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The Story Of Vernon And Irene Castle
''The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle'' is a 1939 American biographical musical comedy directed by H.C. Potter. The film stars Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edna May Oliver, and Walter Brennan. The film is based on the stories ''My Husband'' and ''My Memories of Vernon Castle'', by Irene Castle. The movie was adapted by Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Yost and Richard Sherman. This was Astaire and Rogers' ninth and last film together with RKO. Their final pairing was '' The Barkleys of Broadway'' (1949) at MGM. Plot The film tells of novice American dancer Irene Foote (Ginger Rogers) who convinces New York-based British vaudeville comic Vernon Castle (Fred Astaire) to give up slapstick comedy in favor of sophisticated ballroom dancing. Their big break comes when they are stranded in Paris, along with their friend Walter Ashe (Walter Brennan), with no money. They catch the eye of influential agent Maggie Sutton (Edna May Oliver), who arranges a tryout for them at the prestigio ...
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Irene Castle
Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-and-wife team of ballroom dancers and dance teachers who appeared on Broadway and in silent films in the early 20th century. They are credited with reviving the popularity of modern dancing. Castle was a stage name: Vernon (2 May 1887 – 15 February 1918) was born William Vernon Blyth in England. Irene (7 April 1893 – 25 January 1969) was born Irene Foote in the United States. The couple reached the peak of their popularity in Irving Berlin's first Broadway show, '' Watch Your Step'' (1914), in which they refined and popularized the Foxtrot. They also helped to promote ragtime, jazz rhythms and African-American music for dance. Irene became a fashion icon through her appearances on stage and in early movies, and both Castles were in demand as teachers and writers on dance. After serving with distinction as a pilot in the British Royal Flying Corps during World War I, Vernon died in a plane crash on a flight training base near Fort ...
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Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations = , battle_honours = , battles_label = Wars , battles = First World War , disbanded = merged with RNAS to become Royal Air Force (RAF), 1918 , current_commander = , current_commander_label = , ceremonial_chief = , ceremonial_chief_label = , colonel_of_the_regiment = , colonel_of_the_regiment_label = , notable_commanders = Sir David Henderson Hugh Trenchard , identification_symbol = , identification_symbol_label = Roundel , identification_symbol_2 = , identification_symbol_2_label = Flag , aircraft_attack = , aircraft_bomber = , aircraft_ ...
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Victor Moore
Victor Fred Moore (February 24, 1876 – July 23, 1962) was an American actor of stage and screen, a major Broadway star from the late 1920s through the 1930s. He was also a writer and director, but is best remembered today as a comedian, playing timid, mild-mannered roles. Today's audiences know him as the star of a Christmas-themed movie that has become a perennial: ''It Happened on 5th Avenue'' (1947). Moore plays a vagrant who occupies a millionaire's mansion—without the millionaire's knowledge—while the owner is vacationing. Career Victor Moore appeared in 21 Broadway shows and more than 50 films. His first appearance on Broadway was in ''Rosemary'' (1896). He also appeared in George M. Cohan's '' Forty-five Minutes from Broadway'', which opened January 1, 1906, and its sequel, ''The Talk of New York'' (1907). He went on to star in shows such as ''Oh, Kay!'' (1926) as Shorty McGee, '' Hold Everything!'' (1928) as Nosey Bartlett, Gershwin's '' Of Thee I Sing'' (1931) ...
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Edward Everett Horton
Edward Everett Horton Jr. (March 18, 1886 – September 29, 1970) was an American character actor. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television, and voice work for animated cartoons. Early life Horton was born in Kings County, New York (now Brooklyn, New York City) to Edward Everett Horton, a compositor for ''The New York Times'', and his wife, Isabella S. ( Diack) Horton. His father had English and German ancestry, and his mother was born in Matanzas, Cuba to George and Mary ( Orr) Diack, natives of Scotland. He attended Boys' High School, Brooklyn and Baltimore City College, where he later was inducted into its Hall of Fame. He was a student at Oberlin College in Ohio, where he majored in German. However, he was asked to leave after he climbed to the top of a building and, after a crowd gathered, threw off a dummy, making them think he had jumped. He attended the Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn for one year, until the school discontinued its arts courses ...
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African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslaved Africans who are from the United States. While some Black immigrants or their children may also come to identify as African-American, the majority of first generation immigrants do not, preferring to identify with their nation of origin. African Americans constitute the second largest racial group in the U.S. after White Americans, as well as the third largest ethnic group after Hispanic and Latino Americans. Most African Americans are descendants of enslaved people within the boundaries of the present United States. On average, African Americans are of West/Central African with some European descent; some also have Native American and other ancestry. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, African immigrants generally do not sel ...
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Lillian Yarbo
Lillian "Billie" Yarbo (March 17, 1905 – June 12, 1996) was an American stage and screen comedienne, dancer, and singer. Early life Born Lillian Yarbough"Billy Yarbo a New Mugger"
''The Pittsburgh Courier''. March 10, 1928. Page 15.
in Washington, DC, Billie eventually made her way to New York, as did both her mother and at least one sister—though exactly when this happened and whether they made this pilgrimage all at once or separately and at different times, remains unclear."Billy Yarbo Makes Film As Kin Passes"
''The Chicago Defender''. March 22, 1941. Page 20.
Rowe, Billy

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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 feat ...
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Victor Varconi
Victor Varconi (born Mihály Várkonyi; March 31, 1891 – June 6, 1976) was a Hungarian actor who initially found success in his native country, as well as in Germany and Austria, in silent films, before relocating to the United States, where he continued to appear in films throughout the sound era. He also appeared in British and Italian films. Biography Born in Kisvárda, Austria-Hungary, Varconi was the first known Hungarian actor to make a film in the United States. He was educated at a commercial school in Hungary, after which he worked for an insurance company as a solicitor. After he developed an interest in acting, he attended the Actor Art High School in Budapest, from which he progressed to acting with the National Theatre in Budapest. While there, he performed in works that included Shakespearean plays and Molnar's ''Liliom'' and ''The Wolf''. He went on to act with a Hungarian film company and in U.F.A. films in Berlin. He worked under contract to Cecil B. DeMill ...
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Frances Mercer
Frances Mercer (October 21, 1915 – November 12, 2000) was an American film actress. Biography She appeared in the films ''Vivacious Lady'', ''Blind Alibi'', '' Crime Ring'', ''Smashing the Rackets'', ''The Mad Miss Manton'', '' Annabel Takes a Tour'', ''Beauty for the Asking'', '' Society Lawyer'', ''The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle'', ''Piccadilly Incident'', '' There's Always Tomorrow'' and ''Young and Dangerous''. She died on November 12, 2000, in Los Angeles, California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ... at age 85. Filmography References External links * 1915 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American actresses American film actresses {{US-film-actor-1910s-stub ...
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Douglas Walton (actor)
Douglas Walton (born John Douglas Duder; October 17, 1909 – November 15, 1961) was a Canadian-born American actor who worked in American films during the 1930s and 1940s. He appeared in 60 films between 1931 and 1950. Life and career Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Walton began his acting career in the theatres of Chicago and New York City. Tall, blond and elegant, Walton played many aristocratic, intellectual or sophisticated English or European men in films such as '' The Count of Monte Cristo'' in 1934; '' The Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935), in which Walton memorably played the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in the film's prologue; the Clark Gable version of '' Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1935); and director John Ford's '' Mary of Scotland'' (1936) starring Katharine Hepburn, in which Walton gave his perhaps best performance as the effeminate and cowardly "Lord Darnley".McPeak, William"Mini-Biography"/ref>Erickson, Hal"Douglas Walton: Biography"on AllMovies.com Walton ...
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Leonid Kinskey
Leonid Kinskey (1893/1894 – September 8, 1998) was a Russian-born American film and television actor, best known for his role as "Sascha" in the film ''Casablanca'' (1942). His last name was sometimes spelled Kinsky. Life and career Kinskey was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He started his career as a mime in various imperial theatres in Russia in the mid-1910s. In 1921, he fled Russia for Germany.Oliver, Myrna (1998)"Leonid Kinskey; Actor in 'Casablanca'" obituary. ''Los Angeles Times'', September 11, 1998. Retrieved April 24, 2019. He acted on stage in Europe and South America before arriving in New York City from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in January 1924. He joined the road production of Al Jolson's musical ''Wonder Bar'', and in 1926 he made an appearance in the silent film ''The Great Depression'', although his scenes were deleted, before making his appearance in '' Trouble in Paradise'' (1932). His looks and accent helped him gain supporting roles in several movies, i ...
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Rolfe Sedan
Rolfe Sedan (born Edward Sedan; January 20, 1896 – September 15, 1982) was an American character actor, best known for appearing in bit parts, often uncredited, usually portraying clerks, train conductors, postmen, cooks, waiters, etc. Early life Born Edward Sedan in New York City, his mother was a Broadway theatre fashion designer and his father an orchestra conductor. Career Sedan began his career in show business as a vaudeville and nightclub performer and began acting in East Coast theatre. Sedan debuted on Broadway in 1916 and appeared in his first motion picture for Metro Pictures Corporation in 1921. In 1922 and 1923, Sedan was a featured actor with the Leith-Marsh Players in El Paso, Texas. Sedan became a prolific character actor in films and is probably best remembered by movie buffs as the hotel manager in ''Ninotchka'' (1939) starring Greta Garbo; he appeared in an uncredited role in the musical remake of ''Ninotchka'', ''Silk Stockings'' (1957). He als ...
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