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Before I Hang
''Before I Hang'' is a 1940 American horror film released by Columbia Pictures, starring Boris Karloff. The film was directed by Nick Grinde (under the working title ''The Wizard of Death'') and was one of several films Karloff starred in under contract with Columbia.Pitts, 2010, p. 9Stephen Jacobs, ''Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster'', Tomahawk Press 2011 pp. 260–261 Plot Dr. John Garth (Boris Karloff) is on trial for murder after performing a mercy killing on an elderly friend. In the trial, he reveals that he had been researching a cure for aging but had not had time to perfect it before his friend's pain became unbearable. Despite his pleas for mercy, the judge sentences him to be hanged in three weeks' time. As he awaits his execution, Dr. Garth is allowed to continue his experiments, thanks to support from the prison warden (Ben Taggart) and another scientist who is interested in his research, Dr. Ralph Howard (Edward Van Sloan). Using the blood of a recently ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nick Grinde
Nick Grinde (January 12, 1893 – June 19, 1979) was an American film director and screenwriter. He directed 57 films between 1928 and 1945. Biography Born Harry A. Grinde in Madison, Wisconsin but nicknamed "Nick," Grinde graduated from the University of Wisconsin. He later moved to New York and worked in Vaudeville. Grinde became a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film writer and director in the late 1920s, and was often assigned to familiarize Broadway theatre, Broadway stage directors with the techniques of film making. As a director, he is considered one of American cinema's early B film specialists. Notable films include ''The Man they Could Not Hang'' with Boris Karloff, and Ronald Reagan's first motion picture: ''Love is on the Air'' (1937). As a screenwriter, he is credited as a co-writer of Laurel and Hardy's ''Babes in Toyland (1934 film), Babes in Toyland'' (1934). Throughout his career, Grinde was a popular writer of short stories, articles and columns u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Murderer
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the crime of killing a person with malice aforethought or with recklessness manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.") This state of mind may, depending upon the jurisdiction (area), jurisdiction, distinguish murder from other forms of unlawful homicide, such as manslaughter. Manslaughter is killing committed in the absence of Malice (law), ''malice'',This is "malice" in a technical legal sense, not the more usual English sense denoting an emotional state. See malice (law). brought about by reasonable Provocation (legal), provocation, or diminished capacity. Involuntary manslaughter, ''Involuntary'' manslaughter, where it is recognized, is a killing that lacks all but the most a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boris Karloff Filmography
Boris may refer to: People * Boris (given name), a male given name *:''See'': List of people with given name Boris * Boris (surname) * Boris I of Bulgaria (died 907), the first Christian ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire, canonized after his death * Boris II of Bulgaria (c. 931–977), ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire * Boris III of Bulgaria (1894–1943), ruler of the Kingdom of Bulgaria in the first half of the 20th century * Boris, Prince of Tarnovo (born 1997), Spanish-born Bulgarian royal * Boris and Gleb (died 1015), the first saints canonized in Kievan Rus * Boris (singer) (born 1965), pseudonym of French singer Philippe Dhondt Arts and media * Boris (band), a Japanese experimental rock trio * ''Boris'' (EP), by Yezda Urfa, 1975 * "Boris" (song), by the Melvins, 1991 * ''Boris'' (TV series), a 2007–2009 Italian comedy series * '' Boris: The Film'', a 2011 Italian film based on the TV series * '' Boris: The Rise of Boris Johnson'', a 2006 biography by Andrew G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of American Films Of 1940
A list of American films released in 1940. American film production was concentrated in Hollywood and was dominated by the eight Major film studios MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, RKO, Columbia, Universal and United Artists. Other significant production and distribution companies included Republic, Monogram and PRC. '' Rebecca'' won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. # A B C–D E–F G–H I–J K–L M–N O–R S–T U–Z Serials Shorts See also *1940 in film *1940 in the United States References External links 1940 filmsat the Internet Movie Database {{DEFAULTSORT:American Films Of 1940 1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * Januar ... Films Lists of 1940 films by country or language ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Richards (actor)
Frank Richards (September 15, 1909 – April 15, 1992) was an American character actor, typically portraying a hoodlum or thug with a menacing appearance. Richards was born in New York City and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts. Richards began acting in stock theater in Cape Cod while he worked 16 hours a day as a driver of a fruit truck. He continued his stock acting for eight years. He acted on Broadway in ''The Wanhope Building'' (1947), ''Embezzled Heaven'' (1944), ''The World We Make'' (1939), and ''Brown Danube'' (1939). After serving in the military during World War II, Richards studied dialects, diction, and speech in New York, in addition to working in radio and television. He appeared in 150 films and televisions shows from 1940 into the mid 1980s. He appeared in a 1952 episode of '' Superman'' "The Night of Terror" and a 1953 episode of ''The Lone Ranger''. His first stage appearance was in 1938 and his last film was John Cassavetes' ''A Woman Under the Influen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenneth MacDonald (American Actor)
Kenneth MacDonald (born Kenneth Dollins; September 8, 1901 – May 5, 1972) was an American film actor. Born in Portland, Indiana, MacDonald made more than 220 film and television appearances between 1931 and 1970. His name is sometimes seen as Kenneth McDonald. Career MacDonald began his career as a stage actor. In 1923 he appeared in his first feature film, ''Slow as Lightning''. He came to Hollywood in the early 1930s, where he played small roles in low-budget, independent productions. In 1939 Kenneth MacDonald was signed by Columbia Pictures for the studio's Charles Starrett westerns. MacDonald perfected a cool, debonair demeanor, which usually masked an evil side as a con man, outlaw, or thief. His speaking voice was rich and well modulated, often being gentle and ominous at the same time, in the Boris Karloff manner. Also, like Karloff, he seldom raised his voice, making his characters both dominant and dangerous. This quality made MacDonald an effective villain in Columbi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Fiske (actor)
Robert Fiske (October 20, 1889 – September 12, 1944) was an American actor on film and stage during the first half of the 20th century. In the late 1920s, Fiske acted with the Sharp Players at the Pitt Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. By the early 1930s, he had his own troupe in Pennsylvania. Born in Griggsville, Missouri he appeared in 66 films, primarily B-movies and westerns. He died in Sunland, Los Angeles, California of congestive heart failure at the age of 54 and was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale). Selected filmography * ''The Sky Parade'' (1936) - Scotty Allen * ''Grand Jury'' (1936) - District Attorney (uncredited) * ''Missing Girls'' (1936) - Ralph Gilmartin * ''Alibi for Murder'' (1936) - Aviator (uncredited) * ''Adventure in Manhattan'' (1936) - Dario - Henchman (uncredited) * '' The Cowboy Star'' (1936) - Movie Director Martin (uncredited) * ''Song of the Gringo'' (1936) - Defense Attorney * ''Battle of Greed'' (1937) - Lawyer Hammond ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don Beddoe
Donald Theophilus Beddoe (July 1, 1903 – January 19, 1991) was an American character actor. Early years Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Beddoe was the son of Dan Beddoe, a Welsh classical singer, and his wife Mary. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati with bachelor's and master's degrees and taught English for three years. Stage Beddoe gained much theatrical experience playing in stock theater in Boston, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He made his Broadway acting debut in 1929, receiving top billing (over a young Spencer Tracy) in ''Nigger Rich''. His other Broadway credits include ''Penny Arcade'' (1930), ''The Greeks Had a Word for It'' (1930), ''Sing High, Sing Low'' (1931), ''The Warrior's Husband'' (1932), ''Man Bites Dog'' (1933), ''The Blue Widow'' (1933), ''Birthright'' (1933), ''The Sky's the Limit'' (1934), ''Nowhere Bound'' (1935), ''First Lady'' (1935), ''Father Malachy's Miracle'' (1937), and ''Winged Victory'' (1943). Film After a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bertram Marburgh
Bertram Marburgh (1875–1956) was an American stage and film actor. Rainey p.67 He appeared as a character actor in around thirty five films between 1915 and 1945. Selected filmography * '' After Dark'' (1915) * '' The Stolen Voice'' (1915) * '' The Broken Law'' (1915) * '' The Rail Rider'' (1916) * ''The Eagle's Eye'' (1918) * ''The Social Pirate'' (1919) * ''Checkers'' (1919) * '' The Greatest Love'' (1920) * ''Timothy's Quest'' (1922) * ''A Streak of Luck'' (1925) * ''His People'' (1925) * '' The Outsider'' (1926) * '' Unknown Treasures'' (1926) * ''Silken Shackles'' (1926) * ''The Woman on Trial'' (1927) * '' An Affair of the Follies'' (1927) * '' The Play Girl'' (1928) * '' For the Defense'' (1930) * ''They Just Had to Get Married'' (1932) * ''Before I Hang'' (1940) * '' Kitty Foyle'' (1940) * ''The Hard-Boiled Canary'' (1941) * ''The Lady Eve'' (1941) * ''Crossroads'' (1942) * ''A Gentleman at Heart'' (1942) * '' Too Many Women'' (1942) * '' The Human Comedy'' (1943) * ''Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett (born Harold Herman Brix, also credited Herman Brix; May 19, 1906February 24, 2007) was an American film and television actor who prior to his screen career was a highly successful college athlete in football and in both intercollegiate and international track-and-field competitions. In 1928 he won the silver medal for the shot put at the Olympic Games held in Amsterdam. Bennett's acting career spanned more than 40 years. He worked predominantly in films until the mid-1950s, when he began to work increasingly in American television series. Early life and Olympics Harold Herman Brix was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, where he attended Stadium High School from which he graduated in 1924. He was the fourth of five children born to an immigrant couple from Germany. His eldest brother, Herman (his father's favorite son) died before Harold's birth and he was given the middle name Herman in memory of his brother. Before finishing high school he had discontinue ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pedro De Córdoba
Pedro de Córdoba OP (c.1460–1525) was a Spanish missionary, author and inquisitor on the island of Hispaniola. He was first to denounce the Spanish system known as the '' Encomienda'', which amounted to the practical enslavement of natives of the New World, for the abuses that it engendered. Life and career He was born at Córdoba, Andalusia, southern Spain. He studied theology at the University of Salamanca and there joined the order of Dominicans. In September 1510 he went to the Island of Hispaniola as vicar of the first band of Dominican missionaries and as the first inquisitor appointed in the New World. He was a zealous protector of the Indians and a friend and mentor of Bartolomé de las Casas. The objective of the friars consisted in the pastoral care to the Spaniards and, specially in the evangelization of the natives. Consequently, they came in direct contact with them, especially with the "naborias" as those who were servants in the homes of the Spani ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Evelyn Keyes
Evelyn Louise Keyes (November 20, 1916 – July 4, 2008) was an American film actress. She is best known for her role as Suellen O'Hara in the 1939 film ''Gone with the Wind''. Early life Evelyn Keyes was born in Port Arthur, Texas, to Omar Dow Keyes and Maude Ollive Keyes, the daughter of a Methodist minister. After Omar Keyes died when she was three years old, Keyes moved with her mother to Atlanta, Georgia, where they lived with her grandparents. As a teenager, Keyes took dancing lessons and performed for local clubs such as the Daughters of the Confederacy. Film career A chorus girl by age 18, Keyes came out to Hollywood and was introduced to Cecil B. DeMille who in her own words “signed me to a personal contract without even making a test”. After a handful of B movies at Paramount Pictures, she landed a minor role in ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939), that of Scarlett O'Hara's sister Suellen. (She was later interviewed for the 1988 documentary '' The Making of a Legend: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
