Dream Girl on '' Have Gun - Will Travel''. Early years Peggy Ann Garner was born on February 3, 1932 at Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio. She was the daughter of 26-year-old William H. Garn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Autopsy
An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present for research or educational purposes. (The term "necropsy" is generally reserved for non-human animals). Autopsies are usually performed by a specialized medical doctor called a pathologist. In most cases, a medical examiner or coroner can determine the cause of death. However, only a small portion of deaths require an autopsy to be performed, under certain circumstances. Purposes of performance Autopsies are performed for either legal or medical purposes. Autopsies can be performed when any of the following information is desired: * Determine if death was natural or unnatural * Injury source and extent on the corpse * Manner of death must be determined * Post mortem interval * Determining the deceas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flashback (narrative)
A flashback (sometimes called an analepsis) is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point in the story. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story's primary sequence of events to fill in crucial backstory. In the opposite direction, a flashforward (or prolepsis) reveals events that will occur in the future. Both flashback and flashforward are used to cohere a story, develop a character, or add structure to the narrative. In literature, internal analepsis is a flashback to an earlier point in the narrative; external analepsis is a flashback to a time before the narrative started. In film, flashbacks depict the subjective experience of a character by showing a memory of a previous event and they are often used to "resolve an enigma". Flashbacks are important in film noir and melodrama films. In films and television, several camera techniques, editing approaches and special effects have evolved to alert the v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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