The Golden Fleecing (film)
''The Golden Fleecing'' is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Leslie Fenton and written by S. J. Perelman, Laura Perelman and Marion Parsonnet. The film stars Lew Ayres, Rita Johnson, Lloyd Nolan, Virginia Grey, Leon Errol and Nat Pendleton. The film was released on August 16, 1940, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Plot Mary Blake insists that mild-mannered insurance salesman Henry Twinkle demand a raise if they intend to get married. Henry earns praise and a raise from his boss when he sells a valuable policy to a man named Gus Fender. Fender turns out to be a gangster with a huge reward for anyone who brings him in, dead or alive. Henry's furious boss orders him to personally assure Fender does not end up dead. Fender and his moll, Lila Hanley, however, dupe Henry into a scheme in which they will end up with the reward money themselves. Henry foolishly tries to pay them with a check. Mary, who quit her job after Henry's raise, bemoans his acceptance of a worthless stock and even ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Leslie Fenton
Leslie Fenton (12 March 1902 – 25 March 1978) was an English actor and film director. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1923 and 1945. Early life Fenton was born on 12 March 1902 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. He emigrated to America with his mother, Elizabeth Carter Fenton, and his brothers when he was six years old. They sailed as steerage passengers on board the R.M.S. ''Celtic'', which departed from Liverpool, 11 September 1909, and arrived at New York, where they were ferried over to Ellis Island for "U.S. Immigrant Inspection" on 19 September. They were quickly admitted and continued their journey by rail to join his father, shoe manufacturer's representative Richard Fenton, in Mifflin, Ohio. Career As a teenager, Leslie worked as an office clerk. He moved to New York and began a career on the stage. His film career began later with Fox Studios. He also directed 19 films between 1938 and 1951. Military service Fenton saw active service during the Seco ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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George Lessey
George Lessey (June 8, 1879 – June 3, 1947) was an American actor and director of the silent era. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1910 and 1946. He also directed more than 70 films between 1913 and 1922. Lessey was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, and as a boy he acted in theatrical productions there. He graduated from Amherst College. For a year, Lessey was a leading man for Edison Studios, after which he directed films for the company for two years. In 1914, he joined Universal Studios as a director. He portrayed Romeo in the initial film version of ''Romeo and Juliet'', directed the first serial, ''What Happened to Mary'', and played the first dual role in film as twins in ''The Corsican Brothers.'' On stage, Lessey appeared in the original Broadway production of ''Porgy and Bess'' (1935) in one of the few white roles, that of the lawyer Mr. Archdale. In the 1930s, Lessey worked as a model for men's clothes. Lessey was married to the former May Abbey. O ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Films Directed By Leslie Fenton
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere through the use of moving images. These images are generally accompanied by sound and, more rarely, other sensory stimulations. The word "cinema", short for cinematography, is often used to refer to filmmaking and the film industry, and to the art form that is the result of it. Recording and transmission of film The moving images of a film are created by photographing actual scenes with a motion-picture camera, by photographing drawings or miniature models using traditional animation techniques, by means of CGI and computer animation, or by a combination of some or all of these techniques, and other visual effects. Before the introduction of digital production, series of still images were recorded on a strip of chemically sensitized ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Films
This is a list of feature films originally released and/or distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (to include MGM/UA Entertainment Co., MGM/UA Communications Co., MGM–Pathe Communications Co. and MGM/UA Distribution Co.). This list does not include films from United Artists before it merged with MGM (except for co-productions), nor does it include other studios that MGM acquired (such as Orion Pictures, The Samuel Goldwyn Company, Cannon Films). The pre-May 1986 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer catalogue is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through the Turner Entertainment Co. Lists The films are divided into lists by decade: * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1924–1929) * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1930–1939) * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1940–1949) * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1950–1959) * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1960–1969) * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1970–1979) * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1980–1989) * List of Metro-Goldw ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1940 Comedy Films
Year 194 ( CXCIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Septimius and Septimius (or, less frequently, year 947 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 194 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Roman Empire * Emperor Septimius Severus and Decimus Clodius Septimius Albinus Caesar become Roman Consuls. * Battle of Issus: Septimius Severus marches with his army (12 legions) to Cilicia, and defeats Pescennius Niger, Roman governor of Syria. Pescennius retreats to Antioch, and is executed by Severus' troops. * Septimius Severus besieges Byzantium (194–196); the city walls suffer extensive damage. Asia * Battle of Yan Province: Warlords Cao Cao and Lü Bu fight for control over Yan Province; the battle lasts for over 100 days ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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American Comedy Films
American comedy films are comedy films produced in the United States. The genre is one of the oldest in American cinema; some of the first silent movies were comedies, as slapstick comedy often relies on visual depictions, without requiring sound. With the advent of sound in the late 1920s and 1930s, comedic dialogue rose in prominence in the work of film comedians such as W. C. Fields and the Marx Brothers. By the 1950s, the television industry had become serious competition for the movie industry. The 1960s saw an increasing number of broad, star-packed comedies. In the 1970s, black comedies were popular. Leading figures in the 1970s were Woody Allen and Mel Brooks. One of the major developments of the 1990s was the re-emergence of the romantic comedy film. Another development was the increasing use of " gross-out humour". History 1895–1930 Comic films began to appear in significant numbers during the era of silent films, roughly 1895 to 1930. The visual humour of many of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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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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Ray Walker (actor)
Warren Reynolds "Ray" Walker (August 10, 1904 – October 6, 1980) was an American actor, born in Newark, New Jersey, who starred in ''Baby Take a Bow'' (1934), ''Hideaway Girl'' (1936), ''The Dark Hour'' (1936), '' The Unknown Guest'' (1943) and ''It's A Wonderful Life'' (1946). Death Ray Walker died in Los Angeles, California, on October 6, 1980, at age 76. Partial filmography * '' Goodbye Love'' (1933) as Brooks * ''Devil's Mate'' (1933) as Natural * ''Skyway'' (1933) as Robert 'Flash' Norris * ''He Couldn't Take It'' (1933) as Jimmy Case * '' Million Dollar Baby'' (1934) as Terry Sweeney * ''One Hour Late'' (1934) as Cliff Miller * ''When Strangers Meet'' (1934) as Steve * '' Happy Landing'' (1934) as Lt. Nick Terris * ''Baby Take a Bow'' (1934) as Larry Scott * '' The Loudspeaker'' (1934) as Joe Miller * '' Thirty Day Princess'' (1934) as Dan Kirk * '' City Limits'' (1934) as Jimmy Dugan * '' The Fighting Coward'' (1935) as Bob Horton * '' Music Is Magic'' (1935) a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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William Demarest
Carl William Demarest (February 27, 1892 – December 27, 1983) was an American character actor, known especially for his roles in screwball comedies by Preston Sturges and for playing Uncle Charley in the sitcom ''My Three Sons'' Demarest, who frequently played crusty but good-hearted roles, was a prolific film and television actor, appearing in over 140 films, beginning in 1926 and ending in the late 1970s. Before his career in motion pictures, he performed in vaudeville for two decades.Pareles, Jon (1983). "William Demarest, 91, Actor, Known for Roles in Comedies", obituary, ''The New York Times'', December 29, 1983, p. D19. Retrieved via subscription to ProQuest Historical Newspapers (Ann Arbor, Michigan), August 27, 2022. Early life Carl William Demarest was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the youngest of threes sons of Wilhelmina (née Lindgren) and Samuel Demarest. During William's infancy, the family moved to New Bridge, a hamlet in Bergen County, New Jersey. Demares ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Spencer Charters
Spencer Charters (March 25, 1875 – January 25, 1943) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 220 films between 1920 and 1943, mostly in small supporting roles. Biography Charters was born in Duncannon, Pennsylvania. Until around 1890 he worked as a machinist for the Chesapeake Nail Works in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and had little interest in acting. He soon appeared on stage after leaving school with a walk-on part, but it wasn't long before he was being given fair-sized roles. He played on Broadway between 1910 and 1929 and was a busy character actor in films during the 1930s and early 1940s. He often portrayed somewhat befuddled judges, doctors, clerks, managers, and jailers. Charters was married to actress Irene Myers until her death December 22, 1941. He died by suicide from a mix of sleeping pills and carbon monoxide poisoning. He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verd ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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James Burke (actor)
James Michael Burke (September 24, 1886 – May 23, 1968) was an Irish-American film and television character actor born in New York City."New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909", FHL microfilm 1,322,214; New York Municipal Archives, Manhattan, New York, N.Y. FamilySearch. Retrieved February 20, 2019. Career Burke made his stage debut in New York around 1912 and went to Hollywood in 1933. He made over 200 film appearances during his career between 1932 and 1964, some of them uncredited. He was often cast as a police officer, usually a none-too-bright one, such as his role as Sergeant Velie in Columbia Pictures' Ellery Queen crime dramas in the early 1940s. Burke can also be seen in ''At The Circus'', '' The Maltese Falcon'', '' Lone Star'', and many other films. One of his memorable roles is his portrayal of a rowdy rancher in the 1935 comedy ''Ruggles of Red Gap''. In the early 1950s, Burke appeared on television with Tom Conway in the ABC detective drama ''Inspecto ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Thurston Hall
Ernest Thurston Hall (May 10, 1882 – February 20, 1958) was an American film, stage and television actor.Aylesworth, Thomas G. and Bowman, John S. (1987). ''The World Almanac Who's Who of Film''. World Almanac. . Pp. 186-187. Career Stage Hall toured with various New England stage companies during his teens, then went onto London, where he formed a small stage troupe. He also toured New Zealand and South Africa."Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. . P. 526. At 22 in 1904, Hall was in the first stage production of '' Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch''. His Broadway credits include ''The Only Girl'' (1914), ''Have a Heart'' (1917), ''Civilian Clothes'' (1919), ''The French Doll'' (1922), ''Still Waters'' (1926), ''Buy, Buy, Baby'' (1926), ''Mixed Doubles'' (1927), ''Behold the Bridegroom'' (1927), ''The Common Sin'' (1928), ''Sign of the Leopard'' (1928), ''Security'' (1929), ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |