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The Big Combo
''The Big Combo'' is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Joseph H. Lewis, written by Philip Yordan and photographed by cinematographer John Alton, with music by David Raksin. The film stars Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte and Brian Donlevy, as well as Jean Wallace, who was Wilde's wife at the time. The supporting cast features Lee Van Cleef, Earl Holliman and the final screen appearance of actress Helen Walker. Plot Police Lt. Leonard Diamond is on a personal crusade to bring down the sadistic gangster Mr. Brown. He is also dangerously obsessed with Brown's girlfriend, the suicidal Susan Lowell. His main objective as a detective is to uncover what happened to a woman called "Alicia" from the crime boss's past. Mr. Brown, his second-in-command McClure, and thugs Fante and Mingo kidnap and torture the lieutenant, then pour a bottle of alcohol-based hair tonic down his throat before letting him go. Diamond eventually learns through one of Brown's past accomplices, Bettini, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph H
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic countries. In Portuguese and Spanish, the name is "José". In Arabic, including in the Quran, the name is spelled '' Yūsuf''. In Persian, the name is "Yousef". The name has enjoyed significant popularity in its many forms in numerous countries, and ''Joseph'' was one of the two names, along with ''Robert'', to have remained in the top 10 boys' names list in the US from 1925 to 1972. It is especially common in contemporary Israel, as either "Yossi" or "Yossef", and in Italy, where the name "Giuseppe" was the most common male name in the 20th century. In the first century CE, Joseph was the second most popular male name for Palestine Jews. In the Book of Genesis Joseph is Jacob's eleventh son and Rachel's first son, and k ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helen Walker
Helen Marion Walker (July 17, 1920 – March 10, 1968) was an American actress.Obituary ''Variety'', March 13, 1968, page 79. Biography 1920–1940: Early life Helen Marion Walker was born July 17, 1920 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the daughter of Irish-American parents. According to Walker, she grew up "quite poor." Her father, who managed a grocery store, died when she was six years old, and she and her two sisters went to live on a farm in Upton, Massachusetts. Her mother took a job working in a department store but later suffered a nervous breakdown. Walker's initial acting experience came in high school, performing in school plays. She won a scholarship to the Erskine School of Dramatics in Boston and completed one semester of studies, but she withdrew after completing her first play, embarrassed by her performance. 1941–1946: Career beginnings and film After dropping out of the Erskine School of Dramatics, Walker began to appear in local stock theater. On Broadway, sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philip Van Zandt
Philip Van Zandt (October 4, 1904 – February 15, 1958), sometimes billed as Phil Van Zandt, was a Dutch-American actor of stage, film, and television. He made nearly 250 film and television appearances between 1939 and 1958. Life and career Born Philip Pinheiro in Amsterdam, he was brought to the United States when he was five months old in March 1905. Van Zandt made his stage debut in 1925, as an assistant to magician Howard Thurston. He began playing dramatic roles in 1927 and eventually landed on Broadway, appearing in 10 different productions between 1931 and 1938, none of which were hits. Van Zandt made his Hollywood debut in 1939 and, in the two decades that followed, appeared in over 140 films. The actor auditioned for director John Cromwell's film ''Flotsam'' (ultimately released as ''So Ends Our Night''). Cromwell explained that the role called for expert card manipulation. Van Zandt hadn't done this since his apprenticeship with Thurston but, as columnist Duncan Un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Mark (actor)
Michael Mark (born Morris Schulman; 15 March 1886 – 3 February 1975) was a Russian-born American film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1928 and 1969. Biography Born in 1886 in Mogilev, Russian Empire (now Belarus), he immigrated to the United States in 1910. During the 1930s and 1940s, he was used by Universal Studios in minor roles for several Frankenstein movies, although he played different parts in each of them. He may perhaps best-remembered, if not by name, as the desperate father of the killed girl in ''Frankenstein'' (1931) with Boris Karloff. Michael Mark died in Los Angeles, California, aged 88, in 1975. Selected filmography * ''Four Sons'' (1928) - Von Stomm's Orderly (uncredited) * ''Tempest'' (1928) - Minor Role (uncredited) * ''The Woman Disputed'' (1928) - Russian Soldier (uncredited) * '' Napoleon's Barber'' (1928, Short) - Peasant * '' City Girl'' (1930) - Man Standing at Cafe (uncredited) * ''Remote Control'' (1930) - Thug (uncred ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baynes Barron
Bernard Miller (May 29, 1917 – July 21, 1982) was an American film and television actor. Born in New York. Barron began his career in 1946, first appearing in the film ''The Secret of the Whistler''. He then made his television debut in 1951, making three appearances in the western television series ''The Adventures of Kit Carson'' until 1952. Barron continued his career, mainly appearing in film and television. He was often cast in numerous roles including a starring role as Ace Benton in the 1959 film '' Speed Crazy''. Later in his career, Barron guest-starred in numerous television programs including '' Gunsmoke'', '' Bonanza'', ''Death Valley Days'', ''Perry Mason'', ''Tales of the Texas Rangers'', '' 26 Men'', ''Highway Patrol'', ''Sky King'', ''Planet of the Apes'', ''77 Sunset Strip'', '' Tales of Wells Fargo'', ''Land of the Giants'' and '' Bewitched''. He also appeared in numerous films such as ''The Sun Sets at Dawn'' (1950), starring Sally Parr and Patrick Waltz; '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Whit Bissell
Whitner Nutting Bissell (October 25, 1909 – March 5, 1996) was an American character actor. Early life Born in New York City, Bissell was the son of surgeon Dr. J. Dougal Bissell and Helen Nutting Bissell. He was educated at the Allen-Stevenson School and the Dalton School in New York City. He was related to Daniel Bissell, who was awarded the Badge of Military Merit, the predecessor of the Purple Heart, by George Washington. He trained with the Carolina Playmakers, a theatrical organization associated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in drama and English. Career Bissell had a number of roles in Broadway theatre, including the Air Force show ''Winged Victory'', when he was an airman serving in the United States Army Air Forces. In a film career that began with '' Holy Matrimony'' (1943), Bissell appeared in hundreds of films and television episodes as a prominent character actor. Regularly cast in low-budget science fiction and h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helene Stanton
Helene Stanton (born Eleanor Mae Stansbury, November 4, 1925 – June 7, 2017) was an American singer and actress. Her career began as an opera singer for the Cosmopolitan Opera Company in Philadelphia, before moving to Hollywood, where she became a singer of popular music. In 1949, she married silent film actor Ken Harlan, but the marriage broke down and they divorced four years later in 1953. After being spotted in Las Vegas and offered a part in the film The Big Combo, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, starring in films alongside actors such as Johnny Weissmuller, Arthur Franz and Tom Drake. After several film roles during 1955 and starring in a silent role alongside comic Ben Blue in 1956, she retired from acting in 1957. In 1957, she married Morton Pinsky and had two children with him; they were married for over 50 years before his death in 2009. Early life Stanton was born on November 4, 1925 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as Eleanor Mae Stansbury to par ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Hoyt
John Hoyt (born John McArthur Hoysradt; October 5, 1905 – September 15, 1991) was an American actor. He began his acting career on Broadway, later appearing in numerous films and television series. He is perhaps best known for his film and TV roles in ''The Lawless'' (1950), ''When Worlds Collide'' (1951), ''Julius Caesar'' (1953), ''Blackboard Jungle'' (1955), ''Spartacus'' (1960), ''Cleopatra'' (1963), ''Flesh Gordon'' (1974), and ''Gimme a Break!'' Early life Hoyt was born John McArthur Hoysradt in Bronxville, New York, the son of Warren J. Hoysradt, an investment banker, and his wife, Ethel Hoysradt, née Wolf. He attended the Hotchkiss School and Yale University, where he served on the editorial board of campus humor magazine ''The Yale Record''. He received a bachelor's and a master's degree from Yale. He worked as a history instructor at the Groton School for two years. Stage Hoyt made his Broadway debut in 1931 in William Bolitho's play ''Overture''. Some of his ot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jay Adler
Jay Adler (August 4, 1896 – September 24, 1978) was an American actor in theater, television, and film. Early life Born in New York City, he was the eldest son of actors Jacob and Sara Adler, and the brother of five actor siblings, including stage actor Luther and drama coach Stella. The Adlers were a Jewish-American acting dynasty in New York City's Yiddish Theater District and they played a significant role in theater from the late 19th century to the 1950s. Stella Adler became the most influential member of their family. Career Adler's Broadway credits included ''Cafe Crown'' (1942), ''Blind Alley'' (1940, 1935), Prelude'' (1936), and ''Man Bites Dog'' (1933). In 1934, Adler joined with Harry Thomashefsky and Boris Bernardi to form the Theater Mart Group, "a cooperative group of players and staff connected with the stage", in New York City. Plans called for production of plays like those done by the city's Group Theatre. During a long acting career of minor character ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Middleton
Robert Middleton (born Samuel G. Messer, May 13, 1911 – June 14, 1977) was an American film and television actor known for his large size, beetle-like brows, and a deep, booming voice (for which he was known as "Big Bob Middleton"), usually in the portrayal of ruthless villains. Early years A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Middleton was one of four children of a building contractor. He trained for a musical career at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Career Middleton's career in entertainment began with a job as an announcer on WLW radio in Cincinnati. He worked steadily as a radio announcer and actor. One of his early works was as the narrator of the educational film "Duck and Cover". After appearing on the Broadway stage and live television, Middleton began appearing in films in 1954, and in film opposite Humphrey Bogart in '' The Desperate Hours'' (1955), Danny Kaye in ''The Court Jester'' (1955), Gary Cooper in '' Fri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Automotive Lighting
The lighting system of a motor vehicle consists of lighting and signalling devices mounted to or integrated into the front, rear, sides, and in some cases the top of a motor vehicle. They illuminate the road ahead for the driver and increase the vehicle's visibility, allowing other drivers and pedestrians to see its presence, position, size, direction of travel, and its driver's intentions. Emergency vehicles usually have distinctive lighting equipment to warn drivers and indicate priority of movement in traffic. History Early road vehicles used fuelled lamps before the availability of electric lighting. The Ford Model T used carbide lamps for headlights and oil lamps for tail lights. It did not have all-electric lighting as a standard feature until several years after its introduction. Dynamos for automobile headlights were first fitted around 1908 and became commonplace in 1920s automobiles. Silent film star Florence Lawrence is often credited with designing the first " ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
