The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs (film)
''The Dark at the Top of the Stairs'' is a 1960 American drama film directed by Delbert Mann and starring Robert Preston and Dorothy McGuire. Shirley Knight garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress and Lee Kinsolving was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as Best Supporting Actor. Knight was also nominated for two Golden Globes. Mann's direction was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing in a Feature Film. The film was based on the Tony Award-nominated 1957 play of the same name by William Inge. Plot During Prohibition in Oklahoma, Rubin Flood is a successful harness and saddle salesman. However, with the advent of the automobile, his job is becoming more difficult. He considers his wife Cora demanding and an over-protective mother. When he learns his company is closing, he is unable to face her, and stops at a pharmacy to partake of "medicinal" alcohol. Cora is out with her daughter Reenie, buying a party dress. Rubin can ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Delbert Mann
Delbert Martin Mann Jr. (January 30, 1920 – November 11, 2007) was an American television and film director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film '' Marty'' (1955), adapted from a 1953 teleplay of the same name which he had also directed. From 1967 to 1971, he was president of the Directors Guild of America. In 2002, he received the DGA's honorary life member award. Mann was credited to have "helped bring TV techniques to the film world." Early life and education Delbert Martin Mann Jr. was born on January 30, 1920, in Lawrence, Kansas, to Delbert Mann Sr. and Ora (Patton) Mann (died 1961). His father taught sociology at the University of Kansas from 1920 to 1926. In 1926, the Manns left Lawrence and moved to Pennsylvania and then Chicago before finally settling in Nashville in 1931.George R. Zepp''Hidden History of Nashville'' The History Press, 2009 page 77 There, his father continued to teach sociology at the Scarritt College for Christian Wo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Charles Seel
Charles Seel (April 29, 1897 – April 19, 1980) was an American actor. He acted in over 30 films from 1938 to 1974 and appeared in over one hundred titles for television from 1952 to 1974. He was also credited as Charles Seal and Charles F. Seel.http://youknowthefacebutwhatsthename.blogspot.com.es/2006/12/charles-seel.html Charles Seel Biography Charles Seel was born in The Bronx, New York, on April 29, 1897. As a young man he worked for the Biograph Studios as a handyman in the wake of the crew. Later, he began acting on stage in vaudeville, then on Broadway, and then in radio before moving to Hollywood in 1937. He played the old man in the 1971 film, ''Duel''. For television, he played, among others, Otis in five episodes of the television series ''Tombstone Territory'' from 1957 to 1958, Doc Miller in two episodes of ''The Deputy'' in 1960, newspaper editor Mr. Krinkie in nine episodes of the series '' Dennis the Menace'' from 1959 to 1963, Barney Danches in 10 episodes of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nelson Leigh
Nelson Leigh (born Sydney Talbot Christie; January 1, 1905 – July 3, 1985) was an American motion picture actor of the 1940s and 1950s. Early years Born in Mississippi, Leigh was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Christie. He was a graduate of the University of Southern California, class of 1929. Career Leigh appeared on Broadway in ''Hamlet'' (1945). Leigh made over 130 appearances in motion pictures of the era, mainly in supporting roles. He appeared in the cult science fiction movie '' World Without End'' as Dr. Gailbraithe. Later in his career he appeared mainly on television, such as in the 1955 anthology drama series '' Police Call'' and in popular TV shows such as "Perry Mason", ''Bonanza'' and ''The F.B.I.'' and in a 1950 episode (#21) of the TV series ''The Lone Ranger'' He made regular appearances in the Christian television anthology series, '' This Is the Life'', in the recurring role of Pastor Martin. Leigh tended to play authority figures such as military ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Peg LaCentra
Margherita Maria Francesca LaCentra (c.1910 - June 1, 1996) was an American contralto singer, best known for her work on old-time radio and her singing with Artie Shaw's orchestra. She also performed as Barbara Fulton. Early years Born in Boston, LaCentra studied at the Fenway Academy of Dramatic Art and the New England Conservatory of Music and graduated from Katharine Gibbs College. Radio LaCentra worked as an announcer at WNAC and performed on WBZ radio in Boston before moving to New York in 1931 to work on network radio broadcasts. She performed on NBC programs, including ''Beauty Box Theater'', ''Circus Night in Silvertown'', and ''Lucky Smith''. In 1934, LaCentra was billed as Barbara Fulton when she sang with Leo Reisman's orchestra on radio. Use of the pseudonym was necessary because Reisman's sponsor was a competitor of the one for which she sang on another program. In December 1934, she began singing with Harry Reser and his orchestra on a new weekly program ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Paul Birch (actor)
Paul Birch (born Paul Lowery Smith; January 13, 1912 – May 24, 1969) was an American actor. He was a film star of 39 movies, 50 stage dramas, and numerous television series, including the ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'' (1951). Early life Birch was born Paul Lowery Smith in Atmore, Alabama. He attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute.Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 56-58. Career Television In the late 1950s, Birch starred, along with William Campbell, in the syndicated Canadian series ''Cannonball'' (1958), a half-hour drama/adventure show about truck drivers. He also was a regular in ''The Court of Last Resort'' on NBC in 1957-1958. He also appeared in one 1958 episode, Torn Flag, of the western series “The Restless Gun”. In the mid 1950s he appeared in magazine and TV ads as the first widely publicized "Cowboy" Marlboro Man. In 1959, Birch was cast as Sergeant Major Carmody, with Doug McClure ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ken Lynch
Kenneth E. Lynch (July 15, 1910 – February 13, 1990) was an American radio, film, and television actor with more than 180 credits to his name. He was generally known for portraying law enforcement officers and detectives. He may have been best known for his starring role as "the Lieutenant" on Dumont detective series ''The Plainclothesman'' (1949–1954), on which his face was never seen, and for his co-starring role as Sergeant Grover on '' McCloud''. Early life Kenneth Englehart Lynch was born on July 15, 1910 in Albany, New York, the only child of Bertha Dietzel and Charles William Lynch. His father was a native of Woburn, Massachusetts, who started his career as a coffee salesman, and then became a creamery owner in Troy, New York. His mother was from Yonkers, New York, a third generation German-American. The middle name, Englehart, a mark of his German ancestry, was his maternal grandmother's maiden name. Career Lynch made his acting career on radio series. In 1940, o ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Frank Overton
Frank Emmons Overton (March 12, 1918April 24, 1967) was an American actor. He was best known for the roles of Maj. Harvey Stovall in ''Twelve O'Clock High'' (1964-1967), Sheriff Heck Tate in ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' (1962) and General Bogan in ''Fail Safe'' (1964). Early life Overton was born in Babylon, New York on March 12, 1918. Career Overton's acting career began on the stage in New York City. His Broadway credits include ''The Desperate Hours'' (1954), ''The Trip to Bountiful'' (1953), ''Truckline Cafe'' (1945) and ''Jacobowsky and the Colonel'' (1943). Peter Gunn TV series 5/30/1960 , season 2 episode 35 " Letter of the Law". Played district attorney Henry Lockwood. Overton appeared in numerous television programs during the early 1950s and through the late 1960s. In 1959, he appeared in an episode of ''The Twilight Zone'' with Gig Young, called "Walking Distance". Overton also appeared in the episode titled "Mute" as Sheriff Harry Wheeler with Ann Jillian. Other TV w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New Mexico on the west, and Colorado on the northwest. Partially in the western extreme of the Upland South, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-most extensive and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 28th-most populous of the 50 United States. Its residents are known as Oklahomans and its capital and largest city is Oklahoma City. The state's name is derived from the Choctaw language, Choctaw words , 'people' and , which translates as 'red'. Oklahoma is also known informally by its List of U.S. state and territory nicknames, nickname, "Sooners, The Sooner State", in reference to the settlers who staked their claims on land before the official op ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Prohibition In The United States
In the United States from 1920 to 1933, a Constitution of the United States, nationwide constitutional law prohibition, prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. The alcohol industry was curtailed by a succession of state legislatures, and finally ended nationwide under the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified on January 16, 1919. Prohibition ended with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution, Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment on December 5, 1933. Led by Pietism, pietistic Protestantism in the United States, Protestants, prohibitionists first attempted to end the trade in alcoholic drinks during the 19th century. They aimed to heal what they saw as an ill society beset by alcohol-related problems such as alcoholism, Domestic violence, family violence, and Saloon bar, saloon-based political corruption. Many communities introduced al ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in Midtown Manhattan. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances. One is also given for regional theatre. Several discretionary non-competitive awards are given as well, including a Special Tony Award, the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, and the Isabelle Stevenson Award. The awards were founded by theatre producer and director Brock Pemberton and are named after Antoinette "Tony" Perry, an actress, producer and theatre director who was co-founder and secretary of the American Theatre Wing. The trophy consists of a spinnable medallion, with faces portraying an adaptation of the comedy and tragedy masks, mounted on a black base with a pewter swivel. The rules for the Tony Awards are set forth in the off ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Directors Guild Of America Award For Outstanding Directing – Feature Film
The Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures is one of the annual Directors Guild of America Awards presented by the Directors Guild of America. With 3 wins out of 12 nominations, Steven Spielberg is both the most awarded and most nominated director for this category in the history of DGA, and the first director to receive DGA nominations in six consecutive decades. Additionally, Alejandro G. Iñárritu is the only director to win twice successively; he was awarded in 2015 and 2016 for his directorial achievements for ''Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)'' and '' The Revenant'', respectively. Two directing teams have shared the award: Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins for ''West Side Story'' (1961) and Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for ''No Country for Old Men'' (2007). Predicting the Oscar's outcome This award has traditionally been a very good barometer for the Academy Award for Best Director. The DGA winner has always go ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |