|
The Housekeeper's Daughter
''The Housekeeper's Daughter'' is a 1939 comedy film directed and produced by Hal Roach. The film stars Joan Bennett, Adolphe Menjou and John Hubbard. The screenplay was written by Rian James, Gordon Douglas, Jack Jevne and Claude Martin, based on a novel by Donald Henderson Clarke. It was the film debut of Victor Mature. Plot Hilda is fed up with her life as a gun moll to gangster Floyd and visits her mother, housekeeper for the cultured Randall family. Professor Randall and his wife go on vacation, leaving behind sheltered son Robert to embark upon a career as a reporter at Hilda's urging. Soon after, Benny, a feeble-minded flower vendor, follows showgirl Gladys Fontaine when Floyd forces her to join him on his houseboat to take Hilda's place. Fearing for Gladys' safety, Benny poisons a cup of coffee intended for the gangster, but Gladys drinks it instead. Benny watches in horror as Floyd tosses the dead girl's body into the river. The next morning, Robert reads about ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hal Roach
Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr.Randy Skretvedt, Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter, who was the founder of the namesake Hal Roach Studios. Roach was active in the industry from the 1910s to the 1990s and is best remembered today for producing a number of successes including the Laurel and Hardy franchise, the films of entertainer Charley Chase, and the ''Our Gang'' short film comedy series. Early life and career Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York, to Charles Henry Roach, whose father was born in Wicklow, County Wicklow, Ireland, and Mabel Gertrude Bally, her father John Bally being from Switzerland. A presentation by the American humorist Mark Twain impressed Roach as a young Primary education, grade school student. After an adventurous youth that took him to Alaska, Hal Roach arrived in Hollywood, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donald Meek
Thomas Donald Meek (14 July 1878 – 18 November 1946) was a Scottish-American actor. He first performed publicly at the age of eight and began appearing on Broadway in 1903. Meek is perhaps best known for his roles in the films '' You Can't Take It with You'' (1938) and ''Stagecoach'' (1939). He posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Early years Meek was born in Glasgow to Matthew and Annie Meek. In the 1890s, the Meek family emigrated to Canada and then to the United States. By 1900, they were living in Philadelphia where Meek was employed as a dry goods salesman, according to the United States census of that year with Meek later working on stage. Career Meek's Broadway credits include ''Take My Tip'' (1932), ''After Tomorrow'' (1931), ''Oh, Promise Me'' (1930), ''Broken Dishes'' (1929), in which he starred with a young Bette Davis, ''Jonesy'' (1929), ''Mr. Moneypenny'' (1928), ''The Ivory Door'' (1927), ''My Princess'' (1927), ''Spread Eagl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1939 Comedy Films
This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to work with Germans. *** The Youth Protection Act was passed on April 30, 1938 and the Working Hours Regulations came into effect. *** The Jews name change decree has gone into effect. ** The rest of the world *** In Spain, it becomes a duty of all young women under 25 to complete compulsory work service for one year. *** First edition of the Vienna New Year's Concert. *** The company of technology and manufacturing scientific instruments Hewlett-Packard, was founded in a garage in Palo Alto, California, by William (Bill) Hewlett and David Packard. This garage is now considered the birthplace of Silicon Valley. *** Sydney, in Australia, records temperature of 45 ˚C, the highest record for the city. *** Philipp Etter took over as Swiss Fed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Films Directed By Hal Roach
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 sensiti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Black-and-white Films
American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, people who self-identify their ancestry as "American" ** American English, the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States ** Native Americans in the United States, indigenous peoples of the United States * American, something of, from, or related to the Americas, also known as "America" ** Indigenous peoples of the Americas * American (word), for analysis and history of the meanings in various contexts Organizations * American Airlines, U.S.-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas * American Athletic Conference, an American college athletic conference * American Recordings (record label), a record label previously known as Def American * American University, in Washington, D.C. Sports teams Soc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1939 Films
The year 1939 in film is widely considered the greatest year in film history. The ten Best Picture-nominated films that year include classics in multiple genres. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1939 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events Film historians often rate 1939 as "the greatest year in the history of Hollywood". Hollywood films produced in Southern California were at the height of their Golden Age (in spite of many cheaply made or undistinguished films also being produced, something to be expected with any year in commercial cinema), and during 1939 there are the premieres of an outstandingly large number of exceptional motion pictures, many of which become honored as all-time classic films. ** June 10 – MGM's first successful animated character, Barney Bear, made his debut in '' The Bear That Couldn't Sleep''. ** August 15 – ''The Wizard of Oz'' premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. ** October ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lee Tracy
William Lee Tracy (April 14, 1898 – October 18, 1968) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He is known foremost for his portrayals between the late 1920s and 1940s of fast-talking, wisecracking news reporters, press agents, lawyers, and salesmen. From 1949 to 1954, he was also featured in the weekly radio and television versions of the series '' Martin Kane: Private Eye'', as well as starring as the newspaper columnist Lee Cochran in the 19581959 British-American crime drama '' New York Confidential''. Later, in 1964, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the film '' The Best Man''. Early life and stage career Born in 1898 in Atlanta, Georgia, Tracy was the only child of Ray (née Griffith) and William L. Tracy, a railroader."Fourteenth Census of the United States: 1920", digital copy of original enumeration page, family of William L. Tracy in Sayre, Pennsylvania, 17 January 1920; Bureau o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sigrid Gurie
Sigrid Gurie (born Sigrid Guri Haukelid; May 18, 1911 – August 14, 1969) was an American actress from the late 1930s to early 1940s. Early life Gurie was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her father was a civil engineer who worked for the New York City Subway from 1902 to 1912. As she and her twin brother, Knut, were born in the United States, the twins held dual Norwegian-American citizenship. In 1914, the family returned to Norway. Sigrid subsequently grew up in Oslo and was educated in Norway, Sweden, and Belgium. In 1935, Gurie married Thomas Stewart of California; she filed for divorce in 1938. Her brother became a noted member of the Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. Knut Haukelid died at age 82 in 1994. Career In 1936, Gurie arrived in Hollywood. Film magnate Sam Goldwyn reportedly took credit for discovering her, promoting his discovery as "the Norwegian Garbo" and billed her as "the siren of the fjords". She starred as Kokashin, daughter of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gene Morgan
Gene Morgan (March 12, 1893 – August 13, 1940) was an American actor. He appeared in 111 films between 1926 and 1941. He was born in Racine, Wisconsin, United States, and died in Santa Monica, California. Selected filmography * '' Rogue of the Rio Grande'' (1930) - Mayor Seth Landport * '' Anybody's Blonde'' (1931) * '' Blonde Venus'' (1932) * '' Hook and Ladder'' (1932 short) * '' Song of the Eagle'' (1933) * '' Panic on the Air'' (1936) * '' Alibi for Murder'' (1936) * '' End of the Trail'' (1936) * ''Come Closer, Folks'' (1936) * '' The Music Goes 'Round'' (1936) * ''Counterfeit'' (1936) * '' Counterfeit Lady'' (1936) * '' Devil's Squadron'' (1936) * '' Shakedown'' (1936) * '' Make Way for Tomorrow'' (1937) * '' Murder in Greenwich Village'' (1937) * '' Woman in Distress'' (1937) * '' All American Sweetheart'' (1937) * '' Federal Man-Hunt'' (1938) * ''The Main Event'' (1938) * ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' is a 1939 American Poli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Dugan (actor, Born 1889)
Tom Dugan (1 January 1889 – 7 March 1955) was an Irish-American film actor. He appeared in more than 260 films between 1927 and 1955. He was born in Dublin, Ireland and died in Redlands, California, after injuries sustained in a road accident. Life and career At an early age, Tom Dugan's family moved to Philadelphia where he was educated at the Philadelphia High School. After leaving school, he tried three trades (shoe cutting, neck tie cutting and paper hanging) in quick succession but he had a good tenor voice, so he decided on show business. He appeared in a travelling medicine show, then a minstrel troupe before going on stage. He was a headliner for the Keith Circuit in America for several years. He also played in musical comedies in New York City and in vaudeville theatres like Earl Carroll's Vanities. He eventually became a Broadway comedian. Dugan appeared in nearly 270 films between 1927 and 1955 and had also some television roles near the end of his life. He su ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rosina Galli (actress)
Rosina Fiorini Galli (August 10. 1906 – December 3, 1969) was an Italian film actress in Hollywood. Early years Galli was born in Venice and was a member of "a typical Italian theatrical family". She began performing as a child. Career Galli was an Italian character actress who worked in Hollywood between the mid-1930s and the mid-1940s, where she performed in about 40 films. She appeared with Clark Gable in ''They Met in Bombay'' (1941) and played Christine's maid in ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (1943). The actress also portrayed the friendly wife of J. Carrol Naish in '' Star in the Night'' (1945), an Academy-Award-winning short film by Don Siegel. Through her accent she frequently played motherly characters of Italian or Spanish descent, mostly in small roles. Afterwards Galli returned to Italy where she also played in three other movies until 1950. She also worked as the Italian dubbing voice for actresses like Joan Crawford, Marie Dressler, and Myrna Loy. Rosina Ga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luis Alberni
Luis Alberni (October 4, 1886 – December 23, 1962) was a Spanish-born American character actor of stage and films. Early years Alberni was born in Barcelona, Spain, on October 4, 1886. He acted in stock theater for four years in Marseille before he went back to Barcelona, earned a BA degree, and studied law. Career Alberni was acting in Bordeaux when American humorist Wilson Mizner and playwright Paul Armstrong invited him to come to the United States, offering their help. In April 1912, he sailed to New York City as a steerage passenger aboard the S/S ''Nieuw Amsterdam''. In New York, Alberni acted on both stage and screen. His first motion picture performance was in the 1915 Jewish drama, '' Children of the Ghetto''. On the stage, he appeared in more than a dozen Broadway plays between 1915 and 1928, including ''39 East'', ''Dreams for Sale'' and the original production of ''What Price Glory?'' in 1924–1925. In the sound film era, he had notable roles as Jacopo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> Hal Roach")
.jpg "Click for more on -> 1939 Comedy Films")
