|
Kentucky Minstrels (film)
''Kentucky Minstrels'' is a 1934 British musical film directed by John Baxter. It was made at Twickenham Studios as a quota quickie for release by Universal Pictures. Scott and Whaley, the stars of the film, were an African American comedy duo, and the first black performers to take a leading role in a British film. It also featured American actress Nina Mae McKinney. The show derived from the BBC radio programme, '' The Kentucky Minstrels'', first broadcast in 1933, which was written and performed by the same team. Stephen Bourne, writing in ''The Independent'', referred to the film's "brilliant musical finale". Cast * Harry Scott as Pussy-Foot * Eddie Whaley as Cuthbert * C. Denier Warren as Danny Goldman * April Vivian as Maggie * Wilson Coleman as Ben * Madge Brindley as Landlady * Roddy Hughes as Town Clerk * Norman Greene as Massa Johnson * Terence Casey * Edgar Driver * Jack Gerrard * Leslie Hatton and His White Coons as Themselves * Nina Mae McKi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Baxter (director)
John Philip Baxter (31 December 1896 – 21 January 1975) was a British filmmaker active from the 1930s to the late-1950s. During that time, he produced, wrote, or directed several films. He directed Deborah Kerr in her first leading role in ''Love on the Dole (film), Love on the Dole'' (1941), and was the producer-director for the musical-comedy films of Flanagan and Allen during World War II. Early life and career Baxter was born on 31 December 1896 in Kent. He worked as a theatrical agent and theater manager. He became an assistant director in 1932. He formed his own production company with his friend John Barter. He also acted in several films produced by Lance Comfort. Baxter played a major role in the foundation of National Film Finance Corporation in 1948. He also directed and produced ''Judgment Deferred'' (1952) which was the first film of Group 3 Films, Group 3, a British government backed production venture. His last film as a director was ''Ramsbottom Rides Again'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eddie Whaley
Scott and Whaley were an African American comedy duo who played in British music halls from 1909, settled in England, and remained popular for over thirty years. They were Harry Clifford Scott (18 November 1879 – 22 June 1947) and Edward Peter Whaley (22 September 1877 – 13 November 1960). They were the first black performers to take the leading roles in a British film, and usually performed in character as Pussyfoot and Cuthbert. Careers Eddie Whaley was born in Montgomery, Alabama, but fled the family for whom he had become a houseboy after his parents died, travelled to New York, and sang on the streets.Stephen Bourne, ''Black in the British Frame: The Black Experience in British Film and Television'', Bloomsbury, 2005, pp.2-4, Harry Scott was born in Cleveland, Ohio. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1930s English-language Films
Year 193 ( CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius (or, less frequently, year 946 '' Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 193 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Roman Empire * January 1 – Year of the Five Emperors: The Roman Senate chooses Publius Helvius Pertinax, against his will, to succeed the late Commodus as Emperor. Pertinax is forced to reorganize the handling of finances, which were wrecked under Commodus, to reestablish discipline in the Roman army, and to suspend the food programs established by Trajan, provoking the ire of the Praetorian Guard. * March 28 – Pertinax is assassinated by members of the Praetorian Guard, who storm the imperial palace. The Empire is auctioned o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1934 Musical Films
Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''), killing an estimated 6,000–10,700 people. * January 26 – A 10-year German–Polish declaration of non-aggression is signed by Nazi Germany and the Second Polish Republic. * January 30 ** In Nazi Germany, the political power of federal states such as Prussia is substantially abolished, by the "Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich" (''Gesetz über den Neuaufbau des Reiches''). ** Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States, signs the Gold Reserve Act: all gold held in the Federal Reserve is to be surrendered to the United States Department of the Treasury; immediately following, the President raises the statutory gold price from US$20.67 per ounce to $35. * February 6 – French po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Musical Films
British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, the English language as spoken and written in the United Kingdom or, more broadly, throughout the British Isles * Celtic Britons, an ancient ethno-linguistic group * Brittonic languages, a branch of the Insular Celtic language family (formerly called British) ** Common Brittonic, an ancient language Other uses *''Brit(ish)'', a 2018 memoir by Afua Hirsch *People or things associated with: ** Great Britain, an island ** United Kingdom, a sovereign state ** Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) ** United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922) See also * Terminology of the British Isles * Alternative names for the British * English (other) * Britannic (other) * British Isles * Brit (other) * Briton (d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1934 Films
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] |
Josie Woods
Josie Woods (16 May 1912 – 28 June 2008) was a Black British dancer, choreographer and activist. Early life Woods was born Josephine Lucy Wood in Canning Town, London, in 1912. Her father, Charles Wood, was from Dominica, and her mother, Emily, had Gypsy ancestry. As a teenager, Woods worked as a seamstress. In 1927, Belle Davis held auditions for a dance troupe in the East End of London, and selected Woods and her brother, Charles or Charlie. They trained with a clog dancing group, The Eight Lancashire Lads. Davis created a group called the Magnolia Blossoms with several girls, including Woods. Career The Magnolia Blossoms worked in Paris with Louis Douglas, and became part of his show ''Black People''. Woods appeared in ', replacing Josephine Baker. Woods worked in France for two years before returning to Britain in 1932 as part of the group Eight Black Streaks. The group toured music halls and were successful, being described as "the first established dance troupe of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polly Ward
Polly Ward (born Byno Poluski; 30 June 1912–23 February 1987) was a British singer and actress. Filmography * ''The Marriage Business'' (1927) * '' Alf's Button'' (1930) * ''Harmony Heaven'' (1930) * '' His Lordship'' (1932) * '' Kentucky Minstrels'' (1934) * ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' (1934) * ''It's a Bet'' (1935) * '' Show Flat'' (1936) * '' Shipmates o' Mine'' (1936) * ''Annie Laurie'' (1936) * ''Television Talent'' (1937) * ''Feather Your Nest'' (1937) * '' Hold My Hand'' (1938) * ''Thank Evans'' (1938) * ''Sidewalks of London'' (1938) * '' It's in the Air'' (1938) * ''Bulldog Sees It Through'' (1940) * ''Women Aren't Angels ''Women Aren't Angels'' is a 1943 black and white British comedy film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring Aldwych Theatre farceurs Robertson Hare and Alfred Drayton, with Polly Ward and Joyce Heron. It was made at Welwyn Studios and bas ...'' (1943) References External links * 1912 births 1987 deaths People from Mitcham English s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Debroy Somers
Debroy Somers (born William Henry Somers; 11 April 1890,1939 England and Wales Register in Dublin – 27 May 1952, in London) was a British twentieth-century big band bandleader. He had trained as a musician at the Duke of York's Royal Military School in Chelsea, and continued his studies in Dublin under Signor Michele Esposito at The Royal Irish Academy of Music in 1904. At the age of 15 he joined the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment as a boy bandsman before retiring in 1913. He rejoined his old regiment in 1916 retiring as a sergeant musician in 1918; being demobilised in Wiltshire.British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920 His period of celebrity stretched from the 1920s to the 1940s. He appeared in numerous films, including ''Second Choice'', ''Stars on Parade'' and ''Aunt Sally'', and founded the 11-piece dance band The Savoy Orpheans. On 15 June 1925, Somers conducted the first British performance of George Gershwin's ''Rhapsody in Blue'' from the Savoy Hotel w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leo Sheffield
Leo Sheffield (15 November 1873 – 3 September 1951), born Arthur Leo Wilson, was an English singer and actor best known for his performances in baritone roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. He made his first stage appearances under the direction of W. S. Gilbert in 1906, remaining with the D'Oyly Carte company for three years. After touring in musical theatre for the next five years with other managements, he rejoined D'Oyly Carte from 1915 to 1928 in the principal baritone roles, appearing in London seasons and on tour in Britain and, in one of his last seasons, Canada. He recorded many of these roles. After leaving D'Oyly Carte, Sheffield worked in a wide variety of theatre, including musical comedy, straight plays, pantomime, and in radio and films. He continued to tour during the Second World War while in his seventies. Life and career Early years Sheffield was born Arthur Leo Wilson [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edgar Driver
Edgar Driver (1 November 188515 September 1964) was a British actor. at BFI. Selected filmography * '''' (1933) * '''' (1933) * '' Say It with Flowers'' (1934) * '''' (1934) * '' |
Terence Casey
Terence Anthony Casey (6 September 1920 – 18 March 1987) was a British trade union leader. Casey was educated at Holy Cross School in Ramsgate, then qualified as a teacher at Camden College.Casey, Terency Anthony , '''' During , he served with the as a teacher. From 1946, he worked at state schools in London, and he joined the |
