The Doll Family
The Doll Family was an American quartet of sibling entertainers with dwarfism from Stolpen, Germany. They were popular performers in circuses and sideshows in the United States from the mid-1910s until their retirement in 1958. The family members—Gracie, Harry, Daisy and Tiny—also appeared briefly in films; they were best known as members of The Munchkins in the 1939 MGM film '' The Wizard of Oz''. Harry and Daisy, billed as Harry Earles and Daisy Earles respectively, both starred in the cult classic film ''Freaks''; Tiny also made a brief appearance in the film. Members History Early years The Doll family were four of seven children born to Amelia Emma Preusche and Gustav Schneider in Stolpen, Germany.. They were encouraged by their father to work in the entertainment field, taking advantage of their "hypopituitary" status. Kurt and Frieda were the first to migrate to California in 1916, after they met Bert W. Earles and his wife, who became their agents. The Earles h ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stolpen
Stolpen ( hsb, Stołpin) is a town in the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, in Saxony, Germany. It is a historical town, that grew at the foot of the ''Schloßberg'' with the castle ''Burg Stolpen''. Burg Stolpen Burg Stolpen is a castle built on top of the Schloßberg. The first defensive works were built about 1100 and it was first documented in 1222. Owned by the Bishop of Meißen for nearly 350 years, it passed to the Electorate of Saxony and was expanded in Renaissance style. In 1675 it was further expanded as a fortress. Anna Constantia von Brockdorff, Countess of Cosel, was imprisoned in the castle from 1716 until her death in 1765. The castle fell into disrepair towards the end of the 18th century. It became a museum in 1875, and has been partly restored since then. Schloßberg Schloßberg is a hill just to the south of the town formed of prominent basalt columns. It is the formation referred to by Georgius Agricola when he coined the term ''basalt''. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lon Chaney, Sr
Lon or LON may refer to: People * Lon (photographer), pseudonym of Alonzo Hanagan, also known as "Lon of New York" * Lon (name), a list of people with the given name, nickname or surname Fictional characters * Lon Cohen, a character in the Nero Wolfe novels by Rex Stout * Lon Suder, a character on the television series ''Star Trek: Voyager'' LON * Launch on Need, a Space Shuttle rescue mission which would have been mounted to rescue the crew of a Space Shuttle if needed * League of Nations, the first permanent international organization for maintaining world peace, the predecessor of the United Nations * Local Operating Network, a networking platform by Echelon Corporation * Local oxidation nanolithography, a nanofabrication technique Other uses * ''Lon'' (butterfly), a genus of butterflies * Lon protease family, in molecular biology * lon., abbreviation for longitude * LON, the IATA airport code covering all airports within the London area of the United Kingdom, see Air ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lollipop Guild
''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). An adaptation of L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's fantasy novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', the film was primarily directed by Victor Fleming (who left the production to take over the troubled ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind''), and stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton (actress), Margaret Hamilton. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but others made uncredited contributions. The music was composed by Harold Arlen and adapted by Herbert Stothart, with the lyrics written by Yip Harburg, Edgar "Yip" Harburg. Characterized by its use of Technicolor, fantasy storytelling, musical score, and memorable characters, the film was considered a critical success and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Academy Award for Best Pictur ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Yellow Brick Road
The yellow brick road is a fictional element in the 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by American author L. Frank Baum. The road also appears in the several sequel Oz books such as ''The Marvelous Land of Oz'' (1904) and ''The Patchwork Girl of Oz'' (1913). The road's most notable portrayal is in the classic 1939 MGM musical film '' The Wizard of Oz'', loosely based on Baum's first Oz book. In the novel's first edition the road is mostly referred to as the ''"Road of Yellow Bricks''". In the original story and in later films based on it such as ''The Wiz'' (1978), Dorothy Gale must find the road before embarking on her journey, as the tornado did not deposit her farmhouse directly in front of it as in the 1939 film. Road's history The following is an excerpt from the third chapter of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', in which Dorothy sets off to see the Wizard:There were several roads nearby, but it did not take Dorothy long to find the one paved with yellow bri ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Munchkins
A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. They first appear in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) where they welcome Dorothy Gale to their city in Oz. The Munchkins are described as being the same height as Dorothy and they wear only shades of blue clothing, as blue is the Munchkins' favorite color. Blue is also the predominating color that officially represents the eastern quadrant in the Land of Oz. The Munchkins have appeared in various media, including the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'', as well as in various other films and comedy acts. Concept While Baum may have written about it, there are no surviving notes for the composition of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''. The lack of this information has resulted in mere speculation of the term origins he used in the book, which include the word ''Munchkin''. Baum researcher Brian Attebery has hypothesized that there might be a connecti ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Spurs (short Story)
"Spurs" is a short story by Tod Robbins. The story was published in February 1923 in ''Munsey's Magazine'' and included in Robbins' 1926 short story collection ''Who Wants a Green Bottle? and Other Uneasy Tales''. In 1932 the story became the basis for the Tod Browning produced film '' Freaks''. Plot summary In a small travelling circus in France, dwarf performer Jacques has fallen in love with the troupe's bareback rider, Jeanne Marie. He proposes marriage and she accepts, because she has learned of his recent large inheritance. She is really in love with her partner Simon, and she plans to marry him after what she believes will be an imminent death for Jacques. At the couple's wedding feast, Jeanne Marie drunkenly insults her new husband, declaring that she could carry her "little ape" on her shoulders from one side of France to the other. A year later, Jacques has retired and taken Jeanne Marie to live on his estate. One night Simon discovers Jeanne Marie on his doorstep. She be ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tod Robbins
Clarence Aaron Robbins (25 June 1888 – May 10, 1949), billed as C.A Robbins and better known as Tod Robbins, was an American author of horror and mystery fiction, particularly novels and short story collections. Biography Robbins was born in Brooklyn, June 25, 1888. He attended Washington and Lee University ( Lexington, Virginia) and—along with Mark W. Sheafe (1884?–1949) and Thornton Whitney Allen (1890–1944)—wrote the college song "Washington and Lee Swing." Sheafe wrote the tune in 1905, Allen set the music down on paper in 1909 and Robbins provided the words. The completed version was published in 1910. Robbins authored two short story collections and several novels. His work often contains bizarre and frightening plots, sometimes influenced by writers like Oscar Wilde (Robbins' "The Living Portrait" is a homage to ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'')Brian Stableford, "Robbins, Tod", in David Pringle, ed., ''St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers'' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 and based in Beverly Hills, California. MGM was formed by Marcus Loew by combining Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and Louis B. Mayer Productions, Louis B. Mayer Pictures into one company. It hired a number of well known actors as contract players—its slogan was "more stars than there are in heaven"—and soon became Hollywood's most prestigious film studio, producing popular musical films and winning many Academy Awards. MGM also owned film studios, movie lots, movie theaters and technical production facilities. Its most prosperous era, from 1926 to 1959, was bracketed by two productions of ''Ben-Hur (1959 film), Ben Hur''. After that, it divested itself of the Loews movie theater chain, and, in the 1960s, diversified ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Oliver Hardy
Oliver Norvell Hardy (born Norvell Hardy; January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his comedy partner Stan Laurel in 107 short films, feature films, and cameo roles. He was credited with his first film, ''Outwitting Dad'', in 1914. In most of his silent films before joining producer Hal Roach, he was billed on screen as Babe Hardy. Early life and education Oliver Hardy was born Norvell Hardy in Harlem, Georgia. His father, Oliver, was a Confederate States Army veteran of the American Civil War who had been wounded at the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, and was a recruiting officer for Company K, 16th Georgia Regiment. The elder Oliver Hardy assisted his father in running the remnants of the family's cotton plantation. He then bought a share in a retail business and was elected full-time Tax Collector for Columbia Co ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stan Laurel
Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, writer, and film director who was one half of the comedy double act, duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Hardy in 107 short films, feature films, and cameo roles. Laurel began his career in music hall, where he developed a number of his standard comic devices, including the bowler hat, the deep comic gravity, and the nonsensical understatement. His performances polished his skills at pantomime and music hall sketches. He was a member of "Fred Karno's Army", where he was Charlie Chaplin's understudy.McCabe 2005, p. 143. Robson, 2005 Retrieved: 18 June 2012. He and Chaplin arrived in the United States on the same ship from the United Kingdom with the Karno troupe. Laurel began his film career in 1917 and made his final appearance in 1951. He appeared with his comic partner Oliver Hardy in the film short ''The Lucky Dog'' in 1921, although they di ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jack Conway (film-maker)
Hugh Ryan "Jack" Conway (July 17, 1887 – October 11, 1952) was an American film director and film producer, as well as an actor of many films in the first half of the 20th century. Biography He was born as Hugh Ryan Conway, on July 17, 1887, in Graceville, Minnesota, USA. Conway started out as an actor, joining a repertory theater group straight out of high school. He then moved into films, and in 1911, became a member of D.W. Griffith's stock company, appearing primarily in Westerns. Four years later, he made his mark as a director and gained valuable experience at Universal (1916–17 and 1921–23), before moving on to MGM in 1925. He remained there until 1948, often helming prestige assignments featuring the studio's top male star, Clark Gable: ''Boom Town'' (1940), ''Honky Tonk'' (1941), and ''The Hucksters'' (1947) – all solid box-office hits. Conway was one of a team of MGM contract directors, who forsook any pretense to a specific individual style in favor of work ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Remake
A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same story as the original but uses a different cast, and may alter the theme or change the story's setting. A similar but not synonymous term is reimagining, which indicates a greater discrepancy between, for example, a movie and the movie it is based on. Film A film remake uses an earlier movie as its main source material, rather than returning to the earlier movie's source material. 2001's ''Ocean's Eleven'' is a remake of 1960's ''Ocean's 11'', while 1989's '' Batman'' is a re-interpretation of the comic book source material which also inspired 1966's '' Batman''. In 1998, Gus Van Sant produced an almost shot-for-shot remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film '' Psycho''. With the exception of shot-for-shot remakes, most remakes make sig ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |