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The Wild Blue Yonder (1951 Film)
''The Wild Blue Yonder'' (also known as ''The Wild Blue Yonder, The Story of the B-29 Superfortress'') is a 1951 war film directed by Allan Dwan. (The film was re-released in 1958.) The film stars Wendell Corey, Vera Ralston, Forrest Tucker and Phil Harris. ''Wild Blue Yonder'' deals with the Boeing B-29 Superfortress air raids on Japan during World War II. Plot In 1943, Capt. Harold "Cal" Calvert (Wendell Corey) is sent on a course at Smoky Hill, Kansas, to learn to fly a new bomber, the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. His instructor is his cousin, Major Tom West (Forrest Tucker), an officer who the other pilots think has shirked his duties by claiming engine trouble on the raid over the Ploesti oil fields. Cal stands up for Tom when a crewman taunts his cousin in front of Helen (Vera Ralston), a nurse that Tom has been seeing. Cal and the other students learn that the pressurized B-29 can fly higher, faster and farther than any other bomber. On a test flight, when an overconfid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allan Dwan
Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan, was the younger son of commercial traveler of woolen clothing Joseph Michael Dwan (1857–1917) and his wife Mary Jane Dwan, née Hunt. The family moved to the United States when he was seven years old on December 4, 1892 by ferry from Windsor to Detroit, according to his naturalization petition of August 1939. His elder brother, Leo Garnet Dwan (1883–1964), became a physician. Allan Dwan studied engineering at the University of Notre Dame and then worked for a lighting company in Chicago. He had a strong interest in the fledgling motion picture industry, and when Essanay Studios offered him the opportunity to become a scriptwriter, he took the job. At that time, some of the East Coast movie makers began to spend winters in California wher ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Witney
William Nuelsen Witney (May 15, 1915 – March 17, 2002) was an American film and television director. He is best remembered for the action films he made for Republic Pictures, particularly serials: ''Dick Tracy Returns'', ''G-Men vs. the Black Dragon'', ''Daredevils of the Red Circle'', ''Zorro's Fighting Legion'', and ''Drums of Fu Manchu''. Prolific and pugnacious, Witney began directing while still in his 20s, and continued working until 1982. Early years Witney was born in Lawton, Oklahoma. He was four years old when his father died, and he lived with his uncle, who was an Army captain at Fort Sam Houston. Colbert Clark, Witney's brother-in-law, introduced him to films by letting him ride in some chase scenes for the serial ''Fighting with Kit Carson'' (1933). Witney stayed around the Mascot Pictures headquarters while preparing for the entrance exam to the U.S. Naval Academy. After he failed that exam, he continued at the studio. In 1936 Mascot was absorbed by Republic, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curtis E
Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the Old French ''curteis'' (Modern French ''courtois'') which derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and Galician Cardoso. The name means "polite, courteous, or well-bred". It is a compound of ''curt-'' "court" and ''-eis'' "-ish". The spelling ''u'' to render in Old French was mainly Anglo-Norman and Norman, when the spelling ''o'' was the usual Parisian French one, Modern French ''ou'' ''-eis'' is the Old French suffix for ''-ois'', Western French (including Anglo-Norman) keeps ''-eis'', simplified to ''-is'' in English. The word ''court'' shares the same etymology but retains a Modern French spelling, after the orthography had changed.T. F. Hoad, ''English Etymology'', Oxford University Press paperbook 1993. p. 101a It was brought to England (and subsequently, the rest of the Isles) via the Norman Conquest. In the United Kingdom, the n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hall Bartlett
Hall Bartlett (November 27, 1922 – September 7, 1993) was an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. Early life Hall Bartlett was born in Kansas City, Missouri, he graduated from Yale University Phi Beta Kappa, and was a Rhodes Scholar nominee. He served five years in United States Navy, Naval intelligence, then started his film making career when he began producing the documentary film ''Navajo (film), Navajo'', the first contemporary picture to focus attention on the plight of the Native Americans in the United States, American Indian. Bartlett was also the first filmmaker to do a picture about professional football: his film ''Crazylegs (film), Crazylegs'' was the story of superstar Elroy Hirsch. Career 1950s Bartlett's next film and directorial debut, ''Unchained (film), Unchained'', was filmed inside the California Institution for Men at Chino, California. Bartlett spent six months living as an inmate while he wrote the screenplay. The film's musical the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack Kelly (actor)
John Augustus Kelly Jr. (September 16, 1927 – November 7, 1992), known professionally as Jack Kelly, was an American film and television actor most noted for the role of Bart Maverick in the television series ''Maverick'', which ran on ABC from 1957 to 1962. Kelly shared the series, rotating as the lead from week to week, first with James Garner as Bret Maverick (1957–1960) then with Roger Moore as Beau Maverick (1960–1961) and Robert Colbert as Brent Maverick (1961, for two episodes), before becoming the only Maverick (alternating with reruns from the Garner era) in the fifth season. Kelly later became a politician, having served from 1983 to 1986 as the mayor of Huntington Beach, California. Early life John Augustus Kelly Jr. was born in Astoria, Queens, New York, one of four children, to Ann Mary (née Walsh) and John Augustus Kelly Sr. "Jackie", as he was called as a child, came from a prominent theatrical family. His mother, Ann "Nan" Kelly, had been a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jay Silverheels
Jay Silverheels (born Harold Jay Smith; May 26, 1912 – March 5, 1980) was an Indigenous Canadian actor and athlete. He was well known for his role as Tonto, the Native American companion of the Lone Ranger in the American Western television series ''The Lone Ranger''. Early life Silverheels was born Harold Jay Smith in Canada, on the Six Nations of the Grand River, near Hagersville, Ontario. He was a grandson of Mohawk Chief A. G. Smith and Mary Wedge, and one of the 11 children of Captain Alexander George Edwin Smith, MC, Cayuga, and his wife Mabel Phoebe Dockstater, maternal Mohawk, and paternal Seneca. His father was wounded and decorated for service at the battles of Somme and Ypres during World War I, and later was an adjutant training Polish-American recruits for the Blue Army for service in France, at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Athlete Silverheels excelled in athletics, most notably in lacrosse, before leaving home to travel around North America. In 1931, own ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phillip Pine
Phillip Pine (July 16, 1920 – December 22, 2006) was an American film and television actor, writer, film director, and producer. Despite incorrect biographical information repeated on many entertainment sites, he was not related to Robert Pine or Chris Pine. In a career that spanned seven decades, Pine in 1955 portrayed the outlaw John Wesley Hardin in the ninth episode "John Wesley Hardin" of the ABC/Desilu Western television series, ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'', starring Hugh O'Brian in the title role. In a 1957 episode of the same series, Pine again played Hardin. Later that year, he appeared on ''Gunsmoke'', as “Vint” - a cheating card dealer turned murderer in the episode “Moon”. Pine appeared in two episodes of '' Adventures of Superman'' titled "The Mystery of the Broken Statues" and "The Case of the Talkative Dummy". In the latter, he played a theater usher who was part of a robbery gang (see picture in infobox). He appeared in two episodes of '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Erdman
Richard Erdman ( John Richard Erdmann; June 1, 1925 – March 16, 2019) was an American character actor and occasional film and television director. He appeared in more than 160 films and television productions between 1944 and 2017, mostly in supporting roles. He is most known for his roles in the classic films ''Stalag 17'' (1953) and ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' (1970). In his final years, Erdman found renewed fame through his portrayal of Leonard in the critically acclaimed comedy series ''Community'' (2009–2015). Early life Erdman was born John Richard Erdmann in Enid, Oklahoma. His parents divorced during his childhood. He, a sibling, and their mother moved to Colorado Springs when he was a teenager. He graduated from Palmer High School, where he would perform on stage. During his youth, he worked as a paper boy for the ''Colorado Springs Evening Telegraph''. A stage director named Newton Winburne encouraged him to try his luck in Hollywood. Career Erdman started his c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Brown (actor)
James Edward Brown (March 22, 1920 – April 11, 1992) was an American film and television actor. He was perhaps best known for playing Lt. Ripley Masters in the American western television series ''The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin''. Life and career Brown was born in Desdemona, Texas. He attended Baylor University, representing the university at Tennis. Brown began his acting career in 1941 with an uncredited role as a medic in the film ''Ride, Kelly, Ride''. His first credited role was in the 1942 film '' The Forest Rangers''. Brown starred, co-starred and appeared on films including ''The Good Fellows'', ''Objective, Burma!'', ''Gun Street'', '' The Big Fix'', ''When the Clock Strikes'', ''Air Force'', ''Irma la Douce'', ''The Fabulous Texan'', ''Young and Willing'', '' The Gallant Legion'', '' The Younger Brothers'', ''Corvette K-225'', '' Sands of Iwo Jima'', '' Yes Sir, That's My Baby'', '' Our Hearts Were Young Gay'' (and its sequel ''Our Hearts Were Growing Up''), '' Chain ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wally Cassell
Wally Cassell (born Oswaldo Silvestri Trippilini Rolando Vincenza Castellano; March 3, 1912 – April 2, 2015) was an Italian-born American character actor and businessman. Early years Wally Cassell was born as Oswaldo Silvestri Trippilini Rolando Vincenza Castellano. (A 1951 newspaper article gives Cassell's real name as Osvaldo Tripolini Ronaldo Vincennes Castelleno.) The son of Luigi and Luisa Castellano, Castellano was born in Agrigento, Sicily, and moved with his family to the United States when he was two years of age. (Another source says that his parents brought him to Brooklyn, New York, "when I was a babe in arms.") As a youngster, Cassell was a dancer, but he abandoned dancing to concentrate on acting. Film Cassell began his film career in 1942, initially working in small, uncredited roles. Mickey Rooney, with whom Cassell appears in the 1950 film noir ''Quicksand'', is credited with suggesting the change of name to Wally Cassell. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penny Edwards (actress)
Millicent Maxine Edwards (August 24, 1928 – August 26, 1998) was an American actress who performed on stage, in films, and on television. Early years She was born Millicent Maxine Edwards in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York. After moving to Florida, she graduated from Miami Edison High School. Career When she was 12 years old, Edwards danced in ''Let's Face It'', and at the age of 14, she appeared on Broadway as a dancer in '' Ziegfeld Follies of 1943''. Her other Broadway credits include ''Laffing Room Only'' (1944) and ''The Duchess Misbehaves'' (1946). Edwards' film debut came in ''My Wild Irish Rose'' (1947). She also appeared in the films ''Trail of Robin Hood'', ''Spoilers of the Plains'', '' Heart of the Rockies'', ''In Old Amarillo'', ''North of the Great Divide'', ''Sunset in the West'', ''Street Bandits'', and ''Missing Women'', among others. In the late 1940s, Edwards toured the United States for 14 months, performing in vaudeville. Public response to Edw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harry Carey Jr
Henry George Carey Jr. (May 16, 1921 – December 27, 2012) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 90 films, including several John Ford Westerns, as well as numerous television series. Early life Carey was born on a ranch near the Saugus neighborhood of Santa Clarita, California, the son of actor Harry Carey (1878–1947) and actress Olive Carey (1896–1988). As a child, he learned to speak Navajo. His maternal grandfather was vaudeville entertainer George Fuller Golden. As a boy, he was nicknamed "Dobe", short for adobe, because of the color of his hair. He grew up on his parents' ranch in Santa Clarita; they had horses and cattle. His family ranch was later turned into a historic park by the Los Angeles County and was named Tesoro Adobe Park. Military service During World War II, Carey Jr. served in the United States Navy as a Pharmacist Mate 2nd Class (medical corpsman) in the Pacific War. However, he was transferred back to the United States (against hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
