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One Big Mistake
''One Big Mistake'' is a 1940 American film starring Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham. The featurette film recreated one of Markham's stage routines for film. The story involves a straightman approaching three comedians and offering them advice on how to handle women. Markham wrote and produced the film. It was filmed in four days with an African American cast. Toddy Pictures rereleased the film in 1947 as part of a compilation of Markham films. Cast *Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham *Lillian Randolph Lillian Randolph (December 14, 1898 – September 12, 1980) was an American actress and singer, a veteran of radio, film, and television. She worked in entertainment from the 1930s until shortly before her death. She appeared in hundreds of radi ... * Monte Hawley *Millie Monroe References 1940 films American black-and-white films {{1940s-comedy-film-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham
Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham (April 18, 1904 – December 13, 1981) was an African American entertainer. Though best known as a comedian, Markham was also a singer, dancer, and actor. His nickname came from a stage routine, in which he declared himself to be "Sweet Poppa Pigmeat". He was sometimes credited in films as Pigmeat "Alamo" Markham, and he is also known for what is considered some of the earliest hip hop, with his song " Here Comes the Judge". Early life and career Markham was born in the community of Hayti in Durham, North Carolina. His family was the most prominent on their street, which came to be called (and later officially named) Markham Street in the Hayti District. Markham began his career in traveling music and burlesque shows. For a time he was a member of Bessie Smith's Traveling Revue in the 1920s. Later, he claimed he originated the ''Truckin' ''dance which became nationally popular at the start of the 1930s. In the 1940s he started making film appearances. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Featurette
In the American film industry, a featurette is a kind of film that is shorter than a full-length feature, but longer than a short film. The term may refer to either of two types of content: a shorter film or a companion film. Medium-length films A featurette is a film usually of three to four reels in length, or about 22–43 minutes in running time, thus longer than a two-reel short subject but shorter than a feature film. Hence, it is a "small feature" (the ending " -ette" is a common diminutive suffix derived from French), and in fact featurettes were sometimes called "streamlined features". Featurette was commonly used from before the start of the sound era into the 1960s, when films of such length as the Hal Roach's Streamliners—and several French films of that length—ceased being made, or were made as experimental or art films and subsumed under the more general rubric of short film. Some featurettes are still being produced, notably the action comedy ''Kung Fu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toddy Pictures
Toddy Pictures Company was a film distribution and production company. It was founded by in 1941 by Ted Toddy (1900-1983) in a consolidation of his film businesses under the new name. The film company specialized in African-American films. Toddy was born in Russia. He worked for more than a decade at major studios before establishing Dixie National Pictures in Atlanta. He was involved in efforts to distribute the 1936 film Polygamy (film), ''Polygamy'' which ran into censorship hurdles and Joseph Breen. He added Million Dollar Productions to his business in 1940. Toddy re-released Million Dollar Productions films with new titles and marketing. Toddy marketed light comedies with outdoor scenes and plenty of musical performances to Black audiences. Filmography *''Harlem on the Prairie (1937), distributor of a Sack Amusements film *''Polygamy (film)'' (1939), distributor for the Unusual Pictures film *''Up Jumped the Devil'' (1940), a Dixie National Pictures production *''Prison Ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lillian Randolph
Lillian Randolph (December 14, 1898 – September 12, 1980) was an American actress and singer, a veteran of radio, film, and television. She worked in entertainment from the 1930s until shortly before her death. She appeared in hundreds of radio shows, motion pictures, short subjects, and television shows. Randolph is most recognized for appearing in ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946), ''Magic'' (1978), and her final onscreen project, ''The Onion Field'' (1979). She prominently contributed her voice to the character Mammy Two Shoes in nineteen ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons released between 1940 and 1952. Career Early years Born Castello Randolph in Knoxville, Tennessee, she was the younger sister of actress Amanda Randolph. The daughter of a Methodist minister and a teacher, she began her professional career singing on local radio in Cleveland and Detroit. At Detroit's WXYZ, she was noticed by George W. Trendle, station owner and developer of ''The Lone Ranger''. He got her into ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monte Hawley
Monte Hawley (? - November 30, 1950) was an American actor from Chicago, Illinois. Biography He began his entertainment career as one of the original Lafayette Players. He studied under Richard B. Harrison and, after moving to New York City, acted in works on Broadway. He then moved to Hollywood and appeared in movies, including Oscar Micheaux's first film production. He was an actor in, and stage manager for, the original traveling production of the play '' Anna Lucasta''. According to the ''Philadelphia Tribune'', Hawley was considered one of the most prominent Black "stage and screen actors". He was in several theatrical productions on Broadway. Hawley died on November 30, 1950, in New York City. Filmography *''A Son of Satan'' (1924) *'' Life Goes On'', as District Attorney *''The Duke Is Tops'' (1938), as George Marshall *'' Double Deal'' (1939), as Jim McCoy *''Reform School'' (1939), as Jackson *''Four Shall Die'' (1940), as Dr. Hugh Leonard (credited as Monty Hawley ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1940 Films
The year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney films ''Pinocchio'' and ''Fantasia''. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1940 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events * February 10 – Tom and Jerry make their debut in the animated cartoon '' Puss Gets the Boot''. *February 23 – Walt Disney's second animated feature film ''Pinocchio'' is released. Although not a box office success upon its initial release, the film receives critical acclaim and wins two Academy Awards, including one for Best Original Song for " When You Wish Upon a Star". Over the years, ''Pinocchio'' has gained a cult following and is now considered one of the greatest films of all time. * April 12 – Alfred Hitchcock's first American film '' Rebecca'' is released, under the production of David O. Selznick. It would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture the following year. * May 17 – ''My Favorite Wife'' i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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