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Topper (film)
''Topper'' is a 1937 American supernatural comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod, starring Constance Bennett and Cary Grant and featuring Roland Young. It tells the story of a stuffy, stuck-in-his-ways man who is haunted by the ghosts of a fun-loving married couple. The film was adapted by Eric Hatch, Jack Jevne and Eddie Moran from the 1926 novel by Thorne Smith. It was produced by Hal Roach and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The supporting cast includes Billie Burke and Eugene Pallette. ''Topper'' was a huge hit with film audiences in the summer of 1937. ''Topper'' was the first black-and-white film to be digitally colorized, re-released in 1985 by Hal Roach Studios. Plot George and Marion Kerby are as irresponsible as they are rich. When George wrecks their classy sports car, they wake up from the accident as ghosts. Realizing they are not in heaven or hell because they have never been responsible enough to do good deeds or bad ones, they decide that freeing their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norman Z
Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norman conquest of southern Italy in the 11th and 12th centuries ** Norman dynasty, a series of monarchs in England and Normandy ** Norman architecture, romanesque architecture in England and elsewhere ** Norman language, spoken in Normandy ** People or things connected with the French region of Normandy Arts and entertainment * Norman (film), ''Norman'' (film), a 2010 drama film * ''Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer'', a 2016 film * Norman (TV series), ''Norman'' (TV series), a 1970 British sitcom starring Norman Wisdom * The Normans (TV series), ''The Normans'' (TV series), a documentary * Norman (song), "Norman" (song), a 1962 song written by John D. Loudermilk and recorded by Sue Thompson * "Norman (He's a Rebel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eugene Pallette
Eugene William Pallette (July 8, 1889 – September 3, 1954) was an American actor who worked in both the silent and sound eras, performing in more than 240 productions between 1913 and 1946. After an early career as a slender leading man, Pallette became a stout character actor. He had a deep voice, which some critics have likened to the sound of a croaking frog, and is probably best-remembered for comic character roles such as Alexander Bullock ( Carole Lombard's character's father) in '' My Man Godfrey'' (1936), Friar Tuck in ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938), and his similar role as Fray Felipe in '' The Mark of Zorro'' (1940). He also co-starred in '' Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' (1939) and '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1943). Early life He was born in Winfield, Kansas, the son of William Baird Pallette and Elnora "Ella" Jackson. His parents had been actors in their younger years, but by 1889 Pallette's father was an insurance salesman. His sister was Beulah L. Pal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Three Hits And A Miss
Six Hits and a Miss was an American swing-era singing group. The group consisted of six male singers and one female (thus the word "miss" in their name has a double meaning – the converse of the word "hit", and denotation of a young woman). They performed musical numbers in several Hollywood films of the 1940s, such as ''Time Out for Rhythm'', ''The Big Store'', ''Hit Parade of 1941'', and ''Girl Crazy''. The group was formed in Los Angeles in 1936 as a foursome, under the name Three Hits and a Miss, the members being Martha Tilton, Vince Degen, Marvin Bailey and Bill Seckler. In this configuration they appeared in the 1937 hit film '' Topper'', singing Hoagy Carmichael's "Old Man Moon". The quartet performed on '' The Charlotte Greenwood Show'' on radio in the mid-1940s. The group soon expanded to a septet. Members came and went, particularly due to wartime service, and included at various times Pauline Byrns, Howard Hudson, Tony Paris, Marvin Bailey, Jerry Preshaw, Lee Gotch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hoagy Carmichael
Hoagland Howard Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s, and was among the first singer-songwriters in the age of mass media to utilize new communication technologies such as television, electronic microphones, and sound recordings. Carmichael composed several hundred songs, including 50 that achieved hit record status. He is best known for composing the music for " Stardust", "Georgia on My Mind" (lyrics by Stuart Gorrell), "The Nearness of You", and " Heart and Soul" (in collaboration with lyricist Frank Loesser), four of the most-recorded American songs of all time. He also collaborated with lyricist Johnny Mercer on " Lazybones" and "Skylark". Carmichael's "Ole Buttermilk Sky" was an Academy Award nominee in 1946, from ''Canyon Passage'', in which he co-starred as a musician riding a mule. " In the Cool, Cool, C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grace Hayle
Grace Hayle (July 24, 1888 – March 20, 1963) was an American actress who appeared in more than 300 films. In the fall of 1917, Hayle was the "new leading woman" with the Knickerbocker Players at the Knickerbocker Theatre in Philadelphia. She portrayed Laura Murdock in ''The Easiest Way'' a 1917 production with that group. On Broadway, she acted in ''Double Exposure'' (1918) and ''The Duchess Misbehaves'' (1946). Hayle died on March 20, 1963, in Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, aged 74. Selected filmography *'' Back Street'' (1932) - Lady in Street (uncredited) *''Evenings for Sale'' (1932) - Pink Elephant Lady (uncredited) *''The Death Kiss'' (1932) - Chalmer's Nosy Neighbor (uncredited) *'' Hard to Handle'' (1933) - Fat Lady with Vanishing Cream (uncredited) *'' The Intruder'' (1933) - Ship Passenger (uncredited) *''The Mind Reader'' (1933) - Shill (uncredited) *''Diplomaniacs'' (1933) - Dowager on Boat (uncredited) *''Gold Diggers of 1933'' (1933) - Society Reporter (unc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dorothy Christy
Dorothy Christy (born Dorothea J. Seltzer, later Dorothy Rucker; May 26, 1906 – May 21, 1977) was an American actress. She was sometimes billed as Dorothy Christie. Early years Christy was born Dorothea J. Seltzer on May 26, 1906, in Reading, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John C. Seltzer. Although she sometimes participated in amateur plays, she had no plans for an acting career. After attended public schools in Reading, she went to Beachwood (a finishing school near Philadelphia) and then to Dana Hall School near Boston. She went on to study opera. Career On Broadway, Christy was a member of the ensemble of ''The New Moon'' (1928) and portrayed Olive in ''Follow Thru'' (1929). Christy acted with Will Rogers, Buster Keaton and the Marx Brothers (appearing in the pre-filming stage version of '' A Night at the Opera)'' and with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in the film '' Sons of the Desert'' (1933), in the role of Mrs. Laurel. She was Queen Tika of Mur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ward Bond
Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series ''Wagon Train'' from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Bert the cop in Frank Capra's ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) and Captain Clayton in John Ford's ''The Searchers'' (1956). Early life Bond was born in Benkelman in Dundy County, Nebraska. The Bond family, John W., Mabel L., and sister Bernice, lived in Benkelman until 1919 when they moved to Denver, Colorado, where Ward graduated from East High School. Bond attended the Colorado School of Mines and then went to the University of Southern California and played football on the same team as future USC coach Jess Hill. At 6' 2" and 195 pounds, Bond was a starting lineman on USC's first national championship team in 1928. He graduated from USC in 1931 with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. Bond and John Wayne, who as Marion Rober ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elaine Shepard
Elaine Elizabeth Shepard (April 2, 1913 – September 6, 1998) was a Broadway and film actress in the 1930s and 1940s. She was also the author of ''The Doom Pussy'', a semi-fictional account of aviation in the Vietnam War. Film and stage Shepard worked as a model on the West Coast before she became active in films. Her first film appearance was in the 1936 Republic serial ''Darkest Africa'', in which she played Valerie Tremaine, the heroine of the film. This was followed with a series of leading roles in other minor films, such as ''You Can't Fool Your Wife'', a 1940 comedy starring Lucille Ball. She then had several minor roles in major films, including playing a secretary in '' Topper'' and uncredited roles in ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' and the 1946 ''Ziegfeld Follies''. A more prominent role came in ''Seven Days Ashore'', a musical in which she plays the principal love interest for the band of sailors on shore leave. Shepard's Broadway credits included performing in the e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virginia Sale
Virginia Sale (May 20, 1899 – August 23, 1992) was an American character actress whose career spanned six decades, during most of which she played older women, even when she was in her twenties. Over the 46 years she was active as an actress, she worked in films, stage, radio and television. She was famous for her one-woman stage show, ''Americana Sketches'', which she did for more than 1,000 performances during a 15-year span. Married to actor and studio executive Sam Wren, she co-starred with him in one of the first television family comedies, ''Wren's Nest'', in the late 1940s and early 1950s. She gave birth to fraternal twins, Virginia and Christopher, in 1936. Later in her career she worked on television, and in commercials. She died from heart failure at the age of 93 at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in 1992. Early life Born on May 20, 1899, in Urbana, Illinois to Frank Orville and Lillie Belle (Partlow) Sale, she attended the University of Illinois for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hedda Hopper
Hedda Hopper (born Elda Furry; May 2, 1885February 1, 1966) was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, her readership was 35 million. A strong supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearings, Hopper named suspected communists and was a major proponent of the Hollywood blacklist. Hopper continued to write gossip until the end of her life, her work appearing in many magazines and later on radio. She had an extended feud with another gossip columnist, arch-rival Louella Parsons. Early life Hopper was born Elda Furry in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Margaret ( née Miller; 1856–1941) and David Furry, a butcher, both members of the German Baptist Brethren. Her family was of Pennsylvania Dutch (German) descent. The family moved to Altoona when Elda was three. Career Acting She eventually ran away to New York City and began her career in the chorus on the Broadway stage. Hopper was not succes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur Lake (actor)
Arthur Lake (born Arthur Silverlake Jr., April 17, 1905 – January 9, 1987) was an American actor known best for bringing Dagwood Bumstead, the bumbling husband of '' Blondie'', to life in film, radio, and television. Early life and career Lake was born in 1905 when his father Arthur Silverlake and uncle were touring with a circus in an aerial act known as "The Flying Silverlakes". His mother, Edith Goodwin, was an actress; his parents later appeared in vaudeville in a skit "Family Affair", traveling throughout the South and Southwest United States. Arthur first appeared on stage as a baby in ''Uncle Tom's Cabin''; his sister Florence and he became part of the act in 1910. Their mother took the children to Hollywood to get into films, and Arthur made his screen debut in the silent ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' (1917). Florence became a successful actress achieving a degree of fame as one of the screen wives of comedian Edgar Kennedy. Universal Pictures signed Lake to a contract w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Mowbray
Alan Mowbray (born Alfred Ernest Allen; 18 August 1896 – 25 March 1969) was an English stage and film actor who found success in Hollywood. Early life Mowbray was born in London, England. He served with distinction in the British Army in World War I, being awarded the Military Medal and the French Croix de Guerre for bravery in action. He applied for transfer to the Royal Air Force, which was granted just six days before the war ended. This placed him in London on Armistice Day. His service came to an end when the Royal Air Force wanted another seven years from him. Career Mowbray began his stage career in London in 1922, as an actor and stage manager. In 1923 he arrived in the United States and was soon acting with New York stock companies. He debuted on Broadway in ''The Sport of Kings'' (1926); in 1929 he wrote, directed and starred in the unsuccessful ''Dinner Is Served''. Mowbray made his film debut in ''God's Gift to Women'' (1931) playing a butler, a role in which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_-_Pallette_&_Allison.jpg "Click for more on -> Eugene Pallette")
