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Christmas Evil
''Christmas Evil'' (originally titled ''You Better Watch Out'', and also known as ''Terror in Toyland'') is a 1980 American slasher film written and directed by Lewis Jackson and starring Brandon Maggart. The plot follows a deranged man obsessed with Santa Claus who eventually goes on a murderous rampage dressed in a Santa Claus suit. Since its release, it has gained a cult following, including praise and repeated viewings by director John Waters. While not prosecuted for obscenity, ''Christmas Evil'' was seized and confiscated in the United Kingdom under Section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959, during the video nasty panic. Plot In suburban New Jersey, on Christmas Eve 1947, a young boy named Harry Stadling sees his mother being sexually groped by his father, who is dressed up as Santa Claus. Traumatized, the child rushes up to the attic and cuts his hand with a shard of glass from a shattered snow globe. Thirty-three years later, an adult Harry works in a low-level p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brandon Maggart
Brandon Maggart (born December 12, 1933) is an American actor, painter and author. Life and career Maggart was born Roscoe Maggart, Jr., in Carthage, Tennessee. His acting career began in the early 1950s, at the University of Tennessee. He sang with The Knoxville Symphony and won a coveted Grace Moore Award for further study in New York City. Once in New York, he won the Theatre World Award for his performance in the musical revue, ''Put it in Writing''. He appeared as Buddy in the "Buddy and Jim" sketches with James Catusi in the first season of ''Sesame Street'', in 1969. In 1970, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in ''Applause''. He played Cleveland Sam in '' Dressed to Kill'' and starred as Harry Stadling in the cult film '' Christmas Evil'', both in 1980. In 1982 he played Garp's wrestling coach in ''The World According to Garp''. He then played George Elliot in the short lived NBC series ''Jennifer Slept ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dollhouse
A dollhouse or doll's house is a toy home made in miniature. Since the early 20th century dollhouses have primarily been the domain of children, but their collection and crafting is also a hobby for many adults. English-speakers in North America commonly use the term ''dollhouse'', but in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries the term is ''doll's house'' (or, less commonly, ''dolls' house''). They are often built to put dolls in. The history of today's dollhouses can be traced back about four hundred years to the ''baby house'' display cases of Europe, which showed idealized interiors. Smaller dollhouses with more realistic exteriors appeared in Europe in the 18th century. Early dollhouses were all hand made, but following the Industrial Revolution and World War II, they were increasingly mass-produced and became more standardized and affordable. Dollhouses can range from simple boxes stacked together used as rooms for play, up to multi-million dollar structures ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Working Title
A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, video game development, or the creation of a novel or music album. Purpose Working titles are used primarily for two reasons – the first being that an official title has not yet been decided upon, with the working title being used purely for identification purposes, and the second being a ruse to intentionally disguise the real nature of a project. Production title Projects usually have a fixed working title throughout production to prevent confusion, because ideas for release titles can keep on changing. Examples include the film ''Die Hard with a Vengeance'', which was filmed under the title ''Die Hard: New York'', and the James Bond films, which are commonly produced under numerical tit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rutanya Alda
Rutanya Alda (born Rūta Skrastiņa; October 13, 1942) is a Latvian-American actress. She began her career in the late 1960s, and went on to have supporting parts in ''The Deer Hunter'' (1978), ''Rocky II'' (1979), and ''Mommie Dearest'' (1981). She also appeared in a lead role in the horror films '' Amityville II: The Possession'' and '' Girls Nite Out'' (both 1982). Life Rutanya Alda was born Rutanja Skrastiņa (Rūta Skrastiņa) in Riga, in German-occupied Latvia, the daughter of Vera ( ''née'' Ozoliņa), a businesswoman, and Jānis Skrastiņš, a poet. Alda, her grandmother, her mother and her brother spent seven years in a displaced persons camp in Allied-occupied Germany after World War II. She then relocated with her family to the United States, briefly living in Chicago before settling in Flagstaff, Arizona. Career With a career spanning nearly 50 years in show business and over 100 roles, Alda might be best known for her performances in ''The Deer Hunter'' as Steven's w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark Margolis
Mark Margolis (; born November 26, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for playing Alberto "The Shadow" in '' Scarface'', Antonio Nappa in '' Oz'', and Hector Salamanca in '' Breaking Bad'' and ''Better Call Saul''. His performance in ''Breaking Bad'' was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2012. He regularly performs in the films of Darren Aronofsky, appearing in all but two of his films, and starring in his first film '' Pi'' (1998). Early life Margolis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Fanya (née Fried) and Isidore Margolis. He is from a Jewish family. Margolis was briefly a student at Temple University before dropping out and moving to New York City. At age 19, he was a student under Stella Adler at the Actors Studio. He was also later trained by Lee Strasberg and Barbara Loden. Career Margolis is noted for his supporting roles in '' Scarface'' (1983) '' Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'' (1994), and the films of Darren Aronofsky: '' π'' (1998), ''Requiem for a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raymond J
Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ (''Raginmund'') or ᚱᛖᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ (''Reginmund''). ''Ragin'' (Gothic) and ''regin'' (Old German) meant "counsel". The Old High German ''mund'' originally meant "hand", but came to mean "protection". This etymology suggests that the name originated in the Early Middle Ages, possibly from Latin. Alternatively, the name can also be derived from Germanic Hraidmund, the first element being ''Hraid'', possibly meaning "fame" (compare ''Hrod'', found in names such as Robert, Roderick, Rudolph, Roland, Rodney and Roger) and ''mund'' meaning "protector". Despite the German and French origins of the English name, some of its early uses in English documents appear in Latinized form. As a surname, its first recorded appearance in Bri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patricia Richardson
Patricia Castle Richardson (born February 23, 1951) is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Jill Taylor on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'', for which she was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and twice for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical. She also received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her performance in ''Ulee's Gold'' (1997). Early life Richardson attended multiple schools including Holton-Arms School and Hockaday School. She is a 1972 graduate of Southern Methodist University, where she was friends with classmates Beth Henley and Stephen Tobolowsky, who was slated to be a cast member of ''Home Improvement'', but had other contractual commitments when the series began filming. Tobolowsky initially suggested to producers of ''Home Improvement'' that Richardson be considered for the role of Jill Taylor after Frances Fisher was deem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Friedman
Peter Friedman (born April 24, 1949) is an American stage, film, and television actor. Life and career Born in New York City, Friedman graduated from Hofstra University"Friedman Biography" ''The New York Times'', accessed January 16, 2014 before making his debut in '''' in 1972. Friedman is . Theatre Friedman has appeared in thirteen Broadway pr ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scott McKay (actor)
Scott McKay (born Carl Gose, May 28, 1915 – March 16, 1987) was an American film, television and theatre actor. Life and career McKay was born in Pleasantville, Iowa as Carl Gose. He attended the University of Colorado, specializing in English literature. He first worked in theatre as a straight man for a magician. McKay also was a professor of English literature. He then performed in Broadway plays in 1939, first appearing in '' The American Way'', being credited as the ensemble. Later in his career, McKay appeared in numerous Broadway plays. He played Captain Fisby in '' The Teahouse of the August Moon'' replacing John Forsythe. McKay also played David Larabee in ''Sabrina Fair''. He played Jeff Douglas in ''Brigadoon'' (1967). His final theatre credit was as Ronald in ''Absurd Person Singular'' (1974). McKay began his film and television career in 1944, playing Dr. Dan Proctor in the film ''Guest in the House''. He then starred in the film ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark Chamberlin
Mark Chamberlin (June 2, 1955 – March 22, 2011) was an American film and stage actor. He made his feature film debut in ''Christmas Evil'' (1980), and subsequently starred in a leading role in John Irvin's ''Ghost Story'' (1981). His final feature film was John Carpenter's '' The Ward'' (2011), before his death following a bicycling accident in 2011. Life and career Mark Chamberlin was born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in Lake Oswego. He attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, from which he graduated in 1977. Chamberlin began his career in the 1980s, appearing in the horror films ''Christmas Evil'' (1980) and ''Ghost Story'' (1981). He also appeared in the television film ''Kent State'', and the thriller ''Edge of Honor'' (1991). He also appeared in a lead role in the Broadway production of ''84 Charing Cross Road'' alongside Ellen Burstyn in 1982, which ran for 96 performances. Chamberlin spent the majority of his later career working onstage and teaching ac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Visit From St
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient Greek letter alpha, from which it derives. The uppercase version consists of the two slanting sides of a triangle, crossed in the middle by a horizontal bar. The lowercase version can be written in two forms: the double-storey a and single-storey ɑ. The latter is commonly used in handwriting and fonts based on it, especially fonts intended to be read by children, and is also found in italic type. In English grammar, " a", and its variant " an", are indefinite articles. History The earliest certain ancestor of "A" is aleph (also written 'aleph), the first letter of the Phoenician alphabet, which consisted entirely of consonants (for that reason, it is also called an abjad to distinguish it fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midnight Mass
In many Western Christian traditions Midnight Mass is the first liturgy of Christmastide that is celebrated on the night of Christmas Eve, traditionally beginning at midnight when Christmas Eve gives way to Christmas Day. This popular Christmas custom is a jubilant celebration of the Mass or Service of Worship in honour of the Nativity of Jesus; even many of those Christian denominations that do not regularly employ the word "Mass" uniquely use the term "Midnight Mass" for their Christmas Eve liturgy as it includes the celebration of Holy Communion. History The tradition of a midnight Vigil on the eve of Christmas began in the East, and was observed in the late fourth century in Jerusalem by a Christian woman named Egeria on the night of January 5. The tradition reached the Western world in the year 430 under Pope Sixtus III in the Basilica of St Mary Major. By the twelfth century, the practice of midnight Mass had become more widespread as all priests had been granted the facu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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