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Nana (1934 Film)
''Nana'' is a 1934 American pre-Code film, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, released through United Artists, starring Anna Sten. and directed by Dorothy Arzner and George Fitzmaurice. This version of Émile Zola's 1880 novel and heroine was to be the vehicle for Sten's triumph as Samuel Goldwyn's trained, groomed and heavily promoted answer to Greta Garbo. Despite a record-breaking opening week at Radio City Music Hall, Sten was beautiful but disappointing. Goldwyn's tutoring of Sten is mentioned in Cole Porter's 1934 song "Anything Goes" from the musical of the same name: "If Sam Goldwyn can with great conviction / Instruct Anna Sten in diction / Then Anna shows / Anything goes." Plot A Parisian streetwalker is discovered by a theatrical impresario and becomes a stage success. At her height of popularity, she falls in love with a soldier, and draws both ire and fascination from his protective older brother. Cast * Anna Sten as Nana * Lionel Atwill as Colonel André Muffat * ...
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Dorothy Arzner
Dorothy Emma Arzner (January 3, 1897 – October 1, 1979) was an American film director whose career in Feature films, Hollywood spanned from the silent era of the 1920s into the early 1940s. With the exception of longtime silent film director Lois Weber (who directed ''White Heat'' in 1934), from 1927 until her retirement from feature directing in 1943, Arzner was the only female director working in Hollywood. Additionally, she was one of a very few women able to establish a successful and long career in Hollywood as a film director until the 1970s. Arzner made a total of twenty films between 1927 and 1943 and launched the careers of a number of Hollywood actresses, including Katharine Hepburn, Rosalind Russell, and Lucille Ball. Additionally, Arzner was the first woman to join the Directors Guild of America and the first woman to direct a sound film. Early life Arzner was born in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1897 to Jenetter (née Young) and Louis Arzner but grew ...
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Anything Goes (Cole Porter Song)
"Anything Goes" is a song written by Cole Porter for his musical of the same name. (1934). Many of the lyrics include humorous references to figures of scandal and gossip from Depression-era high society. A recording by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra (vocal by Ramona Davies) was very popular in 1934. People and items referenced in the song The song opens with a reference to the Massachusetts Bay Colony :"Times have changed, And we've often rewound the clockSince the Puritans got a shock, When they landed on Plymouth RockIf today, any shock they should try to stem, 'Stead of landing on Plymouth RockPlymouth Rock would land on them". The opening stanza is believed have influenced the orations of Malcolm X, who in 1964 said "Our forefathers were not the Pilgrims, we didn't land on Plymouth Rock, the rock was landed on us. The song mentions Mae West, Hollywood sex symbol, and Missus Ned McLean (Evalyn Walsh McLean), who had traveled to Soviet Union early after the Russian Rev ...
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Films Based On Works By Émile Zola
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere through the use of moving images. These images are generally accompanied by sound and, more rarely, other sensory stimulations. The word "cinema", short for cinematography, is often used to refer to filmmaking and the film industry, and to the art form that is the result of it. Recording and transmission of film The moving images of a film are created by photographing actual scenes with a motion-picture camera, by photographing drawings or miniature models using traditional animation techniques, by means of CGI and computer animation, or by a combination of some or all of these techniques, and other visual effects. Before the introduction of digital production, series of still images were recorded on a strip of chemically sensitiz ...
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1930s English-language Films
Year 193 ( CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius (or, less frequently, year 946 '' Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 193 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Roman Empire * January 1 – Year of the Five Emperors: The Roman Senate chooses Publius Helvius Pertinax, against his will, to succeed the late Commodus as Emperor. Pertinax is forced to reorganize the handling of finances, which were wrecked under Commodus, to reestablish discipline in the Roman army, and to suspend the food programs established by Trajan, provoking the ire of the Praetorian Guard. * March 28 – Pertinax is assassinated by members of the Praetorian Guard, who storm the imperial palace. The Empire is auctioned o ...
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American Black-and-white Films
American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, people who self-identify their ancestry as "American" ** American English, the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States ** Native Americans in the United States, indigenous peoples of the United States * American, something of, from, or related to the Americas, also known as "America" ** Indigenous peoples of the Americas * American (word), for analysis and history of the meanings in various contexts Organizations * American Airlines, U.S.-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas * American Athletic Conference, an American college athletic conference * American Recordings (record label), a record label previously known as Def American * American University, in Washington, D.C. Sports teams Soccer * ...
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1934 Films
The following is an overview of 1934 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1934 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events *January 26 – Samuel Goldwyn (formerly of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) purchases the film rights to ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000. *February 19 – Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade. *April 19 – Fox Studios releases ''Stand Up and Cheer!'', with five-year-old Shirley Temple in a relatively minor role. Shirley steals the film and Fox, which had been near bankruptcy, finds itself owning a goldmine. *May 18 – Paramount releases '' Little Miss Marker'', with Shirley Temple, on loan from Fox, in the title role. *June 13 – An amendment to the Production Code establishes the Production Code Administration, and requires all films to obtain a certificate of approval before being released. *July 28 †...
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Box Office Bomb
A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after release has technically "bombed", the term is more frequently used for major studio releases that were highly anticipated, extensively marketed and expensive to produce that ultimately failed commercially. Causes Negative word of mouth With the advent of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter in the 2000s, word of mouth regarding new films is easily spread and has had a marked effect on box office performance. A film's ability or failure to attract positive or negative commentary can strongly impact its performance at the box office, especially on the opening weekend. External circumstances Occasionally, films may underperform because of issues largely unrelated to the content of the film, such as the timing of the film's re ...
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Tom Ricketts
Thomas B. Ricketts (15 January 1853 – 19 January 1939) was an English-born American stage and film actor and director who was a pioneer in the film industry. He portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in the first American film adaptation of ''A Christmas Carol'' (1908), and directed one of the first motion pictures ever made in Hollywood. After directing scores of silent films, including the first film to be released by Universal Pictures, Ricketts became a prominent character actor. Biography Thomas B. RickettsAncestry.com. ''1920 United States Federal Census'' atabase online Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2010. Retrieved 2016-02-06. was born in Greenwich, London 15 January 1853, the son of Rosa (née Penniall) Robert Ricketts. His father was a painter and when Thomas was 17 years old he emigrated to the United States, and initially worked as a painter himself. However he soon moved into acting in the theatre and directed plays on Broadway for Charles Frohman. He was a sta ...
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Paul Hurst (actor)
Paul Causey Hurst (October 15, 1888 – February 27, 1953) was an American actor and director. Career Born in Traver, California, Hurst was half-Cherokee and half-Seneca. He was raised on a ranch. He appeared in hundreds of films during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. However, he got his start painting scenery as part of the backstage crew during the silent movie era. By 1911, he was active in films as an actor, writer and director. He freelanced and worked for many of the movie studios, building a solid reputation for his work both on and off screen. Hurst is best remembered for two roles: as the Yankee deserter who trespasses at Tara and is shot by Scarlett in ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939); and his memorable characterization of the drunken and sadistic vigilante Smith in ''The Ox Bow Incident'' (1943). However, he was most proud of his role as a crotchety, old rancher who refuses water to a Quaker family in the movie ''Angel and the Badman'', until John Wayne's character conv ...
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Ferdinand Gottschalk
Ferdinand Gottschalk (28 February 1858 – 10 November 1944) was an English theatre and film actor. He appeared in 76 films between 1917 and 1938. He was born and died in London, England. He made his first appearance on the stage in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1887 and worked continuously after that date including prominent parts on the New York stage as well as in films. He also wrote and produced plays. Complete filmography *'' Please Help Emily'' (1917) - Herbert Threadgold *''My Wife'' (1918) - Biggy Gore *'' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1920) - Old Man at table in music hall (uncredited) *''Zaza'' (1923) - Duke de Brissac *''Many Happy Returns'' (1930, Short) *'' Tonight or Never'' (1931) - Rudig *''Grand Hotel'' (1932) - Pimenov *''The Mask of Fu Manchu'' (1932) - British Museum Official (uncredited) *'' The Sign of the Cross'' (1932) - Glabrio *''Grand Slam'' (1933) - Cedric Van Dorn *'' Parole Girl'' (1933) - Taylor *''Girl Missing'' (1933) - Alvin Bradford *'' The Ke ...
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Jessie Ralph
Jessie Ralph Patton ( Chambers; November 5, 1864 – May 30, 1944), known as Jessie Ralph, was an American stage and screen actress, best known for her matronly roles in many classic films. Early life Jessie Ralph Chambers was the 13th child born to sailing captain James Chambers and his wife. Born in Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1864, she made her acting debut in stock theater in 1880, at age 16. Career Her Broadway debut came in ''The Kreutzer Sonata'' (1906), and her final appearance on Broadway came in ''The Good Earth'' (1932). Ralph debuted in two-reel films in New York in 1915 and went to Hollywood in 1933. in a movie career that spanned 25 years, she became a permanent Hollywood actress in 1933. She was nearly 70 then, so her parts were limited to matronly roles, but her expertise at stealing scenes captured the imagination of cinema-goers of the time. Her best-known roles are as Greta Garbo's maid in '' Camille'', as W.C. Fields' battle-axe of a mother-in-law in ...
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Lawrence Grant
Percy Reginald Lawrence-Grant (30 October 1870 in Bournemouth, Hampshire, England – 19 February 1952 in Santa Barbara, California, USA) was an English actor known for supporting roles in films such as ''The Living Ghost'', '' I'll Tell the World'', '' Shanghai Express'', ''The Mask of Fu Manchu'' and ''Son of Frankenstein''. He was host of the 4th Academy Awards ceremonies in 1931. Selected filmography * '' The Eternal City'' (1915) - English Ambassador * ''To Hell with the Kaiser!'' (1918) - The Kaiser / Robert Graubel * ''Someone Must Pay'' (1919) - Walter Hargrave * '' Held In Trust'' (1920) - Dr. Babcock * ''The Chorus Girl's Romance'' (1920) - Jose Brasswine * ''Someone in the House'' (1920) - Walter Hargrave * '' Extravagance'' (1921) - Uncle Mark * '' The Great Impersonation'' (1921) - Emperor William of Germany * ''The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln'' (1924) - Actor at Ford's Theatre * ''Happiness'' (1924) - Mr. Rosselstein * ''His Hour'' (1924) - Stephen Str ...
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