|
How To Be Very, Very Popular
''How to Be Very, Very Popular'' is a 1955 comedy film written, produced and directed by Nunnally Johnson. The film starred Betty Grable in her final film role and Sheree North in her first leading role. Johnson later said "I don't much like to think of ''How To Be Very, Very Popular'' because it brought fame and fortune to nobody. It was just a lousy mistake on everybody's part. "Johnson p 359 Plot Stormy Tornado and Curly Flagg are two showgirls from a San Francisco cabaret who witness the murder of one of their fellow performers and can identify the killer. Not wanting to get mixed up in a murder rap, the girls flee the scene and hide out at Bristol College, disguising themselves as boys. However the need for attention makes the girls want to stand out in their stage costumes and then the trouble begins. The ladies hide in the room of Fillmore Wedgewood, who proudly calls himself "the world's oldest student", and is always looking for ways to forestall graduation and facing "t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nunnally Johnson
Nunnally Hunter Johnson (December 5, 1897 – March 25, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and playwright. As a filmmaker, he wrote the screenplays to more than fifty films in a career that spanned from 1927 to 1967. He also produced more than half of the films he wrote scripts for, and directed eight of those movies. In 1940 he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for ''The Grapes of Wrath'', and in 1956 he was nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film for ''The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit''. Some of his other notable films include '' Tobacco Road'' (1941), ''The Moon Is Down'' (1943), ''Casanova Brown'' (1944), ''The Keys of the Kingdom'' (1944), '' The Woman in the Window'' (1944), ''The Mudlark'' (1950), '' The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel'' (1951), ''My Cousin Rachel'' (1952), ''The Three Faces of Eve'' (1957), ''Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation'' (1962), and ''The Dirty D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orson Bean
Orson Bean (born Dallas Frederick Burrows; July 22, 1928 – February 7, 2020) was an American film, television, and stage actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was a game show and talk show host and a "mainstay of Los Angeles’ small theater scene." He appeared frequently on several televised game shows from the 1960s through the 1980s and was a longtime panelist on the television game show '' To Tell the Truth''. "A storyteller ''par excellence''", he was a favorite of Johnny Carson, appearing on ''The Tonight Show'' more than 200 times. In the 1960s, Bean remarked in an interview that he became known as a "neocelebrity who's famous for being famous" for his appearances as a panellist on television prime-time gameshows. Early life Orson Bean was born in Burlington, Vermont, in 1928, while his first cousin twice removed, Calvin Coolidge, was President of the United States. Bean was the son of Marian Ainsworth (''née'' Pollard) and George Frederick Burrows. His fathe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1942 In Film
The year of 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, ''Casablanca''. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1942 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events * January 16 – Actress Carole Lombard is killed in a plane crash west of Las Vegas while returning home to Los Angeles from a War Bond tour. * June 4 – ''Mrs. Miniver'', starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon, opens at Radio City Music Hall in New York, in what will become a record-breaking 10-week run. The film becomes MGM's highest-grossing film of the 1940s. At the 15th Academy Awards, ''Mrs. Miniver'' wins six awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (for William Wyler), Best Actress (for Greer Garson) and Best Supporting Actress (for Teresa Wright). * August 8 – Walt Disney's animated film ''Bambi'' opens in United Kingdom. * November 11 – ''Road to Morocco'', starring Bob ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
True To The Army
''True to the Army'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Albert S. Rogell, written by Art Arthur, Bradford Ropes, Edmund L. Hartmann and Val Burton, and starring Judy Canova, Allan Jones, Ann Miller, Jerry Colonna, Clarence Kolb, Edward Pawley and William Wright. It was released on March 21, 1942, by Paramount Pictures. The film was based on a 1933 play by Howard Lindsay that was based on the 1933 novel ''She Loves Me Not'' by Edward Hope. Paramount had previously filmed the property as '' She Loves Me Not'' (1934) starring Bing Crosby and Miriam Hopkins. 20th Century Fox remade the property in 1955 as ''How to Be Very, Very Popular''. Plot Cast *Judy Canova as Daisy Hawkins * Allan Jones as Pvt. Stephen Chandler *Ann Miller as Vicki Marlow * Jerry Colonna as Pvt. 'Pinky' Fothergill *Clarence Kolb as Gen. Marlowe *Edward Pawley as Junior * William Wright as Lt. Danvers *William Demarest as Sgt. Butts *Edwin Max as Ice *Arthur Loft as Ray * Gordon Jones as Pvt. Dugan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a leader in record sales, radio ratings, and motion picture grosses from 1926 to 1977. He made over 70 feature films and recorded more than 1,600 songs. His early career coincided with recording innovations that allowed him to develop an intimate singing style that influenced many male singers who followed, such as Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Dick Haymes, Elvis Presley, and John Lennon. ''Yank'' magazine said that he was "the person who had done the most for the morale of overseas servicemen" during World War II. In 1948, American polls declared him the "most admired man alive", ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius XII. In 1948, ''Music Digest'' estimated that his recordings filled more than half of the 80,000 weekly hou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miriam Hopkins
Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an American actress known for her versatility. She first signed with Paramount Pictures in 1930. Her best-known roles included a pickpocket in Ernst Lubitsch's romantic comedy '' Trouble in Paradise'', bar singer Ivy in Rouben Mamoulian's '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' and the titular character in the controversial drama ''The Story of Temple Drake''. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the 1935 film ''Becky Sharp'', by which she earned the distinction of being the first performer nominated for a performance in a color picture, and a Golden Globe nomination for ''The Heiress''. She co-starred with Joel McCrea in five films. Her long-running feud with actress Bette Davis was publicized for effect. Hopkins later became a pioneer of TV drama. She was considered a distinguished hostess in Hollywood and moved in intellectual and creative circles. Early life Hopkins was born in Savannah, Ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
She Loves Me Not (1934 Film)
''She Loves Me Not'' is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Bing Crosby and Miriam Hopkins. Based on the novel ''She Loves Me Not'' by Edward Hope and the subsequent play by Howard Lindsay, the film is about a cabaret dancer who witnesses a murder and is forced to hide from gangsters by disguising herself as a male Princeton student. Distributed by Paramount Pictures, the film has been remade twice as ''True to the Army'' (1942) and as ''How to Be Very, Very Popular'' in (1955), the latter starring Betty Grable. The film is notable for containing one of the first major performances of Bing Crosby, and it helped launch him to future stardom. This was also the last film that Miriam Hopkins made under her contract to Paramount Pictures, which began in the early 1930s upon her arrival in Hollywood. In 1935, the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Love in Bloom", theme song of comedian Jack Benny. Cast * Bing Crosby as P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1934 In Film
The following is an overview of 1934 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1934 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events *January 26 – Samuel Goldwyn (formerly of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) purchases the film rights to ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000. *February 19 – Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade. *April 19 – Fox Studios releases ''Stand Up and Cheer!'', with five-year-old Shirley Temple in a relatively minor role. Shirley steals the film and Fox, which had been near bankruptcy, finds itself owning a goldmine. *May 18 – Paramount releases ''Little Miss Marker'', with Shirley Temple, on loan from Fox, in the title role. *June 13 – An amendment to the Production Code establishes the Production Code Administration, and requires all films to obtain a certificate of approval before being released. *July 28 – ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emory Parnell
Emory Parnell (December 29, 1892 – June 22, 1979) was an American vaudeville performer and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36-year career. Early years Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Parnell trained as a musician at Morningside College, a Methodist institution in Sioux City, Iowa. He spent eight months in the Arctic in 1929, looking for gold in that area's wastelands. He also worked as a telegrapher. Music Parnell spent his early years as a concert violinist. He performed on the Chautauqua and Lyceum circuits until 1930, when he relocated to Detroit, Michigan, to narrate and act in commercial and industrial films. A 1923 newspaper article described an upcoming Lyceum performance of "Emory Parnell, the one man band," saying that Parnell "plays an accordion, the snare drum and base icdrum, all at the same time." During part of the Chautauqua years, Parnell had a family act that included his wife. In 1970, she recalled, " covered every state as well as Canada, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noel Toy
Noel Toy (born Ngum Yee Hom; December 27, 1918 – December 24, 2003) was an American burlesque performer famous for her fan dance and bubble dance, initially at the Forbidden City nightclub in San Francisco, California. Later, she acted in films and on television. Early years and career Toy was born in San Francisco, California. She was the first of eight children born to parents who immigrated from Canton, China. Toy's parents opened a laundry in Inverness, California, where they were the only Chinese residents. Toy, who was then nicknamed "Emma", was living in 1930 with her parents (Hom Gin "Gin"; Mah "Marion" Shee) and five of her ultimately seven siblings in Point Reyes Station, Marin, California, USA She performed her routines at the Stork Club and other venues in New York City, before returning to San Francisco, where she was most famous at the Forbidden City nightclub. In her later years, Toy had many small parts in films and television, including a role in '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrew Tombes
Andrew Tombes (29 June 1885 – 17 March 1976) was an American comedian and character actor. Biography The son of a grocer, originally from Ashtabula, Ohio, Tombes was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy. Early in his career, he worked as a vaudeville comic. By December 1914 he had appeared in the headlining act for the opening of the Kansas City Orpheum Theatre. He successfully ascended to Broadway comedies beginning in 1917, in the revue ''Miss 1917'', and appeared there consistently through the 1920s, for instance in ''Poor Little Ritz Girl'' in 1920, ''Tip-Toes'' in 1925, and the Ziegfeld Follies of 1922 and 1927. Tombes' first film appearances were in 1933, as he was already approaching 50 years old. He made a total of about 150 films for various studios. Selected filmography * ''The Bowery'' (1933) - Shill (uncredited) * ''Broadway Through a Keyhole'' (1933) - Sidney - Columnist (uncredited) * ''Moulin Rouge'' (1934) - McBride * ''Doubting Thomas'' (1935) - Huxley H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
