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World For Ransom
''World for Ransom'' is a 1954 American film noir drama directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Dan Duryea, Patric Knowles, Gene Lockhart, Reginald Denny, and Nigel Bruce (in his final film role). Many of the actors and sets used in the film were from the Dan Duryea television show ''China Smith''. Aldrich and cinematographer Joseph Biroc also worked on the series. Aldrich later said the film "first embedded what I wanted to say in films. It was mainly about two men with good and bad points. Both men believed in individual liberty but the belief of one man was weaker than the other because he had no respect for humanity." Plot Mike Callahan (Duryea) is an Irish émigré and war veteran working in Singapore as a private detective. He takes on a case from a former flame, now a nightclub singer. She thinks her husband Julian March (Knowles) is involved in criminal activities and asks him to help out. Callahan learns that a man named Alexis Pederas (Lockhart) has involved Julian in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Aldrich
Robert Burgess Aldrich (August 9, 1918 – December 5, 1983) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His notable credits include '' Vera Cruz'' (1954), ''Kiss Me Deadly'' (1955), ''The Big Knife'' (1955), '' Autumn Leaves'' (1956), '' Attack'' (1956), '' What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' (1962), '' Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte'' (1964), '' The Flight of the Phoenix'' (1965), ''The Dirty Dozen'' (1967) and '' The Longest Yard'' (1974). Early life Family Robert Burgess Aldrich was born in Cranston, Rhode Island, into a family of wealth and social prominence – "The Aldriches of Rhode Island". His father, Edward Burgess Aldrich (1871–1957) was the publisher of ''The Times'' of Pawtucket and an influential operative in state Republican politics. His mother, Lora Elsie (née Lawson) of New Hampshire (1874–1931), died when Aldrich was 13 and was remembered with fondness by her son. Ruth Aldrich Kaufinger (1912–1987) was his elder sister and only sib ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
H-Bomb
A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon design. Its greater sophistication affords it vastly greater destructive power than first-generation nuclear bombs, a more compact size, a lower mass, or a combination of these benefits. Characteristics of nuclear fusion reactions make possible the use of non-fissile depleted uranium as the weapon's main fuel, thus allowing more efficient use of scarce fissile material such as uranium-235 () or plutonium-239 (). The first full-scale thermonuclear test was carried out by the United States in 1952; the concept has since been employed by most of the world's nuclear powers in the design of their weapons. Modern fusion weapons consist essentially of two main components: a nuclear fission primary stage (fueled by or ) and a separate nuclear fusion secondary stage containing thermonuclear fuel: the heavy hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium, or in modern weapons lithium deuteride. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bosley Crowther
Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were perceived as unnecessarily mean. Crowther was an advocate of foreign-language films in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly those of Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica, Ingmar Bergman, and Federico Fellini. Life and career Crowther was born Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. in Lutherville, Maryland, the son of Eliza Hay (née Leisenring, 1877–1960) and Francis Bosley Crowther (1874–1950). As a child, Crowther moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he published a neighborhood newspaper, ''The Evening Star''. His family moved to Washington, D.C., and Crowther graduated from Western High School in 1922. After two years of prep school at Woodberry Forest School, he entered Princeton University, where he majored in h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year career in film and, later, television. He was a four-time nominee for the Academy Award for Best Actor (winning once), and he also won two BAFTA Awards and one Golden Globe Award for Best Lead Actor. The American Film Institute ranks Lancaster as of the greatest male stars of classic Hollywood cinema. Lancaster performed as a circus acrobat in the 1930s. After serving in World War II, the 33-year-old Lancaster landed a role in a Broadway play and drew the attention of a Hollywood agent. His breakthrough role was in the film noir ''The Killers'' in 1946 alongside Ava Gardner. A critical success, it launched both of their careers. Not long after in 1948, Lancaster starred alongside Barbara Stanwyck in the commercially and criticall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kiss Me Deadly
''Kiss Me Deadly'' is a 1955 American film noir produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Juano Hernandez, and Wesley Addy. It also features Maxine Cooper and Cloris Leachman appearing in their feature film debuts. The film follows a private investigator in Los Angeles who becomes embroiled in a complex mystery after picking up a female hitchhiker. The screenplay was written by Aldrich and A. I. Bezzerides, based on the 1952 crime novel '' Kiss Me, Deadly'' by Mickey Spillane. ''Kiss Me Deadly'' grossed $726,000 in the United States and $226,000 overseas. The film received the condemnation of the Kefauver Commission, which accused it of being "designed to ruin young viewers", a verdict that director Aldrich protested. Despite initial critical disapproval, it is considered one of the most important and influential film noirs of all time. The film has been noted as a stylistic precursor to the French New Wave, and has been ci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spencer Chan
Spencer Chan (March 28, 1892January 12, 1988) was an American character actor of Chinese descent. He had a long career in numerous films. Biography Chan was born in Los Angeles, California, to Kui Sing Chan (a pastor and court interpreter) and Loy Yau. His parents were Chinese immigrants, and they owned a house in Los Angeles's Boyle Heights neighborhood. Chan graduated college at the University of Southern California. Chan began appearing in Hollywood films in the 1930s, and also worked as an interpreter and casting agent when a script called for Chinese actors. Chan was considered an "atmosphere" player, along with Willie Fung, Frank Chew, Richard Loo and others. Chan died in January 1988 in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 95. He is buried at Evergreen Cemetery.Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition. Selected filmography ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patrick Allen
John Keith Patrick Allen (17 March 1927 – 28 July 2006) was a British actor. Life and career Allen was born in Nyasaland (now Malawi), where his father was a tobacco farmer. After his parents returned to Britain, he was evacuated to Canada during the Second World War where he remained to finish his education at McGill University in Montreal. He gained experience as a local radio broadcaster and appeared on television in plays and documentaries, before returning to Britain. Returning to the UK in 1953, Allen made his film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Dial M for Murder'' (1954). He subsequently appeared in character roles in many films, including '' Captain Clegg'', ''The Wild Geese'', ''The Sea Wolves'', ''Puppet on a Chain'', and ''Who Dares Wins''. He was also the lead actor in the Associated Rediffusion adventure series '' Crane'' (1963–65) and in the BBC-1 series ''Brett'' (1971). Allen played Moriarty's deputy Colonel Sebastian Moran in ''The Adventures of Sherlock ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Strother Martin
Strother Douglas Martin Jr. (March 26, 1919 – August 1, 1980) was an American character actor who often appeared in support of John Wayne and Paul Newman and in Western films directed by John Ford and Sam Peckinpah. Among Martin's memorable performances is his portrayal of the warden or "captain" of a state prison camp in the 1967 film '' Cool Hand Luke'', in which he utters the line, "What we've got here is failure to communicate." The line is number 11 on the American Film Institute list of '' 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes''. Early life Martin was born in Kokomo, Indiana to Ethel (née Dunlap) and Strother Douglas Martin. For a short time, the Martins lived in San Antonio, Texas, but soon returned to Indiana. As a child, he excelled at swimming and diving. He was nicknamed "T-Bone Martin" because of his diving expertise. At 17 he won the National Junior Springboard Diving Championship. He served as a swimming instructor in the United States Navy during World War II and was a m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beal Wong
Beal Wong (1906-1962) was an American actor from California. Wong acted in films from 1933 to 1962. Some of the films he appeared in were ''The Big Bluff'', '' China'', ''Women in the Night'', ''Little Tokyo, U.S.A.''. He also appeared in '' The Secret Code''. He played the Chinese Radio Listener in ''Earth vs. the Flying Saucers''. Biography Wong was born in Boise, Idaho, to parents who had immigrated to the United States from China. One of his brothers, Bruce Wong, also became an actor as an adult. In 1933, he had a small part in the film '' Stage Mother''. In 1936, he starred in ''Sum Hun'', a film produced by his brother Bruce. In 1944 he played Toma Nogato in ''The Purple Heart'', a film that starred Dana Andrews. He played part in ''Flower Drum Song'' in 1961, the Pastor in the 1962 film ''Experiment in Terror'' with Glenn Ford and Lee Remick. In the television series ''The Bachelor Father ''The Bachelor Father '' is a 1931 American pre-Code MGM comedy drama film dir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lou Nova
Lou Nova (March 16, 1913 – September 29, 1991) also called ''Cosmic punch'' was an American boxer and actor. Born in Los Angeles, California, the Nova was the U.S. and World Amateur Boxing Champion in 1935. After turning pro, he remained undefeated in his first 22 matches, and won 40 fights in total. He was the first top rated boxer to practice yoga, and reportedly did headstands in the dressing room before his title bout with Joe Louis. Boxing career In 1938, Nova gained an upset win over Britain's Tommy Farr in a 15-round decision. Nova had Farr near a knockout in the 14th round when Referee Eddie Josephs started counting as he lay in the ropes. However, Farr resumed the fight after the count reached two. Both men were in a state of exhaustion in the last round. This fight put Nova on the American boxing map as a potential heavyweight title contender. He went on to defeat Max Baer in the first televised heavyweight prizefight June 1, 1939, on WNBT-TV in New York. The le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clarence Lung
Clarence Lung (1914–1993) was a film and television actor. He appeared in films such as '' Dragon Seed'', ''Song of the Sarong'', ''Experiment in Terror'', ''Prisoner Of War'', ''Operation Petticoat'', '' China'' and ''The Hundred Days of the Dragon''. Among the television programs he appeared in were ''Secret Agent X-9'' and ''China Smith''. Biography Lung was born in Idaho to George Lung and Lillian Pfeiffer. His parents divorced when he was young, and he grew up in Colorado with his mother and sister. Lung's television credits include ''Guys Like O'Malley'', a story about an observation post during the Korean war, in which he appeared along with James Best and Neville Brand. In film, one of his early roles was a small part in ''The Good Earth''. Later he played Attorney Yung in ''Experiment in Terror'', a film that starred Glenn Ford and Lee Remick. He had a supporting role in '' Dragon Seed'' that starred Katharine Hepburn. In that film, he had the distinction of being th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keye Luke
Keye Luke (, Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...: Luk Shek Kee; June 18, 1904 – January 12, 1991) was a Chinese-born Americans, American film and television actor, technical advisor and artist and a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. He was known for playing Lee Chan, the "Number One Son" in the Charlie Chan films, the original Kato (The Green Hornet), Kato in the 1939–1941 The Green Hornet (serial), Green Hornet film serials, Brak (character), Brak in the 1960s ''Space Ghost'' cartoons, Master Po in the television series ''Kung Fu (1972 TV series), Kung Fu'', and Mr. Wing in the ''Gremlins'' films. He was the first Chinese-American contract player signed by RKO, Universal Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was one of the most prominent Asia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
