|
The Letter (1940 Film)
''The Letter'' is a 1940 American crime melodrama directed by William Wyler, and starring Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall and James Stephenson. The screenplay by Howard E. Koch is based on the 1927 play of the same name by W. Somerset Maugham derived from his own short story. The play was first filmed in 1929, by director Jean de Limur. The story was inspired by a real-life scandal involving the wife of the headmaster of a school in Kuala Lumpur who was convicted in a murder trial after shooting dead a male friend in April 1911. She was eventually pardoned. Plot On a moonlit, tropical night, the native workers are asleep in their outdoor barracks. A shot is heard; the door of a house opens, and a man stumbles out of it, followed by a woman who calmly shoots him several more times, the last few while standing over his body. The woman is Leslie Crosbie, the wife of a British rubber plantation manager in Malaya; her manservant recognizes the man whom she shot as Geoff Hammond, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Wyler
William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), '' The Best Years of Our Lives'' (1946), and '' Ben-Hur'' (1959), all of which also won for Best Picture. In total, he holds a record twelve nominations for the Academy Award for Best Director. Born in Alsace, then in Germany, but later part of France, Wyler was a troublemaker in the schools of his youth. He immigrated to United States in 1921, working first for Universal Studios in New York before moving to Los Angeles. By 1925, he was the youngest director at Universal, and in 1929 he directed '' Hell's Heroes'', Universal's first sound production filmed entirely on location. In 1936, he earned his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director for '' Dodsworth'', starring Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton and Mary Astor, "sparking a 20-year run ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ethel Proudlock Case
The Ethel Proudlock case refers to Ethel Proudlock's 1911 trial for murder which took place in Kuala Lumpur, FMS (now Malaysia). The trial became a ''cause célèbre'' scandalising British colonial society. William Somerset Maugham wrote a short story about the case which he subsequently turned into a successful 1927 play '' The Letter'' and which in turn received several film and TV adaptions; the most well known of these is William Wyler's 1940 movie '' The Letter''. In addition, it was referenced in the 1977 film ''East of Elephant Rock'' by Don Boyd. It was the subject of a 2000 book by Eric Lawlor. History Ethel Proudlock Ethel Proudlock, née Charter, was a Eurasian who married William Proudlock, acting headmaster of the prestigious Victoria Institution for boys in Kuala Lumpur, at the age of 19 in 1907. Incident On the evening of 23 April 1911, she was alone in the VI headmaster's bungalow (near the present-day Pasar Seni LRT/MRT station) while her husband dined with a fe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willie Fung
Willie Fung (3 March 1896 – 16 April 1945) was a Chinese-American film actor who played supporting roles in 125 American films between 1922 and 1944. Like many Chinese actors working in Hollywood during the era, he often played Japanese characters. Biography Born in Canton, China, Fung made a name for himself as an actor on the stage in San Francisco. After moving to Los Angeles after his uncle's business collapsed during the depression, Fung — who was reportedly an acquaintance of Jean Harlow's — made his film debut in 1922 in ''Hurricane's Gal''. The majority of his roles were in Westerns and dramas. Although he was relegated to often-cartoonish bit parts due to the racism of the day, behind the scenes, he made an impact by advocating for fairer treatment of actors by the studios. He reportedly also ran his own Chinese restaurant, the New Moon Café in East Hollywood, while maintaining his acting career. Fung died of a coronary occlusion in Los Angeles Lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Doris Lloyd
Hessy Doris Lloyd (3 July 1891 – 21 May 1968) was an English–American film and stage actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles in ''The Time Machine'' (1960) and ''The Sound of Music'' (1965). Lloyd appeared in two Academy Award winners and four other nominees. Early life Lloyd's parents were Edward Franklin Lloyd and Hessy Jane McCappin. She was born in Liverpool, and she had a grandfather who was an amateur actor. Her father was born in 1855, in Holywell, Flintshire. Her mother was born in 1860. Career When Lloyd was 23, she debuted on stage with the Liverpool Repertory Company. She appeared a number of times in the London West End, including in '' Mr. Todd's Experiment'' by Walter C. Hackett ( Queen's Theatre, 1920), and ''The Smiths of Surbiton'' by Keble Howard ( New Theatre, 1922). Her film debut was in the 1920 British silent film '' The Shadow Between''. She went to the United States to visit a sister already living there. What was supposed to be a vis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Victor Sen Yung
Sen Yung, later known professionally as Victor Sen Young (born Sen Yew Cheung; October 18, 1914 – c. November 9, 1980); one source lists his given name as Victor Cheung Young with the birth year 1915)) was an American character actor, best known for playing Jimmy Chan in the Charlie Chan films and Hop Sing in the western series ''Bonanza''. He was born in San Francisco, California to Gum Yung Sen and his first wife, both immigrants from China. When his mother died during the flu epidemic of 1919, his father placed Victor and his younger sister, Rosemary, in a children's shelter, and returned to his homeland to seek another wife. He returned in 1922 with his new wife, Lovi Shee, once again forming a household with his two children. Career Sen Yung made his first significant acting debut in the 1938 film ''Charlie Chan in Honolulu'', as the Chinese detective's "number two son", Jimmy Chan. In this movie, Sidney Toler replaced the recently deceased Warner Oland as Charlie Chan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cecil Kellaway
Cecil Lauriston Kellaway (22 August 1890 – 28 February 1973) was a South African character actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor twice, for '' The Luck of the Irish'' (1948) and '' Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'' (1967). Early life Cecil Kellaway was born on 22 August 1890 in Cape Town, South Africa. He was the son of English parents, Rebecca Annie (née Brebner) and Edwin John Kellaway, an architect and engineer. Edwin had immigrated to Cape Town to help build the Houses of Parliament there, and he was a good friend of Cecil Rhodes, who was young Cecil's eponym and godfather. Cecil was interested in acting from an early age. He was educated at the Normal College, Cape Town, and in England at Bradford Grammar School. He studied engineering and on his return to South Africa was employed in an engineering firm. However the lure of acting was too strong and he became a full-time actor, making his debut in ''Potash and Perlmutter''. Early plays i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elizabeth Inglis
Elizabeth Inglis (born Desiree Mary Lucy Hawkins, July 10, 1913 – August 25, 2007), also known as Elizabeth Earl, was an English actress, known for her role in '' The Letter''. Early life Inglis was born Desiree Mary Lucy Hawkins in Colchester, Essex, the daughter of Margaret Inglis (née Hunt) and Alan George Hawkins. Career Her screen debut was in the 1934 film, ''Borrowed Clothes''. She then had a small part in Alfred Hitchcock's ''The 39 Steps'' (1935) as Hilary Jordan. She played the role of the young maid Nancy in the original British production of Patrick Hamilton's Victorian stage thriller '' Gas Light'', which premiered December 5, 1938, and closed June 10, 1939, after a total of 141 performances. Inglis and the rest of the cast recreated their stage roles for a 1939 television presentation performed live on BBC Television. In Hollywood, Inglis played the role of Adele Ainsworth in William Wyler's 1940 film '' The Letter''. By this time she was credited as Elizabe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bruce Lester
Bruce Lester (6 June 1912 – 13 June 2008) was a South African-born English film actor with over 60 screen appearances to his credit between 1934 and his retirement from acting in 1958. Lester's career divided into two distinct periods. Between 1934 and 1938, billed as Bruce Lister, he appeared in upwards of 20 British films, mostly of the cheaply shot and quickly forgotten quota quickie variety. He then moved to the US, where he changed his surname to Lester, and found himself for a time appearing in some of the biggest prestige productions of their day, alongside stars such as Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Tyrone Power and Errol Flynn. Lester himself never achieved star-billing, but was said to have remarked that this at least meant that if a film was a flop, no blame ever fell on his shoulders.Bruce Lester obit ... [...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] |
Frieda Inescort
Frieda Inescort (born Frieda Wrightman, 29 June 1901 – 26 February 1976) was a Scottish-born actress best known for creating the role of Sorel Bliss in Noël Coward's play ''Hay Fever'' on Broadway. She also played the shingled lady in John Galsworthy's 1927 Broadway production ''Escape'' and Caroline Bingley in the 1940 film of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Early years Born in Edinburgh, Inescort was the daughter of Scots-born journalist John "Jock" Wrightman and actress Elaine Inescourt, who was of German and Polish descent. They married in 1896 but parted ways when their daughter was still a young child. While she lived in Britain, Inescort wrote for a newspaper in London and worked as secretary to Lord Astor. (Another source says that she was secretary to Lady Astor.) After going to the United States, she not only acted but also worked as associate editor of ''The Exporter's Encyclopedia''. Stage Inescort's acting debut came in ''The Truth About Blayds'' (19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gale Sondergaard In The Letter Trailer
A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).National Weather Service Glossary s.v "gale" Forecasters typically issue s when winds of this strength are expected. In the United States, a gale warning is specifically a maritime warning; the land-based equivalent in National Weather Service warning p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent islands such as the Simeulue, Nias, Mentawai, Enggano, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung and Krakatoa archipelago. Sumatra is an elongated landmass spanning a diagonal northwest–southeast axis. The Indian Ocean borders the northwest, west, and southwest coasts of Sumatra, with the island chain of Simeulue, Nias, Mentawai, and Enggano off the western coast. In the northeast, the narrow Strait of Malacca separates the island from the Malay Peninsula, which is an extension of the Eurasian continent. In the southeast, the narrow Sunda Strait, containing the Krakatoa Archipelago, separates Sumatra from Java. The northern tip of Sumatra is near the Andaman Islands, while off the southeastern coast lie the islands of Bangka and Belitung, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_-_Yung_&_Best_1.jpg "Click for more on -> Victor Sen Yung")
