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The Kennel Murder Case (film)
''The Kennel Murder Case'' is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery film adapted from the 1933 novel of the same name by S. S. Van Dine. Directed by Michael Curtiz for Warner Bros., it stars William Powell and Mary Astor. Powell's role as Philo Vance is not the actor's first performance as the aristocratic sleuth; he also portrays the character in three films produced by Paramount in 1929 and 1930. In the film, dog show competitor Archer Coe is found murdered within his own bedroom. There is a long list of suspects, since the victim had antagonized members of his own family, his own lover, and his own employees. The corpse of the victim's brother is soon found, hidden in a closet. One of the other suspects survives a knife attack, and the dog of Coe's neighbor is found to be seriously injured. Vance has to deduce the motives behind the attacks in order to figure out who killed Coe. Plot When Philo Vance's dog does not make it into the final of the Long Island Kennel Club's dog sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed classic films from the silent era and numerous others during Hollywood's Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age, when the studio system was prevalent. Curtiz was already a well-known director in Europe when Warner Bros. invited him to Hollywood in 1926, when he was 39 years of age. He had already directed 64 films in Europe, and soon helped Warner Bros. become the fastest-growing movie studio. He directed 102 films during his Hollywood career, mostly at Warners, where he directed ten actors to Oscar nominations. James Cagney and Joan Crawford won their only Academy Awards under Curtiz's direction. He put Doris Day and John Garfield on screen for the first time, and he made stars of Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, and Bette Davis. He himself ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert McWade
Robert McWade (January 25, 1872 – January 19, 1938), was an American stage and film actor. McWade was born in Buffalo, New York. He was the third actor named Robert McWade, after his father and grandfather. In 1902, McWade debuted on stage with the Murray Hill Stock Company. From 1903 to 1927, he appeared in at least 38 Broadway productions, his last being ''Devil In The Cheese'' (1926), with Bela Lugosi and Fredric March. McWade also appeared in 83 films between 1924 and 1938, for example ''42nd Street'' with Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler (1933). His older brother was character actor Edward McWade. McWade was married to Minne Lee, and they had two sons. On January 19, 1938, McWade died of heart disease in Culver City, California, at age 65. Selected filmography *'' Second Youth'' (1924) - Department Store Clerk (uncredited) *''New Brooms'' (1925) - Robert Bates Sr. *''The Home Towners'' (1928) - P. H. Bancroft *''The Sins of the Children'' (1930) - Joe Higginson *'' Goo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spencer Charters
Spencer Charters (March 25, 1875 – January 25, 1943) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 220 films between 1920 and 1943, mostly in small supporting roles. Biography Charters was born in Duncannon, Pennsylvania. Until around 1890 he worked as a machinist for the Chesapeake Nail Works in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and had little interest in acting. He soon appeared on stage after leaving school with a walk-on part, but it wasn't long before he was being given fair-sized roles. He played on Broadway between 1910 and 1929 and was a busy character actor in films during the 1930s and early 1940s. He often portrayed somewhat befuddled judges, doctors, clerks, managers, and jailers. Charters was married to actress Irene Myers until her death December 22, 1941. He died by suicide from a mix of sleeping pills and carbon monoxide poisoning. He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Chandler
George Chandler (June 30, 1898 – June 10, 1985) was an American actor who starred in over 140 feature films, usually in smaller supporting roles, and he is perhaps best known for playing the character of Uncle Petrie Martin on the television series '' Lassie'', and as the unfortunate young man who drank '' The Fatal Glass of Beer''. Early years He was born in Waukegan, Illinois, on June 30, 1898. During his infancy, his family moved to Hinsdale, Illinois. Early in his career, he had a vaudeville act, billed as "George Chandler, the Musical Nut," which featured comedy and his violin. He made his debut in film in 1929. Career George Chandler had a plain, unassuming face, allowing him to play incidental and background roles in dozens of movies. His outstanding facial feature was a wide, toothy smile. Today's audiences may know him from the Mack Sennett comedy '' The Fatal Glass of Beer'' (1933) starring W. C. Fields. In this absurd satire of antique Yukon melodramas, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wade Boteler
Wade Boteler (October 3, 1888 – May 7, 1943) was an American film actor and writer. He appeared in more than 430 films between 1919 and 1943. Biography He was born in Santa Ana, California, and died in Hollywood, California, from a heart attack. Boteler graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After he graduated, he stayed there as a director until he joined the Army in World War I. For three years in the mid-1920s, he worked for Douglas MacLean's film company as both actor and writer. On Broadway, Boteler appeared in the play '' The Silent Voice'' (1914). Partial filmography * ''The False Road'' (1920) * '' Lahoma'' (1920) * ''An Old Fashioned Boy'' (1920) * '' She Couldn't Help It'' (1920) * '' Ducks and Drakes'' (1921) * ''The Home Stretch'' (1921) * ''Fifty Candles'' (1921) * '' One Man in a Million'' (1921) * '' Blind Hearts'' (1921) * ''At the Sign of the Jack O'Lantern'' (1922) * ''Deserted at the Altar'' (1922) * ''Don't Shoot'' (1922) * ''The Lying ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harry Allen (actor)
Harry Allen (born Henry Radford Allen; 10 July 1877 – 4 December 1951) was an Australian-born American character actor of the silent and sound film eras. He was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Allen's World War One registration card gives his date of birth as 10 July, 1876 and confirms his place of birth as Melbourne, although at least one obituary gives the later birth year of 1883. Career Allen began his acting career on stage with the J. C. Williamson organisation, performing around Australia. In 1912 he left Australia for North America.The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1950), Sat 20 Feb 1915, Page 5, "Objected to Friends" Accessed May 15, 2017 In the United States, Allen was a member of a touring theater company, known for their popular r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Doberman Pinscher
The Dobermann (; ), or Doberman Pinscher in the United States and Canada, is a medium-large breed of domestic dog that was originally developed around 1890 by Louis Dobermann, a tax collector from Germany."Get to Know the Doberman Pinscher" , 'The American Kennel Club', retrieved 6 May 2014 The Dobermann has a long muzzle. It stands on its pads and is not usually heavy-footed. Ideally, they have an even and graceful . Traditionally, the ears are and posted and the tail is [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur Hohl
Arthur Hohl (May 21, 1889 – March 10, 1964) was an American stage and motion-picture character actor. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and began appearing in films in the early 1920s. He played a great number of villainous or mildly larcenous roles, although his screen roles usually were small, but he also played a few sympathetic characters. Hohl's two performances seen most often today are as Pete, the nasty boat engineer who tells the local sheriff about Julie (Helen Morgan) and her husband ( Donald Cook)'s secret interracial marriage in ''Show Boat'' (1936), and as Mr. Montgomery, the man who helps Richard Arlen and Leila Hyams to make their final escape in '' Island of Lost Souls'' (1932). He also played Brutus opposite Warren William's Julius Caesar in Cecil B. DeMille's version of '' Cleopatra'' (1934), starring Claudette Colbert. Among his other notable roles were as Olivier, King Louis XI's right-hand man, in ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1939), as the r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Conroy (actor)
Frank Parish Conroy (14 October 1890 – 24 February 1964) was a British film and stage actor who appeared in many films, notably ''Grand Hotel'' (1932), '' The Little Minister'' (1934) and ''The Ox-Bow Incident'' (1943). Career Born in Derby, England, Conroy began acting on stage in 1908. He acted in Shakespearean plays in England from 1910 until he came to the United States in 1915. He was responsible for building the Greenwich Village Theatre which opened in 1917, and he directed productions of the repertory theater there for three years. He appeared in more than 40 Broadway plays, beginning with ''The Passing Show of 1913'' (1913) and ending with ''Calculated Risk'' (1962). He won a Tony Award for best supporting actor for his performance in Graham Greene's ''The Potting Shed'' (1957). Conroy's work on television included appearances on ''Kraft Theater'' and ''The Play of the Week''. Personal life and death Conroy had a wife, Ruth, and a son, Richard. He died of heart di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack La Rue
Jack La Rue (born Gaspare Biondolillo; May 3, 1902 – January 11, 1984) was an American film and stage actor. Early years The son of Sicilian immigrants Pasquale and Concetta Biondolillo, La Rue was born in New York City. His father sailed to the port of New York as an emigrant steerage passenger on the steamer ''Olympia'', which sailed from the port of Naples in November 1895. According to the 1910 U.S. Census, Pasquale Biondolillo was employed as a piano varnisher. Stage La Rue went from high school to his first acting job in Otis Skinner's road company production of ''Blood and Sand''. He performed in Broadway plays from around 1923 to 1931. According to La Rue, while appearing in Mae West's play ''Diamond Lil'', he was spotted by Howard Hawks, who offered him a part in the film '' Scarface'' (1932), starring Paul Muni. Film He moved to Hollywood, where he appeared in numerous films. However, ''Scarface'' was not one of them. La Rue stated in a newspaper article t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helen Vinson
Helen Vinson (born Helen Rulfs, September 17, 1907 – October 7, 1999) was an American film actress who appeared in 40 films between 1932 and 1945. Early life Vinson was born in Beaumont, Texas, the daughter of oil man Edward Rulfs. She developed a passion for horses during her youth. She studied at the University of Texas at Austin. Theater In Austin, she met March Culmore, director of the Little Theater in Houston, Texas. Culmore took her as a pupil and she was soon playing lead roles with the theater. From Texas, she moved quickly to Broadway, where her credits included ''Los Angeles'' (1927), ''Death Takes a Holiday'' (1931), ''Berlin'' (1931), and ''The Fatal Alibi'' (1932). A succession of performances followed and led to a contract with Warner Bros. Later, she regretted her quick leap to Hollywood and motion pictures, saying, "If I'd stayed in New York longer, I'd be getting a much bigger salary out here now." Film career Vinson's pre-Code screen roles often fe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ralph Morgan
Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956), known professionally as Ralph Morgan, was a Hollywood stage and film character actor, and the older brother of Frank Morgan. Early life Morgan was born in New York City, the eighth of eleven children of Josephine Wright (née Hancox) and George Diogracia Wuppermann. His mother was a Mayflower descendant. His father, George Wuppermann, was of Spanish and German lineage. Born in Venezuela and raised in Germany, he later immigrated to the United States. He had made a fortune by distributing Angostura bitters, allowing him to send all of his children to universities. Morgan attended Trinity School, Riverview Military Academy and graduated from Columbia University with a law degree. However, after almost two years' practicing, he abandoned the world of jurisprudence for the vocation of journeyman actor, having already appeared in Columbia's annual Varsity Show. In 1905, billed as Raphael Kuhner Wupperman, he appea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
