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Whoopee!
''Whoopee!'' is a 1928 musical comedy with a book based on Owen Davis's play, ''The Nervous Wreck.'' The musical libretto was written by William Anthony McGuire, with music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Gus Kahn. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1928, starring Eddie Cantor, and introduced the hit song " Love Me or Leave Me", sung by Ruth Etting. Synopsis In California, Sheriff Bob Wells and the daughter of a rancher Sally Morgan are getting married. She is in love with Wanenis, whose part-Indian heritage presents social difficulties for their romance. Sally abandons Sheriff Bob and their wedding, catching a ride with Henry Williams. As a hypochondriac, Henry has problems of his own, but Sally adds to his problems when she leaves a note saying they have eloped. A chase ensues, with the jilted Bob; Mary, Henry's nurse who is in love with him; and a cast of others. Along the way they arrive at the Indian Reservation where Wanenis lives. The movie star Leslie Daw enters the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Whoopee! (film)
''Whoopee!'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code Comedy film, comedy musical film, musical Western (genre), western film directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Eddie Cantor, Ethel Shutta, and Eleanor Hunt. It was photographed in Technicolor#Two-color Technicolor, two-color Technicolor. Its plot closely follows the 1928 Whoopee!, stage show produced by Florenz Ziegfeld. Synopsis In this zany musical, Sally loves Wanenis, a Native American man, but her father has forbidden her to marry him. Instead, she has been convinced to marry Sheriff Bob Wells. At the last minute, however, Sally decides she loves Wanenis too much and tricks farmhand Henry Williams into helping her run away to the ranch of Jerome Underwood. When Wells comes looking for Sally, it proves trouble for the oblivious Henry. Cast * Eddie Cantor as Henry Williams * Ethel Shutta as Mary Custer * Paul Gregory as Wanenis * Eleanor Hunt as Sally Morgan * Jack Rutherford (actor), Jack Rutherford as Sheriff ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie, and early television audiences, this "Apostle of Pep" was regarded almost as a family member by millions because his top-rated radio shows revealed intimate stories and amusing anecdotes about his wife Ida and five daughters. Some of his hits include "Makin' Whoopee", "Ida (Sweet as Apple Cider)", " If You Knew Susie", "Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me", “ Mandy”, " My Baby Just Cares for Me”, "Margie", and " How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?" He also wrote a few songs, including " Merrily We Roll Along", the ''Merrie Melodies'' Warner Bros. cartoon theme. His eye-rolling song-and-dance routines eventually led to his nickname "Banjo Eyes". In 1933, artist Frederick J. Garner caricatured Cantor with large round eyes resembling the drum-l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ethel Shutta
Ethel Shutta (pronounced "shoo-TAY"; December 1, 1896 – February 5, 1976) was an American actress and singer, who came to prominence through her performances on Jack Benny's radio show, her role in the early Eddie Cantor musical ''Whoopee!'', and her Broadway comeback in ''Follies'' at the age of 74. In a 1934 vote held by ''Radio Stars'', she came in second place, behind Annette Hanshaw, as the best "female popular singer." Career By age seven, she was known as "the little girl with the big voice". She and her family toured as the Pee Wee Minstrels. Their family name was originally Schutte. The father, Charles, was the manager. They also played in vaudeville as The Three Shuttas. She debuted on Broadway in ''The Passing Show of 1922'', and then in a series of Florenz Ziegfeld productions including '' Louie the 14th'' (1925) and ''Whoopee!'' (1928). Shutta married band leader George Olsen in 1926,''George Olsen Is Married; Orchestra Leader Weds Ethel Shutta, Dancer, in New ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Amsterdam Theatre
The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built from 1902 to 1903 to designs by Herts & Tallant. The theater is operated by Disney Theatrical Productions and has 1,702 seats across three levels. Both the Beaux-Arts exterior and the Art Nouveau interior of the building are New York City landmarks, and the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. The New Amsterdam consists of an auditorium facing 41st Street and a narrow 10-story office wing facing 42nd Street. The facade on 42nd Street is made of gray limestone and was originally ornamented with sculptural detail; the rest of the facade is made of brick. The lobby from 42nd Street leads to a set of ornamental foyers, a reception room, and men's and women's lounges. The elliptical auditorium contains two balconies cantilevere ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ANTA Playhouse
The August Wilson Theatre (formerly the Guild Theatre, ANTA Theatre, and Virginia Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 245 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1925, the theater was designed by C. Howard Crane and Kenneth Franzheim and was built for the Theatre Guild. It is named for Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson (1945–2005). The August Wilson has approximately 1,225 seats across two levels and is operated by Jujamcyn Theaters. The facade is a New York City designated landmark. The facade is designed as a variation of a 15th-century Tuscan villa, with a stage house to the west and an auditorium to the east. The facade has a stucco surface and openings with quoins, as well as a loggia. The placement of window openings reflected the theater's original interior arrangement. The front of the theater had facilities for the Theatre Guild, including classrooms, studios, a club room, a library, and a book store. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also produced the musical ''Show Boat''. He was known as the "glorifier of the American girl". Ziegfeld is a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame. Early life Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. was born on March 21, 1867, in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Rosalie (''née'' de Hez), who was born in Belgium, was the grandniece of General Count Étienne Maurice Gérard. His father, Florenz Edward Ziegfeld, was a German immigrant whose father was the mayor of Jever in Friesland. Ziegfeld was baptized in his mother's Roman Catholic church. His father was Lutheran. As a child Ziegfeld witnessed the Chicago fire of 1871. Career His father ran the Chicago Musical College and later opened a nightclub, the ''Trocadero'', to profit from the 1893 World's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ruth Etting
Ruth Etting (November 23, 1896 – September 24, 1978) was an American singer and actress of the 1920s and 1930s, who had over 60 hit recordings and worked in stage, radio, and film. Known as "America's sweetheart of song", her signature tunes were "Shine On, Harvest Moon", " Ten Cents a Dance" and " Love Me or Leave Me". As a young girl in Nebraska, Etting had wanted to become an artist; she drew and sketched all the time. At sixteen, her grandparents decided to send her to art school in Chicago. While Etting attended class, she found a job at the Marigold Gardens nightclub; after a short time there, Etting gave up art classes in favor of a career in show business. Etting, who enjoyed singing in school and church, never took voice lessons. She quickly became a featured vocalist at the club. Etting was then managed by Moe Snyder, whom she married in 1922. Snyder made arrangements for Etting's recording and film contracts as well as her personal and radio appearances. She became ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1930 In Film
The following is an overview of 1930 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1930 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events * February 21: ''Anna Christie'', Greta Garbo's first sound film is released, it grosses $1.5 million. * February 23: Silent screen legend Mabel Normand dies at the age of 37 in Monrovia, California after a lengthy battle with tuberculosis. * March 10: Release of '' Goodbye Argentina'' (''Adiós Argentina''), the first Argentine film with a (musical) soundtrack. Ada Cornaro has her first starring role and Libertad Lamarque makes her film debut. * April 6: William Fox sells his interest in Fox Film for $18 million and Harley L. Clarke becomes president. * May 27: Howard Hughes' epic film ''Hell's Angels'' premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and features Jean Harlow in her first major role as well as some impressi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paulette Goddard
Paulette Goddard (born Marion Levy; June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an American actress notable for her film career in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Born in Manhattan and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Goddard initially began her career as a child fashion model and performer in several Broadway productions as a Ziegfeld Girl. In the early 1930s, she moved to Hollywood and gained notice as the romantic partner of actor and comedian Charlie Chaplin, appearing as his leading lady in '' Modern Times'' (1936) and ''The Great Dictator'' (1940). After signing with Paramount Pictures, Goddard became one of the studio's biggest stars with roles in '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1939) with Bob Hope, '' The Women'' (1939) with Joan Crawford, '' North West Mounted Police'' (1940) with Gary Cooper, ''Reap the Wild Wind'' (1942) with John Wayne and Susan Hayward, ''So Proudly We Hail!'' (1943) — for which she received a nomination for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress — '' K ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Owen Davis
Owen Gould Davis (January 29, 1874 – October 14, 1956) was an American dramatist known for writing more than 200 plays and having most produced. In 1919, he became the first elected president of the Dramatists Guild of America. He received the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play '' Icebound'', His plays and scripts included works for radio and film. Before the First World War, he wrote racy sketches of New York high jinks and low life for the '' Police Gazette'' under the name of Ike Swift. Many of these were set in the Tenderloin, Manhattan. Davis also wrote under several other pseudonyms, including Martin Hurley, Arthur J. Lamb, Walter Lawrence, John Oliver, and Robert Wayne. Personal life Davis was born into a large family in Portland, Maine. They moved to Bangor, where he lived until he was 15. As a boy, Davis wrote plays for his eight siblings, who performed them for the town. His parents were Owen Warren Davis, an iron manufacturer, and his wife Abigail A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ruby Keeler
Ethel Ruby Keeler (August 25, 1909 – February 28, 1993) was an American actress, dancer, and singer who was paired on-screen with Dick Powell in a string of successful early musicals at Warner Bros., particularly ''42nd Street (film), 42nd Street'' (1933). From 1928 to 1940, she was married to actor and singer Al Jolson. She retired from show business in the 1940s, but made a widely publicized comeback on Broadway (theatre), Broadway in 1971. Early life Keeler was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1909 to Ralph Hector and Nellie (''née'' Lahey) Keeler, one of six siblings in an Irish Catholic family. Two sisters, Helen and Gertrude, had brief performing careers. Her father was a truck driver. When Ruby was three years old, her family moved to New York City, where her father could get better pay. Although Keeler was interested in taking dance lessons, the family could not afford to send her. Keeler attended St. Catherine of Siena on New York's East Side, and one perio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Nervous Wreck
''The Nervous Wreck'' is a 1926 American silent comedy adventure film directed by Scott Sidney and starring Harrison Ford, Phyllis Haver and Chester Conklin.Connelly p.182 It is based on the play ''The Nervous Wreck'' by Owen Davis, inspired by an earlier story ''The Wreck'' by E.J. Rath. The play later became a musical on which the 1930 film ''Whoopee!'' was based and also inspired the 1944 film ''Up in Arms''. Synopsis Wrongly believing himself to be suffering from a fatal illness, a Pittsburgh man sets out for Arizona but stops at a ranch for a meal on the way. There he is tricked into eloping with the daughter of the house, engaged to a local sheriff. The couple are subsequently pursued by the sheriff and the girl's father, and during a series of adventures he discovers that his poor health was all in his mind. Cast * Harrison Ford as Henry Williams * Phyllis Haver as Sally Morgan * Chester Conklin as Mort * Mack Swain as Jerome Underwood * Hobart Bosworth as Jud Morgan * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
