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Hollywood Screen Test
''Hollywood Screen Test'' is an American talent show that aired on ABC from 1948 to 1953. This program holds the distinction as the first regularly broadcast television series by the American Broadcasting Company. Format Debuting on April 15, 1948, and hosted first by Bert Lytell and then Neil Hamilton, ''Hollywood Screen Test'' sought to give exposure to many up-and-coming actors who were looking for their big break. The relatively unknown actors would be picked to guest star on the show, then they would have half-hour scenes of dialogue with established stage and screen actors. Actors who appeared on ''Hollywood Screen Test'' included Grace Kelly, Jack Klugman, Pernell Roberts, Jack Lemmon, Michael Strong, Tommy Rettig, Susan Cabot, and Ralph Clanton. Martha Wayne and Robert Quarry were assistants on the program. Ted Campbell was the announcer. Lester H. Lewis created the program. He and his wife, Juliette Lewis were the producers. Directors were Frederic Carr and Alton Al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Talent Show
A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather than contests, but some are actual contests. In the instance of a contest, participants may be motivated to perform for a reward, trophy, or prize of some kind. For example, a high school might not have many students with any interest in performing in front of the student body for the sole purpose of performing alone and may offer different prizes as an incentive for these students to participate in the contest. Media Since the late 1940s, talent shows have become a notable genre of reality television, such as ''Doorway to Fame'' (1947), ''The Original Amateur Hour'' (1948), ''Hollywood Screen Test'' (1948), '' Opportunity Knocks'' (1949), '' Chance of a Lifetime'' (1952), ''NHK Nodo Jiman'' (1953), ''New Faces'' (1963), ''Notun Kuri'' ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an American film production and distribution company owned by Comcast through the NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment division of NBCUniversal. Founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmle, Mark Dintenfass, Charles O. Baumann, Adam Kessel, Pat Powers, William Swanson, David Horsley, Robert H. Cochrane, and Jules Brulatour, Universal is the oldest surviving film studio in the United States; the world's fifth oldest after Gaumont, Pathé, Titanus, and Nordisk Film; and the oldest member of Hollywood's "Big Five" studios in terms of the overall film market. Its studios are located in Universal City, California, and its corporate offices are located in New York City. In 1962, the studio was acquired by MCA, which was re-launched as NBCUniversal in 2004. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sidney Blackmer
Sidney Alderman Blackmer (July 13, 1895 – October 6, 1973) was an American Broadway and film actor active between 1914 and 1971, usually in major supporting roles. Biography Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina, the son of Clara Deroulhac (née Alderman) and Walter Steele Blackmer. He started in the insurance and financial counseling business but abandoned it. While working as a construction laborer on a new building, he saw a Pearl White serial being filmed and immediately decided to pursue acting as a career. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Blackmer went to New York, hoping to act on the stage. While in the city, he took jobs and extra work at various film studios at the then motion picture capital, Fort Lee, New Jersey, including a small role in the highly popular serial '' The Perils of Pauline'' (1914), his film debut. He made his Broadway debut in 1917, but his career was interrupted by service in the U.S. Army d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albert Dekker
Thomas Albert Ecke Van Dekker (December 20, 1905 – May 5, 1968) was an American character actor and politician best known for his roles in ''Dr. Cyclops'', ''The Killers'' (1946), ''Kiss Me Deadly'', and ''The Wild Bunch''. Early life and career Dekker was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the only child of Thomas and Grace Ecke Van Dekker. He attended Richmond Hill High School, where he appeared in stage productions. He then attended Bowdoin College, where he majored in pre-med with plans to become a doctor. On the advice of a friend, he decided to pursue acting as a career instead. He made his professional acting debut with a Cincinnati stock company in 1927. Within a few months, Dekker was featured in the Broadway production of Eugene O'Neill's play ''Marco Millions''. After a decade of theatrical appearances, Dekker transferred to Hollywood in 1937 and made his first film, 1937's ''The Great Garrick''. He spent most of the rest of his acting career in the cinema but al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ward Costello
Edward "Ward" Costello (July 5, 1919 - June 4, 2009) was an American actor, composer and lyricist. Costello was born in Boston. When he was young, he left home to go to sea, after which he was an itinerant worker on farms and ranches before he became a newspaper reporter in New York. Costello served in both the British Royal Air Force and the U.S. Army Signal Corps during the Second World War. He received the Silver Star and three Distinguished Flying Crosses. After he left the military, he was a foreign-news editor for CBS in New York. He composed and wrote the lyrics to the theme for '' The Gallant Hours''. During his acting career, Costello appeared in several television programs, including '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', ''Little House on the Prairie'' and '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents''. He retired from acting in 1989. Costello was married to actress Loraine Grover, and they had a daughter, Erin. Costello died from complications of a stroke on June 4, 2009, aged 8 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fay Bainter
Fay Okell Bainter (December 7, 1893 – April 16, 1968) was an American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for ''Jezebel'' (1938) and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Early life Bainter was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Charles F. Bainter and Mary Okell. Career Bainter made her first appearance on stage in 1908 in '' The County Chairman'' at Morosco's Theater in Burbank, California. In 1910, she was a traveling stage actress. Her Broadway debut was in the role of Celine Marinter in ''The Rose of Panama'' (1912). P. G. Wodehouse, reviewing ''Turn to the Right'' in '' Vanity Fair'' in 1916, wrote, "Miss Bainter's advent from nowhere and her instant success form the season's biggest sensation." She appeared in a number of successful plays in New York, such as ''East Is West'', ''The Willow Tree'', and '' Dodsworth''. In 1926, she appeared with Walter Abel in a Broadway production of Channing Pollock's ''T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billie Lou Watt
Billie Lou Watt (June 20, 1924 – September 7, 2001) was an American actress. She was best known as the original English dub voice of the title characters of the 1960s anime series ''Astro Boy'' and ''Kimba the White Lion'', the character Elsie the Cow for Borden Cheese's television commercials, and a live-action turn playing Ellie Harper Bergman on the soap opera ''Search for Tomorrow''. Early life Watt was born on June 20, 1924, in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Watt. She attended Midland and Howe Heights schools and Ritenour High School and received dramatic training at St. Louis School of the Theater. She was also active with a local amateur theatrical group. Her career on the stage began at the age of 12 in the role of Becky in a local play based on the book ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer''. Her education continued at Northwestern University. Career Her first role on a professional stage came two years later at the St. Louis Municipal Opera produ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eddie Bracken
Edward Vincent Bracken (February 7, 1915 – November 14, 2002) was an American actor. Bracken became a Hollywood comedy legend with lead performances in the films ''Hail the Conquering Hero'' and ''The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'' both from 1944, both of which have been preserved by the National Film Registry. During this era, he also had success on Broadway, with performances in plays like '' Too Many Girls'' (1940). Bracken's later movie roles include ''National Lampoon's Vacation'' (1983), ''Oscar'' (1991), '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' (1992), '' Rookie of the Year'' (1993), and ''Baby's Day Out'' (1994). Life and career Edward Vincent Bracken was born in Astoria, Queens, New York on February 7, 1915, the son of Joseph L. and Catherine Bracken. Bracken performed in vaudeville at the age of nine and gained fame with the Broadway musical '' Too Many Girls'' in a role he reprised for the 1940 film adaptation. He had performed in a short film series called ''The Kidd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donald Cook (actor)
Donald Cook (September 26, 1901 – October 1, 1961) was an American stage and film actor who had a prolific career in pre-Code Hollywood films and on Broadway. Cook is perhaps best known for his film roles in ''The Public Enemy'' (1931), ''Safe in Hell'' (1931), ''Baby Face'' (1933), and ''Viva Villa!'' (1934), as well as for his stage role as David Naughton in '' Claudia'', which ran for a total of 722 performances on Broadway between 1941 and 1943. He was the first actor to play Ellery Queen. Biography Cook was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and originally studied farming but later worked for a lumber company. Cook attended the University of Oregon. One of his elder brothers was Ransom M. Cook, president of Wells Fargo Bank. He joined the Kansas Community Players and through this received an offer of stage work. He started screen work in "shorts" before going on to feature films. Cook was known for his portrayal of Mike Powers in the film ''The Public Enemy''. In 1935 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bart Burns
George Joseph Burns (born March 13, 1918 in New York City – died July 17, 2007, in West Hills, Los Angeles, California) was an American character actor. He is known mostly for playing Pat Chambers on the 1959 '' Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'' television show and for numerous of appearances on American television series. He was survived by his wife Fern; three sons Brendan, Timothy and Sean; daughter Siobhan and a granddaughter. Early life The son of a New York City Police Department inspector, Burns attended Cornell University and Columbia University. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Burns enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Commissioned through Officer Candidate School, Lt. Burns was assigned to the 4th Marine Division and fought in the Battle of Kwajalein, Battle of Saipan, and the Battle of Iwo Jima where Burns earned two Purple Hearts. During the latter he was a captain and company commander of "A" Company First Battalion 25th Marines and was awarded the Silv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Veronica Lake
Constance Frances Marie Ockelman (November 14, 1922 – July 7, 1973), known professionally as Veronica Lake, was an American film, stage, and television actress. Lake was best known for her femme fatale roles in film noirs with Alan Ladd during the 1940s, her peek-a-boo hairstyle, and films such as ''Sullivan's Travels'' (1941) and ''I Married a Witch'' (1942). By the late 1940s, Lake's career began to decline, due in part to her alcoholism. She made only one film in the 1950s, but made several guest appearances on television. She returned to the big screen in 1966 in the film '' Footsteps in the Snow'' (1966), but the role failed to revitalize her career. Lake's memoir, ''Veronica: The Autobiography of Veronica Lake'', was published in 1970. Her final screen role was in a low-budget horror film, '' Flesh Feast'' (1970). After years of heavy drinking, Lake died at the age of 50 in July 1973, from hepatitis and acute kidney injury. Early life Lake was born Constance France ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ilka Chase
Ilka Chase (April 8, 1905 – February 15, 1978) was an American actress, radio host, and novelist. Biography Born in New York City and educated at convent and boarding schools in the United States, England, and France, Chase was the only child of Francis Dane Chase, a merchant mariner who became a dry goods salesman and then the general manager of New York's Hotel Colonial, and the former Edna Woolman Allaway, known as Edna Woolman Chase, an editor. Her mother, who became the editor-in-chief of ''Vogue'', described Chase's father, whom she married in 1902, as "a lovable, good-looking, irresponsible young man from Boston. His father had been a banker, and depending on when you met them, the family had money." After her parents' divorce, her father married artist Theodora Larsh (1887–1955). Her mother's second husband was engineer Richard Newton. After graduating from France's Château de Groslay boarding school, Chase made her society debut in December 1923 at a large dinner a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
