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Spencer Williams (actor)
Spencer Williams (July 14, 1893 – December 13, 1969) was an American actor and filmmaker. He portrayed Andy on TV's '' The Amos 'n' Andy Show'' and directed films including the 1941 race film '' The Blood of Jesus''. Williams was a pioneering African-American film producer and director. Early career Williams (sometimes billed as Spencer Williams Jr.) was born in Vidalia, Louisiana. He moved to New York City as a teenager and secured work as call boy for the theatrical impresario Oscar Hammerstein. During this period, he received mentoring in comedy from the African-American vaudeville star Bert Williams. Williams studied at the University of Minnesota and served in the U.S. Army during and after World War I, rising to the rank of sergeant major, serving first as General Pershing's bugler in Mexico and, after promotion to sergeant major, as an intelligence officer in France. He arrived in Hollywood in 1923 and his involvement with films began by assisting with works by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vidalia, Louisiana
Vidalia is the largest city and the parish seat of Concordia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,299 as of the 2010 census. Vidalia is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. The city of Natchez, Mississippi, lies on the opposite bank of the river, connected by the Natchez–Vidalia Bridge, carrying U.S. Routes 65, 84, and 425. History Vidalia was founded by Don José Vidal, when he was secretary to Manuel Gayoso de Lemos, the Spanish Governor of the Natchez District from 1792 to 1797. This was in a brief period of Spanish rule of former French territory west of the Mississippi River. Napoleon took it back and he sold it to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. In 1811 the Orleans Territorial legislature changed the name of the city to Vidalia after the founder. Vidal had donated land along the river to the city, where it later constructed its civic buildings. He also donated land for the first school in Concordia Parish. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlantic, North Atlantic, the French West Indies, and List of islands of France, many islands in Oceania and the Indian Ocean, giving it Exclusive economic zone of France, one of the largest discontiguous exclusive economic zones in the world. Metropolitan France shares borders with Belgium and Luxembourg to the north; Germany to the northeast; Switzerland to the east; Italy and Monaco to the southeast; Andorra and Spain to the south; and a maritime border with the United Kingdom to the northwest. Its metropolitan area extends from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea. Its Regions of France, eighteen integral regions—five of which are overseas—span a combined area of and hav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Queen Kelly
''Queen Kelly'' is an American silent film produced in 1928–29 and released by United Artists. The film was directed by Erich von Stroheim, starred Gloria Swanson, in the title role, Walter Byron (actor), Walter Byron as her lover, and Seena Owen. The film was produced by Joseph P. Kennedy, who was Swanson's lover at the time. In 1932, Swanson was able to release a part-sound version in Europe and South America only because of her contract with Stroheim. This version had an alternate ending directed by Richard Boleslawski and filmed by cinematographer Gregg Toland. Plot Prince Wolfram (Byron) is the betrothed of mad Queen Regina V of Kronberg (Owen). As punishment for partying with other women, he is sent on manoeuvres. He sees Kitty Kelly (Swanson) walking with other convent students and flirts with her. She is embarrassed when he makes a comment after seeing that her underwear is visible, so she takes it off and throws it at him, to the horror of the nuns, who punish her fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gloria Swanson
Gloria Mae Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most famously for her 1950 turn in Billy Wilder's ''Sunset Boulevard (film), Sunset Boulevard'', which earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, Golden Globe Award. Swanson was born in Chicago and raised in a military family that moved from base to base. Her infatuation with Essanay Studios actor Francis X. Bushman led to her aunt taking her to tour the actor's Chicago studio. The 15-year-old Swanson was offered a brief walk-on for one film and eventually a stock-players contract, beginning her life's career in front of the cameras. Swanson left school, and was soon hired to work in California for Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios comedy shorts opposite Bobby Vernon. She was eventually recruited by Famous Players–Lasky ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oft In The Silly Night
''Oft in the Silly Night'' is an American short comedy film released in 1929. It was produced by Al Christie from a story by Octavus Roy Cohen, part of a series published in the ''Saturday Evening Post'' and adapted to film in Christie productions. Among the early "talkie" films featuring an African American cast, the film survives and is available online. The plot has a chauffeur sneaking out with his employer's car and daughter. The film and the series feature exaggerated "Negro" dialect and stereotypes. The film was re-released on the DVD ''Birmingham Black Bottom'' in 2003. Cast * Edward Thompson (actor), Edward Thompson as Temus Robinson * Roberta Hyson as Mezanine Conner * Arthur Ray as Julip Conner * Spencer Williams as Eli Rubb * Laurence Criner as L. J. Criner See also *"Oft in the Stilly Night", a poem by Thomas Moore and folk song adapted from it References * "Oft in the Silly Night", pages 223-224, Slow Fade to Black: The Negro in American Film, 1900-1942, by Thoma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Music Hath Charms
''Music Hath Charms'' is a 1935 British musical comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley, Walter Summers, Arthur B. Woods and Alexander Esway. It stars Henry Hall with the BBC Dance Orchestra, Carol Goodner and Arthur Margetson. It was given a trade show in October 1935 and went on full release in March the following year. Musical numbers * "Music Hath Charms"—the theme tune is performed twice, first with Dan Donovan on vocals at the beginning of the film, and later at the end with a harmony quartet and mixed chorus. * "I'm Feeling Happy"—performed when Henry Hall goes to the recording studio. Dan Donovan provides the vocals. * "There Is No Time Like the Present"—performed at a rehearsal. * "Honey-Coloured Moon"—performed with vocals by Hildegarde. * "Many Happy Returns Of The Day"—performed during a montage of Henry Hall's "birthday parade", after which the band-members go missing. This song should not be confused with the Burke-Dubin song of the same name, published ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount Global. It is the sixth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest film studio in the United States (behind Universal Pictures), and the sole member of the Major film studio, "Big Five" film studios located within the city limits of Los Angeles. In 1916, film producer Adolph Zukor put 24 actors and actresses under contract and honored each with a star on the logo. In 1967, the number of stars was reduced to 22 and their hidden meaning was dropped. In 2014, Paramount Pictures became the first major Hollywood studio to distribute all of its films in digital form only. The company's headquarters and studios are located at 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, California. The most commercially successful film franchises from Paramount Pictu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Lady Fare
''The Lady Fare'' is a 1929 American short comedy film directed by William Watson, based on a story by Octavus Roy Cohen, with screenplay by Spencer Williams (actor), Spencer Williams. It was produced by Christie brothers, Al Christie and filmed by the Christie Film Company. One of the first African-American talkies, sometimes referred to as a "singie" or "dancie" due to its musical elements. it featured an all-female chorus line, possibly inspired by the Cotton Club. The 20-minute film, premiered on September 28. Cast *Herbert V. Skinner *Leroy Broomfield *Claude Collins *Vernon Elkins *Aurora Greeley *Leon Hereford *Roberta Hyson *Gus Jones *Evelyn Preer *Junie Rutledge *Zack Williams (actor), Zack Williams *Spencer Williams Jr. *Edward Thompson (actor), Edward Thompson References External links * 1929 comedy films 1929 short films African-American musical comedy films {{1920s-US-film-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Framing Of The Shrew
''The Framing of the Shrew'' is a 1929 American comedy film. It features an African American cast. It was produced by Al Christie and the story was by Octavus Roy Cohen. It was directed by Arvid E. Gillstrom. The plot depicts a husband who gets the upper hand on his wife using various tactics. ''Framing of the Shrew'' was one in a series of films made from Cohen's stories featuring the same characters portrayed by established African American actors and vaudeville performers. Synopsis Privacy Robson decides that he must be free of his wife, Clarry, as she has been pushing for him to find a job. His friend Florian Slappey advises him to go on a hunger strike to get even with her. Privacy takes this advice, however he is unable to resist sneaking some of his wife's cooking even after declining to eat supper. In the end Privacy wins out and is able to continue his daily routine. Cast *Evelyn Preer as Clarry Robson * Edward Thompson as Privacy Robson * Charles Olden as Florian S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Melancholy Dame
''The Melancholy Dame'' is a 1929 American comedy short film by an African-American cast. Al Christie based it on the Octavus Roy Cohen comedy series called "Darktown Birmingham", published in the ''Saturday Evening Post''. Arvid Gillstrom directed it and Evelyn Preer played the title role. ''The Melacholy Dame'' was produced and released by Paramount Pictures and includes racial caricatures. It has been described as the first African-American talkie and features a vision of high society and comic dialogue in a Birmingham restaurant with a piano and dance show. The ''Los Angeles Times'' summarized the plot: "A cabaret owner's wife demands that her husband fire the sexy star attraction (if he doesn't, she warns, 'there's going to be a quick call for an undertaker'). Little does she (or the singer's husband) know that the singer and the club owner were once married." Once a two-reel film, the video is now digitized for YouTube along with others from the series. Cast * James ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Short Film
A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film organizations may use different definitions, however; the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, for example, currently defines a short film as 45 minutes or less in the case of documentaries, and 59 minutes or less in the case of scripted narrative films (it is not made clear whether this includes closing credits). In the United States, short films were generally termed short subjects from the 1920s into the 1970s when confined to two 35 mm reels or less, and featurettes for a film of three or four reels. "Short" was an abbreviation for either term. The increasingly rare industry term "short subject" carries more of an assumption that the film is shown as part of a presentation along with a feature film. Short films are often s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Christie
Charles Herbert Christie (April 13, 1882 – October 1, 1955) and Alfred Ernest Christie (November 23, 1886 – April 14, 1951) were Canadian motion picture entrepreneurs. Early life Charles Herbert Christie was born between April 13, 1880, and April 13, 1882. Alfred Ernest Christie was born between October 23, 1881, and November 23, 1886; both were born in London, Ontario. Their father managed the Opera House in the city and their mother was its box-office manager and accountant. Charles graduated from school when he was 14; he graduated from a four-year accountancy course in two years at age 16. Career At 23, Charles was offered a job as the stage manager for Liebler and Company and accepted it on the condition that his brother Al also be given a job. They worked for the organization for three years. Charles joined the film industry after being hired as an accountant for the Nestor Film Company. William Horsley said that "I wonder if we would have survived as a viab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
