|
The Comedian (1957 TV Drama)
"The Comedian" is a 1957 live television drama written by Rod Serling from a novella by Ernest Lehman, directed by John Frankenheimer, and starring Mickey Rooney, Edmond O'Brien, Kim Hunter, Mel Tormé and Constance Ford. Rooney's portrayal of a lecherous, vicious comedian who tears down everyone around him was widely praised. The 90-minute drama was part of the anthology series ''Playhouse 90'' on February 14, 1957. The show was captured on kinescope and is available on DVD. Rosenbaum, Jonathan (April 11, 2009)"THE COMEDIAN (1957)"/ref> Opening narration and introduction by Claudette Colbert "Live — from Television City in Hollywood — ''Playhouse 90'' — Tonight starring Mickey Rooney, Edmond O'Brien, Kim Hunter, Mel Tormé, Constance Ford. On ''Playhouse 90'', to introduce tonight's show, Miss Claudette Colbert." laudette Colbert stars in the February 21 episode, "One Coat of White". Many installments of ''Playhouse 90'' were introduced by stars of episodes scheduled fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Playhouse 90
''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology series, anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of the mid-1950s usually were hour-long shows, the title highlighted the network's intention to present something unusual: a weekly series of hour-and-a-half-long dramas rather than 60-minute plays. Background The producers of the show were Martin Manulis, John Houseman, Russell Stoneman, Fred Coe, Arthur Penn, and Hubbell Robinson. The leading director was John Frankenheimer (27 episodes), followed by Franklin J. Schaffner (19 episodes). Other directors included Sidney Lumet, George Roy Hill, Delbert Mann, and Robert Mulligan. With Alex North's opening theme music, the series debuted October 4, 1956 with Rod Serling's Forbidden Area (Playhouse 90), adaptation of Pat Frank's novel ''Forbidden Area (Playhouse 90), Forbidden Area ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956 Film)
''Somebody Up There Likes Me'' is a 1956 American drama film directed by Robert Wise and starring Paul Newman and Pier Angeli, based on the life of middleweight boxing legend Rocky Graziano. The supporting cast features Everett Sloane, Eileen Heckart, Harold J. Stone, Sal Mineo, and Robert Loggia. Steve McQueen has a brief unbilled speaking role as Fidel. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, and won two: Best Cinematography (Black and White) (Joseph Ruttenberg) and Best Art Direction (Black and White) (Cedric Gibbons, Malcolm Brown, Edwin B. Willis, F. Keogh Gleason). It lost its nomination for Best Film Editing to ''Around the World in 80 Days''. Plot Rocky Graziano (Paul Newman) has a difficult childhood and is beaten by his father. He joins a street gang, and undergoes a long history of criminal activities. He is sent to prison, where he is rebellious to all authority figures. After his release, he is drafted by the U.S. Army, but runs away. Needing m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack Gould
John Ludlow Gould (February 5, 1914 – May 24, 1993) was an American journalist and critic, who wrote commentary about television. Early life and education Gould was born in New York City into a socially prominent family and attended the Loomis School. Career He started as a copy boy at the ''New York Herald Tribune'' in 1932. In 1937 he moved to ''The New York Times'', writing for the drama department and in the 1940s writing also about radio. In 1944 he became the newspaper's radio critic, and in 1948 the chief television reporter and critic. At one point he had eight people working under him. In the early 1960s he was a CBS executive for a short time but returned to the ''Times''. Gould's columns and reviews (along with those of rival John Crosby of the ''Herald Tribune'') were widely read by decision makers in the fledgling medium of television, and Gould had many professional and personal relationships with prominent industry figures such as Edward R. Murrow and Fred Frien ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Texaco Star Theater
''Texaco Star Theater'' was an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1949 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave Milton Berle the nickname "Mr. Television". The classic 1940–1944 version of the program, hosted by radio's Fred Allen, was followed by a radio series on ABC (the former NBC Blue) in the spring of 1948. When Texaco (now Chevron Corporation) first took it to television on NBC on June 8, 1948, the show had a huge cultural impact. Once Texaco ended its sponsorship in 1953, the show became known as ''The Milton Berle Show'' for its final few seasons. Radio The roots of ''Texaco Star Theater'' were in a 1930s radio hit, ''Ed Wynn, the Fire Chief'', featuring the manic "Perfect Fool" in a half-hour of vaudevillian routines interspersed with music. Wynn's ratings began to slide and the comedian lapsed amidst personal and professional crises, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sweet Smell Of Success
''Sweet Smell of Success'' is a 1957 American film noir drama film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, and Martin Milner, and written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman, and Mackendrick from the novelette by Lehman. The shadowy noir cinematography filmed on location in New York City was shot by James Wong Howe. The picture was produced by James Hill of Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions and released by United Artists. The supporting cast features Sam Levene, Barbara Nichols, Joe Frisco, Edith Atwater, David White and Emile Meyer. The musical score was arranged and conducted by Elmer Bernstein and the film also features jazz performances by the Chico Hamilton Quintet. Mary Grant designed the costumes. The film tells the story of powerful and sleazy newspaper columnist J.J. Hunsecker (portrayed by Lancaster and based on Walter Winchell) who uses his connections to ruin his sister's relationship with a man he deems unworthy of h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname The Old Redhead. At the peak of his success, in the early-to-mid 1950s, Godfrey was heard on radio and seen on television up to six days a week, sometimes for as many as nine separate broadcasts for CBS. His programs included ''Arthur Godfrey Time'' (Monday-Friday mornings on radio and television), ''Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts'' (Monday evenings on radio and television), '' Arthur Godfrey and His Friends'' (Wednesday evenings on television), ''The Arthur Godfrey Digest'' (Friday evenings on radio) and ''King Arthur Godfrey and His Round Table'' (Sunday afternoons on radio). The infamous on-air firing of cast member Julius La Rosa in 1953 tainted his down-to-earth, family-man image and resulted in a marked decline in popularity which he was never able to overcome. Over the following two years, Godfrey fired ov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red Buttons
Red Buttons (born Aaron Chwatt; February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the 1957 film ''Sayonara''. He was nominated for awards for his acting work in films such as '' They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'', ''Harlow'', and '' Pete's Dragon''. Buttons played the lead role of Private John Steele, the paratrooper hung up on the town steeple clock, in the 1962 international ensemble cast film '' The Longest Day''. Early life Red Buttons was born Aaron Chwatt on February 5, 1919, in Manhattan, New York City, to Jewish immigrants Sophie (née Baker) and Michael Chwatt. At 16 years old, Chwatt got a job as an entertaining bellhop at Ryan's Tavern in City Island, the Bronx, New York City. The combination of his red hair and the large, shiny buttons on the bellhop uniforms inspired orchestra leader Charles "Dinty" Moore to call him "Red Buttons", the name under which he would later perform. La ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Milton Berle
Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and television. As the host of NBC's ''Texaco Star Theatre'' (1948–1953), he was the first major American television star and was known to millions of viewers as "Uncle Miltie" and "Mr. Television" during the first Golden Age of Television. He was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in both radio and TV. Early life Milton Berle was born into a Jewish family in a five-story walkup at 68 W. 118th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. His given name was Mendel Berlinger, but he chose Milton Berle as his professional name when he was 16. His father, Moses Berlinger (1872–1938), was a paint and varnish salesman. His mother, Sarah (Sadie) Glantz Berlinger (1877–1954), changed her name to Sandra Berle when ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eddie Ryder
Eddie Ryder (January 23, 1923 – March 29, 1997) was an American television and film actor, as well as a writer and television director. Ryder was born in New York City and died in El Paso, Texas. Career Ryder was a veteran of 92 movies and television programs. His television career began at age 29 playing a high school boy on the December 26, 1953 '' Adventures of Superman'' episode titled ''My Friend Superman'' with George Reeves, Jack Larson, and Noel Neill. Ryder preceded this with playing Ronald on the January 31, 1953 '' Space Patrol'' episode ''Runaway Planetoid''. 1950s Ryder would go on in the 1950s to appear in several TV series, many as an uncredited actor, and top films. *Television: He then performed in John Drew Barrymore's ''Matinee Theater'' episode of ''The Alumni Reunion'' which aired September 26, 1956 with Don Keefer and Constance Ford. He continued on in minor TV roles on ''The Ford Television Theatre'' and ''Goodyear Theatre,'' ''Casey Jones,'' ''M Squad, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
