Kraft Television Theater
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Kraft Television Theater
''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Imperial Cheese, which was advertised nowhere else. In January 1948, it moved to 9pm on Wednesdays, continuing in that timeslot until 1958. Initially produced by the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency, the live hour-long series offered television plays with new stories and new characters each week, in addition to adaptations of such classics as ''A Christmas Carol'' and ''Alice in Wonderland''. The program was broadcast live from Studio 8-H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, currently the home of ''Saturday Night Live''. Beginning October 1953, ABC added a separate series (also titled ''Kraft Television Theatre''), created to promote Kraft's new Cheez Whiz product. This series ran for sixteen months, telecast on Thursday evenings at 9:30pm, until January 1955 ...
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Ed Begley
Edward James Begley Sr. (March 25, 1901 – April 28, 1970) was an American actor of theatre, radio, film, and television. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film ''Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1962) and appeared in such classics as ''12 Angry Men'' (1957) and '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' (1964). He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Matthew Harrison Brady in a television adaptation of '' Inherit the Wind''. He is the father of actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr. Early life Begley was born in Hartford, Connecticut, to two Irish immigrants, Hannah (née Clifford) and Michael Joseph Begley. After he dropped out of school as a fifth-grader, Begley ran away from home several times, going to work for "carnivals, fairs, and small circuses". Later he sold brushes, delivered milk, and served four years in the United States Navy during World War I. Career Begley began his career as a Broadway and radio actor w ...
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Hope Lange
Hope Elise Ross Lange (November 28, 1933 – December 19, 2003) was an American film, stage, and television actress. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Selena Cross in the 1957 film '' Peyton Place''. In 1969 and 1970, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Carolyn Muir in the sitcom '' The Ghost & Mrs. Muir''. Early life Lange was born into a theatrical family in Redding, Connecticut. Her father, John George Lange, was a cellist and the music arranger for Florenz Ziegfeld and conductor for Henry Cohen; her mother, Minette (née Buddecke), was an actress. "Mrs. Minette Buddecke Lange, who ran Minette's restaurant in Macdougal Street from 1944 to 1956, died Oct. 23 in a nursing home in Hanover, N. H. Her age was 71. She was the widow of John George Lange, composer and conductor." They had two other daughters, ...
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John Newland
John Newland (November 23, 1917 – January 10, 2000) was an American director, actor, television producer, and screenwriter. Early life and career Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Newland began his career in vaudeville while still in his teens. After moving to New York City to study acting, he served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. After the war, he signed with Warner Bros. but was limited to playing bit parts. By the early 1950s, Newland began to focus solely on television roles, appearing in several episodes of '' Studio One'', ''The Philco Television Playhouse'', ''Tales of Tomorrow'', '' Kraft Television Theatre'', '' Robert Montgomery Presents'' and ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars''. After directing episodes of ''Letter to Loretta'' in 1953, Newland went on to direct two episodes of '' Bachelor Father'', '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', and ''Thriller (US TV series)''. His feature film directorial debut ''That Night!'' (1957) was nominated for two Briti ...
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Michael Higgins (actor)
Michael Patrick Higgins Jr. (January 20, 1920 – November 5, 2008) was an American actor who appeared in film and on stage, and was best known for his role in the original Broadway production of '' Equus''. Early life Higgins was born in Brooklyn on January 20, 1920, the son of Mary Katherine (née McGowan) and Michael Peter Higgins, a poet and grocer who worked in the insurance business. He made efforts as a teenager to rid himself of his Brooklyn accent, hoping for a future career in theater. His father gave him an early a love of Shakespeare. He served in the United States Army in Italy during World War II, where he earned a Bronze Star Medal and a Purple Heart.Fox, Margalit"Michael Higgins, an Actor Popular on New York Stages, Dies at 88" ''The New York Times'', November 10, 2008. Accessed November 11, 2008. Career After returning from military service, Higgins made his Broadway debut on February 18, 1946, in a production of ''Antigone'' (1946), starring Katharine Cornell ...
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Patrick McVey
Patrick McVey (March 17, 1910 – July 6, 1973) was an American actor who starred in three television series between 1950 and 1961: ''Big Town'', '' Boots and Saddles'', and ''Manhunt''. Early life McVey was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. His education included undergraduate and law degrees from Indiana University. He was an attorney before he became interested in acting. His early acting experience came in little theater productions, and then he honed his skills at Pasadena Community Playhouse. Career McVey had experience on stage before his film debut in 1941, when he made uncredited appearances in eight films, beginning with ''Caught in the Draft''. More than a dozen uncredited film roles followed in 1942. In 1946, he appeared in director Jean Yarbrough's thriller ''The Brute Man''. McVey seldom rose above supporting roles in films but had more success on television. His Broadway credits include ''Camino Real'' (1969), ''The Time of Your Life'' (1969), and ''Hold It!'' ( ...
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Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nominated and, along with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, most awarded performer in Emmy history. She won an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Daytime Emmy Award. Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, Leachman attended Northwestern University and began appearing in local plays as a teenager. After competing in the 1946 Miss America pageant, she secured a scholarship to study under Elia Kazan at the Actors Studio in New York City, making her professional debut in 1948. In film, she appeared in Peter Bogdanovich's ''The Last Picture Show'' (1971) as the neglected wife of a closeted schoolteacher in the 1950s; she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting ...
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Jack Klugman
Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He began his career in 1950 and started television and film work with roles in ''12 Angry Men'' (1957) and '' Cry Terror!'' (1958). During the 1960s, he guest-starred on numerous television series. Klugman won his first Primetime Emmy Award for his guest-starring role on '' The Defenders'' in 1964. He also made a total of four appearances on ''The Twilight Zone'' from 1960 to 1963. In 1965, Klugman replaced Walter Matthau as Oscar Madison in the Broadway play ''The Odd Couple''. Five years later, he reprised that role in the television adaptation of ''The Odd Couple'' opposite Tony Randall. The series aired from 1970 to 1975. Klugman won his second and third Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for his work on the series. From 1976 to 1983, he starred in the title role in ''Quincy, M.E.'', for which he earned four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Early life K ...
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Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly was born into a prominent Catholic family in Philadelphia. After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1949, Kelly began appearing in New York City theatrical productions and television broadcasts. She gained stardom from her performance in John Ford's adventure-romance ''Mogambo'' (1953), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the drama '' The Country Girl'' (1954). Other notable works include the western '' High Noon'' (1952), the romantic comedy ''High Society'' (1956), and three consecutive Alfred Hitchcock suspense thrillers: ''Dial M for Murder'' (1954), ''Rear Window'' (1954), and ''To Catch a Thief'' (1955). ...
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Jack Lemmon
John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered equally proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, Lemmon was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in dramedy pictures, leading ''The Guardian'' to coin him "the most successful tragi-comedian of his age." He starred in over sixty films and was nominated for an Academy Award eight times, winning twice, and received many other accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards (counting the honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award), two Cannes Film Festival Awards, two Volpi Cups, one Silver Bear, three BAFTA Awards, and two Emmy Awards. In 1988, he was awarded the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the American cinema. His best known films include '' Mister Roberts'' (1955, for which he won the year's Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), '' Some Like It Hot'' (1959), ''The Apartment'' (1960), '' Days of Wine and Roses'' (1962), ''Irm ...
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Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes MacArthur ( Brown; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned 80 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award (an EGOT). She was also the first person to win the Triple Crown of Acting The Triple Crown of Acting is a term used in the American entertainment industry to describe actors who have won a competitive Academy Award, Emmy Award, and Tony Award in the acting categories, the highest accolades recognized in American film, t ...; to date, the only other person to have accomplished both is Rita Moreno. Hayes also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, from President Ronald Reagan in 1986. In 1988, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. The annual Helen Hayes Awards, which have recognized excellence in professional theatre in greater Washington, DC, si ...
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Lee Grant
Lee Grant (born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal; October 31, during the mid-1920s) is an American actress, documentarian, and director. She made her film debut in 1951 as a young shoplifter in William Wyler's ''Detective Story'', co-starring Kirk Douglas and Eleanor Parker. This role earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress as well as winning the Best Actress Award at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival. In 1952, she was blacklisted from most acting jobs for the next 12 years. Grant was able to find only occasional work onstage or as a teacher during this period. It also contributed to her divorce. During this time, Grant appeared in plays on stage. She was removed from the blacklist in 1963 and started to rebuild her on-screen acting career. She starred in 71 TV episodes of '' Peyton Place'' (1965–1966), followed by lead roles in films such as '' Valley of the Dolls'' and '' In the Heat of the Night'' in 1967, as well as ''Shampoo'' (1975), for which she won an Oscar. ...
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Anne Francis
Anne Francis (also known as Anne Lloyd Francis; September 16, 1930 – January 2, 2011) was an American actress known for her ground-breaking roles in the science-fiction film ''Forbidden Planet'' (1956) and the television action-drama series ''Honey West'' (1965–1966). ''Forbidden Planet'' marked a first in color, big-budget, science-fiction-themed motion pictures. Nine years later, Francis challenged female stereotypes in ''Honey West'', in which she played a perky blonde private investigator who was as quick with body slams as witty one-liners. She earned a Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award nomination for her performance. Francis was known largely for her physical assets, including a trademark mole near her lower lip. The beauty mark was even written into the script of one of her films. In 2005, ''TV Guide'' ranked Francis at number 18 on its "50 Sexiest Stars of All Time" list. Early life Francis was born in Ossining, New York, on September 16, 1930. Contrary to s ...
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