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Jo Ann Greer
Katherine Joan Greer (April 3, 1927 – May 24, 2001), known professionally as Jo Ann Greer, was an American singer. Career Her career spanned nearly 50 years, and she primarily worked in the fields of movie dubbing and band-singing. She initially became known to Hollywood casting people from an early marriage to pianist Freddie Slack in the 1940s and later through her long employment with Les Brown and his Band of Renown. Following some early appearances with Sonny Burke and his orchestra, Greer recorded for Decca Records and joined Ray Anthony's band, with whom she scored her two biggest hits, "Wild Horses" (No. 28 in ''Billboard'') and " The Hokey Pokey" in 1953. After four unhappy months, she replaced Lucy Ann Polk as vocalist with Les Brown's band in May 1953. They made numerous singles for Coral Records and later Capitol Records and toured internationally for nearly 40 years, well into the early 1990s. She won the 1956 ''Down Beat'' Readers Poll for "best girl band ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Freddie Slack
Frederick Charles Slack (August 7, 1910 – August 10, 1965) was an American swing and boogie-woogie pianist and bandleader. Life and career Slack was born in Westby, Wisconsin, United States. He learned to play drums as a boy. Later he took up the xylophone, and at the age of 13 he changed to the piano. He studied with a local teacher throughout high school. At the age of 17, he moved with his parents to Chicago, where he continued his musical training. He met Rosy McHargue, a well-known clarinetist, who took him to hear many leading musicians, including Bix Beiderbecke and Earl Hines. His first job was with Johnny Tobin at the Beach View Gardens. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he worked with Henry Halstead, Earl Burtnett and Lennie Hayton, before joining Ben Pollack in 1934. He played with the Jimmy Dorsey Band in the 1930s and was a charter member of the Will Bradley Orchestra when it formed in 1939. Known to bandmates as "Daddy Slack," he played the piano solo on Brad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morris Stoloff
Morris W. Stoloff (August 1, 1898 – April 16, 1980) was a musical composer. Stoloff worked with Sammy Davis Jr., Dinah Shore, Al Jolson and Frank Sinatra. Life and career Stoloff worked as music director at Columbia Pictures from 1936 to 1962. Among space age pop fans, he is best remembered for his 1956 Top 10 hit that paired the swing era tune " Moonglow" with the love theme from the movie ''Picnic'', the medley called " Moonglow and Theme from ''Picnic''". It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. Stoloff was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A child prodigy on the violin, Stoloff was taken under the wing of W. A. Clark. After studying with Leopold Auer for several years, Stoloff was touring the U.S. as a featured soloist at the age of 16, and joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic a year later as its youngest member ever. When sound came to motion pictures, studios came looking for musicians to provide it, and Stoloff was one of the first t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Susan Kohner
Susanna "Susan" Kohner (born November 11, 1936) is an American retired actress who worked in film and television. She played Sarah Jane in '' Imitation of Life'' (1959), for which she was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe award. After Kohner married menswear designer and writer John Weitz in 1964, she retired from acting to devote time to her family. Her two sons, Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz, have both become film directors and producers, screenwriters, and occasional actors. Early life Kohner was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Lupita Tovar, a Mexican-born actress who had a career in Hollywood, and Paul Kohner, a film producer who was born in Bohemia, Austria-Hungary. Her mother was Roman Catholic, and of both Mexican and Irish descent, and her father was Jewish. Career Most of Kohner's film roles came during the late 1950's and early 1960's, including co-starring with Sal Mineo in both '' Dino'' (1957) and ''The Gene Krupa Story'' (1959). In her ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Opposite Sex
''The Opposite Sex'' is a 1956 American musical romantic comedy film shot in Metrocolor and CinemaScope. The film was directed by David Miller and stars June Allyson, Joan Collins, Dolores Gray, Ann Sheridan, and Ann Miller, with Leslie Nielsen, Jeff Richards, Agnes Moorehead, Charlotte Greenwood, Joan Blondell, and Sam Levene. ''The Opposite Sex'' is a remake of the 1939 comedy film '' The Women''. Both films are based on Clare Boothe Luce's original 1936 play. Premise Kay Hilliard, a former nightclub singer, discovers that her husband, theater producer Steven, is having an affair with showgirl Crystal Allen. Kay is the last to find out among her circle of gossiping girlfriends. Kay travels to Reno to divorce from Steve who then marries Crystal, but when Kay learns that Crystal is not faithful to Steve, she starts fighting to win her ex-husband back. Cast Production Unlike the 1936 play and the 1939 film adaptation, ''The Opposite Sex'' includes musical numbers and f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
June Allyson
June Allyson (born Eleanor Geisman; October 7, 1917 – July 8, 2006) was an American stage, film, and television actress, dancer, and singer. Allyson began her career in 1937 as a dancer in short subject films and on Broadway in 1938. She signed with MGM in 1943, and rose to fame the following year in ''Two Girls and a Sailor''. Allyson's "girl next door" image was solidified during the mid-1940s when she was paired with actor Van Johnson in six films. In 1951, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance in ''Too Young to Kiss''. From 1959 to 1961, she hosted and occasionally starred in her own anthology series, ''The DuPont Show with June Allyson'', which aired on CBS from 1959 to 1961. In the 1970s, she returned to the stage starring in ''Forty Carats'' and ''No, No, Nanette''. In 1982, Allyson released her autobiography ''June Allyson by June Allyson'', and continued her career with guest starring roles on television and occasional film appearances. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jupiter's Darling (film)
''Jupiter's Darling'' is a 1955 American Eastman Color musical romance film released by MGM and directed by George Sidney filmed in CinemaScope. It starred Esther Williams as the Roman woman Amytis, Howard Keel as Hannibal, the Carthaginian military commander and George Sanders as Fabius Maximus, Amytis's fiancé. In the film, Amytis helps Hannibal swim the Tiber River to take a closer look at Rome's fortifications. The film features many historical characters, including Roman generals Fabius Maximus and Scipio Africanus who appears briefly, in addition to Hannibal. Carthaginians Mago Barca and Maharbal also appear. ''Jupiter's Darling'' was based on Robert E. Sherwood's anti-war comedy play ''The Road to Rome'' (1927). The film was the last of three films Williams and Keel made together, the other two being ''Pagan Love Song'' (1950) and ''Texas Carnival'' (1951). He later said he felt it was the best picture they made together.Keel p 179 The movie was a huge financial flop an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Esther Williams
Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II, she joined Billy Rose's Aquacade, where she took on the role vacated by Eleanor Holm after the show's move from New York City to San Francisco. While in the city, she spent five months swimming alongside Olympic gold-medal winner and ''Tarzan'' star Johnny Weissmuller. Williams caught the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer scouts at the Aquacade. After appearing in several small roles, and alongside Mickey Rooney in an Andy Hardy film and future five-time co-star Van Johnson in ''A Guy Named Joe'', Williams made a series of films in the 1940s and early 1950s known as "aquamusicals", which featured elaborate performances with synchronised swimming and diving. Every year from 1945 to 1949, Wil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Caine Mutiny (film)
''The Caine Mutiny'' is a 1954 American military trial film directed by Edward Dmytryk, produced by Stanley Kramer, and starring Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Van Johnson, Robert Francis, and Fred MacMurray. It is based on Herman Wouk’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1951 novel of the same name. Set in the Pacific theatre of World War II, the film depicts the events on board a fictitious U.S. Navy destroyer-minesweeper and the subsequent court-martial of its executive officer for mutiny. The film was well-received by critics and was the second highest-grossing film in the United States in 1954.'The Top Box-Office Hits of 1954', ''Variety Weekly'', January 5, 1955 Plot During World War II, newly commissioned Ensign Willis Seward "Willie" Keith reports to the minesweeper USS ''Caine,'' commanded by Lieutenant Commander William De Vriess, also meeting the executive officer (XO), Lieutenant Stephen Maryk, and the communications officer, Lieutenant Thomas Keefer. De Vriess, popul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
May Wynn
Donna Lee Custer ( Hickey, January 8, 1928 – March 22, 2021), better known as May Wynn, was an American dancer, singer, and actress. Early life Wynn, who grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, was descended from a line of performers. Her grandfather, Bertie Black, worked as a musician in vaudeville, and her father, Ray Hickey, was a song-and-dance performer in vaudeville. She was of Irish descent. Her early jobs included modeling, working in a department store, and being a page at La Guardia Field. Outside of work, she won a variety of talent contests. Career Wynn began performing under her birth name at New York's Copacabana nightclub at 17. She was tested for a key supporting role in ''From Here to Eternity'' (1953), but Donna Reed played the part and won an Academy Award for her performance. In 1954, she adopted the stage name of May Wynn after she played a character of that name in ''The Caine Mutiny'' (1954). Wynn later was cast as the lead actress in the feature fil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
5 Against The House
''5 Against the House'' is a 1955 American heist film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Guy Madison, Kim Novak and Brian Keith. The supporting cast includes William Conrad. The screenplay is based on Jack Finney's 1954 novel of the same name, later serialized by ''Good Housekeeping'' magazine. The film centers on a fictional robbery of what was a real Nevada casino, Harold's Club. Plot Four friends enrolled at Midwestern University (which was fictional at the time of the film but became a reality in the mid-1990s) - Brick (Keith), Al (Madison), Ronnie (Kerwin Mathews) and Roy ( Alvy Moore) - visit the Harold's Club casino in Reno, Nevada during a weekend trip. After an hour spent gambling and socializing, the group prepares to leave. Ronnie, however, has lost money playing roulette and must cash a check at the cashier's window. He is accompanied there by Roy, but unbeknownst to either of them, the cashier is being threatened by a man with a gun. Using a concealed security a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kim Novak
Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American retired film and television actress and painter. Novak began her career in 1954 after signing with Columbia Pictures and quickly became one of Hollywood's top box office stars, appearing in such hit films as ''Picnic'' (1955), ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' (1955) and '' Pal Joey'' (1957). She is widely known for her performances as Madeleine Elster and Judy Barton in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller ''Vertigo'' (1958) with James Stewart. The film had mixed reviews from critics upon release, but is now recognized as one of the greatest films ever made. Other notable films include ''Bell, Book and Candle'' (1958), '' Strangers When We Meet'' (1960) and ''Of Human Bondage'' (1964). Although still young, Novak withdrew from acting by 1966 and has only sporadically worked in films since. She appeared in ''The Mirror Crack'd'' (1980), and had a regular role on the primetime series ''Falcon Crest'' (1986–1987). [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naked Alibi
''Naked Alibi'' is a 1954 American film noir crime film directed by Jerry Hopper and starring Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame and Gene Barry. It was released on October 1, 1954 by Universal-International. Portions of the film were shot in Tijuana. Plot In a California city, Lt. Fred Parks interrogates drunken local baker Albert Willis about his possible connection to recent eastside robberies. After repeatedly stating that he is innocent, Willis erupts in anger and punches Parks, who retaliates. Chief Joseph E. Conroy enters just in time to hear Willis threaten revenge but is compelled to release him because he has read that councilman Edgar Goodwin is calling for an investigation of police brutality. Willis returns to his wife Helen but slips out again that night and hours later, Parks is shot. Joe takes on the case and immediately suspects Willis; however, he has only the fatal bullets as evidence. When the police try to arrest Willis again, he runs away, falling on his head du ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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