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Georges Metaxa
George-Radu Metaxa (11 September 1899 – 8 December 1950) was a Romanian-born American singer, film & stage actor. He was known for his crooning high baritone voice and often portrayed genteel antagonists. Life and career Metaxa was born in Bucharest, Romania, to Nicholas Metaxa and Emilie Theophilatos. He worked as a civil servant, becoming principle private secretary to the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture before emigrating to London in 1926 to pursue a career in musical comedy. He first began his showbusiness career recording songs, the first being the Romanian folk song "Mandrulita" in 1927. After engaging with Charles B. Cochran, his first stage billing was in John Hastings Turner's 1929 musical revue '' Wake Up and Dream''. Metaxa was then cast in Noël Coward's operetta '' Bitter Sweet''. He continued to record songs in London until 1931, finishing with Ray Noble's " Goodnight Sweetheart" before moving to New York with the ''Bitter Sweet'' touring company. His ...
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Hi Diddle Diddle
''Hi Diddle Diddle'' is a 1943 American comedy film made in directed by Andrew L. Stone and starring Adolphe Menjou, Martha Scott, Dennis O'Keefe, June Havoc, Billie Burke, and Pola Negri. The title is a play on the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle" and the use of diddle as a word for confidence trick. The film features animated portions from Leon Schlesinger's studio with the fast moving screenplay frequently breaking the fourth wall. This film is in the public domain. It's also known as ''Diamonds and Crime'' (American reissue title). Leslie Halliwell in the seventh edition, (page 463), of 'Halliwell's Film Guide' says it was "AKA 'Try and Find It' ". Plot summary Young Janie Prescott is about to be married to her sailor sweetheart, Sonny Phyffe, but the wedding is delayed because the ship hasn't arrived to its dock. The wedding ceremony has to be pushed forward, and is combined with a christening ceremony that is to be performed by the same pastor. Sonny's ship eventually ...
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Secrets Of A Secretary
''Secrets of a Secretary'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by George Abbott, and starring Claudette Colbert and Herbert Marshall. The film was stage actress Mary Boland's first role in a talkie. Premise Society girl becomes a social secretary when her father dies penniless. From a story by Charles Brackett. Cast *Claudette Colbert as Helen Blake *Herbert Marshall as Lord Danforth *Georges Metaxa as Frank D'Agnoll *Betty Lawford as Sylvia Merritt *Mary Boland as Mrs. Merritt *Berton Churchill as Mr. Merritt *Averell Harris as Don Marlow *Betty Garde as Dorothy White *Hugh O'Connell as Charlie Rickenbacker *Joseph Crehan as Reporter (uncredited) *Porter Hall as Drunk (uncredited) *H. Dudley Hawley as Mr. Blake (uncredited) *Olaf Hytten as Court Reporter (uncredited) * Edward Keane as Albany Hotel Manager (uncredited) *Barry Macollum (uncredited) *Millard Mitchell as Policeman (uncredited) *William Pawley (uncredited) * Charles C. Wilson as Police Captain (uncredite ...
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Kissing Time (Short Film)
''Kissing Time'', and an earlier version titled ''The Girl Behind the Gun'', are Edwardian musical comedy, musical comedies with music by Ivan Caryll, book and lyrics by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, and additional lyrics by Clifford Grey. The story is based on the 1910 play, ''Madame et son Filleul'' ("Madame and her Godson") by Maurice Hennequin, Pierre Véber and Henry de Gorsse. The story is set in contemporary France, with a glamorous actress at the centre of a farcical plot of imposture, intrigue and mistaken identity. The piece ran for 160 performances on Broadway theatre, Broadway in 1918 with its former name, and, after substantial revision, for 430 performances in London in 1919–20 as ''Kissing Time'', to catch the post-war mood.Jasen, David A''P. G. Wodehouse: a portrait of a master'' Music Sales Group, 2002, pp. 78–82 This was followed by a touring production. The New York cast included Donald Brian. The star-studded London cast included Stanley Holloway, Yvonne ...
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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 ...
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The House That Shadows Built
''The House That Shadows Built'' (1931) is a feature compilation film from Paramount Pictures, made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the studio's founding in 1912. The film was a promotional film for exhibitors and never had a regular theatrical release. The film includes a brief history of Paramount, interviews with various actors, and clips from upcoming projects (some of which never came to fruition). The title comes from a biography of Paramount founder Adolph Zukor, ''The House That Shadows Built'' (1928), by William Henry Irwin. Marx Brothers segment The film is best known for a six-minute segment starring the Marx Brothers (Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx and Zeppo Marx), with Ben Taggart playing Mr. Lee, Theatrical Producer, which was intended to promote their forthcoming 1931 film '' Monkey Business'' (Clark also played the role of the frustrated Passport Official in ''Monkey Business'' and would later appear in the war scene in '' Duck Soup''). The segment, c ...
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Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills' land area totals to , and along with the smaller city of West Hollywood in the east, is almost entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 32,701; marking a decrease of 1,408 from the 2010 census count of 34,109. In American popular culture, Beverly Hills has been known primarily as an affluent, upscale location within Greater Los Angeles, which corresponds to higher property values and taxes in the area. Many different high-end shops and goods are displayed in the city, and can be observed in the Rodeo Drive shopping district; the district houses many different luxury and designer brands, such as Versace, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Armani and Prada. Throughout its hi ...
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South Pacific (musical)
''South Pacific'' is a musical theatre, musical composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and Book (musical theatre), book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The work premiered in 1949 on Broadway theatre, Broadway and was an immediate hit, running for 1,925 performances. The plot is based on James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Pulitzer Prize–winning 1947 book ''Tales of the South Pacific'' and combines elements of several of those stories. Rodgers and Hammerstein believed they could write a musical based on Michener's work that would be financially successful and, at the same time, send a strong progressive message on racism. The plot centers on an American nurse stationed on a South Pacific island during World War II, who falls in love with a middle-aged expatriate French plantation owner but struggles to accept his mixed-race children. A secondary romance, between a U.S. Marine lieutenant and a young Tonkinese woman, explores his fears of th ...
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Bernarr Macfadden
Bernarr Macfadden (born Bernard Adolphus McFadden, August 16, 1868 – October 12, 1955) was an American proponent of physical culture, a combination of bodybuilding with nutritional and health theories. He founded the long-running magazine publishing company Macfadden Publications. Biography Early life Born in Mill Spring, Missouri, Macfadden changed his first and last names to give them a greater appearance of strength. He thought "Bernarr" sounded like the roar of a lion, and that "Macfadden" was a more masculine spelling of his last name. As a young child, Macfadden was weak and sickly. After being orphaned by the time he was 11, he was placed with a farmer and began working on the farm. The hard work and wholesome food on the farm turned him into a strong and fit boy. When he was 13, however, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri and took a desk job. Quickly his health reverted again and by 16 he described himself as a "physical wreck". He started exercising again with dumb ...
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Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Florida, second-most populous city in Florida and the eleventh-most populous city in the Southeastern United States. The Miami metropolitan area is the ninth largest in the U.S. with a population of 6.138 million in 2020. The city has the List of tallest buildings in the United States#Cities with the most skyscrapers, third-largest skyline in the U.S. with over List of tallest buildings in Miami, 300 high-rises, 58 of which exceed . Miami is a major center and leader in finance, commerce, culture, arts, and international trade. Miami's metropolitan area is by far the largest urban econ ...
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Swing Time (film)
''Swing Time'' is a 1936 American musical comedy film, the sixth of ten starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Directed by George Stevens for RKO, it features Helen Broderick, Victor Moore, Betty Furness, Eric Blore and Georges Metaxa, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Set mainly in New York City, the film follows a gambler and dancer, "Lucky" (Astaire), who is trying to raise money to secure his marriage when he meets dance instructor Penny (Rogers) and begins dancing with her; the two soon fall in love and are forced to reconcile their feelings. Noted dance critic Arlene Croce considers ''Swing Time'' Astaire and Rogers' best dance musical,Croce, pp.98-115 a view shared by John MuellerMueller, pp.100-113 and Hannah Hyam. It features four dance routines that are each regarded as masterpieces. According to ''The Oxford Companion to the American Musical'', ''Swing Time'' is "a strong candidate for the best of the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals". '' ...
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Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He starred in more than 10 Broadway and West End musicals, made 31 musical films, four television specials, and numerous recordings. As a dancer, he was known for his uncanny sense of rhythm, creativity, and tireless perfectionism. Astaire's most memorable dancing partnership was with Ginger Rogers, whom he co-starred with in 10 Hollywood musicals during the classic age of Hollywood cinema. Astaire and Rogers starred together in ''Top Hat'' (1935), '' Swing Time'' (1936), and ''Shall We Dance'' (1937). Astaire's fame grew in films like ''Holiday Inn'' (1942), '' Easter Parade'' (1948), '' The Band Wagon'' (1953), '' Funny Face'' (1957), and ''Silk Stockings'' (1957). The American Film Institute named Astaire the ...
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Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starring role in Kitty Foyle (film), ''Kitty Foyle'' (1940), and performed during the 1930s in RKO Pictures, RKO's musical films with Fred Astaire. Her career continued on stage, radio and television throughout much of the 20th century. Rogers was born in Independence, Missouri, and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City. She and her family moved to Fort Worth, Texas, when she was nine years old. In 1925, she won a Charleston dance contest that helped her launch a successful vaudeville career. After that, she gained recognition as a Broadway theatre, Broadway actress for her stage debut in ''Girl Crazy''. This led to a contract with Paramount Pictures, which ended after five films. Rogers had her first successful film roles as a supporting ...
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