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Mother Wore Tights
''Mother Wore Tights'' is a 1947 Technicolor musical film starring Betty Grable and Dan Dailey as married vaudeville performers, directed by Walter Lang. This was Grable and Dailey's first film together, based on a book of the same name by Miriam Young. It was the highest grossing film of Grable's career up to this time, earning more than $5 million at the box office. It was also 20th Century Fox's most successful film of 1947. Alfred Newman won the Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture. Josef Myrow (music) and Mack Gordon (lyrics) were nominated for Original Song ("You Do"), while Harry Jackson was nominated for Color Cinematography. Plot In turn-of-the-century Oakland, California, the teenaged Myrtle McKinley (Betty Grable) is expected to follow high school by attending a San Francisco business college. Instead, she takes a job performing with a traveling vaudeville troupe, where she meets and falls in love with singer-dancer Frank Burt (Dan Dailey). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walter Lang
Walter Lang (August 10, 1896 – February 7, 1972) was an American film director. Early life Walter Lang was born in Tennessee. As a young man he went to New York City where he found clerical work at a movie studio, film production company. The business piqued his artistic instincts and he began learning the various facets of filmmaking and eventually worked as an assistant director. However, Lang also had ambitions to be a painter and left the United States for a time to join the great gathering of artists and writers in the Montparnasse Quarter of Paris, France. Things did not work out as Lang hoped and he eventually returned home and to the film business. Career In 1925, Walter Lang directed his first silent film, ''The Red Kimono''. In the mid-1930s, he was hired by 20th Century Fox where, as a director, he "painted" a number of the spectacular colorful musicals for which Fox Studios became famous for producing during the 1940s. One of Lang's most recognized films is the lav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mack Gordon
Mack Gordon (born Morris Gittler; June 21, 1904 – February 28, 1959) was an American composer and lyricist for the stage and film. He was nominated for the best original song Oscar nine times in 11 years, including five consecutive years between 1940 and 1944, and won the award once, for "You'll Never Know". That song has proved among his most enduring, and remains popular in films and television commercials to this day. "At Last" is another of his best-known songs. Biography Gordon was born in Grodno, then part of the Russian Empire. He emigrated with his mother and older brother to New York City in May 1907; the ship they sailed on was the S/S ''Bremen''; their destination was to his father in Guttenberg, New Jersey. Gordon appeared in vaudeville as an actor and singer in the late 1920s and early 1930s, but his songwriting talents were always paramount. He formed a partnership with English pianist Harry Revel, that lasted throughout the 1930s. In the 1940s he worked with a str ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sig Ruman
Siegfried Carl Alban Rumann (October 11, 1884 – February 14, 1967), billed as Sig Ruman and Sig Rumann, was a German-American character actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypically Teutonic officials or villains in more than 100 films. Early years Born in Hamburg, German Empire to Alban Julius Albrecht Ludwig Rumann and his wife, Caroline Margarethe Sophie Rumann on October 11, 1884, he studied electrical engineering, then began working as an actor and musician before serving with the Imperial German Army during World War I. He resumed his acting career after the war. After emigrating to the United States in 1924, his acting career blossomed. Befriending playwright George S. Kaufman and theater critic Alexander Woollcott, he enjoyed success in many Broadway productions. His Broadway credits included ''Once There Was a Russian'' (1961), ''Lily of the Valley'' (1942), ''Eight Bells'' (1933), ''Alien Corn'' (1933), ''Grand Hotel'' (1930), ''Half ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Veda Ann Borg
Veda Ann Borg (January 11, 1915 – August 16, 1973) was an American film and television actress. Early years Born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Gottfried Borg, a Swedish immigrant, and Minna Noble, Borg became a model in 1936 before winning a contract at Paramount Pictures. An item in a 1936 newspaper described her as a "former New York and Boston manakin" when her signing with Paramount was announced. Film Soon after Borg signed her contract with Paramount, studio officials decided to change her name to Ann Noble for her work in films. However, a newspaper article reported, "Miss Borg contended that her own name is more descriptive of her personality than Ann Noble." Her argument was successful, and she retained her name. She appeared in more than 100 films, including ''Mildred Pierce'', ''Chicken Every Sunday'', '' Love Me or Leave Me'', ''Guys and Dolls'', ''Thunder in the Sun'', ''You're Never Too Young'', and '' The Alamo'' (1960), in which she portrayed the blin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Cleveland
George Alan Cleveland (September 17, 1885 – July 15, 1957) was a Canadian film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1930 and 1954. Career Cleveland was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. His first appearance on the stage was in ''The Octaroon'' as a teenager. Cleveland was active as a Vaudevillian before moving to Hollywood in 1936 where he worked in films via acting, producing and directing. Although Cleveland played in more than 150 films during his 58-year career in show business, he acknowledged that he was most well-known for his role as George "Gramps" Miller in the early years of the long running American television series ''Lassie''. Cleveland appeared in the first three seasons (1954–1956) and in the first 12 episodes of the fourth season (1957). His death in July 1957 was written into the 13th episode of the fourth season (1957) and became the storyline motive for the selling of the farm and the departure of the Millers for Capito ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anabel Shaw
Anabel Shaw (born Marjorie Henshaw; June 24, 1921 – April 16, 2010) was an American film actress. Active during the 1940s and 1950s in a mixture of lead and supporting roles, she then made a few appearances on television. Biography Shaw was born Marjorie Henshaw on June 24, 1921, and was billed by that name when she made ''Here Come the Waves'' for Warner Bros. She graduated from the University of California. Shaw married Joseph Ford, a professor of sociology. They had three children, archaeologist Anabel Ford Anabel Ford (born 22 December 1951) is an American archaeologist specializing in the study of Mesoamerica, with a focus on the lowland Maya of Belize and Guatemala. She is recognized for her discovery of the ancient Maya city El Pilar. Ford is cu ..., daughter CeCe, and son Steve. They later divorced in 1986. She later married George Scopececk. Filmography References Bibliography * Keaney, Michael F. ''Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era, 1940-1959''. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ruth Nelson (actress)
Ruth Gloria Nelson (August 2, 1905 – September 12, 1992) was an American stage and film actress. She is known for her roles in films such as '' Wilson'', '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'', ''Humoresque'', '' 3 Women'', ''The Late Show'' and ''Awakenings''. She was the wife of John Cromwell, with whom she acted on multiple occasions. Early life Born in Saginaw, Michigan, Nelson was the daughter of Sanford Leroy Nelson and vaudeville actress Eva Mudge. She attended Immaculate Heart Convent School in Los Angeles, studying first with Daniel Frohman and then with Richard Boleslawski at the American Laboratory Theatre in New York City during the early 1920s. Career Nelson made her stage debut in New York on April 4, 1928 at the Laboratory Theatre under Boleslawski's direction, portraying the title character in Jean-Jacques Bernard's ''Martine''. Over the next two seasons, Nelson made two more appearances—in Checkhov's ''The Seagull'' and Vladimir Kirshon's ''Red Rust''—prior to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Frawley
William Clement Frawley (February 26, 1887 – March 3, 1966) was an American vaudevillian and actor best remembered for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the American television sitcom ''I Love Lucy'', "Bub" O'Casey in the television comedy series ''My Three Sons'', and the political advisor to the judge character in the film ''Miracle on 34th Street''. Frawley began his career in vaudeville in 1914 with his wife, Edna Louise Broedt. Their comedy act, "Frawley and Louise", continued until their divorce in 1927. He performed on Broadway multiple times. In 1916, he signed with Paramount Studios and appeared in more than 100 films over the next 35 years.Deezen, Eddie. Early life Frawley was born in Burlington, Iowa, the second son of four children of Michael A. Frawley (1857–1907) and Mary E. (Brady) Frawley (1859–1921). He attended Catholic schools and sang in the choir at St. Paul's Catholic Church. As he got older, he played small roles in local theater productions at the Bur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sara Allgood
Sarah Ellen Allgood (30 October 1880 – 13 September 1950), known as Sara Allgood, was an Irish-American actress. She first studied drama with the Irish nationalist Daughters of Ireland and was at the opening of the Irish National Theatre Society. In 1904, she had her first big role in ''Spreading the News'' and was a full-time actress the following year. In 1915, she toured Australia and New Zealand as the lead in ''Peg o' My Heart''. Her acting career continued in Dublin, London, and the U.S. She appeared in a number of films, most notably being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Beth Morgan in the 1941 film ''How Green Was My Valley''. She became an American citizen in 1945 and died of a heart attack in 1950. Early life Allgood was born on 30 October 1880 at 45 Middle Abbey Street in Dublin, then still part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland at the time, a daughter of Margaret ( Harold) and compositor George Allgo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vanessa Brown
Vanessa Brown (born Smylla Brind, March 24, 1928 – May 21, 1999) was an Austrian-born American actress who worked in radio, film, theater, and television. Early life Born in Vienna, Austria, to Jewish parents (Nah Brind, a language teacher, and Anna Brind, a psychologist), Brown and her family fled to Paris, France, in 1937 to escape persecution by the Nazi regime. Within a few years, the family had settled in America, and Brown auditioned for Lillian Hellman for a role in ''Watch on the Rhine''. Fluent in several languages, the youngster impressed Hellman, and she was signed as understudy to Ann Blyth, eventually doing the role of Babette on Broadway and in the touring production. In high school, she wrote and directed school plays. She graduated from University of California, Los Angeles in 1949, having majored in English. While there, she was movie critic and feature writer for the '' Daily Bruin'', the campus newspaper. Radio Brown's IQ of 165 led to two years of work as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Arthur (actor)
Robert Paul Arthur (June 18, 1925 – October 1, 2008) was an American motion picture actor who appeared in dozens of films in the 1940s and 1950s. Biography After working in radio and serving in the Navy during World War II, Arthur moved to Hollywood, where his first role was as Rosalind Russell’s son in ''Roughly Speaking'' in 1945. He soon was signed to a studio contract with Warners and appeared in films including ''Too Young to Know'', '' Night and Day'' and ''Nora Prentiss''. He also appeared in the 1949 war film '' Twelve O'Clock High'' as the comic relief–providing Sgt. McIllhenny, in the 1951 Billy Wilder film '' Ace in the Hole'', and in the 1950s television program ''The Lone Ranger''. Arthur was known for playing youthful teenage or young adult roles. Arthur supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election. In his later years, Arthur became an activist for gay rights on behalf of senior citizens, and was involved with the Log Cabi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of California cities by population, fourth most populous in California and List of United States cities by population, 17th most populous in the United States, with 815,201 residents as of 2021. It covers a land area of , at the end of the San Francisco Peninsula, making it the second most densely populated large U.S. city after New York City, and the County statistics of the United States, fifth most densely populated U.S. county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs. Among the 91 U.S. cities proper with over 250,000 residents, San Francisco was ranked first by per capita income (at $160,749) and sixth by aggregate income as of 2021. Colloquial nicknames for San Francisco include ''SF'', ''San Fran'', ''The '', ''Frisco'', and '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
