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Leo McCarey
Thomas Leo McCarey (October 3, 1898 – July 5, 1969) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was involved in nearly 200 films, the most well known today being ''Duck Soup (1933 film), Duck Soup'', ''Make Way for Tomorrow'', ''The Awful Truth'', ''Going My Way'', ''The Bells of St. Mary's'', ''My Son John'' and ''An Affair To Remember''. While focusing mainly on screwball comedies during the 1930s, McCarey turned towards producing more socially conscious and overtly religious films during the 1940s, ultimately finding success and acclaim in both genres. McCarey was one of the most popular and established comedy directors of the pre-World War II era. Life and career Born in Los Angeles, California, McCarey attended St. Joseph's Catholic School and Los Angeles High School. His father was Thomas J. McCarey, whom the Los Angeles Times called "the greatest fight promoter in the world." Leo McCarey would later make a boxing comedy with Harold Lloyd called ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Make Way For Tomorrow
''Make Way for Tomorrow'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by Leo McCarey. The plot concerns an elderly couple (played by Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi) who are forced to separate when they lose their house and none of their five children will take both parents. The film was written by Viña Delmar, from a play by Helen and Noah Leary, which was in turn based on the novel ''The Years Are So Long'' by advice columnist Josephine Lawrence. McCarey viewed the film as his best, and it has been praised by later critics. In 2010, it was released selected for preservation by the United States Library of Congress's National Film Registry. Plot Barkley "Bark" (Victor Moore) and Lucy Cooper (Beulah Bondi) are an elderly couple who lose their home to foreclosure, as Barkley has been unable to find employment because of his age. They summon four of their five children—the fifth lives thousands of miles away in California—to break the news and decide where they will live until they ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Butler (director)
David Butler (December 17, 1894 – June 14, 1979) was an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and television director. Biography Butler was born in San Francisco, California. His mother was actress Adele Belgrade, and his father was actor and director Fred J. Butler. His first acting roles were playing extras in stage plays. He later appeared in two D.W. Griffith films: ''The Girl Who Stayed Home'' and ''The Greatest Thing in Life''. He also appeared in the 1927 Academy-Award winning film ''7th Heaven (1927 film), 7th Heaven''. The same year, Butler made his directorial debut with ''High School Hero'', a comedy for Fox Film Corporation#Fox Film Corporation, Fox. During Butler's nine-year tenure at Fox, he directed over 30 films, including four Shirley Temple vehicles. Butler's last film for Fox, ''Kentucky (film), Kentucky'', won Walter Brennan an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Butler worked with Bing Crosby in ''Road to Morocco'' and ''If I Ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1931 In Film
The following is an overview of 1931 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1931 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events * January 5: RKO acquires the producing and distribution arm of Pathé for $4.6 million. * June 20: Monogram Pictures releases its first film, ''Ships of Hate''. * July 7: Anti-competitive practices disclosed about certain distributors and producers in Canada. * November 17: E. R. Tinker elected president of Fox Films replacing Harley L. Clarke. * December 14: RKO refinancing plan approved. Best money stars ''Variety'' reported the following as the biggest male stars in the U.S. in alphabetical order although grouped George Arliss and Ronald Colman together as having equal ranking. The following were the biggest women names in the U.S. in alphabetical order but again grouped two actresses together to denote they were ranked the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indiscreet (1931 Film)
''Indiscreet'' is a 1931 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Gloria Swanson and Ben Lyon. The screenplay by Buddy G. DeSylva, Lew Brown, and Ray Henderson, based on their story ''Obey That Impulse'', originally was written as a full-fledged musical, but only two songs – "If You Haven't Got Love" and "Come to Me" – remained when the film was released. The film is available on DVD. Plot Determined to start the new year off right, dress designer Geraldine "Gerry" Trent sends her unfaithful boyfriend, Jim Woodward, packing. A short time later, her friend Buster Collins introduces her to author Tony Blake. Gerry loves Tony's book, ''Obey That Impulse'', and finds him attractive as well. Practicing what he preaches, Tony immediately proposes marriage. Gerry just laughs, but together they have a lot of fun acting out Tony's theory, and she soon realizes that she loves and wants to marry him. First, though, she feels she must tell him about her affair ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gloria Swanson
Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most famously for her 1950 return in Billy Wilder's ''Sunset Boulevard'', which also earned her a Golden Globe Award. Swanson was born in Chicago and raised in a military family that moved from base to base. Her infatuation with Essanay Studios actor Francis X. Bushman led to her aunt taking her to tour the actor's Chicago studio. The 15-year-old Swanson was offered a brief walk-on for one film, beginning her life's career in front of the cameras. Swanson was soon hired to work in California for Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios comedy shorts opposite Bobby Vernon. She was eventually recruited by Famous Players-Lasky/Paramount Pictures, where she was put under contract for seven years. With the company she became a global superstar. She starr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pordenone
Pordenone (; Venetian and fur, Pordenon) is the main ''comune'' of Pordenone province of northeast Italy in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. The name comes from Latin ''Portus Naonis'', meaning 'port on the Noncello (Latin ''Naon'') River'. History Pordenone was created at the beginning of the High Middle Ages as a river port on the Noncello, with the name ''Portus Naonis.'' In the area, however, there were already villas and agricultural settlements from the Roman age, especially in the area of the town of Torre. Between 1257 and 1270 Pordenone was conquered by Ottokar II of Bohemia, who was eventually defeated in 1277, when the city was brought back to the Empire, under Rodolph I of Habsburg. In 1278, after having been administrated by several feudatories, the city was handed over to the Habsburg family, forming an Austrian enclave within the territory of the Patriarchal State of Friuli. In the 14th century, Pordenone grew substantially due to the flourishing river t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giornate Del Cinema Muto
Le Giornate del cinema muto (referred to in English as Pordenone Silent Film Festival) is an annual festival of silent film held in October in Pordenone, northern Italy. It is the first, largest and most important international festival dedicated to silent filmRichie Meyer, ''Reel News'' (Seattle International Film Festival), Autumn 2007, p.8 and also is present in the list of the top 50 unmissable film festivals in the world according to Variety.Variety, ''50 unmissable film festivals' The Pordenone Silent Film Festival is a non-profit association, whose president is Livio Jacob. The director from 1997 until 2015 was David Robinson (film critic), David Robinson. In 2016, Jay Weissberg became director. Other members of the festival board are Paolo Cherchi Usai, Lorenzo Codelli, Piero Colussi, Luciano De Giusti, Carlo Montanaro, Piera Patat. History Created in 1982 as a collaborative effort between La Cineteca del Friuli in Gemona and the Cinemazero filmclub in Pordenone, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Max Davidson
Max Davidson (May 23, 1875 – September 4, 1950) was a German-American film actor known for his comedic Jewish persona during the silent film era. With a career spanning over thirty years, Davidson appeared in over 180 films. Career Born in Berlin to Jewish parents, Davidson emigrated to the United States in the 1890s where he began working in stock theater and vaudeville. He entered silent movies in 1912. He made a series of films featuring the character Izzy for Reliance Pictures Company in 1914. The films included ''Izzy Gets the Wrong Bottle'', ''Izzy and His Rival'', ''Izzy and the Diamond'', ''How Izzy Stuck to His Post'', ''How Izzy Was Saved'', ''Izzy, the Detective'', ''Izzy's Night Out'', ''Izzy, the Operator'', and ''Izzy and the Bandit''. By the mid-teens, Davidson had appeared in his first feature film, Edward Dillon's ''Don Quixote'' (1915), followed by D.W. Griffith's ''Intolerance'', and Tod Browning's ''Puppets'' (both 1916). In the 1920s, he began worki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wrong Again
''Wrong Again'' is a 1929 American two-reel silent comedy film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Laurel and Hardy. It was filmed in October and November 1928, and released February 23, 1929, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Although a silent film, it was released with a synchronized music and sound-effects track in theaters equipped for sound. Plot Stable grooms Laurel and Hardy overhear news of a $5,000 reward for the return of the stolen painting ''The Blue Boy'', but think the reward is for the horse at their barn named Blue Boy. The police eventually recover the Blue Boy painting and are making plans to return it. When the grooms bring the horse to the painting's owner, he speaks to them from an upstairs window where he can't see the steed; he tells them to bring Blue Boy into the house. The three come clumping through the front door while the millionaire upstairs takes a bath. Ollie has an altercation with a nude statue, which snaps into three pieces after the two tumble to t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liberty (1929 Film)
''Liberty'' is an American silent two-reeler film, directed by Leo McCarey starring comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ... on January 26, 1929. Plot Stan and Ollie are prison escapees running down the road with a police officer firing a shotgun at them. They meet up with two accomplices in a car and, in their haste to change into street clothes, they wind up wearing each other's pants. Tossing their prison uniforms out the window, they attract the attention of a motorcycle police officer, but get out of the car without him seeing. They go looking for places to swap pants: the alley where a cop is grabbing a smoke and a lady screams at the sight of them; behind some crates with another cop nearby; and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
We Faw Down
''We Faw Down'' is a silent short subject directed by Leo McCarey starring comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on December 29, 1928. It was remade in part with their film '' Sons of the Desert'' in 1933. Plot Stan and Ollie are about to attend a poker game when Ollie receives a telephone call telling them their absence is holding up the game. Ollie then tells their wives they have a business engagement at the Orpheum Theater and sneak off to their poker game. En route, they gallantly stop to assist two young ladies retrieve a hat that has blown under a parked car. They end up being soaked by a passing street-cleaning vehicle while trying to retrieve it. The girls invite them up to their apartment while their clothes dry. One of the females becomes very amorous with Stan and all proceed to become blotto with beer. A large boyfriend of one of the females appears at the apartment, sending the duo scrambling out the back window, in full view of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laurel And Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in the silent film era, they later successfully transitioned to "sound film, talkies". From the late 1920s to the mid-1950s, they were internationally famous for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy, childlike friend to Hardy's pompous bully. Their signature theme song, known as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos" (by Hollywood composer Marvin Hatley, T. Marvin Hatley) was heard over their films' opening credits, and became as emblematic of them as their bowler hats. Prior to emerging as a team, both had well-established film careers. Laurel had acted in over 50 films, and worked as a writer and director, while Hardy was in more than 250 productions. Both had appea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
