One Night In The Tropics
''One Night in the Tropics'' is a 1940 comedy film which was the film debut of Abbott and Costello. They are listed as supporting actors but have major exposure with five of their classic routines, including an abbreviated version of "Who's On First?" Their work earned them a two-picture deal with Universal, and their next film, ''Buck Privates'', made them bona fide stars. Songs in the film were by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The film is based on a 1914 novel, ''Love Insurance'' by Earl Derr Biggers, the creator of Charlie Chan. It was filmed as a silent movie in 1919 as '' Love Insurance'' by Paramount with Bryant Washburn and Lois Wilson, and in 1925 by Universal as ''The Reckless Age''. Plot Jim "Lucky" Moore, an insurance salesman, devises a novel policy for his friend, Steve: a 'love insurance policy', that will pay out $1-million if Steve does not marry his fiancée, Cynthia. Encouraged by Jim's argument that Jim has never had to pay out on a policy so tha ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Leonard Spigelgass
Leonard Spigelgass (November 26, 1908 – February 15, 1985) was an American film producer and screenwriter. During his career, Spigelgass wrote the scripts for 11 Academy Award-winning films. He himself was nominated in 1950 for the story for '' Mystery Street'' and garnered three Writers Guild of America nominations over the course of his career. Biography Life Born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, Spigelgass graduated from New York University in 1929. He was a literary and drama critic for ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and the ''Saturday Review of Literature'' before moving to Hollywood. Fox Spigelglass got his start collaborating on the script for Erich von Stroheim's '' Walking Down Broadway'' at Fox Films. After the film was shot, studio executives ordered the film to be re-edited and re-shot; it was released under the new title '' Hello, Sister!'' (1933). Spigelglass worked as assistant to Julian Josephson, head of story at Fox. Spigelglass was also credited as writer ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Who's On First?
"Who's on First?" is a comedy routine made famous by American comedy duo Abbott and Costello. The premise of the sketch is that Abbott is identifying the players on a baseball team for Costello. However, the players' names can simultaneously serve as the basis for questions (e.g., "''Who'' is the first baseman?") and responses (e.g., "The first baseman's name is "''Who''."), leading to repeated misinterpretations and growing frustration between the performers. History "Who's on First?" is descended from turn-of-the-century burlesque sketches that used plays on words and names. Examples are "The Baker Scene" (the shop is located on Watt Street) and "Who Dyed" (the owner is named "Who"). In the 1930 movie '' Cracked Nuts'', comedians Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey examine a map of a mythical kingdom with dialogue like this: "What is next to Which." "What is the name of the town next to Which?" "Yes." In British music halls, comedian Will Hay performed a routine in the early 19 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Larry Steers
Lawrence Wells Steers (February 14, 1888 – February 15, 1951) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 550 films between 1917 and 1951. He was born in Indiana, and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Partial filmography * ''Old Wives for New'' (1918) * ''The City of Dim Faces'' (1918) * '' A Pair of Silk Stockings'' (1918) * ''Little Comrade'' (1919) * ''Heartsease'' (1919) * '' The Roaring Road'' (1919) (uncredited) * '' The Right of Way'' (1920) * '' Dollar for Dollar'' (1920) * ''Wealth'' (1921) * '' The Blot'' (1921) (uncredited) * '' Elope If You Must'' (1922) * ''Bell Boy 13'' (1923) (uncredited) * ''Mind Over Motor'' (1923) * ''Soul of the Beast'' (1923) * ''The Girl in the Limousine'' (1924) * '' Ten Scars Make a Man'' (1924) * ''A Cafe in Cairo'' (1924) * ''Paint and Powder'' (1925) * ''The Love Gamble'' (1925) * ''Wild West'' (1925) * '' New Brooms'' (1925) * '' The Best People'' (1925) * ''Flattery'' (1925) * '' Hearts and Spangles'' (1926) * '' T ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Edgar Dearing
Edgar Dearing (May 4, 1893 – August 17, 1974) was an American actor who became heavily type cast as a motorcycle cop in Hollywood films. Biography Born in 1893, Dearing started in silent comedy shorts for Hal Roach, including several with Laurel and Hardy, notably in their classic ''Two Tars'', probably his best ever screen role. He later had supporting roles in several of their features for 20th Century Fox in the 1940s. Dearing continued in his familiar persona until the early 1950s, when he appeared in many film and television westerns, usually as a sheriff. One of his guest roles was on the syndicated television series, '' The Range Rider'', starring Jock Mahoney and Dick Jones. He was still active in films and television until he retired in the early 1960s. Death He died from lung cancer. Selected filmography * '' Hot Water'' (1924) * '' The Second Hundred Years'' (1927) * '' Should Men Walk Home?'' (1927) * ''Why Girls Love Sailors'' (1927) * '' Playin' Hookey' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Don Alvarado
Don Alvarado (born José Ray Paige, November 4, 1904 – March 31, 1967) was an American actor, assistant director and film production manager. Life and career Born Jose Paige in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Alvarado first studied agriculture on his father's sheep and cattle ranch. In 1922, at just age 18 he ran away from home and went to Los Angeles, hoping to find acting work in the fledgling silent film industry. He secured work in a sweet factory before getting into the films working as an extra. While in Los Angeles, he became close friends with the México-born actor, Luis Antonio Dámaso de Alonso, who would later be known as Gilbert Roland. The struggling young actors shared a place for a time. Alvarado soon met and fell in love with aspiring actress, sixteen-year-old Ann Boyar, the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants. They married in 1924. Later that year they had a daughter, actress Joy Page. Studio head, Jack L. Warner, fell in love with Ann and convinced her ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Leo Carrillo
Leopoldo Antonio Carrillo (; August 6, 1880 – September 10, 1961), known professionally as Leo Carrillo, was an American actor, vaudevillian, political cartoonist, and conservationist. He was best known for playing Pancho in the television series '' The Cisco Kid'' (1950–1956) and in several films. Biography Family roots Leo Carrillo was a member of the Carrillo family of California, a prominent Californio family, and traced his ancestry through California, Mexico, and Spain to the year 1260. His great-great grandfather José Raimundo Carrillo (1749–1809), was a soldier in the Spanish Portolá expedition colonization of Las Californias, arriving in San Diego on July 1, 1769. Franciscan Friar Junípero Serra performed the marriage ceremony for Don Jose Raimundo and Tomasa Ignacia Lugo in 1781. His great-grandfather Carlos Antonio Carrillo (1783–1852) was governor of Alta California (1837–38). His great-uncle, José Antonio Carrillo, was a three-time mayo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mary Boland
Mary Boland (born Marie Anne Boland; January 28, 1882 – June 23, 1965) was an American stage and film actress. Early years Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Boland was the daughter of repertory actor William Augustus Boland, and his wife Mary Cecilia Hatton. She had an older sister named Sara. The family later moved to Detroit. Boland went to school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Detroit. By age fifteen she had left school and was performing on stage. In 1901, she began acting on stage with a local stock theater company. Career She debuted on Broadway in 1907 in the play ''The Ranger'' with Dustin Farnum and had appeared in eleven Broadway productions, notably with John Drew, becoming his "leading lady in New York and on the road." She made her silent film debut for Triangle Studios in 1915. She entertained soldiers in France during World War I and then returned to America. After appearing in nine movies, she left filmmaking in 1920, returning to the stage an ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Underwriting
Underwriting (UW) services are provided by some large financial institutions, such as banks, insurance companies and investment houses, whereby they guarantee payment in case of damage or financial loss and accept the financial risk for liability arising from such guarantee. An underwriting arrangement may be created in a number of situations including insurance, issues of security in a public offering, and bank lending, among others. The person or institution that agrees to sell a minimum number of securities of the company for commission is called the underwriter. History The term "underwriting" derives from the Lloyd's of London insurance market. Financial backers (or risk takers), who would accept some of the risk on a given venture (historically a sea voyage with associated risks of shipwreck) in exchange for a premium, would literally write their names under the risk information that was written on a Lloyd's slip created for this purpose. Securities underwriting In th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lois Wilson (actress)
Lois Wilson (June 28, 1894 – March 3, 1988) was an American actress who worked during the silent film era. She also directed two short films and was a scenario writer. Early life Born to Andrew Kenley Wilson and Constance (née Coolidge) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wilson's family moved to Alabama when she was still very young. She earned a degree from Alabama Normal College (now the University of West Alabama), and became a school teacher for young children, soon leaving to pursue a film career. In 1915, Wilson moved to California after winning a beauty contest put on by Universal Studios and the Birmingham News. This pageant was the predecessor to the Miss Alabama/Miss America pageant system, and Wilson is considered the first Miss Alabama. Upon arriving in Hollywood, she auditioned and was hired by the Victor Film Company for several small film roles. In 1916, she visited Chicago, where she met pioneer female film director Lois Weber, who gave her a small part in her f ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bryant Washburn
Franklin Bryant Washburn III (April 28, 1889 – April 30, 1963) was an American film actor who appeared in more than 370 films between 1911 and 1947. Washburn's parents were Franklin Bryant Washburn II and Metha Catherine Johnson Washburn. He attended Lake View High School in Chicago. Washburn's early acting experience came in stock theater. He debuted in film in 1911 with Essanay Studios. He quickly became a comedy star after appearing in films such as ''Skinner's Baby'' and ''Skinner's Dress Suit'' in 1917. His second marriage was to actress Virginia Vance. They had a child together. He died from a heart attack in Hollywood. His interment was located in Culver City, California's Holy Cross Cemetery. His son, Bryant Washburn, Jr. (1915–1960), was also an actor, a major in the US Air Force Reserve, served during World War II and Korea, and predeceased him. Selected filmography * '' The Dark Romance of a Tobacco Tin'' (1911, short) as Telegraph Clerk * '' Saved from t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Love Insurance
''Love Insurance'' is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Donald Crisp, produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based on the novel of the same name by Earl Derr Biggers, ''Love Insurance''. ''Love Insurance'' was later remade in 1924 as ''The Reckless Age'' and in sound era in 1940 as ''One Night in the Tropics''. Plot As described in a film magazine, Lord Allan Harrowby (Elliott), upon arriving in America to wed an heiress, goes to the New York office of Lloyd's of London and insures against the lady changing her mind. Dick Minot (Washburn), assistant manager of the office, is assigned to the task of preventing that occurrence. He meets Cynthia Meyrick (Wilson), the lady in question, but not knowing her identity falls in love with her. However, business is his first thought and when she decides that she does not love her fiancé and is about to break her engagement, he does all in his power to bring about the wedding. This inv ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Silent Movie
''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in the summer of 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and Sid Caesar, with cameos by Anne Bancroft, Liza Minnelli, Burt Reynolds, James Caan, Marcel Marceau, and Paul Newman as themselves. The film is produced in the manner of a 20th-century silent film with intertitles instead of spoken dialogue (hence the name); the soundtrack consists almost entirely of accompanying music and sound effects. It is an affectionate parody of slapstick comedies, including those of Charlie Chaplin, Mack Sennett, and Buster Keaton. The film satirizes the film industry, presenting the story of a film producer trying to obtain studio support to make a silent film in the then-present 1970s. Plot Mel Funn (Mel Brooks), a once-great Hollywood film director, is now recovering from a drinking problem and down on his luc ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |