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My Bodyguard
''My Bodyguard'' is a 1980 American family comedy drama film directed by Tony Bill (his directorial debut), and written by Alan Ormsby. The film stars Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin (in his first film role), Matt Dillon, Martin Mull, and Ruth Gordon. The film was the debut of both Baldwin and an uncredited Jennifer Beals and was Joan Cusack's first major film. Plot Clifford Peache lives in an upscale Chicago luxury hotel with his father, the hotel manager, and his grandmother. He is a new student at Lake View High School, where he arrives each day in a hotel limousine. Clifford quickly becomes a target of abuse from a gang of bullies, led by Melvin Moody. They regularly extort money from students, allegedly to protect them from another student, Ricky Linderman. According to school legend, Linderman has killed several people, including his own little brother. Not believing the stories, Clifford consults a teacher who claims that the only violence she's aware of from Ricky's past ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Bill
Gerard Anthony Bill (born August 23, 1940) is an American actor, producer, and director. He produced the 1973 movie ''The Sting'', for which he shared the Academy Award for Best Picture with Michael Phillips and Julia Phillips. As an actor, Bill had supporting roles in ''Come Blow Your Horn'' (1963), ''Shampoo'' (1975), '' Pee-wee's Big Adventure'' (1985), and '' Less than Zero'' (1987). He made his directorial debut with ''My Bodyguard'' (1980) and directed movies ''Six Weeks'' (1982), '' Five Corners'' (1987), ''Crazy People'' (1990), ''Untamed Heart'' (1993), and '' Flyboys'' (2006). Early life Bill was born in San Diego, California, and attended St. Augustine High School. He majored in English and art at the University of Notre Dame, from which he graduated in 1962. Career Bill began his career as an actor in the 1960s, first appearing on screen as Frank Sinatra's ingenuous younger brother in ''Come Blow Your Horn'' (1963). The same year, he appeared in ''Soldier in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comedy Drama Film
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical hour-long legal or medical drama, but exhibit far fewer jokes-per-minute as in a typical half-hour sitcom. In the United States Examples from United States television include: ''M*A*S*H'', ''Moonlighting'', ''The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'', ''Northern Exposure'', '' Ally McBeal'', ''Sex and the City'', ''Desperate Housewives'' and ''Scrubs''. The term "dramedy" was coined to describe the late 1980s wave of shows, including ''The Wonder Years'', ''Hooperman'', ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'' and ''Frank's Place''. See also *List of comedy drama television series *Black comedy *Dramatic structure *Melodrama *Seriousness *Tragicomedy *Psychological drama References Comedy drama Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction repr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wide Release
In the American motion picture industry, a wide release (short for nationwide release) is a film playing at the same time at cinemas in most markets across the country. This is in contrast to the formerly common practice of a roadshow theatrical release in which a film opens at a few cinemas in key cities before circulating among cinemas around the country, or a limited release in which a film is booked at fewer cinemas (such as " art house" venues) in larger cities in anticipation of lesser commercial appeal. In some cases, a film that sells well in limited release will then "go wide". Since 1994, a wide release in the United States and Canada has been defined by Nielsen EDI as a film released in more than 600 theaters. The practice emerged as a successful marketing strategy in the 1970s, and became increasingly common in subsequent decades, in parallel with the expansion of the number of screens available at multiplex cinemas. With the switch to digital formats – lowering the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limited Release
__FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the United States and Canada has been defined by Nielsen EDI as a film released in fewer than 600 theaters. The purpose is often used to gauge the appeal of specialty films, like documentaries, independent films and art films. A common practice by film studios is to give highly anticipated and critically acclaimed films a limited release on or before December 31 in Los Angeles County, California, to qualify for Academy Award nominations (as by its rules). Highly anticipated documentaries also receive limited releases at the same time in New York City, as the rules for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature mandate releases in both locations. The films are almost always released to a wider audience in January or February of the following y ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Wendt
George Robert Wendt Jr. (born October 17, 1948) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Norm Peterson on the television sitcom ''Cheers'' (1982–1993), which earned him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He also played the role in the short-lived spin-off ''The Tortellis'' and in an episode of ''Wings'', which was made by the same creators. Wendt has also appeared in his own sitcom, ''The George Wendt Show'', following ''Cheers,'' but it was cancelled after only a few episodes. His numerous film roles include '' Fletch'', ''Gung Ho'', '' Dreamscape'', ''House'', '' Forever Young'', ''Hostage for a Day'', '' Man of the House'', and ''Lakeboat.'' Early life George Robert Wendt Jr. was born in the Beverly neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. His parents were Loretta Mary (née Howard) and George Robert Wendt, an officer in the Navy and a realtor. He is one of nine ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tim Kazurinsky
Timothy James Kazurinsky (born March 3, 1950) is an American actor and screenwriter best known as a cast member and writer on ''Saturday Night Live'' and for his role as Carl Sweetchuck in the ''Police Academy'' films. Early life Kazurinsky was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. His father, who was American-born, was of Polish descent, and his mother was an Australian war bride. He spent most of his childhood in Australia, where he attended Birrong Boys High School. When he was 16, he moved to America by himself. He completed his education, graduating from Greater Johnstown High School in 1967. Kazurinsky worked as a reporter for the '' Johnstown Tribune-Democrat'', then as a copywriter for a St. Louis, Missouri, department store. He moved to Chicago and began working for Leo Burnett Worldwide in its advertising department. Seeking to gain confidence presenting ad pitches, Kazurinsky enrolled in an improv class at The Second City, where he became a member of the mainstage troupe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patrick Billingsley
Patrick Paul Billingsley (May 3, 1925 – April 22, 2011) was an American mathematician and stage and screen actor, noted for his books in advanced probability theory and statistics. He was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1946. Academic career After earning a Ph.D. in mathematics at Princeton University in 1955, he was attached to the NSA until his discharge from the Navy in 1957. In 1958 he became a professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Chicago, where he served as chair of the Department of Statistics from 1980 to 1983, and retired in 1994. In 1964–65 he was a Fulbright Fellow and visiting professor at the University of Copenhagen. In 1971–72 he was a Guggenheim Fellow and visiting professor at the University of Cambridge (Peterhouse). From 1976 to 1979 he edited the Annals of Probability. In 1983 he was president of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. He was given the Lester ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Cusack
Richard John CusackMartin, Douglas ''The New York Times'', June 04, 2003 (August 29, 1925 – June 2, 2003) was an American actor, filmmaker, and documentarist. Personal life Cusack was born in New York City, the son of Margaret Cusack (née McFeeley) and Dennis Joseph Cusack. His family was of Irish Catholic background. He served with the U.S. Army in the Philippines in World War II. After the war Cusack attended College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he played basketball with Bob Cousy and roomed with Philip F. Berrigan, the peace activist. Cusack and his wife, Ann Paula "Nancy" (''née'' Carolan; 1929-2022), had five children: Ann Cusack, Joan Cusack, Bill Cusack, John Cusack and Susie Cusack, all of whom followed him into the acting profession. Circa 1963-1966, the Cusack family moved from New York City to Evanston, Illinois, where the five children grew up. Career Until 1970 Cusack worked as a Clio Award-winning advertising executive. He then ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ambassador East
The Ambassador Chicago, known for many decades as the Ambassador East, is a historic hotel in Chicago, established in 1926. In their heyday, both the hotel and its iconic restaurant, The Pump Room, were frequented by celebrities. Location The hotel is located at 1301 North State Parkway in the Gold Coast area of Chicago. It is located near the city's Magnificent Mile district. It is near Lake Michigan, which it has views of. History The Ambassador East opened in 1926. The hotel received many celebrities in its heyday. Among the who held long-term residence in the hotel were Doris Day, Helen Hayes, Eunice Kennedy, and Lana Turner. The hotel was featured in the film ''North by Northwest''. Dunfey Hotels acquired the hotel in 1978 and it was renamed the Ambassador East - A Dunfey Classic Hotel. In 1983, Dunfey Hotels became Omni Hotels, and the hotel became the Omni Ambassador East. Omni renovated the hotel in 1999, at a cost of $20 million. Omni sold the hotel in December 2005 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lincoln Park (Chicago)
Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, to near Ardmore Avenue (5800 N) on the north, just north of the Lake Shore Drive terminus at Hollywood Avenue. Several museums and a zoo are located between North Avenue (1600 N) and Diversey Parkway (2800 N) in the eponymous neighborhood. Further to the north, the park is characterized by parkland, beaches, recreational areas, nature reserves, and harbors. To the south, there is a more narrow strip of beaches east of Lake Shore Drive, almost to downtown. With 20 million visitors per year, Lincoln Park is the second-most-visited city park in the United States, behind Central Park. The park's recreational facilities include baseball/softball fields, basketball courts, beach volleyball courts, cricket pitches, football/soccer fields, a g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Extortion
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded threats in order to obtain an unfair business advantage is also a form of extortion. Extortion is sometimes called the "protection racket" because the racketeers often phrase their demands as payment for "protection" from (real or hypothetical) threats from unspecified other parties; though often, and almost always, such "protection" is simply abstinence of harm from the same party, and such is implied in the "protection" offer. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime. In some jurisdictions, actually obtaining the benefit is not required to commit the offense, and making a threat of violence which refers to a requirement of a payment of money or property to halt future violence is sufficient to commit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake View High School (Chicago, Illinois)
Lake View High School is a public four-year high school located in the Lake View neighborhood on the north side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Lake View is a part of the Chicago Public Schools district. While the current building opened in 1886, the school itself opened in 1874, dating to a time when the Lake View community was not a part of the city of Chicago. Lake View became a part of Chicago in 1889. Created when the Lake View area was its own township before it joined Chicago, the school is the oldest operating township secondary school in the state of Illinois. Parts of the film ''My Bodyguard'' were filmed at Lake View High School. Academics and activities Lake View High School earned a bronze medal in the ''U.S. News''/School Matters Best High School rankings. The school offers approximately 20 clubs and activities for students. Among those which are chapters or branches of nationally notable organizations are National Honor Society and Key Club. Athletics Lake ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
