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The Cat And The Canary (play)
''The Cat and the Canary'' is a 1922 stage play by John Willard, adapted at least four times into feature films, in 1927, 1930, 1939, and again in 1979. The original stage play opened on Broadway February 7, 1922. Plot The story concerns the death and inheritance of old Cyrus West, a rich eccentric who felt that his relatives "have watched my wealth as if they were cats, and I — a canary". He decrees that his will be read 20 years after his death, at which point his relatives converge at his old family home, now a spooky old haunted mansion. The will reads that his most distant relative still bearing the name of West be sole heir, provided they are legally sane. The rest of the night spent in the house calls into question the sanity of Annabelle West, a fragile young woman who is legally Cyrus West's heir. Production Produced by Kilbourn Gordon and directed by Ira Hards, ''The Cat and the Canary'' premiered February 7, 1922, at the National Theatre. It ran 349 performances, c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Willard (playwright)
John Willard (November 28, 1885 – August 30, 1942) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. Biography Willard's most famous work is '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1922), which was made into the influential silent film of the same name in 1927. Also, the work was filmed in 1930, in 1939 (starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard) and in 1979 (by Radley Metzger). Willard also co-wrote '' The Blue Flame'' (1920) with George V. Hobart. Willard worked as a miner and a reporter, and he was also a published novelist. He also appeared as one of the actors in the Broadway production of ''The Cat and the Canary''. His other acting on Broadway began with ''George Washington, Jr.'' (1906) and ended with ''The Mikado'' (1936). He was born in San Francisco, California, a son of portrait painter John Willard Clawson and Mary Alice Clawson. Born Willard Wesley Clawson, and known locally as Wesley Clawson, he began his career as a baritone singer and actor. His performance in ''P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dracula (1931 English-language Film)
''Dracula'' is a 1931 American pre-Code supernatural horror film directed and co-produced by Tod Browning from a screenplay written by Garrett Fort and starring Bela Lugosi in the titular role. It is based on the 1924 stage play ''Dracula'' by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston, which in turn is adapted from the 1897 novel ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker. Lugosi portrays Count Dracula, a vampire who emigrates from Transylvania to England and preys upon the blood of living victims, including a young man's fiancée. Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, ''Dracula'' is the first sound film adaptation of the Stoker novel. Several actors were considered to portray the title character, but Lugosi, who had previously played the role on Broadway, eventually got the part. The film was partially shot on sets at Universal Studios Lot in California, which were reused at night for the filming of ''Dracula'', a concurrently produced Spanish-language version of the story also by Univer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NBC Television
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are located at Comcast Building in New York City. The company also has offices in Los Angeles at 10 Universal City Plaza and Chicago at the NBC Tower. NBC is the oldest of the traditional Big Three (television networks), "Big Three" American television networks, having been formed in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America. NBC is sometimes referred to as the "Peacock Network," in reference to its Logo of NBC, stylized peacock logo, introduced in 1956 to promote the company's innovations in early color broadcasting. NBC has twelve owned-and-operated stations and nearly 200 affiliates throughout the United States and its territories, some of which are also available in Canada and Mexico via pay-television providers or in Canada–United States ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dow Hour Of Great Mysteries
''The Dow Hour of Great Mysteries'', was a series of seven television specials from March to November 1960, hosted by Joseph Nye Welch on NBC Television, and sponsored by Dow Chemical. Welch died on October 6, 1960, bringing the series to an end. Episodes *Episode 1: '' The Bat'' by Mary Roberts Rinehart (31 March 1960) with Helen Hayes, Jason Robards, and Margaret Hamilton *Episode 2: '' The Burning Court'' by John Dickson Carr (24 April 1960) with George C. Scott and Barbara Bel Geddes *Episode 3: '' The Woman in White'' by Wilkie Collins (23 May 1960) with Walter Slezak, Siobhán McKenna and Lois Nettleton *Episode 4: ''The Datchet Diamonds'' by Richard Marsh (20 September 1960) with Rex Harrison and Tammy Grimes *Episode 5: '' The Cat and the Canary'' by John Willard (27 September 1960) with Andrew Duggan, Telly Savalas, and Collin Wilcox (actress) *Episode 6: ''The Inn of the Flying Dragon'' by Sheridan Le Fanu (18 October 1960) with Farley Granger, Barry Morse, and Hugh G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Disneyland
Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisioned building a tourist attraction adjacent to his Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), studios in Burbank, California, Burbank to entertain fans who wished to visit; however, he soon felt that the proposed site was too small. After hiring the Stanford Research Institute to perform a feasibility study determining an appropriate site for his project, Disney bought a site near Anaheim in 1953. The park was designed by a creative team hand-picked by Walt from internal and outside talent. They founded WED Enterprises, the precursor to today's Walt Disney Imagineering. Construction began in 1954 and the park was unveiled during a special televised press event on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC Television Network on July 17, 1955. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haunted Mansion
The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride attraction located at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disneyland. The haunted house attraction features a ride-through tour in Omnimover vehicles called "Doom Buggies", and a walk-through show is displayed to riders waiting in the queue line. Each location differs slightly in design, utilizing a range of technology from centuries-old theatrical effects to modern special effects, including spectral Audio-Animatronics. The Haunted Mansion inspired two similarly-themed attractions, Phantom Manor and Mystic Manor, which exist at Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland, respectively. History Development The idea for the Mansion precedes Disneyland and WED Enterprises, dating to when Walt Disney hired the first of his Imagineers. At the time, the park they were developing the attraction for was supposed to be located across from the studios. In 1951, the first known illustration of the park showed a main street setting, green fields, wes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, he holds the record for most Academy Awards earned and nominations by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations. He was presented with two Golden Globe Special Achievement Awards and an Emmy Award, among other honors. Several of his films are included in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress and have also been named as some of the List of films considered the best, greatest films ever by the American Film Institute. Disney was the first person to be nominated for Academy Awards in six different categories. Born in Chicago in 1901, Disney developed an early interest in drawing. He took art classes as a boy and got a job as a commercial illustrator at the age of 18. He moved to California in the early ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Ghost Breakers
''The Ghost Breakers'' is a 1940 American mystery/horror comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. It was adapted by screenwriter Walter DeLeon as the third film version of the 1909 play '' The Ghost Breaker'' by Paul Dickey and Charles W. Goddard. Along with the Abbott and Costello films ''Hold That Ghost'' and ''Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'' and Hope and Goddard's own '' The Cat and the Canary'', it is cited as a prime example of the classic Hollywood horror-comedy. Plot The film opens in 1940 Manhattan during a violent evening thunderstorm. From a radio network's studio, broadcaster Larry Lawrence exposes the crimes of underworld boss Frenchy Duval. In her hotel suite, while listening to Lawrence on the radio, Mary Carter is visited by Mr. Parada, a sinister Cuban solicitor. He delivers her the deed to her inheritance—a plantation and mansion in Cuba. Despite Parada's objections, Mary decides to travel there by ship to ins ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest film studio in the United States (behind Universal Pictures), and the sole member of the Major film studio, "Big Five" film studios located within the city limits of Los Angeles. In 1916, film producer Adolph Zukor put 24 actors and actresses under contract and honored each with a star on the logo. In 1967, the number of stars was reduced to 22 and their hidden meaning was dropped. In 2014, Paramount Pictures became the first major Hollywood studio to distribute all of its films in digital form only. The company's headquarters and studios are located at 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, California. Paramount Pictures is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America, Motion Picture Associ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gale Sondergaard
Gale Sondergaard (born Edith Holm Sondergaard; February 15, 1899 – August 14, 1985) was an American actress. Sondergaard began her acting career in theater and progressed to films in 1936. She was the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her film debut in ''Anthony Adverse'' (1936). She regularly had supporting roles in films during the late 1930s and 1940s, including '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1939), '' The Mark of Zorro'' (1940) and '' The Letter'' (1940). For her role in '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1946), she was nominated for her second Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. After the late 1940s, her screen work came to an abrupt end for the next 20 years. Married to director Herbert Biberman, Sondergaard supported him when he was accused of communism and named as one of the Hollywood Ten in the early 1950s. She moved with Biberman to New York City and worked in theatre, and acted in film and television occasionally from the late ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paulette Goddard
Paulette Goddard (born Marion Levy; June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an American actress notable for her film career in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Born in Manhattan and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Goddard initially began her career as a child fashion model and performer in several Broadway productions as a Ziegfeld Girl. In the early 1930s, she moved to Hollywood and gained notice as the romantic partner of actor and comedian Charlie Chaplin, appearing as his leading lady in '' Modern Times'' (1936) and ''The Great Dictator'' (1940). After signing with Paramount Pictures, Goddard became one of the studio's biggest stars with roles in '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1939) with Bob Hope, '' The Women'' (1939) with Joan Crawford, '' North West Mounted Police'' (1940) with Gary Cooper, ''Reap the Wild Wind'' (1942) with John Wayne and Susan Hayward, ''So Proudly We Hail!'' (1943) — for which she received a nomination for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress — '' K ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Hope
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 54 feature films with Hope as star, including a series of seven '' Road to ...'' musical comedy films with Bing Crosby as Hope's top-billed partner. In addition to hosting the Academy Awards show 19 times, more than any other host, Hope appeared in many stage productions and television roles and wrote 14 books. The song "Thanks for the Memory" was his signature tune. Hope was born in the Eltham district of southeast London, he arrived in the United States with his family at the age of four, and grew up near Cleveland, Ohio. After a brief career as a boxer in the late 1910s, Hope began his career in show business in the early 1920s, initially as a comedian and dancer on the vaudeville circuit, before acting on Broadway. Hope began appeari ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
