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Won Ton Ton, The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
''Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood'' is a 1976 American comedy film directed by Michael Winner, and starring Bruce Dern, Madeline Kahn, Teri Garr and Art Carney. Spoofing the craze surrounding Rin Tin Tin, the film is notable for the large number of cameo appearances by actors and actresses from Hollywood's golden age many of whom had been employees of Paramount Pictures, the film's distributor. Plot After escaping from a dog pound, a German Shepherd links up with a budding actress and a wannabe film scriptwriter and becomes a Hollywood star. Cast Starring *Bruce Dern as Grayson Potchuck *Madeline Kahn as Estie Del Ruth *Art Carney as J.J. Fromberg *Phil Silvers as Murray Fromberg *Ron Leibman as Rudy Montague *Teri Garr as Fluffy Peters *Ronny Graham as Mark Bennett *Toni Basil as Guest at Awards Ceremony Larger cameos *Dorothy Lamour as Visiting Film Star *Joan Blondell as Landlady *Virginia Mayo as Miss Battley *Henny Youngman as Manny Farber *Rory Calhoun as Phill ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Winner
Robert Michael Winner (30 October 1935 – 21 January 2013) was a British filmmaker, writer, and media personality. He is known for directing numerous Action film, action, Thriller films, thriller, and black comedy films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including several collaborations with actors Oliver Reed and Charles Bronson. Winner's best-known works include Death Wish (1974 film), ''Death Wish'' (1974) and its Death Wish II, first Death Wish 3, two sequels, the World War II comedy ''Hannibal Brooks'' (1969), the hitman thriller ''The Mechanic (1972 film), The Mechanic'' (1972), the supernatural horror film ''The Sentinel (1977 film), The Sentinel'' (1977), the neo-noir ''The Big Sleep (1978 film), The Big Sleep'' (1978), the satirical comedy ''Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood'' (1976), and the Revisionist Westerns ''Lawman (film), Lawman'' (1971) and ''Chato's Land'' (1972). Winner was known as a media personality in the United Kingdom, appearing regularly on televi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ronny Graham
Ronny Graham (August 26, 1919 – July 4, 1999) was an American actor and theater director, composer, lyricist, and writer. Life and career Graham was born Ronald Montcrief Stringer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second of five children born to vaudeville performers Florence (née Sweeney) and Thomas Graham Stringer (a.k.a. Steve Graham). Graham, a self-taught jazz pianist, began his career as a nightclub comic with a specialty in wry character monologues for which he provided the musical accompaniment, à la Dwight Fiske. During World War II, Graham served in the Army, where he entertained GIs with a piano trio. He made his Broadway debut in the revue ''New Faces of 1952'', to which he contributed sketches and lyrics and in which he performed. He won a Theatre World Award for his efforts. He later made similar contributions to ''New Faces of 1956'' and ''New Faces of 1962''. He wrote the lyrics for ''Bravo Giovanni'', which garnered him a Tony Award nomination, and directed a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tab Hunter
Tab Hunter (born Arthur Andrew Kelm; July 11, 1931 – July 8, 2018) was an American actor, singer, film producer, and author. Known for his blond, clean-cut good looks, Hunter starred in more than forty films. He was a Hollywood heartthrob of the 1950s and 1960s appearing on the covers of hundreds of film magazines. Hunter's film credits include ''Battle Cry'' (1955), ''The Girl He Left Behind'' (1956), ''Gunman's Walk'' (1958), and ''Damn Yankees'' (1958). Hunter also had a music career in the late 1950s; in 1957, he released a number one hit single " Young Love". Hunter's 2005 autobiography, ''Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star'', was a ''New York Times'' bestseller. Early life Arthur Andrew Kelm was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of Gertrude () and Charles Kelm. Kelm's father was Jewish, and his mother was a Catholic German immigrant from Hamburg. He had an older brother, Walter. Kelm's father was reportedly abusive, and within a few years of his b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Haymes
Richard Benjamin Haymes (September 13, 1918 – March 28, 1980) was an Argentinian singer and actor. He was one of the most popular male vocalists of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the older brother of Bob Haymes, an actor, television host, and songwriter. Background Haymes was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1918. His mother, who survived her elder son, was Marguerite Haymes (1894–1987), a well-known Irish-born vocal coach and instructor of English descent. His father, also of English descent, worked as a rancher. The Haymes family traveled extensively before settling in the United States when Haymes was an infant. Career At the age of 17, Haymes moved to Los Angeles where he initially worked as a stunt man and film double. At the age of 19, he moved to New York City where he worked as a vocalist in a number of big bands. On September 3, 1942, Frank Sinatra introduced Haymes on radio as Sinatra's replacement in the Tommy Dorsey band. Prior to joining Dorsey's g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dean Stockwell
Robert Dean Stockwell (March 5, 1936 – November 7, 2021) was an American actor with a career spanning seven decades. As a child actor under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he first came to the public's attention in films including ''Anchors Aweigh'' (1945), ''The Green Years'' (1946), ''Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947), ''The Boy with Green Hair'' (1948), and ''Kim'' (1950). As a young adult, he had a lead role in the 1957 Broadway and 1959 screen adaptation of ''Compulsion;'' and in 1962 he played Edmund Tyrone in the film version of '' Long Day's Journey into Night'', for which he won two Best Actor Awards at the Cannes Film Festival. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his starring role in the 1960 film version of D. H. Lawrence's ''Sons and Lovers''. He appeared in supporting roles in such films as ''Dune'' (1984), ''Paris, Texas'' (1984), '' To Live and Die in L.A.'' (1985), '' Blue Velvet'' (1986), ''Beverly Hills Cop II ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhonda Fleming
Rhonda Fleming (born Marilyn Louis; August 10, 1923 – October 14, 2020) was an American film and television actress and singer. She acted in more than 40 films, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, and became renowned as one of the most glamorous actresses of her day, nicknamed the "Queen of Technicolor" because she photographed so well in that medium. Career Early life Fleming was born Marilyn Louis in Hollywood, California, to Harold Cheverton Louis, an insurance salesman, and Effie Graham, a stage actress who had appeared opposite Al Jolson in the musical ''Dancing Around'' at New York's Winter Garden Theatre from 1914 to 1915. Fleming's maternal grandfather was John C. Graham, an actor, theater owner, and newspaper editor in Utah. She began working as a film actress while attending Beverly Hills High School, from which she graduated in 1941. She was discovered by the well-known Hollywood agent Henry Willson, who changed her name to "Rhonda Fleming". "It's so weird", Flemin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nancy Walker
Nancy Walker (born Anna Myrtle Swoyer; May 10, 1922 – March 25, 1992) was an American actress and comedian of stage, screen, and television. She was also a film and television director (lending her talents to ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', on which she also made several guest appearances). During her five-decade-long career, she may be best remembered for her long-running roles as Mildred on ''McMillan & Wife'' and Ida Morgenstern, who first appeared on several episodes of ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and later became a prominent recurring character on the spinoff series ''Rhoda''. Early life Walker was born in 1922 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the elder of two daughters of vaudevillian Dewey Barto (né Stewart Steven Swoyer) and Myrtle Flemming Lawler, a dancer. The couple wed in Manhattan in 1919. Walker and her father both stood 4'11" (1.50 m). Her younger sister was Betty Lou Barto. Acting career In 1937, as "Nan Barto", Walker appeared on the NBC radio programs ''Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American actress and singer, known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and for leading roles in musical theatre.Obituary ''Variety'', February 22, 1984. She has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage". Over her distinguished career in theater she became known for her performances in shows such as ''Anything Goes'', '' Annie Get Your Gun'', ''Gypsy'', and '' Hello, Dolly!'' She is also known for her film roles in ''Anything Goes'' (1936), ''Call Me Madam'' (1953), ''There's No Business Like Show Business'' (1954), and ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' (1963). Among many accolades, she received the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in ''Call Me Madam'', a Grammy Award for ''Gypsy'' and Drama Desk Award for '' Hello, Dolly!'' Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm" (from ''Girl Crazy''); ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aldo Ray
Aldo Ray (born Aldo Da Re; September 25, 1926 – March 27, 1991) was an American actor of film and television. He began his career as a contract player for Columbia Studios before achieving stardom through his roles in '' The Marrying Kind, Pat and Mike'' (which earned him a Golden Globe nomination), '' Let's Do It Again,'' and ''Battle Cry.'' His athletic build and gruff, raspy voice saw him frequently typecast in "tough guy" roles throughout his career, which lasted well into the late 1980s. Though the latter part of his career was marked by appearances in low-budget B-movies and exploitation films, he still starred occasionally in higher-profile features, including ''The Secret of NIMH'' (1982) and ''The Sicilian'' (1987). Early life and education Ray was born Aldo Da Re in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, to an Italian family with five brothers (Mario, Guido, Dante, Dino, and Louis) and one sister (Regina). His brother Mario Da Re (1933-2010) lettered in football at USC from 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rory Calhoun
Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as ''How to Marry a Millionaire'' (1953). Life and career 1922–1943: Troubled early life Francis Timothy McCown was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Elizabeth Cuthbert and Floyd Conley McCown, a professional gambler. He spent his early years in Santa Cruz, California. He was of Irish ancestry. At age 13, he stole a revolver, for which he was sent to the California Youth Authority's Preston School of Industry reformatory at Ione, California. He escaped while in the adjustment center (jail within the jail). He left home at 17 to escape beatings from his stepfather and began hot-wiring cars. After robbing several jewelry stores, he stole a car and drove it across state lines. This made it a federal offense, and, when he was recaptured, he was senten ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henny Youngman
Henry "Henny" Youngman (16 March 1906 – 24 February 1998) was a British-born American comedian and musician famous for his mastery of the " one-liner", his best known being "Take my wife... please". In a time when many comedians told elaborate anecdotes, Youngman's routine consisted of telling simple one-liner jokes, occasionally with interludes of violin playing. These depicted simple, cartoon-like situations, eliminating lengthy build-ups and going straight to the punch line. Known as "the King of the One-Liners", a title conferred to him by columnist Walter Winchell, a stage performance by Youngman lasted only 15 to 20 minutes but contained dozens of jokes in rapid succession. Early life Youngman was born to Russian Jews Yonkel Yungman and Olga Chetkin in Whitechapel, in the East End of London, England. His family moved to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York, when he was a child. He grew up in New York City, and began as a comedian after he had worked for years at a print s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virginia Mayo
Virginia Mayo (born Virginia Clara Jones; November 30, 1920 – January 17, 2005) was an American actress and dancer. She was in a series of comedy films with Danny Kaye and was Warner Brothers' biggest box-office money-maker in the late 1940s. She also co-starred in the 1946 Oscar-winning movie ''The Best Years of Our Lives'' and ''White Heat'' (1949). Biography Early life Born in St. Louis, Missouri; Mayo was the daughter of newspaper reporter Luke and his wife, Martha Henrietta (née Rautenstrauch) Jones. Her family had roots back to the earliest days of St Louis, including great-great-great grandfather Captain James Piggott, who founded East St. Louis, Illinois, in 1797. Young Virginia's aunt operated an acting school in the St. Louis area, which Virginia began attending at age six. She also had a series of dancing instructors engaged by her aunt. Vaudeville Following her graduation from Soldan High School in 1937, she landed her first professional acting and dancing jobs a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
