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The Glass Key (1942 Film)
''The Glass Key'' is a 1942 American crime drama film, crime drama based on the The Glass Key, novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. The picture was directed by Stuart Heisler starring Brian Donlevy, Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd (who plays the actual lead despite being billed third). A successful The Glass Key (1935 film), earlier film version starring George Raft in Ladd's role had been released in 1935. The 1942 version's supporting cast features William Bendix, Bonita Granville, Richard Denning and Joseph Calleia. Plot After falling for Janet Henry, the daughter of reform candidate for governor Ralph Henry, shady political boss Paul Madvig is determined to help Henry get elected. Paul's right-hand man, Ed Beaumont, rightly distrusts both Janet and her father, and believes they are stringing Paul along only to dump him after the election. Janet becomes engaged to Paul, but is put off by his crudity. She is attracted to the more sophisticated Ed who fends off her advances o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stuart Heisler
Stuart Heisler (December 5, 1896 – August 21, 1979) was an American film and television director. He was a son of Luther Albert Heisler (1855–1916), a carpenter, and Frances Baldwin Heisler (1857–1935). He worked as a motion picture editor from 1921 to 1936, then worked as film director for the rest of his career. Heisler directed the 1944 propaganda film ''The Negro Soldier'', a documentary-style recruitment piece aimed at getting African-Americans to enlist in the U.S. military during World War II. He found commercial and critical success in the late forties directing Susan Hayward in two of her breakthrough performances. He received an Academy Awards, Oscar nomination in 1949 for his contribution to the visual effects of the film ''Tulsa (film), Tulsa''. Partial filmography As editor *''The Love Light'' (1921) * ''They Shall Pay'' (1921) *''Cytherea (film), Cytherea'' (1924) *''Tarnish (film), Tarnish'' (1924) * ''The Silent Stranger (1924 film), The Silent Stranger'' ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Raft
George Raft (born George Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is remembered for his gangster roles in ''Quick Millions (1931 film), Quick Millions'' (1931) with Spencer Tracy, ''Scarface (1932 film), Scarface'' (1932) with Paul Muni, ''Each Dawn I Die'' (1939) with James Cagney, ''Invisible Stripes'' (1939) with Humphrey Bogart, Billy Wilder's comedy ''Some Like It Hot'' (1959) with Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon, and as a dancer in ''Bolero (1934 film), Bolero'' (1934) with Carole Lombard and a truck driver in ''They Drive by Night'' (1940) with Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino and Bogart. Raft said he never regarded himself as an actor. "I wanted to be me," he said. Early life and career George Raft was born in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, Hell's Kitchen, New York City, to a family of German descent, the son ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dane Clark
Dane Clark (born Bernard Zanville; February 26, 1912September 11, 1998) was an American character actor who was known for playing, as he labeled himself, "Joe Average." Early life Clark was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Jewish immigrants – Samuel, a sporting goods store owner, and his wife Rose. His date of birth is a matter of some dispute among different sources. He graduated from Cornell University in 1936 and earned a law degree in 1938 at St. John's University School of Law in Queens, New York. During the Great Depression, he worked as a professional boxer, minor league baseball player, construction worker, and model. Acting career Modeling brought him in contact with people in the arts. He gradually perceived them to be snobbish, with their talk of the "theatah," and "I decided to give it a try myself, just to show them anyone could do it." Theatre Clark's early acting experience included work with the Group Theatre in New York City. He progressed fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laraine Day
Laraine Day (born La Raine Johnson, October 13, 1920 – November 10, 2007) was an American actress, radio and television commentator, and former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) contract star. As a leading lady, she was paired opposite major film stars, including Robert Mitchum, Lana Turner, Cary Grant, Ronald Reagan, Kirk Douglas, and John Wayne. As well as her numerous film and television roles, she acted on stage, conducted her own radio and television shows, and wrote two books. Owing to her marriage to Leo Durocher and her involvement with his baseball career, she was known as the "First Lady of Baseball". Her best-known films include ''Foreign Correspondent'', ''My Son, My Son'', ''Journey for Margaret'', '' Mr. Lucky'', '' The Locket'', and the '' Dr. Kildare'' series. Early life and education Born La Raine Johnson in Roosevelt, Utah, on October 13, 1920, she was one of eight children in a wealthy family who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bess Flowers
Bess Flowers (November 23, 1898 – July 28, 1984) was an American actress best known for her work as an extra in hundreds of films. She was known as "The Queen of the Hollywood Extras," appearing in more than 350 feature films and numerous comedy shorts in her 41-year career. She holds the record for appearances in films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture (23).Slide, Anthony. 201Silent Players: a Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses Lexington: University Press of Kentucky. p. 103. . Career Born in Sherman, Texas, Flowers' film debut came in 1923, when she appeared in '' Hollywood''. She made three films that year, and then began working extensively. Many of her appearances are uncredited, as she generally played non-speaking roles. By the 1930s, Flowers was in constant demand. Her appearances ranged from Alfred Hitchcock and John Ford thrillers to comedic roles alongside of Charley Chase, the Three Stooges, Leon Err ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norma Varden
Norma Varden Shackleton (20 January 1898 – 19 January 1989), known professionally as Norma Varden, was an English-American actress with a long film career. Life and career Early life Born in London, the daughter of a retired sea captain, Varden was a child prodigy. She trained as a concert pianist in Paris and performed in England before deciding to take up acting. She studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and made her first appearance as Mrs Darling in ''Peter Pan''. Theatre career In England, Varden was a protege of actress Kate Rorke. She acted in repertory theatre and made her West End debut in ''The Wandering Jew'' in 1920. From Shakespeare to farce, she established herself as a regular member of the Aldwych Theatre company where she appeared in plays from 1929 to 1933. She began to appear in British films, usually in haughty upper-class roles. Move to America and film career Varden's English film roles led to offers from Hollywood, and she moved ther ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur Loft
Arthur Loft (May 25, 1897 – January 1, 1947) was an American film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 220 films between 1932 and 1947. Biography He was born in Denver, Colorado and died in Los Angeles, California. He is interred at Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery. Career In 1931, Loft performed with the Hale-Munier Players. Selected filmography *''Behind Jury Doors'' (1932) * '' Alimony Madness'' (1933) * ''Western Justice'' (1934) * '' Paradise Valley'' (1934) * '' Girl in the Case'' (1934) * '' Danger Ahead'' (1935) * ''Wanted! Jane Turner'' (1936) * ''King of the Royal Mounted'' (1936) * ''Shakedown'' (1936) * ''All American Sweetheart'' (1937) * '' The Great Barrier'' (1937) * '' Paid to Dance'' (1937) * ''Motor Madness'' (1937) * '' The Main Event'' (1938) * '' Rawhide'' (1938) * ''Rhythm of the Saddle'' (1938) * ''Squadron of Honor'' (1938) * ''Cafe Hostess'' (1939) * ''A Woman Is the Judge'' (1939) * ''Teddy, the Rough Rider'' (1940) * ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moroni Olsen
Moroni Olsen (June 27, 1889November 22, 1954) was an American actor. Life and career Olsen was born in Ogden, Utah to Latter-day Saint parents Edward Arenholt Olsen and Martha ( Hoverholst) Olsen, who named him after the Moroni found in the Book of Mormon. His father was Bishop of the Fourth Ward of Ogden. Olsen studied at Weber Stake Academy, the predecessor of Weber State University. He then went to study at the University of Utah, where one of his teachers was Maud May Babcock. During World War I, he sold war bonds for the United States Navy. He also studied and performed in the eastern United States around this time. In 1923, Olsen organized the "Moroni Olsen Players" out of Ogden. They performed at both Ogden's Orpheum Theatre and at various other locations spread from Salt Lake City to Seattle. After working on Broadway, he made his film debut in a 1935 adaptation of ''The Three Musketeers''. He later played a different role in a 1939 comedy version of the sto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Margaret Hayes
Margaret Hayes (born Florette Regina Ottenheimer; December 5, 1913 – January 26, 1977) was an American film, stage, and television actress. Early years Hayes was born in Baltimore, Maryland (some sources say Pottsville, Pennsylvania) into a Jewish family. Her father was Jack Lewis Ottenheimer, a "musician, theatrical man, and joke-book writer." (Some sources say that he was a real estate broker.). While a student at Forest Park High School, she joined the Emerson Cook Stock Company to gain more acting experience. She entered Johns Hopkins University to become a nurse, but stuck to her dramatic ambitions. At the school, she joined "The Barnstormers", a theatrical organization, becoming the first female member of that group. Changing names Using the name "Dana Dale", Hayes found work as a model, "featured in the best cigarette, auto, and fashion advertisements". Her screen test for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in ''Gone with the Wind'' was unsuccessful, but she received a mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donald MacBride
Donald Hugh MacBride (June 23, 1893 – June 21, 1957) was an American character actor on stage, in films, and on television who launched his career as a teenage singer (making several recordings in 1907) in vaudeville and went on to be an actor in New York. Biography Donald MacBride was born 1893 in Brooklyn, New York. MacBride appeared in nearly 140 films between 1914 and 1955. His year of birth is given variously as 1889 or 1893 in the standard reference books. Motion pictures Beginning in 1930, like many New York-based, stage-trained actors, he found work at the Paramount, Vitaphone, and Educational studios, all of which had East Coast branches. He is clearly visible as a crowd extra welcoming Groucho Marx in the Paramount feature ''Animal Crackers''. Speaking roles in short subjects followed, establishing MacBride as a comic tough guy or villain opposite Tom Howard, Shemp Howard, Buster Keaton, and other comedy stars. MacBride's fortunes improved when he was featur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frances Gifford
Mary Frances Gifford (December 7, 1920 – January 22, 1994) was an American actress who played leads and supporting roles in many 1930s and 1940s movies. Early years Gifford was born and raised in Long Beach, California, and at the age of 16, applied to UCLA School of Law with no intention of pursuing an acting career. With a friend, she visited the studios of Samuel Goldwyn to watch a film being made, and while there, was spotted by a talent scout, who brought her to the attention of Goldwyn, who signed her to an acting contract. Career After only receiving minor roles, Gifford moved to RKO, where she was cast in several uncredited supporting roles in films of the late 1930s, including ''Stage Door'' (1937) starring Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers.Maltin 1994, p. 331. Gifford married actor James Dunn on Christmas Day 1937. In 1939, she landed her first leading role in the low-budget '' Mercy Plane'', opposite her husband. A planned retirement was interrupted briefly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Calleia
Joseph Calleia ( ; born Joseph Alexander Caesar Herstall Vincent Calleja, August 4, 1897 – October 31, 1975) was a Maltese-born American actor and singer on the stage and in films, radio and television. After serving in the British Transport Service during World War I, he travelled to the United States and began his career on the stage, initially in musical comedy, but later in original Broadway productions such as ''Broadway'' (1926), ''The Front Page'' (1928), ''The Last Mile'' (1930), and ''Grand Hotel'' (1930). Calleia became a star with the play '' Small Miracle'' (1934), his first real role as a villain, and he was put under contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Calleia excelled as the villain in Hollywood films, but he fought against typecasting and created a succession of darkly mysterious characters edged with humor in films such as ''Algiers'' (1938), ''Five Came Back'' (1939), '' Golden Boy'' (1939), ''The Glass Key'' (1942) and ''Gilda'' (1946). During World War II, Ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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