Grandview U.S.A.
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Grandview U.S.A.
''Grandview, U.S.A.'' is a 1984 American comedy-drama film directed by Randal Kleiser, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Carole Cook, Ramon Bieri, John Cusack, Joan Cusack, M. Emmet Walsh, Michael Winslow, Troy Donahue and Steve Dahl. The original music score is composed by Thomas Newman. It was filmed on location in Pontiac and Fairbury, Illinois. After being out of print on VHS for many years, the movie was finally released on DVD for the first time on October 4, 2011. Plot Tim Pearson, a Grandview High School senior, wants to study oceanography in Florida. His father Roger loans him his brand new Cadillac to go to the prom with Bonnie Clark. Later, making out in the car near a stream, it rolls in, so they walk to "Cody's Speedway" for a tow. When Bonnie's father comes for her, he punches Tim in anger. Mechanic Michelle "Mike" Cody defends him, and has local demolition derby driver Ernie "Slam" Webster tow the car with ...
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Randal Kleiser
John Randal Kleiser (born July 20, 1946) is an American film and television director, producer, screenwriter and actor, best known for directing the 1978 musical romantic-comedy film '' Grease''. Biography John Randal Kleiser was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, the son of Harriet Kelly ( Means) and Dr. John Raymond Kleiser. He has two brothers. Kleiser attended Radnor High School. As a freshman at the University of Southern California, he appeared in George Lucas' student film ''Freiheit''. (Kleiser also lived in the house that Lucas was renting at the time.) Kleiser graduated in 1968. His award-winning Master's thesis film ''Peege'' launched his career and was selected for preservation by the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry in 2007. Kleiser directed several television movies in the mid-1970s, including '' Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway'' (1975) and ''The Boy in the Plastic Bubble'' (1975), which starred John Travolta. Kleiser was tapped to direct ...
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Joan Cusack
Joan Mary Cusack (; born October 11, 1962) is an American actress. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the comedy-drama ''Working Girl'' (1988) and the romantic comedy '' In & Out'' (1997). Her other starring roles include those in ''Addams Family Values'' (1993), '' Runaway Bride'' (1999), '' School of Rock'' (2003), and '' Confessions of a Shopaholic'' (2009). She has also provided the voice of Jessie in the ''Toy Story'' franchise (1999–present) and Abby Mallard in ''Chicken Little'' (2005). Cusack was a cast member on the comedy sketch show ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1985 to 1986. She starred on the Showtime hit drama/comedy series '' Shameless'' (2011–2021) as Sheila Jackson, a role for which she received five consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning for the first time in 2015. She is the sister of actress Ann Cusack and actor John Cusack. Early life Cusack was born on October 11, 1962, in New Yo ...
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Larry Brandenburg
Larry Brandenburg (born May 3, 1948) is an American actor. He has appeared in numerous television shows and films such as ''The Shawshank Redemption'', '' Fargo'', ''The Santa Clause'' and ''The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...''. Filmography External links * 1948 births Living people American male telenovela actors 20th-century American male actors American male film actors {{US-screen-actor-stub ...
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William Windom (actor)
William Windom (September 28, 1923 – August 16, 2012) was an American actor. He was known as a character actor of the stage and screen. He is best known for his recurring role as Dr. Seth Hazlitt alongside Angela Lansbury in the CBS mystery series '' Murder, She Wrote'' (1984–1996). Windom made his television debut in 1949 in the NBC anthology series ''The Philco Television Playhouse''. He continued acting in shows such as '' Studio One'', '' Masterpiece Playhouse'', '' Omnibus'', and '' Kraft Television Theatre''. During this time he also appeared on ''The Twilight Zone'', '' Gunsmoke'', '' Mission: Impossible'', and '' Star Trek''. He then gained acclaim in his television career for his portrayal of cartoonist John Monroe in the short-lived NBC sitcom ''My World and Welcome to It'' (1969–1970) winning him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He then guest starred in various programs including '' Columbo'', ''Night Gallery'', '' M ...
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Kathryn Joosten
Kathryn Joosten (born Kathryn Rausch; December 20, 1939 – June 2, 2012) was an American actress. Her best known roles include Dolores Landingham on NBC's ''The West Wing'' from 1999 to 2002 and Karen McCluskey on ABC's '' Desperate Housewives'' from 2005 to 2012, for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards in 2005 and 2008. Early life Joosten was born Kathryn Rausch in Chicago, Illinois to Dutch-German parents. Her first career was as a psychiatric nurse at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, living in nearby Lake Forest, Illinois, where she married a psychiatrist and raised two sons. Following her 1980 divorce, she began acting in community theater in 1982, at age 42. Career In 1992, aged 53, she was hired as a street performer working for the Disney-MGM Studios theme park at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. In 1995, she moved to Hollywood, where she took guest roles in television series such as '' Roseanne'', ''Home Improvement'', ''Picket Fences'', '' Murphy Brown'' ...
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Elizabeth Gorcey
Elizabeth Gorcey (born January 1, 1962) is an American filmmaker, actress, and writer. She has held leading roles in films such as ''Kidco'' and ''Footloose'' while also producing and directing films which include ''Just Another Man's Story'' and ''Breast Pump & Blender''. She is also the author of the children's book series ''Liv on Life''. Early life and education Gorcey was raised in Long Branch, New Jersey and attended Long Branch High School. She was interested in acting at a young age, but began by focusing on painting and sculpting. She also sang with the Metropolitan Opera Company. Gorcey graduated high school at the age of 16 and went on to the American Conservatory Theater on a summer scholarship. She attended the University of Arizona and Monmouth University. Career In her early career, Gorcey gave summer stock theater performances at The Barn Theatre in Michigan, including in the productions of "Carousel," "Damn Yankees" and "My Fair Lady." After her first year ...
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John Philbin
John Philbin (born April 27, 1960) is an American actor who is best known for his appearances in the films '' North Shore'', ''Return of the Living Dead'', ''Point Break'' and '' Tombstone''. Early life Philbin began surfing at 12. He studied acting at the University of California, Santa Barbara, as well as being on the university's surf team. Career An accomplished surfer, Philbin has used this skill in films such as ''Point Break'', ''The Boost'', and '' North Shore''. Some of his other films include '' Children of the Corn'' and ''The Return of the Living Dead''. Surfing instruction Philbin gives surf training to actors to prepare them for film roles, one of the most notable being the surf instructor for actors in the film ''Blue Crush ''Blue Crush'' is a 2002 sports film directed by John Stockwell and based on Susan Orlean's 1998 ''Outside'' magazine article "Life's Swell". It stars Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Sanoe Lake and Mika Boorem. The film tells the st ...
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Illinois State University
Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of the top ten largest producers of teachers in the US according to the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The university's athletic teams are members of the Missouri Valley Conference and the Missouri Valley Football Conference and are known as the "Redbirds," in reference to the state bird, the cardinal. History ISU was founded as a training school for teachers in 1857, the same year Illinois' first Board of Education was convened and two years after the Free School Act was passed by the state legislature. Among its supporters were judge and future Supreme Court Justice, David Davis and local businessman and land holder Jesse W. Fell whos ...
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Cadillac
The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed in 34 additional markets worldwide. Cadillac automobiles are at the top of the luxury field within the United States. In 2019, Cadillac sold 390,458 vehicles worldwide, a record for the brand. Cadillac is among the first automotive brands in the world, fourth in the United States only to Autocar Company (1897) and fellow GM marques Oldsmobile (1897) and Buick (1899). It was named after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (1658–1730), who founded Detroit, Michigan. The Cadillac crest is based on his coat of arms. By the time General Motors purchased the company in 1909, Cadillac had already established itself as one of America's premier luxury car makers. The complete interchangeability of its precision parts had allowed it to lay the foundati ...
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Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida and Cuba; it is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Spanning , Florida ranks 22nd in area among the 50 states, and with a population of over 21 million, it is the third-most populous. The state capital is Tallahassee, and the most populous city is Jacksonville. The Miami metropolitan area, with a population of almost 6.2 million, is the most populous urban area in Florida and the ninth-most populous in the United States; other urban conurbations with over one million people are Tampa Bay, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Various Native American groups have inhabited Florida for at least 14,000 years. In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León became the first k ...
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Oceanography
Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics; plate tectonics and the geology of the sea floor; and fluxes of various chemical substances and physical properties within the ocean and across its boundaries. These diverse topics reflect multiple disciplines that oceanographers utilize to glean further knowledge of the world ocean, including astronomy, biology, chemistry, climatology, geography, geology, hydrology, meteorology and physics. Paleoceanography studies the history of the oceans in the geologic past. An oceanographer is a person who studies many matters concerned with oceans, including marine geology, physics, chemistry and biology. History Early history Humans first acquired knowledge of the waves and currents of the seas and oceans in pre-historic times. Observations ...
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Fairbury, Illinois
Fairbury is a city in Livingston County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,757 at the 2010 census. Fairbury is located on U.S. Route 24 11 miles east of Chenoa and six miles west of Forrest. It was founded in 1857. The town has a large population of members of the Apostolic Christian faith, who first settled in the area in 1864. History Fairbury was laid out on November 10, 1857 by Caleb L. Patton and Octave Chanute. Like most Illinois towns of the 1850s, the original town of Fairbury was centered on a depot ground. It consisted of twenty-six blocks, each divided into fourteen to sixteen lots. There was no central public square, but one was later included in Marsh's addition. The plan used was virtually identical to that at Chatsworth Illinois, including the street names, and the plan very similar to that at Gridley and El Paso on the same railroad. Octave Chanute was a civil engineer employed by the new Peoria and Oquawka Railroad, which is now the Toledo, P ...
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