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Shall We Dance (1937 Film)
''Shall We Dance'' is a 1937 American musical comedy film directed by Mark Sandrich. It is the seventh of the ten Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers films. The story follows a Russian-imposter ballet dancer (Astaire) who falls in love with a tap dancer (Rogers); the tabloid press concocts a story of their marriage, after which life imitates art. George Gershwin wrote the symphonic underscore and Ira Gershwin the lyrics, for their second Hollywood musical. Plot Peter P. Peters is an amiable American ballet dancer billed as "Petrov", who cultivates a public image of being a serious, demanding and temperamental Russian, though his employer knows the truth. Peters dances for a ballet company in Paris owned by the bumbling Jeffrey Baird. Baird secretly never wants to blend classical ballet with modern jazz dancing because he thinks it does not look very professional. When Peters sees a photo of famous tap dancer Linda Keene, he falls in love with her. He contrives to meet her (as "Petr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Mark Sandrich
Mark Sandrich (born Mark Rex Goldstein; October 26, 1900 – March 4, 1945) was an American film director, writer, and producer. Early life Sandrich was born in New York City on October 26, 1900 into a Jewish family. His sister was Ruth Harriet Louise. He was an engineering student at Columbia University when he accidentally fell into the film business. While visiting a friend on a film set, he saw that the director had a problem setting up a shot; Sandrich offered his advice, and it worked. He entered the movie business in the prop department. Career Shorts director Sandrich became a director in 1927, making comedy shorts. His first feature was '' Runaway Girls'', in 1928. In an exciting time in the film business with the arrival of sound, he briefly returned to shorts. In 1933, he directed the Academy Award-winning short '' So This Is Harris!''. Feature films Sandrich returned to directing features with '' Melody Cruise'' (1933). He followed it with '' Cupid in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Tabloid Press
Tabloid journalism is a popular style of largely sensationalist journalism, which takes its name from the tabloid newspaper format: a small-sized newspaper also known as a half broadsheet. The size became associated with sensationalism, and ''tabloid journalism'' replaced the earlier label of ''yellow journalism'' and ''scandal sheets''. Not all newspapers associated with tabloid journalism are tabloid size, and not all tabloid-size newspapers engage in tabloid journalism; since around the year 2000, many broadsheet newspapers converted to the more compact tabloid format. In some cases, celebrities have successfully sued tabloids for libel, demonstrating that the tabloid's stories have defamed them. Publications engaging in tabloid journalism are also known as rag newspapers or simply rags. In the 21st century tabloid journalism has shifted to online platforms targeting youth consumers with celebrity news and entertainment. Scandal sheets Scandal sheets were the precu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, hymns, marches, vaudeville song, and dance music. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major form of musical expression in traditional and popular music. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, complex chords, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation. As jazz spread around the world, it drew on national, regional, and local musical cultures, which gave rise to different styles. New Orleans jazz began in the early 1910s, combining earlier brass band marches, French quadrilles, biguine, ragtime and blues with collective polyphonic improvisation. However, jazz did not begin as a single musical tradition in New Orleans or elsewhere. In the 1930s, arranged dance-oriented swing big bands, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Charlie Hall (actor, Born 1899)
Charlie Hall (also credited Charley Hall; 19 August 1899 – 7 December 1959) was an English film actor. He is best known as the "Little Nemesis" of Laurel and Hardy. He performed in nearly 50 films with them, making Hall the most frequent supporting actor in the comedy duo's productions. Life and career Hall was born in Ward End, Birmingham, Warwickshire, and learned carpentry as a trade; however, as a teenager, he became a member of the Fred Karno troupe of stage comedians. In his late teens, he visited his sister in New York City and stayed there, finding employment as a stagehand. While working behind the scenes, he met the comic actor Bobby Dunn and they became friends; Dunn convinced Hall to take a stab again at acting, which he did. By the mid-1920s, Hall was working for Hal Roach. Stan Laurel, one of Roach's comedy stars, was also a graduate of the Karno troupe. As an actor, Hall worked with such comedians as Buster Keaton and Charley Chase, but he is best remembered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Slap That Bass
"Slap That Bass" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, introduced by Fred Astaire and Dudley Dickerson in the 1937 film ''Shall We Dance''. The song refers to the slap style of double bass playing that was popular at the time. Notable recordings *Uri Caine – ''Rhapsody in Blue'' (2013) * Georgia Brown – ''Georgia Brown Sings Gershwin/Georgia Brown'' (2003) *Ella Fitzgerald – ''Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook'' (1959) *Susannah McCorkle – ''How Do You Keep the Music Playing'' (1985) *Chris Connor Mary Jean Loutsenhizer, known professionally as Chris Connor (November 8, 1927 – August 29, 2009), was an American jazz singer. Biography Chris Connor was born Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri, to Clyde Loutsenhizer and Mabel Sh ... – ''Chris Connor Sings the George Gershwin Almanac of Song'' (1957) Notes and references Songs with music by George Gershwin Songs with lyrics by Ira Gershwin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Dudley Dickerson
Dudley Henry Dickerson Jr. (November 27, 1906September 23, 1968) was an African-American film actor. Born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, he appeared in nearly 160 films between 1932 and 1952, and is best remembered for his roles in several Three Stooges films. Career Considering the historical context of Dickerson's career, he was frequently assigned stereotypical roles prevalent in contemporary cinema. His inexhaustible energy is evident even within these limiting roles, and he excelled in what is now recognized as "scared reaction" comedy. One of his early screen credits was the ''Our Gang'' comedy'' Spooky Hooky'' (1936), as a bemused caretaker. Dickerson also appeared in Soundies musical films with Dorothy Dandridge and Meade Lux Lewis; Big Joe Turner had recorded three numbers for Soundies but was not present for the filming, so Dickerson stood in for him and lip-synced his vocals. Modern viewers will remember Dudley Dickerson for his portrayals of startled cooks, quizzical orde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Harriet Hoctor
Harriet Hoctor (September 25, 1905 – June 9, 1977) was a ballerina and actress. Composer George Gershwin composed a symphonic orchestral piece ("Hoctor's Ballet") specifically for Hoctor in the film ''Shall We Dance (1937 film), Shall We Dance'' (1937). Life and career Harriet Hoctor was born in Hoosick Falls, New York, to Timothy Hoctor and Elizabeth Kearny Hoctor. She was one of four children, the others being Martin Francis ("Frank"), John, and Eloise. Harriet Hoctor never married. Early training Hoctor's maternal aunt, Annie Kearney, was a social secretary to a wealthy woman in Hoosick Falls who took an interest in young Harriet. At the age of twelve she was sent to New York City and placed under the tutelage of Russian ballet master Louis Harvy Chalif of the Normal School of Dancing. Stage By the time she was sixteen, Hoctor was touring in vaudeville on the same bill as the Duncan Sisters. She was asked to join their wikt:act, act and became a key player in their ''T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Ketti Gallian
Ketti Gallian (25 December 1912 – December 1972) was a French actress. Early life Gallian was born in Nice. Career She went to Paris at the age of 15 and secured work as a model. She later went back to Nice and appeared in a number of foreign films made by Paramount. Her performance in ''The Ace'', in which she played opposite Raymond Massey on the London stage, resulted in a screen contract from Fox. However, she never became a success while acting in America and returned to France. Personal life Gallian had an affair with Bugsy Siegel.Shnayerson, Michael.Sportsman in Paradise. Bugsy Siegel: The Dark Side of the American Dream, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2021, pp. 33-48. Gallian married Pierre Billon. She died, aged 59, in Paris. Filmography Further reading * References External links Ketti Gallianat AFI Catalog of Feature Films The ''AFI Catalog of Feature Films'', also known as the ''AFI Catalog'', is an ongoing project by the American Film I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Jerome Cowan
Jerome Palmer Cowan (October 6, 1897 – January 24, 1972) was an American stage, film, and television actor. Early years Cowan was born in New York City, the son of William Cowan, a confectioner of Scottish descent, and Julia Cowan, née Palmer. Stage Cowan's Broadway debut was in ''We've Got to Have Money'' (1923). His other Broadway credits include ''Frankie and Johnnie'' (1930), ''Just to Remind You'' (1931), ''Rendezvous'' (1932), ''The Little Black Book'' (1932), ''Marathon'' (1933), ''Both Your Houses'' (1933), '' As Thousands Cheer'' (1933), ''Ladies' Money'' (1934), ''Paths of Glory'' (1935), '' Boy Meets Girl'' (1935), '' My Three Angels'' (1953), ''Lunatics and Lovers'' (1954), '' Rumple'' (1957), and '' Say, Darling'' (1958). Film He was spotted by Samuel Goldwyn and was given a film contract, his first film being '' Beloved Enemy''. He appeared in more than one hundred films, but is probably best remembered for two roles in classic films: Miles Archer, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Eric Blore
Eric Blore Sr. (23 December 1887 – 2 March 1959) was an English actor and writer. His early stage career, mostly in the West End of London, centred on revue and musical comedy, but also included straight plays. He wrote sketches for and appeared in variety. In the 1930s Blore acted mostly in Broadway productions. He made his last London appearance in 1933 in the Fred Astaire hit '' Gay Divorce''. Between 1930 and 1955 he made more than 60 Hollywood films, becoming particularly well known for playing butlers and other superior domestic servants. He retired in 1956 for health reasons, and died in Hollywood in 1959 at the age of 71. Life and career Early years Blore was born in Finchley, a north London suburb, on 23 December 1887, son of Henry Blore and his wife Mary, ''née'' Newton.Parker, p. 77 He was educated at Mills School, Finchley, and after leaving school he worked for an insurance company."Mr Eric Blore", ''The Times'', London, 3 March 1959, p. 12 He was drawn to a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Edward Everett Horton
Edward Everett Horton, Jr. (March 18, 1886 – September 29, 1970) was an American character actor and comedian. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television, and voice work for animated cartoons. Early life Horton was born March 18, 1886, on Long Island to Edward Everett Horton, a typesetter / compositor in the press room for ''The New York Times'', and his wife, Isabella S. (née Diack) Horton. His father was of English and German ancestry, and his mother was born in Matanzas Province, Cuba, to George and Mary (née Orr) Diack, natives of Scotland. He first attended the old Boys' High School in Brooklyn. The family then moved to Baltimore, Maryland and he went to The Baltimore City College. He attended in 1902-1904 and later was inducted into the school's alumni/faculty Hall of Fame in 1959. He was a student at Oberlin College where he majored in German. He was asked to leave after he climbed to the top of a building and, after a crowd gathered, threw off a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Tabloid Journalism
Tabloid journalism is a popular style of largely sensationalist journalism, which takes its name from the tabloid newspaper format: a small-sized newspaper also known as a half broadsheet. The size became associated with sensationalism, and ''tabloid journalism'' replaced the earlier label of ''yellow journalism'' and ''scandal sheets''. Not all newspapers associated with tabloid journalism are tabloid size, and not all tabloid-size newspapers engage in tabloid journalism; since around the year 2000, many broadsheet newspapers converted to the more compact tabloid format. In some cases, celebrities have successfully sued tabloids for libel, demonstrating that the tabloid's stories have defamed them. Publications engaging in tabloid journalism are also known as rag newspapers or simply rags. In the 21st century tabloid journalism has shifted to online platforms targeting youth consumers with celebrity news and entertainment. Scandal sheets Scandal sheets were the prec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
