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Batjac Productions
Batjac Productions is an independent film production company co-founded by John Wayne in 1952 as a vehicle for Wayne to both produce and star in movies. The first Batjac production was ''Big Jim McLain'' released by Warner Bros. in 1952, and its final film was '' McQ'', in 1974, also distributed by Warner Bros. After John Wayne's death in 1979, his son Michael Wayne owned and managed the company until his own death in 2003, when his wife Gretchen assumed ownership. About the company Wayne and producer Robert Fellows founded Batjac in 1952 as ''Wayne/Fellows Productions''. When Fellows left the company several years later, Wayne renamed the corporation after a fictitious trading company mentioned in the film '' Wake of the Red Witch'' (1948). The company name in ''Wake of the Red Witch'' was spelled Batjak, but Wayne's secretary misspelled it as Batjac on the corporation papers, and Wayne let it stand. Having his own company was intended to give Wayne artistic control over the fil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Golden Age, especially in Western and war movies. His career flourished from the silent era of the 1920s through the American New Wave, as he appeared in a total of 179 film and television productions. He was among the top box-office draws for three decades, and he appeared with many other important Hollywood stars of his era. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Wayne as one of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema. Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa, but grew up in Southern California. After losing his football scholarship to the University of Southern California from a bodysurfing accident, he began working for the Fox Film Corporation. He appeared mostly in small parts, but his first leading role came in Raoul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Island In The Sky (1953 Film)
''Island in the Sky'' is a 1953 Warner Bros. American aviation adventure drama film written by Ernest K. Gann based on his 1944 novel of the same name, directed by William A. Wellman and starring and coproduced by John Wayne. Because of its realistic depiction of an actual aircraft crash, some consider the film as among the classic aviation films.Hardwick and Schnepf 1989, p. 66. The film also features Andy Devine, Lloyd Nolan, James Arness and Paul Fix. Plot Pilot John Dooley and the crew of a World War II-era Douglas C-47 Skytrain (the military version of the DC-3) experience icy conditions and are forced to execute an emergency landing on a frozen lake in the uncharted wildlands near the Quebec–Labrador border. Dooley is a former airline pilot who had been pressed into duty hauling war supplies across the northern route to England. Far from settled country, the survivors can provide only an approximate position to rescuers. Dooley must keep his men alive while wait ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nancy Olson
Nancy Ann Olson (born July 14, 1928) is an American actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in '' Sunset Boulevard'' (1950). She co-starred with William Holden in four films, and later appeared in '' The Absent-Minded Professor'' (1961) and its sequel, ''Son of Flubber'' (1963), as well as the disaster film '' Airport 1975'' (1974). Olson retired from acting in the mid-1980s, although she has made a few rare returns, most recently in 2014. Early life Olson was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 14, 1928, the daughter of Evelyn Bertha (née Bergstrom), who was of Swedish descent, and Henry John Olson, who was a physician. She has a brother, David. Career Olson was signed to a film contract by Paramount Pictures in 1948, and, after a few supporting roles, producers began to consider her for more prominent parts. She was up for the role of Delilah in Cecil B. DeMille's film '' Samson and Delilah'' (1949), for which Olson la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edward Ludwig
Edward Irving Ludwig (October 7, 1899 – August 20, 1982) was a Russian-born American film director and writer. He directed nearly 100 films between 1921 and 1963 (some under the names Edward I. Luddy and Charles Fuhr). Ludwig was also one of the directors of John Payne's NBC western series '' The Restless Gun'' (1957-1959). Ludwig and Erle C. Kenton were the principal directors of the CBS television series, '' The Texan'' (1958-1960), starring Rory Calhoun as a "Robin Hood of the West" who drifts through the region helping persons in need. ''The Texan'' in its first season ran opposite ''The Restless Gun'' in its second and last season. Ludwig was born Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire, entered the United States from Canada on March 6, 1911, became a naturalized citizen December 23, 1932, and died in Santa Monica, California. Partial filmography * ''Rip Van Winkle'' (1921) * ''The Man Who Waited'' (1922) *''What an Eye'' (1924) a haunted house comedy for Unive ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Popeye The Sailor (film Series)
''Popeye the Sailor'' is an American animated series of short films based on the Popeye comic strip character created by E. C. Segar. In 1933, Max and Dave Fleischer's Fleischer Studios adapted Segar's characters into a series of theatrical cartoon shorts for Paramount Pictures. The plotlines in the animated cartoons tended to be simpler than those presented in the comic strips, and the characters slightly different. A villain, usually Bluto, makes a move on Popeye's "sweetie," Olive Oyl. The villain clobbers Popeye until he eats spinach, giving him superhuman strength. Thus empowered, Popeye the sailor makes short work of the villain. The Fleischer cartoons, based in New York City, proved to be among the most popular of the 1930s, and would remain a staple of Paramount's release schedule for nearly 25 years. Paramount would take control of the studio in 1941 and rename it Famous Studios, ousting the Fleischer brothers and continuing production. The theatrical ''Popeye'' car ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Famous Studios
Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized control of the aforementioned studio after the departure of its founders, Max and Dave Fleischer, in 1942.Maltin, Leonard (1980, rev. 1987). ''Of Mice and Magic''. New York: Plume. Pg. 311 The studio's productions included three series started by the Fleischers—''Popeye the Sailor'', ''Superman'', and ''Screen Songs''—as well as '' Little Audrey'', '' Little Lulu'', '' Casper the Friendly Ghost'', ''Honey Halfwitch'', '' Herman and Katnip'', '' Baby Huey'', and the anthology '' Noveltoons'' series. The ''Famous'' name was previously used by Famous Players Film Company, one of several companies which in 1912 became Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, the company which founded Paramount Pictures. Paramount's music publishing branch, which held ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios () is an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures, the parent company and the distributor of its films. In its prime, Fleischer Studios was a premier producer of animated cartoons for theaters, with Walt Disney Productions being its chief competitor in the 1930s. Today, the company is again family owned and oversees the licensing and merchandising for its characters. Fleischer Studios characters included Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, Bimbo, Popeye the Sailor, and Superman. Unlike other studios, whose characters were anthropomorphic animals, the Fleischers' most successful characters were humans (with the exception of Bimbo, a black-and-white cartoon dog). The cartoons of the Fleischer Studio were very different from those of Disney, both in concept and in execution. As a result, they were rough rather than refined and consciousl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest film studio in the United States (behind Universal Pictures), and the sole member of the Major film studio, "Big Five" film studios located within the city limits of Los Angeles. In 1916, film producer Adolph Zukor put 24 actors and actresses under contract and honored each with a star on the logo. In 1967, the number of stars was reduced to 22 and their hidden meaning was dropped. In 2014, Paramount Pictures became the first major Hollywood studio to distribute all of its films in digital form only. The company's headquarters and studios are located at 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, California. Paramount Pictures is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America, Motion Picture Associ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gun The Man Down
''Gun the Man Down'' is a 1956 Western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring James Arness and Angie Dickinson in her first leading role. The film was produced by Robert E. Morrison for his brother John Wayne's company Batjac Productions. It was the second theatrical feature directed by McLaglen, who was a prolific director of television westerns. Plot Three outlaws rob a bank, but one of them is wounded. His two partners kidnap his girlfriend, take his share of the money and run off, leaving him to be captured by the sheriff. One year later, after he gets out of prison, he goes in search of his double-crossing partners and his girlfriend. He finds them in a semi-deserted, run-down town, but instead of killing them right away, he decides to play cat-and-mouse with them first. Editing mistake: In a scene 10 minutes before the film's end, the three outlaws are hiding in a bouldered hollow. Dickenson's character yells out "Rem look out!", as she runs toward Renkin who sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Escort West
''Escort West'' is a 1959 American Western film directed by Francis D. Lyon, and starring Victor Mature, Faith Domergue, and Elaine Stewart. The movie is set after the U.S. Civil War, when a former Confederate officer, played by Victor Mature, and his daughter help some survivors of an Indian massacre. The film was released by United Artists on January 23, 1959. It was the second of two co-productions between Batjac and Romina Productions. Their first was ''China Doll'' (1957). The movie was filmed largely on the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, California, with additional footage shot on the nearby Bell Moving Picture Ranch. The site of the Bell Ranch location shoot remained a mystery for decades until it was discovered on an expedition by film location researchers in early 2015. The researchers found the location by using information from "Escort West" and the first Elvis Presley movie, '' Love Me Tender'', which filmed its climactic sequence at the same site, known as the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
China Doll (film)
''China Doll'' (a.k.a. ''Time Is a Memory'') is a 1958 romantic drama film set in the China Burma India Theater of World War II and starring Victor Mature and Li Li-Hua. It represented a return to films for director Frank Borzage who had taken a 10-year hiatus before tackling this poignant, yet "offbeat" film. The film's copyright was renewed. Plot In 1943, Captain Cliff Brandon (Victor Mature) is a cargo aircraft pilot supplying the Allied troops fighting the Japanese in China. When he is not flying or training his new crew hard, he is usually drinking in the local bar. One night, while stumbling home drunk, he encounters an old Chinese man who offers him a girl, his daughter Shu-Jen (Li Li-Hua). Brandon pays him, but when he sees the young woman, he tells the old man to keep her. When he wakes up the next morning, he finds Shu-Jen there. After Father Cairns (Ward Bond), a longtime resident of China, expresses his disapproval, Brandon tries his best to get rid of her, assigning ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Track Of The Cat
''Track of the Cat'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Robert Mitchum, Teresa Wright and Diana Lynn. The film is based on a 1949 adventure novel of the same name by Walter Van Tilburg Clark. This was Wellman's second adaptation of a Clark novel; the first was ''The Ox-Bow Incident'' in 1943. ''Track of the Cat'' was produced by John Wayne and Robert Fellows for their production company Batjac Productions. Plot The squabbling Bridges family spends a harsh winter on their remote ranch in Northern California in the early years of the 20th century. Crude and quarrelsome middle brother Curt bullies his noble, unselfish eldest brother Arthur, while youngest brother Harold endures Curt's abuse in browbeaten silence. Their mother is a bigoted religious zealot and their father is a loquacious, self-pitying drunk. Bitter old-maid sister Grace is temporarily gladdened by the arrival of Harold’s fiancée, the spirited Gwen. The family's hired ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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