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Western Films
The Western is a film genre defined by the American Film Institute as films which are "set in the American West that [embody] the spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the Frontier Thesis, new frontier." Generally set in the American frontier between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, the genre also includes many examples of stories set in locations outside the frontier – including Northern Mexico, the Northwestern United States, Alaska, and Western Canada – as well as stories that take place before 1849 and after 1890. Western films comprise part of the larger Western (genre), Western genre, which encompasses literature, music, television, and plastic arts. Western films derive from the Wild West shows that began in the 1870s. Originally referred to as "Wild West dramas", the shortened term "Western" came to describe the genre. Although other Western films were made earlier, ''The Great Train Robbery (1903 film), The Great Train Robbe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Stevens (actor)
Charles Stevens (May 26, 1893 – August 22, 1964) was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1915 and 1961. A close friend of actor Douglas Fairbanks, Stevens appeared in nearly all of Fairbanks' films. Early years Stevens was born in Solomonville, Arizona, and his father was a white Arizona sheriff named George Stevens and mother a Mexican woman named Eloisa Michelena. Stevens was not, as many bios claim, the grandson of Geronimo. That erroneous information could be attributed to Stevens himself, who claimed such kinship, and film studios that promoted the supposed lineage. Career Stevens began his career during the silent era, playing mostly Native Americans and Mexicans in Westerns. During the 1930s and 1940s, he had roles in the film serials '' Wild West Days'' and '' Overland Mail''. In the 1950s, Stevens guest-starred on several television series, including ''The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok'', ''The Adventures of Kit Carson'', '' Sky King'', '' T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chief Yowlachie
Chief Yowlachie (August 15, 1890 – March 7, 1966), also known as Daniel Simmons; was a Native American actor from the Yakama tribe in the U.S. state of Washington, known for playing supporting roles and bit parts in numerous films. He is perhaps best known for playing Two Jaw Quo, Nadine Groot's assistant cook, in the classic 1948 Western '' Red River''. Biography On August 15, 1890, Yowlachie was born on the Yakima Indian Reservation in Washington. He was educated at the Government Indian Trade School. From 1925 through 1930, Yowlachie made 12 films, 11 of which were Westerns. In his film debut, he played the title role in ''Tonio, Son of the Sierras'' (1925). A Bass-baritone, Yowlachie studied opera under Pasquale Amato and sang on radio and on stage (including performing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra) from 1931 through 1939. He sang at the White House on separate occasions for Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt. His other performances included sin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John War Eagle
John Henry St Pierre, a.k.a. John War Eagle (8 June 1901 – 7 February 1991) was a Yankton Sioux film and television actor. He was born September 24, 1901, in Wagner, Charles Mix, South Dakota. He was of the Sioux people, and was raised on the Yankton Indian Reservation in South Dakota.San Pierre, John H., U.S. Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940, Yankton Sioux Agency, South Dakota, 30 June 1913 Career Between 1932 and 1977 — sometimes credited as Chief John War Eagle, Chief John Eagle or John Wareagle — he appeared in twenty-eight films, mostly in uncredited roles, and twenty-six television productions.Database (undated)"Filmography by Type for John War Eagle" ''The Internet Movie Database''. Accessed September 8, 2010. His roles include appearing as Red Cloud in the historical western-drama film ''Tomahawk'' (1951) starring Van Heflin, a role he reprised in 1953 in historical western-drama film ''The Great Sioux Uprising'' starring Jeff Chandler. He also played Ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clinton Sundberg
Clinton Charles Sundberg (December 7, 1903 ome sources say 1906– December 14, 1987) was an American character actor in film and on stage. Early years Sundberg was born in Appleton, Minnesota. He graduated from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he was active in drama, president of his fraternity, and captain of the tennis team. Career Sundberg left teaching English literature for acting, appearing in plays in stock theater in New England. He appeared in a number of Broadway plays, debuting in ''Nine Pine Street'' (1933). His most notable roles were Mr. Kraler in the original 1957 production of '' The Diary of Anne Frank'' and Mortimer Brewster (as a replacement) in the 1944 '' Arsenic and Old Lace''. He became a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer where he appeared in numerous supporting roles in films of the late 1940s and early 1950s. He played Mike, the bartender who listens to Judy Garland's character's troubles in '' Easter Parade''. In the 1949 f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edward Arnold (actor)
Günther Edward Arnold Schneider (February 18, 1890 – April 26, 1956) was an American actor of the stage and screen. Early life Arnold was born on February 18, 1890, in Lower East Side of New York City, the son of German immigrants Elizabeth (Ohse) and Carl Schneider. His schooling came at the East Side Settlement House. Acting career Stage Arnold was interested in acting ever since he appeared on stage as Lorenzo in The Merchant of Venice at age 12. He made his professional stage debut in 1907 and had important roles in several plays on Broadway in the 1920s and 1930s. Among them is the 1927 revival of The Jazz Singer (play), ''The Jazz Singer'', with Arnold as the second lead to the star, George Jessel (actor), George Jessel. Film He found work as an extra (actor), extra for Essanay Studios and World Studios, before landing his first significant role in 1916's ''The Misleading Lady (1916 film), The Misleading Lady''. He returned to the stage in 1919, and did not app ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Benay Venuta
Benay Venuta (born Benvenuta Rose Crooke, January 27, 1910 – September 1, 1995) was an American actress, singer and dancer. She is best known for her work in the mid and late 1930s, in which she parlayed her success on Broadway into star treatment on network radio. After World War II, she developed an enduring career as a supporting actress in musicals on stage and in Hollywood, interspersed with work on television. Early life Born in San Francisco, Venuta was a graduate of Hollywood High School. She attended finishing school in Geneva and lived in London where she worked as a dancer before returning to the States. Her father was English, and her mother was Swiss-Italian. Film Venuta made her first screen appearance in the silent ''Trail of '98'' in 1928. She also appeared in '' Repeat Performance'' (1947), '' Annie Get Your Gun'' (1950, as Dolly Tate), '' Call Me Mister'' (1951), and '' Bullets Over Broadway'' (1994). The finale of ''Call Me Mister'' is a production num ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keenan Wynn
Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his wikt:stock-in-trade, stock-in-trade; though he rarely carried the leading actor, lead role, he had prominent billing in most of his film and television roles. Early life Wynn was born on July 27, 1916, in New York City, the son of vaudeville comedian Ed Wynn and his wife, the former Hilda Keenan. He took his stage name from his maternal grandfather, Frank Keenan, one of the first Broadway theatre, Broadway actors to star in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. His father was Jewish American, Jewish and his mother was of Irish Catholics, Irish Catholic background. Ed Wynn encouraged his son to become an actor, and to join The Lambs, The Lambs Club, which he did in 1937. Career Theatre and radio Wynn began his career as a stage actor. He appeared in several plays on Broadway, including ''Remember the Day'' (1935), ''Black Widow' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Louis Calhern
Carl Henry Vogt (February 19, 1895 – May 12, 1956), known by his stage name Louis Calhern, was an American actor. Described as a “star leading man of the theater and a star character actor of the screen,” he appeared in over 100 roles on the Broadway stage and in films and television, between 1923 and 1956. He was nominated for the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for portraying U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in the 1950 film '' The Magnificent Yankee''. Often cast in films as distinguished and sophisticated characters, Calhern's other notable film roles included the scheming Ambassador Trentino in the classic Marx Brothers comedy '' Duck Soup'' (1933), the antagonist to Robert Donat's Edmond Dantès in ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' (1934), the head of the US Secret Service in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Notorious'' (1946), the pivotal villain Alonzo Emmerich in John Huston’s film noir '' The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950), Buffalo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Howard Keel
Harold Clifford Keel (April 13, 1919November 7, 2004), professionally Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer known for his rich bass-baritone singing voice. He starred in a number of MGM musicals in the 1950s, including ''Show Boat'' (1951). He played the role of oil baron Clayton Farlow in the television series ''Dallas'' from 1981 to 1991. Early life Keel was born in Gillespie, Illinois, the younger of two sons born to Navyman-turned-coalminer Homer Keel and his wife, Grace Margaret (née Osterkamp). Howard's elder brother was Frederick William Keel. After his father's death in 1930, Keel and his mother moved to California, where he graduated from Fallbrook High School at age 17. He worked various odd jobs until settling at Douglas Aircraft Company as a "traveling representative". He was a long haul truck driver. In the 1950s, the MGM publicity department stated that Keel's birth name was Harold Leek. Career At age 20, Keel was overheard singing by his landlady ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Betty Hutton
Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg; February 26, 1921 – March 12, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. She rose to fame in the 1940s as a contract player for Paramount Pictures, appearing primarily in musicals and became one of the studio's most valuable stars. She was noted for her energetic performance style. Raised in Detroit during the Great Depression by a single mother who worked as a Rum-running, bootlegger, Hutton began performing as a singer from a young age, entertaining patrons of her mother's speakeasy. While performing in local nightclubs, she was discovered by orchestra leader Vincent Lopez, who hired her as a singer in his band. In 1940, Hutton was cast in the Broadway theatre, Broadway productions ''Two for the Show (musical), Two for the Show'' and ''Panama Hattie'', and attracted notice for her raucous and animated live performances. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1941 after being signed by Paramou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Sidney
George Sidney (October 4, 1916May 5, 2002) was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics '' Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) and '' Viva Las Vegas'' (1964). With an extensive background in acting, stage direction, film editing, and music, Sidney created many of post-war Hollywood's big budget musicals, such as '' Annie Get Your Gun'' (1950), ''Show Boat'' (1951), '' Kiss Me Kate'' (1953), '' Jupiter's Darling'' (1955), and '' Pal Joey'' (1957). He was also a president of the Screen Directors Guild for 16 years. A founding partner of Hanna-Barbera animation studio, Sidney was a proponent of the integration of animation into live action, which is immortalized in the dance scene between actor Gene Kelly and Jerry Mouse in '' Anchors Aweigh'' (1945). An avid art collector, gardener, musician, painter, and photographer, George Sidney was known for his impeccable sense of style and generosity. His clothing, original sc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
