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MGM Parade
''MGM Parade'' is a documentary television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and broadcast by the ABC network during the 1955–56 season on Wednesdays at 8:30pm (E.S.T.), under the alternate sponsorship of American Tobacco ( Pall Mall), and General Foods ( Instant Maxwell House). The 30 minute ''MGM Parade'', one of MGM's first TV programs, was produced by MGM's trailer department as one of the compilation and promotional shows that imitated Walt Disney's ''Disneyland''. Background Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer first used television for promotional purposes having a tie in with ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' (on CBS) in the early 1950s. The Sullivan Show, however, switched to 20th Century Fox in the mid-1950s, so MGM attempted to have a promotional agreement with NBC, but could not come to terms on the specifics. Instead, MGM's trailer department produced what became MGM's first television series, which was called the ''MGM Parade''. Within three years after its cancellation, the company ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, one Cannes Film Festival Award and three British Academy Film Awards. Brando was also an activist for many causes, notably the civil rights movement and various Native American movements. Having studied with Stella Adler in the 1940s, he is credited with being one of the first actors to bring the Stanislavski system of acting, and method acting, to mainstream audiences. He initially gained acclaim and his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for reprising the role of Stanley Kowalski in the 1951 film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play ''A Streetcar Named Desire'', a role that he originated successfully on Broadway. He received further praise, and a first Academy A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, he holds the record for most Academy Awards earned and nominations by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations. He was presented with two Golden Globe Special Achievement Awards and an Emmy Award, among other honors. Several of his films are included in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress and have also been named as some of the greatest films ever by the American Film Institute. Disney was the first person to be nominated for Academy Awards in six different categories. Born in Chicago in 1901, Disney developed an early interest in drawing. He took art classes as a boy and got a job as a commercial illustrator at the age of 18. He moved to California in the early 1920s and set up the Disney B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Captains Courageous (1937 Film)
''Captains Courageous'' is a 1937 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer adventure film. Based on the 1897 novel of the same name by Rudyard Kipling, the film had its world premiere at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles. It was produced by Louis D. Lighton and directed by Victor Fleming. Filmed in black and white, ''Captains Courageous'' was advertised by MGM as a coming-of-age classic with exciting action sequences. Backgrounds and exteriors for the film, which updated the story's setting to the mid-1920s, were shot on location in Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Shelburne, Nova Scotia in Canada, and Gloucester, Massachusetts in the United States. Plot Harvey Cheyne ( Freddie Bartholomew) is the spoiled son of American business tycoon Frank Burton Cheyne (Melvyn Douglas). Harvey is shunned by his classmates at a private boarding school, and eventually suspended for bad behavior. His father therefore takes him on a business trip to Europe, travelling there by trans-Atlantic steamship ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Benchley
Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor. From his beginnings at '' The Harvard Lampoon'' while attending Harvard University, through his many years writing essays and articles for ''Vanity Fair'' and ''The New Yorker'' and his acclaimed short films, Benchley's style of humor brought him respect and success during his life, from his peers at the Algonquin Round Table in New York City to contemporaries in the burgeoning film industry. Benchley is best remembered for his contributions to ''The New Yorker'', where his essays, whether topical or absurdist, influenced many modern humorists. He also made a name for himself in Hollywood, when his short film ''How to Sleep'' was a popular success and won Best Short Subject at the 1935 Academy Awards. He also made many memorable appearances acting in films such as Alfred Hitchcock's '' Foreign Correspondent'' (1940) and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His most significant work was for the Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, where he was crucial in the creation and evolution of famous animated characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Droopy, Screwy Squirrel, The Wolf, Red Hot Riding Hood, and George and Junior. He gained influence for his technical innovation, directorial style and brand of humor. Avery's attitude toward animation was opposite that of Walt Disney and other conventional family cartoons at the time. Avery's cartoons were known for their sarcastic, ironic, absurdist, irreverent, and sometimes sexual tone in nature. Avery's cartoon focused on sight gags, surrealist humor, rapid pacing, racial stereotypes, and violent humor, with wacky c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pete Smith (film Producer)
Peter Schmidt (September 4, 1892 – January 12, 1979), known professionally as Pete Smith, was an American producer and narrator of short subject films. A native of New York City, Smith began working as a publicist at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the 1920s. He later became involved with movie making. He is best known for his series of short movies, the ''Pete Smith Specialties'', which were produced from the 1930s to the 1950s. Smith produced and narrated more than 150 short movies which earned him two Best Live Action Short Film Academy Awards. In 1953, he was awarded an Academy Honorary Award for his short subjects. Smith's later years were spent in a Santa Monica convalescent home due to ill health. In January 1979, Smith jumped to his death from the roof of the home. Early life and career Smith was born in New York City. He began his career as an aide for a vaudeville performers union. Smith then worked as an editor and critic for a trade magazine before becomi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Passing Parade
''The Passing Parade'', a.k.a. ''John Nesbitt's Passing Parade'', was an American radio series created, written, and narrated by John Nesbitt which was adapted into an Oscar-winning series of MGM short subjects. In both media, the series usually focused on strange but true historical events, both little known and famous, as well as figures such as Catherine de' Medici and Nostradamus. ''Passing Parade'' on radio The radio series, developed as an outgrowth of an earlier Nesbitt-produced program (''Headlines of the Past''), was launched on the NBC network on February 1, 1937, running off and on until 1951 over three different networks and in syndication. Nesbitt's inspiration was a trunk left to him by his father which contained news clippings of odd stories from around the world. Nesbitt, who usually presented his stories without sound effects or music, utilized a research staff of 14 people in verifying the details of his tales, but wrote the final scripts himself, often within an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Nesbitt (announcer)
John Nesbitt (August 23, 1910 – August 10, 1960) was an actor, narrator, announcer, producer and screenwriter. Nesbitt was best known as the narrator of the MGM series ''Passing Parade''. Early years Nesbitt, born John Booth Nesbitt in Victoria, British Columbia, was a grandson of actor Edwin Booth. He attended Saint Mary's College of California and the University of California. Stage Nesbitt was active in stock theater in Vancouver and Spokane. Radio Nesbitt began working for NBC in San Francisco in 1933. In 1935, he was an announcer at KFRC in San Francisco. His signature program, ''The Passing Parade'', was first broadcast in 1937 and ended in 1949, sometimes in 15-minute episodes and sometimes in 30-minute episodes. At one time or another, it was carried on the CBS, Mutual, NBC Blue and NBC Red networks. ''The Passing Parade'' was also a segment on ''The John Charles Thomas Show'' (1943-1946).Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carey Wilson (writer)
Carey Wilson (May 19, 1889 – February 1, 1962) was an American screenwriter, voice actor, and producer. Life and career Born in 1889 in Philadelphia, Wilson's screenplays include '' Ben-Hur'' (1925), ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1935), and ''The Great Heart'' (1938). His credits as producer include '' Green Dolphin Street'' (1947). He also narrated many nuclear test films, produced by the Atomic Energy Commission – now the United States Department of Energy – and by the United States Department of Defense, including ones on Operation Sandstone (1948) and Operation Greenhouse (1951). Wilson was one of the thirty-six Hollywood pioneers who founded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927. He also collaborated with Jean Harlow on her novel ''Today is Tonight''. Legacy For his contribution in films, Wilson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located on 6301 Hollywood Blvd. In a 2011 episode of the reality TV series ''Pawn Stars'', Wilson's grandda ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Christmas Carol (1938 Film)
''A Christmas Carol'' is a 1938 American drama film adaptation of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella of the same name, starring Reginald Owen as Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve after visitations by three spirits. Plot On Christmas Eve in 19th-century London, Fred is sliding on ice on a sidewalk. He meets Peter and Tim Cratchit, sons of his uncle Ebenezer's clerk, Bob Cratchit. When Fred reveals who he is, the boys take off in terror. Fred soon arrives at the counting-house of his miserly maternal uncle, Ebenezer Scrooge. After declining an invitation from his nephew to dine with him on Christmas, Scrooge rejects two gentlemen collecting money for charity. That night, Scrooge reluctantly allows his employee Bob Cratchit to have Christmas off with pay but orders him back all the earlier the day after. Later Bob accidentally knocks off Scrooge's hat with a snowball. Scrooge dismisses Bob and withholds a week's pay to compensate for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Pirate (1948 Film)
''The Pirate'' is a 1948 American musical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. With songs by Cole Porter, it stars Judy Garland and Gene Kelly with costars Walter Slezak, Gladys Cooper, Reginald Owen, The Nicholas Brothers, and George Zucco. Plot Manuela Alva, who lives in the small Caribbean village of Calvados, dreams of being swept away by the legendary Pirate, Mack "the Black" Macoco. However, her aunt and uncle (who have raised her) insist that she marry the town mayor, the rotund and bullying Don Pedro. Shortly before her wedding, Manuela visits a nearby town, Port Sebastian. A traveling circus has arrived, and Serafin, its handsome leader, flirts with all the girls in the song "Niña". When he encounters Manuela, however, he falls in love with her at first sight. He compliments her beauty and begs her not to marry Don Pedro, but, angered, she hurries away. That night, however, she can't sleep, and sneaks out to go see Serafin's show. At the show, Serafin hypnotizes Manu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Good News (1947 Film)
''Good News'' is a 1947 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical film based on the 1927 stage production of the same name. It starred June Allyson, Peter Lawford, Mel Tormé, and Joan McCracken. The screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green was directed by Charles Walters in Technicolor. Three additional songs were written for the film: "The French Lesson", "Pass That Peace Pipe", and "An Easier Way", the last of which was cut from the released film. ''Good News'' was the second adaptation of the stage musical, after the 1930 film '' Good News''. The 1947 film was a more sanitized version of the musical; the 1930 version included Pre-Code content, such as sexual innuendo and lewd suggestive humor. Production The Film was originally planned for Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland as a follow up to their success in " Babes in Arms". ''Good News'' and '' Summer Stock'' was also originally planned to become part of the backyard musical series. ''Summer Stock'' was released three years later. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
