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Frankie Thomas
Frank Marion Thomas Jr. (April 9, 1921 – May 11, 2006), was an American actor, author and bridge-strategy expert who played both lead and supporting roles on Broadway, in films, in post-World War II radio, and in early television. He was best known for his starring role in ''Tom Corbett, Space Cadet''. Early years Thomas was born in New York City to actors Frank M. Thomas and Mona Bruns (both of whom lived to 100 years of age). His uncle, Calvin Thomas, was also an actor. Thomas portrayed a Kiowan youth in the Broadway play '' Carry Nation'' (1932). He appeared in six other Broadway plays between 1932 and 1936, including ''Little Ol' Boy'', ''Thunder on the Left'', ''Wednesday's Child'', ''The First Legion'', ''Remember the Day'', and ''Seen But Not Heard''. In ''Wednesday's Child'' he played the role of Bobby Phillips, the longest stage part ever written for a child performer. Thomas also developed a lifelong fascination with the character of Sherlock Holmes during t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
On Dress Parade
''The 'Dead End' Kids "On Dress Parade"'' is a 1939 Warner Bros. film that marked the first time The Dead End Kids headlined a film without any other well-known actors. Plot A hero of World War I, Colonel William Duncan, is on his deathbed. He summons his old friend, Colonel Mitchell Reiker to ask him if he will care for his son Slip when he dies. Reiker agrees, and when Duncan passes, Slip, who does not want to leave the neighborhood he grew up in, is tricked into attending the military school that Reiker is in charge of. Cadet Major Rollins tries to help Slip reform and adapt to military life, but is thrown out a window for his troubles. He continues to have altercations with all of the other cadets, but in the end he winds up saving the life of Cadet Warren during a fire in the camp munitions storeroom. Although he is seriously injured during the rescue, the other cadets respect his efforts and welcome him as one of their own. For his heroics he is given his father's disti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hollywood, Los Angeles
Hollywood is a neighborhood in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a metonymy, shorthand reference for the Cinema of the United States, U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures, are located near or in Hollywood. Hollywood was incorporated as a municipality in 1903. It was Merger (politics), consolidated with the city of Los Angeles in 1910. Soon thereafter a prominent film industry emerged, having developed first on the East Coast. Eventually it became the most recognizable in the world. History Initial development H.J. Whitley, a real estate developer, arranged to buy the E.C. Hurd ranch. They agreed on a price and shook hands on the deal. Whitley shared his plans for the new town with General Harrison Gray Otis (publisher), Harrison Gray Otis, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nancy Drew And The Hidden Staircase (1939 Film)
''Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase'' is a 1939 American mystery film directed by William Clemens and written by Kenneth Garnet. It is fourth and last in a series of films starring Bonita Granville as teenage amateur detective Nancy Drew, Frankie Thomas as her boyfriend, and John Litel as her father. It was loosely based on the novel of the same name by Mildred Wirt Benson. The film was released by Warner Bros. on September 9, 1939. Plot The elderly Turnbull sisters want to donate their mansion for a children's hospital. However, their father's will states that at least one of them has to stay in the house every night for twenty years before they can inherit the estate; there are two weeks left to go. Then some strange things start occurring. A stranger forces his way past Nancy Drew (Bonita Granville) and brazenly searches the Drew house for related affidavits her lawyer father Carson (John Litel) has obtained. Then, the Turnbulls' chauffeur Phillips (Don Rowan) dies, though ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Angels Wash Their Faces
''The Angels Wash Their Faces'' is a 1939 Warner Bros. film directed by Ray Enright and starring Ann Sheridan, Ronald Reagan and the Dead End Kids. Plot Gabe Ryan is released from reform school and is taken to a new house by his sister Joy to start a new life where no one knows of his past. However, Gabe immediately joins the Beale Street Termites gang, and meets gangster William Kroner, who accuses Gabe of starting a fire at one Kroner's his properties. Alfred Martino, the actual arsonist, uses the opportunity to frame Gabe for other fires. He torches one of his apartment complexes so that he can collect the insurance money, but one of the kids named Sleepy is killed in the fire. Patrick Remson, the assistant district attorney, tries to prove Gabe's innocence. His motives are not only to prove Gabe's innocence but also to get closer to Gabe's sister. Joy has devoted her life to helping Gabe and neglects her other interests such as rallying against city-government corruption, whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nancy Drew… Trouble Shooter
''Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter'' is a 1939 American comedy film directed by William Clemens and written by Kenneth Gamet. The film stars Bonita Granville, Frankie Thomas, John Litel, Aldrich Bowker, Charlotte Wynters and Edgar Edwards. The film was released by Warner Bros. on June 17, 1939. Plot Cast * Bonita Granville as Nancy Drew * Frankie Thomas as Ted Nickerson * John Litel as Carson Drew * Aldrich Bowker as Matt Brandon * Charlotte Wynters as Edna Gregory * Edgar Edwards as 'Chuck' Marley * Renie Riano as Effie Schneider * Roger Imhof as Sheriff Barney Riggs * Erville Alderson as Clint Griffith * Willie Best as Apollo Johnson * John Harron as Greenhouse Clerk * Cliff Saum as First Deputy Sheriff * Tom Wilson as Milt * Glen Cavender as First Townsman (uncredited) * Creighton Hale as Man in Sheriff's Office (uncredited) * Leo White Leo White (November 10, 1882 – September 20, 1948), Leo Weiss, was a German-born British-American film and stage actor who appeared ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Code Of The Streets
''Code of the Streets'' is a 1939 Universal Studios film starring '' The Little Tough Guys''. Plot Convicted on circumstantial evidence, Tommy Shay, a young product of the Front Street slums, is sentenced to die for the murder of police lieutenant Carson. When Denver Collins, Tommy's only alibi, mysteriously disappears, Tommy's younger brother Danny and his gang of alley kids ( The Little Tough Guys) determine to find a way to save Tommy from the electric chair. Lieutenant Lewis, Tommy's arresting officer, also believes that the boy is innocent and tries to get the case reopened. For his efforts, Lewis is demoted to patrolman, prompting his son Bob, a radio bug with an ambition to become a detective, to initiate his own investigation by which he hopes to find the real murderer and reinstate his father. While searching for Collins on Front Street, Bob meets Danny and after he fibs that his father is a gangster, the boys join forces to track down Carson's killer. Acting on a tip, Da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew is a Fictional character, fictional character appearing in several Mystery fiction, mystery book series, movies, and a TV show as a teenage amateur sleuth. The books are ghostwriter, ghostwritten by a number of authors and published under the collective pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Created by the publisher Edward Stratemeyer as the female counterpart to his Hardy Boys series, the character first appeared in 1930 in the ''Nancy Drew Mystery Stories'' series, which lasted until 2003 and consisted of 175 novels. Over the decades, the character has evolved in response to changes in American culture and tastes. Beginning in 1959, the books were extensively revised and shortened, partly to lower the printing costsRehak (2006), 243. with arguable success.Rehak (2006), 248. In the revision process, the heroine's original character was changed to be less unruly and violent.Lapin (1989). In the 1980s, an older and more professional Nancy emerged in a new series, ''The Nancy Drew Fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Little Tough Guys In Society
''Little Tough Guys in Society'' is a 1938 Universal Studios film that starred several of the ''Dead End Kids''. It was the second film that Universal made in their series and the first of three that they made without any of the original ''Dead End Kids''. Plot Mrs. Berry, a socialite, hires a psychiatrist to care for her son Randolph. He exhibits antisocial behavior and stays bedridden all day. The doctor determines that if he was exposed to other boys of a lesser social stature he will break out of his shell and resume his place in society. They contact a place in the city and hire six underprivileged kids to come out to the country to help out. The boys who arrive are not the boys who were originally hired, but a gang of misfits who are wanted for destroying a glass factory. They quickly help Randolph overcome his antisocial behavior and assist in capturing some thieves who broke into Mrs. Berry's residence while Randolph's birthday party was taking place. The boys are th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the silent-film era. He was the top box-office attraction from 1939 to 1941, and one of the best-paid actors of that era. At the height of a career marked by declines and comebacks, Rooney performed the role of Andy Hardy in a series of 16 films in the 1930s and 1940s that epitomized mainstream America's self-image. At the peak of his career between ages 15 and 25, he made 43 films, and was one of MGM's most consistently successful actors. A versatile performer, he became a celebrated character actor later in his career. Laurence Olivier once said he considered Rooney "the best there has ever been". Clarence Brown, who directed him in two of his earliest dramatic roles in ''National Velvet'' and '' The Human Comedy'', said Rooney was "the cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actor from nine nominations. During his career, he appeared in 75 films and developed a reputation among his peers as one of the screen's greatest actors. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Tracy as the 9th greatest male star of Classic Hollywood Cinema. Tracy first discovered his talent for acting while attending Ripon College, and he later received a scholarship for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He spent seven years in the theatre, working in a succession of stock companies and intermittently on Broadway. His breakthrough came in 1930, when his lead performance in ''The Last Mile'' caught the attention of Hollywood. After a successful film debut in John Ford's ''Up the River'' (in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boys Town (film)
''Boys Town'' is a 1938 biographical drama film based on Father Edward J. Flanagan's work with a group of underprivileged boys in a home/educational complex that he founded and named "Boys Town" in Nebraska. It stars Spencer Tracy as Father Edward J. Flanagan, and Mickey Rooney with Henry Hull, Leslie Fenton, and Gene Reynolds. The film was written by Dore Schary, Eleanore Griffin, and John Meehan, and was directed by Norman Taurog. Tracy won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance. Legendary Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio head Louis B. Mayer, who was a Belorussian-Canadian-American Jew known for his respect for the Catholic Church, later called this his favorite film of his long tenure at MGM. Although the story is largely fictional, it is based upon a real man and a real place. Boys Town is a community outside Omaha, Nebraska. In 1941, MGM made a sequel, ''Men of Boys Town'', with Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney reprising their roles from the earlier film. Plot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lyman Young
Lyman W. Young (October 20, 1893 – February 12, 1984) was an American cartoonist who created the strip ''Tim Tyler's Luck''. His younger brother, Chic Young, was the creator of '' Blondie''. Like his brother, Lyman Young was encouraged to do artwork by his mother, who was a painter. After Young studied at the Chicago Art Institute and served in World War I, he worked as a salesman. He began his career as a cartoonist in 1924 by stepping in to draw C. W. Kahles' comic strip ''The Kelly Kids''. In 1927, he created his own strip, ''The Kid Sister'', a spin-off of ''The Kelly Kids''. ''Tim Tyler's Luck'' Young launched ''Tim Tyler's Luck'' in 1928, and in 1935, he added a topper strip '. Young employed several artists, some of whom became famous and successful with their own strips. The illustrators included Alex Raymond, Burne Hogarth, Clark Haas, Nat Edson and Tom Massey. Tony DiPreta began his career doing lettering on the strip. Young lived in Greenwich, Connecticut. During th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
