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The Goddess (1958 Film)
''The Goddess'' is a 1958 American drama film directed by John Cromwell and starring Kim Stanley and Lloyd Bridges. From a screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky, the film is an in-depth character study of the life of a troubled and lonely girl who becomes a movie star adored by millions, but is miserable in her private life. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Plot Emily Ann Faulkner is born into poverty in The South, has no father, no friends, and is unloved by her indifferent mother Laureen, who does not want to be tied down by a child. As a teenager, Emily is socially ostracized by the local townspeople, except for the boys who are attracted to her good looks and sexual availability. Emily lets them have sex with her in order to have some brief respite from her loneliness; the rest of the time, she retreats into Hollywood fantasies. During WWII, she meets and marries world-weary G.I. John Tower, who also suffers from his dysfunctional upb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Cromwell (director)
John Cromwell (born Elwood Dager; December 23, 1886 – September 26, 1979) was an American film and stage director and actor. His films spanned the early days of sound to '' film noir'' in the early 1950s, by which time his directing career was almost terminated by the Hollywood blacklist. Early life and education Born as Elwood Dager in Toledo, Ohio to an affluent Scottish-English family, executives in the steel and iron industry, Cromwell graduated from private high school at Howe Military Academy in 1905, but never pursued higher education. Early acting career, 1905–1912 Upon leaving school, Cromwell immediately began his stage career touring with stock companies in Chicago, then made his way to New York City in his early 20s. Billed as Elwood Dager in his youth, he changed his name to John Cromwell at the age of 26 following a 1912 New York stage appearance. Cromwell made his Broadway debut in the role of John Brooke in '' Little Women'' (1912) an adaptation of Louis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Casting Couch
The casting couch is a euphemism for the practice of soliciting sexual favors from a job applicant in exchange for employment in the entertainment industry, primarily acting roles. The practice is illegal in the United States. Predominantly male casting directors and film producers use the casting couch to extract sex from aspiring actors in Hollywood, Bollywood, Broadway, and other segments of the industry. The term ''casting couch'' originally referred to physical couches in the casting office, but is now a metonym for the phenomenon as a whole. Depictions of casting couch sexual encounters have also become a genre of pornography. Legality The casting couch is illegal under United States and California law. In the United States, the majority of lawsuits related to the practice are settled, resulting in a lack of case law. Etymology In ''The Atlantic'', linguist Ben Zimmer described the casting couch as "a metonym for the skewed sexual politics of show business", which has b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era's sexual revolution. She was a top-billed actress for a decade, and her films grossed $200 million (equivalent to $ billion in ) by the time of her death in 1962. Long after her death, Monroe remains a major icon of pop culture. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her sixth on their list of the greatest female screen legends from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Multiple film critics and media outlets have cited Monroe as one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Monroe spent most of her childhood in a total of 12 foster homes and an orphanage; she married at age sixteen. She was working in a factory during World War II when she met a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patty Duke
Anna Marie "Patty" Duke (December 14, 1946 – March 29, 2016) was an American actress and mental health advocate. Over the course of her acting career, she was the recipient of an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At age 15, Duke portrayed Helen Keller in the film ''The Miracle Worker'' (1962), a role she had originated on Broadway. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. The following year, she played the dual role of "identical cousins" Cathy and Patty Lane on her own show ''The Patty Duke Show'' (1963–1966). She progressed to more mature roles, such as Neely O'Hara in the film '' Valley of the Dolls'' (1967) and Natalie Miller in the film ''Me, Natalie'' (1969). The latter earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. From 1985 to 1988, she served as president of the Screen Actors Guild. Duke was diagnosed with bipolar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curt Conway
Curt Conway (May 4, 1915 – April 10, 1974) was an American actor. He was sometimes billed as Curtis Conway or Kurt Conway. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Conway appeared in a number of Broadway plays, had small parts in films. such as ''Hud'' (1963), and appeared on TV from 1960 until his death. A member of the Group Theatre, and later the Actors Studio, Conway went on to found his own acting school, the Theatre Studio, in 1952. Located at 353 West 48th Street in Manhattan, its faculty included, at one time or another, Nora Dunfee, Robert Alvin, and fellow Actors Studio members Lonny Chapman and David Pressman. The Actors Studio also supplied some of the school's participating directors, namely Martin Ritt, Alan Schneider, and Joseph Anthony; also participating were Horton Foote and Everett Chambers. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joanne Linville
Beverly Joanne Linville (January 15, 1928 – June 20, 2021) was an American actress. She later taught at the Stella Adler Academy, Los Angeles. She is best known as a Romulan Commander on ''Star Trek: The Original Series''. Biography Early life Linville was born in Bakersfield, California, on January 15, 1928. She attended high school in Long Beach, California, and worked as an oral surgeon's assistant before studying acting. While she studied with Stella Adler, she danced professionally to pay her tuition. Acting career Linville's motion-picture credits include '' The Goddess'' (1958), '' Scorpio'' (1973), ''Gable and Lombard'' (1976), '' A Star Is Born'' (1976), '' The Seduction'' (1982), and ''James Dean'' (2001). In 1959, Linville appeared on the CBS daytime drama ''The Guiding Light'' as Amy Sinclair, a runaway drug addict whose daughter was nearly taken from her as part of an illegal adoption scam ring. Linville starred in two television presentations of ''One Step Bey ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joyce Van Patten
Joyce Benignia Van Patten (born March 9, 1934) is an American film and stage actress. She is best known for her roles in films like ''The Bad News Bears'' (1976), ''St. Elmo's Fire'' (1985) (as Mrs. Beamish), and as Rob Schneider's septuagenarian wife in '' Grown Ups'' (2010). Personal life Van Patten was born in New York City to Josephine Rose (née Acerno), a magazine advertising executive, and Richard Byron Van Patten, an interior decorator. Her mother was of Italian descent, while her father was of Dutch and English ancestry. She is the younger sister of actor Dick Van Patten, and the half-sister of actor/director Tim Van Patten and actor John Van Patten. Following a relatively brief marriage to Thomas King at the age of 16 (she gave birth to a son, Thomas Jr., a year later), she married and divorced three more times, including to actor Dennis Dugan. She was married to actor Martin Balsam from 1959 to 1962, and they had a daughter, actress Talia Balsam. Career Van Patten ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joan Copeland
Joan Maxine Kupchik ( Miller; June 1, 1922 – January 4, 2022), known professionally as Joan Copeland, was an American actress. She was the younger sister of playwright Arthur Miller. She began her career during the mid-1940s, appearing in theatre in New York City, where, shortly thereafter, she would become one of the first members admitted to the newly formed Actors Studio. She moved into television and film during the 1950s while still maintaining an active stage career. She is best known for her performances in the 1977 Broadway revival of '' Pal Joey'' and her award-winning performance in the 1981 play '' The American Clock''. She also played a number of prominent roles on various soap operas throughout her career, including Andrea Whiting on ''Search for Tomorrow'' and Gwendolyn Lord Abbott on '' One Life to Live''. She voiced Tanana in ''Brother Bear''. Personal life Miller was born to a middle-class Jewish family in New York City. Her father, Isidore, was a woman's cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elizabeth Wilson
Elizabeth Welter Wilson (April 4, 1921 – May 9, 2015) was an American actress whose career spanned nearly 70 years, including memorable roles in film and television. In 1972 she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in ''Sticks and Bones''. Wilson was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2006. Early life Wilson was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the daughter of insurance agent Henry Dunning Wilson and Marie Ethel (née Welter) Wilson. Her maternal grandfather was a wealthy German immigrant, and Wilson was raised in a large mansion.Jean, Pat Grand"First Q&A: Elizabeth Wilson"''Connecticut Magazine'', April 2012 She attended the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, and then studied with Sanford Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. According to Wilson, she was a lifelong liberal Democrat and she adhered to the Methodist faith. Career Wilson was a versatile character actress, appearing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerald Hiken
Gerald Hiken (May 27, 1927 – January 6, 2021) was an American actor. Career A native of Milwaukee, he studied acting at HB Studio in New York City. Hiken was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1980 for his performance in ''Strider''. He has performed in many other Broadway plays and has appeared in supporting and bit roles in various films including '' The Candidate'' (1972), ''Reds'' (1981), and ''Fat Man and Little Boy'' (1989). On television, Gerald Hiken was a frequent guest star on ''Car 54, Where Are You?'', a show created by his cousin Nat Hiken. In 1988, Gerald Hiken appeared in two consecutive '' Cheers'' episodes. He played the character Dennis, father of executive Martin Teale in season 7, episodes 3 and 4: "Executive Sweet" and "One Happy Chappy in a Snappy Serape". Hiken died on January 6, 2021, at the age of 93. Partial filmography Awards and nominations Hiken was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play The Tony Award fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bert Freed
Bert Freed (November 3, 1919 – August 2, 1994) was an American character actor, voice-over actor, and the first actor to portray Detective Columbo. Life and career Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Freed began acting while attending Penn State University, and made his Broadway debut in 1942. Following World War II Army service in the European theatre, he appeared in the Broadway musical ''The Day Before Spring'' in 1945 and dozens of television shows between 1947 and 1985. His film debut occurred, oddly enough, in a musical '' Carnegie Hall'' (1947). Freed portrayed Rufe Ryker in the television series ''Shane'', in which Freed added a unique touch of realism by beginning the show clean-shaven and growing a beard from one week to the next, never shaving again through the season. Freed played homicide detective Lt. Columbo in a live 1960 television episode of ''The Chevy Mystery Show'' seven years before Peter Falk played the role, and also before Thomas Mitchell p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burt Brinckerhoff
Burton Field Brinckerhoff (born October 25, 1936) is an American actor, director, and producer. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as Igor in the play '' Cactus Flower'' (1965–1968), a Daytime Emmy Award for directing an episode of the television series ''The ABC Afternoon Playbreak'' (1973), and three Primetime Emmy Awards for directing episodes of the television series ''Lou Grant'' (1978–1982). Early life and education Brinckerhoff was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and initially raised in Ben Avon, Pennsylvania. His father, Rev. Dr. J. Howard Brinckerhoff, was minister of the Ben Avon Presbyterian Church, and Marion (née Field) Brinckerhoff. The family moved to New York City when Burt was five years old. His mother was director of Director of Christian Education at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. Brinckerhoff became interested in acting while attending Horace Mann School. He performed in a senior class play and, after graduating, in summer stock theatre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
