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Cafe Crown
''Cafe Crown'' is a three-act play by Hy Kraft that premiered on Broadway on January 23, 1942, at the Cort Theatre. The cast included Sam Jaffe and Morris Carnovsky. Its action presented "a motley group of amiable squatters found in a Second Avenue restaurant ... members of the Yiddish theatre", 21 characters in all. Elia Kazan directed and Boris Aronson designed the set. Brooks Atkinson, writing in ''The New York Times'', called it a "hospitable comedy", "simple but warm-hearted", set in the cafe where: It ended its run on May 23 after 140 performances. It was revived at the Public Theatre in 1988 with Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson. It moved to Broadway, pared to two acts, in the spring of 1989 and ran for 45 performances. A musical version with the same name premiered in 1964. It had music by Albert Hague, lyrics by Marty Brill and a book by Kraft. It opened in previews on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on March 21, 1964. After 30 preview performances, the musical official ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hy Kraft
Hyman Solomon Kraft (April 30, 1899 – July 29, 1975), aka Hy Kraft, H.S. Kraft, or Harold Kent (pseudonym due to Hollywood Blacklist), was an American screenwriter, playwright, and theatrical producer. Among the notable comedy plays that he wrote were ''Ten Per Cent'' (1932), ''Poppa'' (1929), ''Cafe Crown'' (1942), and '' Top Banana'' (1952). In 1964 ''Cafe Crown'' was revised as a Broadway musical produced by Philip Rose and Swanlee with music by Albert Hague and lyrics by Marty Brill. The musical plot is set in the early 1930s in and around the Cafe Crown at the corner of Second Avenue and 12th Street in New York City. It had one Broadway revival in 1989. Hy Kraft's 1954 musical play '' Top Banana'' was filmed for the screen and released as a movie in 1954, starring Phil Silvers as a television comic trying to regain his ratings on TV. Feeling the show was a personal swipe at him, Milton Berle wrote of it, "The only public attack I got any pleasure from was the one dreamed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marty Brill (comedian)
Martin S. Brill (May 6, 1932 – January 23, 2021) was an American comedian, writer, actor and musician who appeared regularly on 1960s and 1970s TV in both variety shows (''The Ed Sullivan Show'', ''The Merv Griffin Show'', ''The Tonight Show'') and sitcoms (''The New Dick Van Dyke Show'', ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''). In the late 1970s, Marty Brill did some writing in the 1970s for the "New Soupy Sales Show," also occasionally playing characters on the show, especially after Soupy's longtime sidekick (Clyde Adler) took ill during production of the series. He also was the lyricist for the short lived 1964 Broadway musical ''Cafe Crown''. He also voiced King Koo Koo in the 1977 film '' Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure'' and sang one of the film's songs. Brill was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 6, 1932, and died on January 23, 2021, at the age of 88. Discography *''The Roving Balladeer'' *"Timber" *''James Blonde ("The Man From T.A.N.T.E.")'' He was involved with a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1964 Musicals
Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople meet in Jerusalem. * January 6 – A British firm, the Leyland Motors, Leyland Motor Corp., announces the sale of 450 buses to the Cuban government, challenging the United States blockade of Cuba. * January 9 – ''Martyrs' Day (Panama), Martyrs' Day'': Armed clashes between United States troops and Panamanian civilians in the Panama Canal Zone precipitate a major international crisis, resulting in the deaths of 21 Panamanians and 4 U.S. soldiers. * January 11 – United States Surgeon General Luther Terry reports that smoking may be hazardous to one's health (the first such statement from the U.S. government). * January 12 ** Zanzibar Revolution: The predominantly Arab government of Zanzibar is overthrown b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1942 Plays
Year 194 ( CXCIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Septimius and Septimius (or, less frequently, year 947 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 194 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Roman Empire * Emperor Septimius Severus and Decimus Clodius Septimius Albinus Caesar become Roman Consuls. * Battle of Issus: Septimius Severus marches with his army (12 legions) to Cilicia, and defeats Pescennius Niger, Roman governor of Syria. Pescennius retreats to Antioch, and is executed by Severus' troops. * Septimius Severus besieges Byzantium (194–196); the city walls suffer extensive damage. Asia * Battle of Yan Province: Warlords Cao Cao and Lü Bu fight for control over Yan Province; the battle lasts for over 100 days ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Betty Aberlin
Betty Aberlin (born Betty Kay Ageloff; December 30, 1942) is an American actress, poet, and writer. She is best known as Lady Aberlin on ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', a role she played for the entirety of the show's 33-year run. Life and career Born Betty Kay Ageloff in New York City, Aberlin grew up in a Jewish family and attended public schools in Queens and Staten Island. In Staten Island, she attended Curtis High School, graduating in 1959. She graduated from Bennington College, having studied art, modern dance, and literature with Howard Nemerov and Bernard Malamud. She made her debut at the Phoenix Theatre in 1954 in ''Sandhog'', a folk-opera by Waldo Salt and Earl Robinson. Aberlin had a regular role as Lady Aberlin for 33 years on the children's television series ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''. Lady Aberlin was King Friday's niece and frequently the "main" character of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe segments. Often the only full-sized character in the segment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy Rall
Thomas Edward Rall (December 27, 1929 – October 6, 2020) was an American actor, ballet dancer, tap dancer, and acrobatic dancer who was a prominent featured player in 1950s musical comedies. He later became a successful operatic tenor in the 1960s, making appearances with the Opera Company of Boston, the New York City Opera, and the American National Opera Company. Life and career Rall was born in Kansas City, Missouri to Edward and Margaret Rall, but raised in Seattle, Washington. An only child, he had a crossed eye which made it hard for him to read books, so his mother enrolled him in dancing classes. In his early years he performed a dance and acrobatic vaudeville act in Seattle theaters and attempted small acting roles. His family moved to Los Angeles in the 1940s, and Rall began to appear in small movie roles. His first film appearance was a short MGM film called ''Vendetta''. He began taking tap dancing lessons and became a member of the jitterbugging Jivin' Jacks and J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brenda Lewis
Brenda Lewis (March 2, 1921 – September 16, 2017) was an American operatic soprano, musical theatre actress, opera director, and music educator. She enjoyed a 20-year-long collaboration with the New York City Opera (NYCO) with whom she notably created roles in several world premieres by American composers; including the title role in Jack Beeson's ''Lizzie Borden'' in 1965. She also performed with frequency at the Metropolitan Opera from 1952 to 1965, and was active as a guest artist with notable opera companies both nationally and internationally. Although she is mainly remembered as an exponent of American operas and musicals, she performed a broad repertoire of works and was particularly celebrated for her portrayals of Marie in ''Wozzeck'', Rosalinde in ''Die Fledermaus'', and the title roles of ''Carmen'' and '' Salome''; the latter of which she performed for the inauguration of the Houston Grand Opera in 1956. Lewis was also a familiar face to Broadway audiences in opere ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monte Amundsen
Monte Amundsen (January 15, 1930 – December 24, 2011) was an American opera and musical singer who appeared on Broadway in Marc Blitzstein's musical ''Juno'' in 1959, which starred Shirley Booth. Biography Composer Marc Blitzstein was reportedly so delighted with Amundsen that he expanded her role in ''Juno (musical)'' to include three major songs: '' I Wish It So'', ''For Love'', and ''My True Heart'', as well as a duet with Shirley Booth, ''The Bird Upon The Tree''. The show was not a success, but Amundsen's well-received performance is preserved on the original cast recording. In 1964 she appeared in another ill-fated musical, ''Cafe Crown'', which ran for 30 performances in previews before closing after just three performances after its official opening. Amundsen also made many appearances at The Muny in St. Louis, including Rosabella in ''The Most Happy Fella'' (1969); Marie Esterhazy in '' Blossom Time'' (1966); Gretel in ''Hansel & Gretel'' (1966); Barbara in '' Milk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Alda
Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the war comedy-drama television series ''M*A*S*H'' (1972–1983). He also wrote and directed numerous episodes of the series. Alda is also known for recurring roles on television series, such as ''The West Wing'' and ''Ray Donovan'', and received critical acclaim for his appearances in films such as '' Same Time, Next Year'' (1978) alongside Ellen Burstyn and for his directorial debut film '' The Four Seasons'' (1981). Other film appearances include ''Crimes and Misdemeanors'' (1989), '' Flirting with Disaster'' (1996), the Cold War drama '' Bridge of Spies'' (2015), and ''Marriage Story'' (2019). In 2004, Alda was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in '' The Aviator''. Alda has also received three Tony Award no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theodore Bikel
Theodore Meir Bikel ( ; May 2, 1924 – July 21, 2015) was an Austrian-American actor, folk singer, musician, composer, unionist, and political activist. He appeared in films, including '' The African Queen'' (1951), ''Moulin Rouge'' (1952), ''The Kidnappers'' (1953), ''The Enemy Below'' (1957), ''I Want to Live!'' (1958), ''My Fair Lady'' (1964), ''The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming'' (1966), and '' 200 Motels'' (1971). For his portrayal of Sheriff Max Muller in ''The Defiant Ones'' (1958), he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He made his stage debut in ''Tevye the Milkman'' in Tel Aviv, Israel, when he was in his teens. He later studied acting at Britain's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and made his London stage debut in 1948 and in New York in 1955. He was also a widely recognized and recorded folk singer and guitarist. In 1959, he co-founded the Newport Folk Festival, and created the role of Captain von Trapp opposite Mary Martin a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sam Levene
Sam Levene (born Scholem Lewin; August 28, 1905 – December 28, 1980) was a Russian Empire-born American Broadway, film, radio, and television actor and director. In a career spanning over five decades, he appeared in over 50 comedy and drama theatrical stage productions and acted in over 50 films across the United States and abroad. Early life Levene was born as Scholem Lewin in Russia, the youngest of five children by a dozen years. He immigrated to the United States when he was two years old. He grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan on Avenue D and 8th Street and attended Public School 64. Levene, who would have been a graduate of Stuyvesant High School in 1923, dropped out. He also failed to qualify for the school's dramatic society. Since he had been in the class of Broadway for over five decades, the illustrious dropout was given a special award, his Stuyvesant High School diploma, in a 1976 ceremony held at the New York's Princeton Club. Levene's father, who an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin Beck Theatre
The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in a Moorish and Byzantine style and was constructed for vaudevillian Martin Beck. It has 1,404 seats across two levels and is operated by Jujamcyn Theaters. Both the facade and the interior are New York City landmarks. The Al Hirschfeld's auditorium and stage house share a design for their facade. There is a double-height arcade with cast-stone columns at the base of the theater. The eastern section of the arcade contains the auditorium entrance, the center section includes a staircase with emergency exits, and the western section leads to the stage house. Red brick is used for the upper stories of the facade. Albert Herter, a muralist who frequently collaborated with Lansburgh, oversaw much of the interior design. A square ticket lobby is directly insid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
