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Thomas Meehan (writer)
Thomas Edward Meehan (August 14, 1929 – August 21, 2017) was an American playwright. He wrote the books for the musicals '' Annie'', '' The Producers'', ''Hairspray'', ''Young Frankenstein'' and ''Cry-Baby''. He co-wrote the books for '' Elf: The Musical'' and '' Limelight: The Story of Charlie Chaplin''. He received the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times—in 1977 for ''Annie'', in 2001 for ''The Producers'' (shared with Mel Brooks), and in 2003 for ''Hairspray'' (shared with Mark O'Donnell). Early life Meehan was born in Ossining, New York, but grew up in Suffern, New York. His father, Thomas, was a businessman, and his mother, Helen Cecilia O’Neill, was an emergency department nurse. He graduated from Hamilton College."Thomas Meehan bio" cityfile.com, accessed March 12, 2011. according to this biography, Meehan was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ossining (town), New York
Ossining is a town located along the Hudson River in Westchester County, New York. The population was 40,061 at the time of the 2020 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor, the rest of which is located in the Town of Mount Pleasant. Ossining is the location of Sing Sing maximum-security prison. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.6 square miles (40.4 km2), of which 11.7 square miles (30.3 km2) is land and 3.9 square miles (10.1 km2) (25.06%) is water. Ossining is bounded on the west by the Hudson River and on the north by the Croton River. History Frederick Philipse bought the area which presently constitutes the Town of Ossining from the Sint Sinck Indians in 1685. The Sint Sinck were members of the Matinecock ( Algonquin) tribe, who originally resided in the area of Cow Neck Peninsula on Long Island, New York. His Manor extended from Sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Little Orphan Annie
''Little Orphan Annie'' is a daily American comic strip created by Harold Gray and syndicated by the Tribune Media Services. The strip took its name from the 1885 poem " Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley, and it made its debut on August 5, 1924, in the New York '' Daily News''. The plot follows the wide-ranging adventures of Annie, her dog Sandy and her benefactor Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks. Secondary characters include Punjab, the Asp and Mr. Am. The strip attracted adult readers with political commentary that targeted (among other things) organized labor, the New Deal and communism. Following Gray's death in 1968, several artists drew the strip and, for a time, "classic" strips were reruns. ''Little Orphan Annie'' inspired a radio show in 1930, film adaptations by RKO in 1932 and Paramount in 1938 and a Broadway musical '' Annie'' in 1977 (which was adapted on screen four times, one in 1982, one on TV in 1999, one in 2014 and another a live TV production in 20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
One Magic Christmas
''One Magic Christmas'' is a 1985 Christmas fantasy film directed by Phillip Borsos. It was released by Walt Disney Pictures and stars Mary Steenburgen and Harry Dean Stanton. It was shot in Meaford, Ontario with some scenes in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. Plot Santa Claus assigns the Christmas angel Gideon (Harry Dean Stanton) to restore the Christmas spirit of Ginnie Grainger (Mary Steenburgen), the mother of Cal (Robbie Magwood) and Abbie (Elisabeth Harnois). Her husband Jack (Gary Basaraba) has been out of work for six months, and they must vacate their company-owned house by the new year. Jack fixes bikes as a hobby and dreams of opening his own bike shop, which would use up all the family savings. Ginnie works as a grocery store cashier. Two nights before Christmas Eve, Abbie meets Gideon while mailing a letter to Santa. Gideon asks her to have her mother mail it instead and protects Abbie from being hit by a speeding car. Abbie gives the letter to her mother, but she refus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
To Be Or Not To Be (1983 Film)
''To Be or Not to Be'' is a 1983 American war comedy film directed by Alan Johnson, produced by Mel Brooks, and starring Brooks, Anne Bancroft, Tim Matheson, Charles Durning, Christopher Lloyd, and José Ferrer. The screenplay was written by Ronny Graham and Thomas Meehan, based on the original story by Melchior Lengyel, Ernst Lubitsch and Edwin Justus Mayer. The film is a remake of the 1942 film of the same name. Plot Fredrick Bronski runs a large ensemble show out of Warsaw. Despite the relative success the show receives, the majority of the cast are annoyed by the fact that Fredrick nitpicks who does what, in particular his wife Anna, whom he regularly tries to undermine despite her getting the lion's share of praise. This leads her to begin an affair with RAF pilot Andre Sobinski behind Fredrick's back, but the fling is cut short by the Nazi invasion of Poland forcing Sobinski to return to England. As the Bronski Theater struggles to remain open in spite of Gestapo cen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spaceballs
''Spaceballs'' is a 1987 American space opera parody film co-written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks. It is primarily a parody of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, but also parodies other sci-fi films and popular franchises including ''Star Trek'', ''Alien'', '' The Wizard of Oz'', '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'', ''Planet of the Apes'', and ''Transformers''. The film stars Bill Pullman, John Candy and Rick Moranis, with the supporting cast including Daphne Zuniga, Dick Van Patten, George Wyner, Lorene Yarnell, and the voice of Joan Rivers. In addition to Brooks playing a dual role, the film also features Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise and Rudy De Luca in cameo appearances. In ''Spaceballs'', heroic mercenary Lone Starr (Pullman) and his alien sidekick Barf (Candy) rescue Princess Vespa (Zuniga) of Druidia and her droid, Dot Matrix (Yarnell, voiced by Rivers), from being captured by the Spaceballs, led by President Skroob (Brooks), who want to use Vespa as ransom to ob ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with their own set of rules and award categories. The two events that receive the most media coverage are the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Daytime Emmy Awards, which recognize outstanding work in American primetime and daytime entertainment programming, respectively. Other notable U.S. national Emmy events include the Children's & Family Emmy Awards for children's and family-oriented television programming, the Sports Emmy Awards for sports programming, News & Documentary Emmy Awards for news and documentary shows, and the Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards and the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards for technological and engineering achievements. Regional Emmy Awards are also presented throughout the country at various times through the yea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1984 (opera)
''1984'' is an opera by the American conductor and composer Lorin Maazel, with a libretto by J. D. McClatchy and Thomas Meehan. The opera is based on George Orwell's 1949 dystopian novel, ''Nineteen Eighty-Four.'' It premiered on 3 May 2005 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in a production directed by Robert Lepage. History ''1984'' was the first opera composed by Maazel, following a conducting career that spanned more than 50 years; he was 75 years old when his work had its premiere. The opera was originally commissioned by August Everding, the director of the Bavarian State Opera, and Maazel later admitted surprise at the offer. "I'd never thought of writing an opera, and it took years to convince me," he stated in an interview prior to the premiere. After Everding died, it appeared the work might not proceed, but Maazel got it picked up by Covent Garden and the Tokyo Opera. This was to be a joint endeavour, but Tokyo ultimately backed out, leaving it in limbo again. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Libretto
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as the Mass, requiem and sacred cantata, or the story line of a ballet. ''Libretto'' (; plural ''libretti'' ), from Italian, is the diminutive of the word '' libro'' ("book"). Sometimes other-language equivalents are used for libretti in that language, ''livret'' for French works, ''Textbuch'' for German and ''libreto'' for Spanish. A libretto is distinct from a synopsis or scenario of the plot, in that the libretto contains all the words and stage directions, while a synopsis summarizes the plot. Some ballet historians also use the word ''libretto'' to refer to the 15 to 40 page books which were on sale to 19th century ballet audiences in Paris and contained a very detailed description of the ballet's story, scene by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Annie Warbucks
''Annie Warbucks'' is a musical with a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Martin Charnin. A sequel to the 1977 Tony Award-winning hit '' Annie'', based on Harold Gray's ''Little Orphan Annie'' comic strip, it begins immediately after ''Annie'' ends. Plot On Christmas morning in 1933, when Child Welfare Commissioner Harriet Doyle (replacing the original's Miss Hannigan as the villain of the piece) arrives on the scene to inform Daddy Warbucks he must marry within sixty days or else the child will be returned to the orphanage. Daddy Warbucks' whirlwind search for a fitting bride uncovers not only a plot by Doyle and her daughter Sheila Kelly to strip him of his fortune, but also his true feelings for his long-time assistant, Grace Farrell. A gaggle of cute little girls seeking parents and President Franklin D. Roosevelt return to take part in the shenanigans. Background ''Annie Warbucks'' was the second attempt at an ''Annie'' sequel. The first, entitled ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer than 100. An "off-Broadway production" is a production of a play, musical, or revue that appears in such a venue and adheres to related trade union and other contracts. Some shows that premiere off-Broadway are subsequently produced on Broadway. History The term originally referred to any venue, and its productions, on a street intersecting Broadway in Midtown Manhattan's Theater District, the hub of the American theatre industry. It later became defined by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers as a professional venue in Manhattan with a seating capacity of at least 100, but not more than 499, or a production that appears in such a venue and adheres to related trade union and other contracts. Previously, regardless of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Remember Mama (musical)
''I Remember Mama'' is a musical with a book by Thomas Meehan, lyrics by Martin Charnin and Raymond Jessel, and music by Richard Rodgers. The musical ran on Broadway in 1979. Origins ''I Remember Mama'' originated as a memoir by Kathryn Forbes titled ''Mama's Bank Account''. It was adapted for the stage by John Van Druten as a play, which ran on Broadway from 1944 to 1946. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were the producers. It was filmed in 1948, and served as the basis for a 1950s television series, titled ''Mama''. Every incarnation basically was the same, a series of heartwarming vignettes centering on a family of Norwegian immigrants living in San Francisco in the early 20th century. At its core is the oldest daughter, Katrin, who yearns to be a published writer and conspires to meet renowned author Dame Sybil Fitzgibbons, a guest at the Fairmont Hotel, for professional advice and guidance. It is through Katrin's eyes the struggles, hopes, and dreams of the Hansens ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bombay Dreams
''Bombay Dreams'' is a Bollywood-themed musical, with music by A. R. Rahman, lyrics by Don Black and the book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan, originally produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The London production opened in 2002 and ran for two years. The musical was later produced on Broadway in 2004. Plot The story centers around Akaash, a young man from the slums of Bombay who dreams of becoming the next big star in Bollywood. Fate steps in when a rich lawyer and his fiancée, an aspiring documentary filmmaker, arrive to prevent the demolition of Akaash's slum. Akaash quickly falls in love with the lawyer's fiancée, Priya, who happens to be the daughter of a famous Bollywood director. Complications arise as Akaash faces the reality of show business, fame, his love for Priya, and his obligations to his family, friends, and his Paradise slum. The story also deals with the change of name from Bombay to Mumbai and the identity issues that this raises. Musical numbers London pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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