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The Beauty Jungle
''The Beauty Jungle'' (also known as Contest Girl) is a 1964 British film directed by Val Guest. Plot Shirley lives in Bristol. While on a seaside holiday at Butlins holiday camp a young typist Shirley Freeman ( Janette Scott) is persuaded by a local journalist Don MacKenzie (Ian Hendry) to enter a beauty contest. When she wins, she decides to give up her previous career and life and take up entering beauty contests full-time. Her parents disown her. Shirley comes second in a heat for the "Rose of England" contest, but her friend points out to the judges that the winner has not followed the rules and she is disqualified so Shirley wins by default, winning £300 and a trip to Monte Carlo. They enjoy the trip together, but Don changes the booking at the hotel from two single rooms to one double room. Whilst in Monte Carlo she enters yet another beauty contest, "Miss Trapeze", this is a chaotic contest set in a circus, but nevertheless she wins, winning 500NF. The contest organis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Val Guest
Val Guest (born Valmond Maurice Grossman; 11 December 1911 – 10 May 2006) was an English film director and screenwriter. Beginning as a writer (and later director) of comedy films, he is best known for his work for Hammer, for whom he directed 14 films, and science fiction films. He enjoyed a long career in the film industry from the early 1930s until the early 1980s. Reprinted from ''Reference Guide to British and Irish Film Directors'' Early life and career Guest was born to John Simon Grossman and Julia Ann Gladys Emanuel in Maida Vale, London. He later changed his name to Val Guest (officially in 1939). His father was a jute broker, and the family spent some of Guest's childhood in India before returning to England. His parents divorced when he was young, but this information was kept from him. Instead he was told that his mother had died. He was educated at Seaford College in Sussex, but left in 1927 and worked for a time as a bookkeeper. Guest's initial career was as a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ronald Fraser (actor)
Ronald Fraser (11 April 1930 – 13 March 1997) was a British character actor, who appeared in numerous British plays, films and television shows from the 1950s to the 1990s. An unusual appearance and unique delivery made him a natural comedic actor. Fraser was a familiar figure in West End clubs during the sixties, and despite a long-standing reputation as one of the hardest drinking of British actors he was still working in his last years. He was perhaps best known as Basil "Badger" Allenby-Johnson in the 1970s television series '' The Misfit''. Background Ronald Fraser was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, the son of an interior decorator and builder from Scotland. He attended Ashton Grammar School. He was educated in Scotland and did national service as a lieutenant in the Seaforth Highlanders. While serving in Benghazi in North Africa, he appeared in the comic play '' French Without Tears'' by Terence Rattigan. He trained as an actor at RADA until 1953 and soon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Taylor (television Presenter)
Alan Taylor (1924 – January 1997) was a television presenter, popular in Wales and the West Country during the 1960s and 1970s. Taylor was originally from Cardiff, where his family had an electrical business. He served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. He began his television career as a continuity announcer with TWW in 1959. He also appeared in early episodes of "''Paint Along With Nancy'' on HTV where he assisted the host. After presenting a birthday slot with a glove puppet called "Tinker", he went on to host a regular children's magazine programme called ''Tinker and Taylor'' on which he would often play the Melodica with the puppet. In the early 1970s he presented a Saturday morning children's programme on HTV called ''Orbit'', which featured an alien puppet called "Chester". He later hosted several quiz and game shows on ITV, including '' Three Little Words'' and '' Mr. & Mrs.'', noted for his distinctive monocle. He retired in 1982, ran an antique sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jerry Desmonde
Jerry Desmonde (born James Robert Sadler; 20 July 1908 – 11 February 1967) was an English actor and presenter. He is perhaps best known for his work as a comedic foil in duos with Norman Wisdom and Sid Field. Early life Jerry Desmonde was born James Robert Sadler in the Linthorpe area of Middlesbrough on 20 July 1908, the son of music hall performers who toured the halls throughout England and Scotland. Career Sadler first appeared on stage at the age of 11 and later became part of his family's act ''The Four Sadlers''. He built a career as a song and dance man in musical theatre and later toured parts of the United States in 1927-1928 with Beatrice Lillie and Noël Coward in the two-act revue '' This Year of Grace''. By 1934, he had married Peggy Duncan and they toured as a double act called ''Peg and Jerry'', largely in Scotland. In the 1940s, Desmonde was briefly a straight man for Scottish comedian Dave Willis and in 1942 he was invited to be straight man for stage ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sid James
Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. He was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series. Born to a middle-class Jewish family in South Africa, James started his career in his native country before finding his greatest success in the UK. Beginning his screen career playing bit parts in films from 1947, he was cast in numerous small and supporting roles into the 1950s. He appeared in the film ''The Lavender Hill Mob'' in 1951, starring Alec Guinness. His profile was raised as Tony Hancock's co-star in ''Hancock's Half Hour'', first in the radio series and later when it was adapted for television and ran from 1954 to 1960. Afterwards, he became known as a regular performer in the Carry On films, appearing in 19 films of the series, with the top billing roles in 17 (in the other two he was cast below Frankie Howerd). His starring roles i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Weston (actor)
David Weston (born 28 July 1938) is an English actor, director and author. Since graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 1961 (having won its Silver Medal for that year) he has acted in numerous film, television and stage productions, including twenty-seven Shakespeare plays and prominent guest roles in two ''Doctor Who'' serials. With Michael Croft, he was a founder member of the National Youth Theatre. Much of his directing work has been for that organisation; he has directed also at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and a number of other theatres in London. He wrote and narrated a series of non-fiction audio books, including ''Shakespeare His Life and Work'', which won the 2001 Benjamin Franklin Award for best audio non-fiction book. Early career Weston was born in London and educated at Alleyn's School, Dulwich, during the time that Michael Croft, founder of the National Youth Theatre (NYT), worked there. In 1956, Croft directed a school production of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miss Perù
Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or " Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, it is a contraction of ''mistress''. Its counterparts are Mrs., used for a married women who has taken her husband's name, and Ms., which can be used for married or unmarried women. The plural ''Misses'' may be used, such as in ''The Misses Doe''. The traditional French "Mademoiselle" (abbreviation "Mlle") may also be used as the plural in English language conversation or correspondence. In Australian, British, and Irish schools the term 'miss' is often used by pupils in addressing any female teacher. Use alone as a form of address ''Miss'' is an honorific for addressing a woman who is not married, and is known by her maiden name. It is a shortened form of ''mistress'', and departed from ''misses/missus'' which became used to signify mar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aliza Gur
Aliza Gur ( he, עליזה גור, born Alizia Gross; 1 April 1940) is an Israeli actress who was Miss Israel of 1960 and a semifinalist in the Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stre ... pageant held in Miami Beach that same year. She played Vida in the Production of the James Bond films, James Bond film ''From Russia with Love (film), From Russia with Love'' in 1963. Early life Born Alizia Gross on 1 April 1940 in Ramat Gan, Mandatory Palestine, British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel), to a family of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Her parents had fled Nazi Germany during Hitler's dictatorship and settled in the city of Ramat Gan where she and her brother were born. She studied at the University of Haifa, where she designed and made dresses to help pay for tuiti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norman Bird
John George Norman Bird (30 October 1924 – 22 April 2005) was an English character actor. Early life Bird was born in Coalville, Leicestershire, England. A RADA graduate, he made his West End debut in Peter Brook's production of ''The Winter's Tale'' at the Phoenix Theatre in 1951. He was also a member of the BBC's Radio Drama Company."Radio and audio book companies", in Lloyd Trott, ed., ''Actors and Performers Yearbook 2016'', pp. 353-354 His first film appearance was as the foreman in ''An Inspector Calls'' (1954). Film career He was a familiar face to British cinema audiences of the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in nearly 50 films such as ''The Angry Silence'' (1960), ''The League of Gentlemen'' (1960), '' Whistle Down the Wind'' (1961), '' Victim'' (1961) and '' Term of Trial'' (1962) with Laurence Olivier and The Hill with Sean Connery (1965). Television appearances He had over 200 television appearances, notably as Mr Braithwaite in '' Worzel Gummidge'' (1979–81) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy Trinder
Thomas Edward Trinder CBE (24 March 1909 – 10 July 1989) was an English stage, screen and radio comedian whose catchphrase was "You lucky people!". Described by cultural historian Matthew Sweet as "a cocky, front-of-cloth variety turn", he was one of the United Kingdom's foremost entertainers during the Second World War. Known for his confident and direct style of comedy, Trinder first found recognition with his music hall revues in the late 1930s. During the war, he worked for ENSA and maintained a successful film career, starring in a string of Ealing Studios films including '' Sailors Three'' (1940), '' Champagne Charlie'' (1944) and '' Bitter Springs'' (1950). During the 1950s, Trinder became a television star, notably as the original host for '' Sunday Night at the London Palladium'' (1955-1958). In 1959, he was elected chairman of Fulham Football Club, a position he maintained until 1976. He continued to perform into the 1980s. Biography Early life (1909–1937) Tom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kay Walsh
Kathleen "Kay" Walsh (15 November 1911 – 16 April 2005) was an English actress, dancer, and screenwriter. Her film career prospered after she met her future husband film director David Lean, with whom she worked on prestige productions such as '' In Which We Serve'' and '' Oliver Twist''. Early life and career Walsh was born on 15 November 1911 in Chelsea, London. She was raised in Pimlico by her grandmother. She began her career as a dancer in West End music halls, and at the age of 17 she began going out with Pownoll Pellew (later 9th Viscount Exmouth), and they shared an interest in sports cars.Dave Cox, ''Ave Atque Vale'', p 15 She made her film debut in ''How's Chances?'' (1934) in a small part, and had a larger role in ''Get Your Man'', another 1934 film. She continued to act in "quota quickies" films for several years. Walsh first met David Lean, then a film editor, in 1936, during the filming of '' Secret of Stamboul''. They began a relationship, and Walsh broke he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jean Claudio
Jean Claudio (28 March 1927 – 11 January 1992) was a French actor. Biography He began his acting career in the cinema at the age of ten, playing the role of the Tsarevich, son of Tsar Nicolas II in The Imperial Tragedy. In 1938, at the age of eleven, he played Mathieu Sorgue in Les Disparus de Saint-Agil by Christian-Jaque. He entered the Paris Conservatory, where, at fourteen, he was given the role of Chérubin in Le Mariage de Figaro. He has since had an international career, particularly in the United States. He wrote a collection of poems, Les faux joies (published in 1950), as well as several novels: The Hot Season, Les Torts Reciprocals, Monsieur Damoclès and L'inconnu de Genève Selected filmography * ''Rasputin'' (1938) - Le tsarevitch * ' (1938) - Boy * '' Boys' School'' (1938) - Mathieu Sorgue * ''Crossroads'' (1938) - Paul de Vétheuil * ''The Phantom Carriage'' (1939) - Un enfant * ''L'Enfer des anges'' (1941) - Le jeune Lucien * ''Andorra ou les Hommes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
