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Lucky Boy (1929 Film)
''Lucky Boy'' is a 1929 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Norman Taurog and Charles C. Wilson and starring George Jessel. The film was mainly a silent film with synchronized music and sound effects, as well as some talking sequences. The film's plot bore strong similarities to that of the hit 1927 film ''The Jazz Singer'', which had originally been intended to star Jessel (the star of ''The Jazz Singer'' stage production) before Al Jolson took over the role. Plot A young Jewish man works in his father's jewelry business, but he does not like it at all—he wants to be an entertainer, something he knows that his father would never approve of. He comes up with a scheme to put on his own show in a theater and show his father that he can be a success, but things do not work out quite as well as he planned. Cast * George Jessel as Georgie Jessel *Gwen Lee as Mrs. Ellis *Richard Tucker as Mr. Ellis *Gayne Whitman as Mr. Trent * Margaret Quimby as Eleanor * Rosa Rosano ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norman Taurog
Norman Rae Taurog (February 23, 1899 – April 7, 1981) was an American film director and screenwriter. From 1920 to 1968, Taurog directed 180 films. At the age of 32, he received the Academy Award for Best Director for '' Skippy'' (1931). He is the second youngest person ever to win the award after Damien Chazelle, who won for ''La La Land'' in 2017. He was later nominated for Best Director for the film '' Boys Town'' (1938). He directed some of the best-known actors of the twentieth century, including his nephew Jackie Cooper, Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Deanna Durbin, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Deborah Kerr, Peter Lawford, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and Elvis Presley. Taurog directed six Martin and Lewis films, and nine Elvis Presley films, more than any other director. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Taurog has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1600 Vine Street. Early life Norman Taurog was born February 23, 1899, in Chicago, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Musical Film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate "production numbers". The musical film was a natural development of the stage musical after the emergence of sound film technology. Typically, the biggest difference between film and stage musicals is the use of lavish background scenery and locations that would be impractical in a theater. Musical films characteristically contain elements reminiscent of theater; performers often treat their song and dance numbers as if a live audience were watching. In a sense, the viewer becomes the diegetic audience, as the performer looks directly into the camera and performs to it. With the advent of sound in the late 1920s, musicals gained popularity with the public and are exemplified by the films of Busby Ber ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glenda Farrell
Glenda Farrell (June 30, 1904 – May 1, 1971) was an American actress. Farrell personified the smart and sassy, wisecracking blonde of the Classical Hollywood films. Farrell's career spanned more than 50 years, appearing in numerous Broadway plays, films and television series. She won an Emmy Award in 1963 for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her performance as Martha Morrison in the medical drama television series ''Ben Casey''. Farrell began acting on stage as a child and continued with various theatre companies and on Broadway before signing with Warner Bros. A signature 1930s Warner Bros. star, Farrell appeared in films such as '' Little Caesar'' (1931), ''I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang'' (1932), '' Mystery of the Wax Museum'' (1933) and ''Lady for a Day'' (1933). Starting with '' Smart Blonde'' (1937), Farrell played Torchy Blane, a daring female reporter, in a series of popular films which later was credited by comic book writer Jerry Siegel as the inspiration ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mary Doran
Mary Doran (September 8, 1910 – September 6, 1995) was an American actress. She appeared in more than 80 films from 1927 to 1944. Biography Doran was born in New York and attended public schools there before graduating and going to Columbia University. She left Columbia after three years to pursue a career on stage. She sang and danced in Belle Baker's ''Betsy'' when it was in New York. Later, she performed in Flo Ziegfeld's ''Rio Rita''. Doran's films included ''Broadway Melody'', ''Half a Bride'', and ''The Trial of Mary Dugan''. In 1929, Doran was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Personal life On August 15, 1931, Doran married Joseph Sherman in San Diego, California. Sherman was Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's chief publicity director. Partial filmography * '' Half a Bride'' (1928) * '' Lucky Boy'' (1929) * ''The Girl in the Show'' (1929) * ''Their Own Desire'' (1929) * ''The Broadway Melody'' (1929) * ''The Trial of Mary Dugan'' (1929) * ''They Learned About Women'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William H
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of England in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is sometimes abbreviated "Wm." Shortened familiar versions in English include Will, Wills, Willy, Willie, Bill, and Billy. A common Irish form is Liam. Scottish diminutives include Wull, Willie or Wullie (as in Oor Wullie or the play ''Douglas''). Female forms are Willa, Willemina, Wilma and Wilhelmina. Etymology William is related to the given name ''Wilhelm'' (cf. Proto-Germanic ᚹᛁᛚᛃᚨᚺᛖᛚᛗᚨᛉ, ''*Wiljahelmaz'' > German ''Wilhelm'' and Old Norse ᚢᛁᛚᛋᛅᚼᛅᛚᛘᛅᛋ, ''Vilhjálmr''). By regular sound changes, the native, inherited English form of the name shoul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rosa Rosanova
Rosa Rosanova (June 23, 1869 – May 29, 1944) was a Russian-born stage and film actress. She appeared in numerous American films as a starring or supporting actress in the 1920s and 1930s Biography Born in Russia, Rosanova completed her schooling at age 16 in Moscow. As an actress, she toured with the Svatloff repertory company in Russia, and in 1906 travelled to the United States touring with the Orlanoff company. She immigrated to the United States some time before the Russian Revolution. Like Vera Gordon, Rosanova frequently portrayed Jewish mothers in early American silent films. Rosanova starred as such a character in '' Hungry Hearts'' (1922), ''His People'' (1925) and '' Lucky Boy'' (1929). In a 1929 profile, the ''Santa Ana Register'' described Rosanova's performance in ''Hungry Hearts'' as "a powerful characterization that was the outstanding performance of filmdom." In her book ''You Never Call! You Never Write!: A History of the Jewish Mother'', Joyce Antle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Margaret Quimby
Margaret Quimby (1904–1965) was an American stage and film actress. Lussier p. 123 She appeared in both lead and supporting roles during the silent and early sound era. Filmography * '' Fight and Win'' (1924) * ''K.O. for Cupid'' (1924) * ''One Glorious Scrap'' (1925) * ''The Teaser'' (1925) * ''Perils of the Wild'' (1925) * '' What Happened to Jones'' (1926) * ''The Radio Detective'' (1926) * ''The Whole Town's Talking'' (1926) * ''New York'' (1927) * ''The Western Whirlwind'' (1927) * ''Heads Up, Charley'' (1927) * ''The World at Her Feet'' (1927) * ''The Tired Business Man'' (1927) * ''Us'' (1927) * ''The Tragedy of Youth'' (1928) * ''Sally of the Scandals'' (1928) * '' Lucky Boy'' (1929) * ''Two Men and a Maid'' (1929) * '' The Rampant Age'' (1930) * ''Trailing Trouble'' (1930) * ''Ladies Love Brutes'' (1930) * ''Men on Call ''Men on Call'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by John G. Blystone and written by James Kevin McGuinness and Basil Woon. The pict ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gayne Whitman
Gayne Whitman (born Alfred D. Vosburgh; March 19, 1890 – August 31, 1958) was an American radio and film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1904 and 1957. In some early films he was credited under his birth name. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. Whitman's theatrical debut came when he carried a spear behind an actor portraying King Richard III in a production in Indianapolis. As Allen Vosburgh, he was the leading man in the film ''Princess of the Dark'' (1917). Soon after that, he changed his screen name to Alfred Whitman because "1917 was not a good time to have a German sounding name." Beginning in 1921, Whitman acted at the Morosco Theater in Los Angeles. He returned to films in 1925 when he received a contract with Warner Bros. On radio, Whitman played the title role in '' Chandu the Magician'', was the narrator on ''Lassie'' and ''Strange as It Seems'', and was an announcer on ''Paducah Plantation'' and other programs. Personal life Whitman was ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Tucker (actor)
Richard Tucker (June 4, 1884 – December 5, 1942) was an American actor. Tucker was born in Brooklyn, New York. Appearing in more than 260 films between 1911 and 1940, he was the first official member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and a founding member of SAG's Board of Directors. Tucker died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles from a heart attack. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in an unmarked niche in Great Mausoleum, Columbarium of Faith. Selected filmography * '' Who Will Marry Mary?'' (1913) - Duke Leonardo de Ferrara * '' Vanity Fair'' (1915) - George Osborne * ''The Ring of the Borgias'' (1915) - Donald Rivers * ''When Love Is King'' (1916) - Felix, the King * ''The Cossack Whip'' (1916) - Sergius Kordkin * ''The Master Passion'' (1917) - Professor Alberto Martino * '' Threads of Fate'' (1917) - Dr. Grant Hunter * ''Pardners'' (1917) - Justus Morrow * ''The Royal Pauper'' (1917) - William, The Prince Charming, at 21 * ''The Cloud'' (1917) - John Saunders * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gwen Lee
Gwen Lee (born Gwendolyn Lepinski; November 12, 1904 – August 20, 1961) was an American stage and film actress. Lee began her career as a model before being discovered and signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She was typically cast in supporting roles. Lee appeared in over sixty films before retiring in 1938. Acting career Born to Mriette (née Kennedy) and Frank B. Lepinski in Hastings, Nebraska, Lee began her career as a department store model. She was discovered by director Monta Bell while appearing in a stage production. She signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925. That same year, she made her film debut in '' Lady of the Night'', starring Norma Shearer. She followed with roles in ''Pretty Ladies'', starring Zasu Pitts, ''His Secretary'', and ''The Plastic Age'', starring Clara Bow. In 1926, Lee was cast in ''The Lone Wolfe Returns'', starring Bert Lytell and Billie Dove. In 1928, she was named a WAMPAS Baby Star. Lee continued her career with supporting roles i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Jolson
Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jews, Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer." Jolson was known for his "shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach" towards performing, as well as for popularizing many of the songs he sang. Jolson has been referred to by modern critics as "the king of blackface performers." Although best remembered today as the star of the first talking picture, ''The Jazz Singer'' (1927), he starred in a series of successful musical films during the 1930s. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he was the first star to entertain troops overseas during World War II. After a period of inactivity, his stardom returned with ''The Jolson Story'' (1946), in which Larry Parks played Jolson, with the singer dubbing for Parks. The formula was repeat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Jazz Singer
''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music score as well as lip-synchronous singing and speech (in several isolated sequences). Its release heralded the commercial ascendance of sound films and effectively marked the end of the silent film era. It was produced by Warner Bros. with the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system and features six songs performed by Al Jolson. Based on the 1925 play of the same title by Samson Raphaelson, the plot was adapted from his short story "The Day of Atonement". The film depicts the fictional story of Jakie Rabinowitz, a young man who defies the traditions of his devout Jewish family. After singing popular tunes in a beer garden, he is punished by his father, a hazzan (cantor), prompting Jakie to run away from home. Some years later, now calling himself Jack Robin, he has become a talented jazz singer, performing in blackfa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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