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If I Had My Way (film)
''If I Had My Way'' is a 1940 musical comedy film directed by David Butler and starring Bing Crosby and Gloria Jean. Based on a story by David Butler, the film is about a construction worker who takes charge of the daughter of a friend killed in an accident. Filming took place in Hollywood between February and April 1940. This was another independent production for Crosby outside his Paramount contract and he took a financial interest in it. The film had its New York premiere at the Rivoli Theater on May 5, 1940. Plot Buzz Blackwell, Fred Johnson, and Axel Swenson are construction workers in San Francisco who are helping to build the Golden Gate Bridge. They are close friends, and Buzz and Axel even help Fred in raising his daughter Pat. When Fred dies in a tragic accident, Buzz and Axel resolve to find her relatives in New York City, whom she has never met. Buzz notifies Fred's brother, Jarvis Johnson, of Fred's death and Pat's impending arrival. Jarvis and his wife Brenda are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Butler (director)
David Butler (December 17, 1894 – June 14, 1979) was an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and television director. Biography Butler was born in San Francisco, California. His mother was actress Adele Belgrade, and his father was actor and director Fred J. Butler. His first acting roles were playing extras in stage plays. He later appeared in two D.W. Griffith films: ''The Girl Who Stayed Home'' and '' The Greatest Thing in Life''. He also appeared in the 1927 Academy-Award winning film '' 7th Heaven''. The same year, Butler made his directorial debut with ''High School Hero'', a comedy for Fox. During Butler's nine-year tenure at Fox, he directed over 30 films, including four Shirley Temple vehicles. Butler's last film for Fox, ''Kentucky'', won Walter Brennan an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Butler worked with Bing Crosby in '' Road to Morocco'' and '' If I Had My Way''. He directed many films starring Doris Day, including '' It's a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
El Brendel
Elmer Goodfellow "El" Brendel (March 25, 1890 – April 9, 1964) was an American vaudeville comedian turned movie star, best remembered for his dialect routine as a Swedish immigrant. His biggest role was as "Single-0" in the sci-fi musical ''Just Imagine'' (1930), produced by Fox Film Corporation. His screen name was pronounced "El Bren-DEL". Early life He was born on March 25, 1890 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to an Irish mother and German immigrant father. Brendel, unlike his stage and film character, was not Swedish. He spoke standard American English without a trace of any other accent. He attended the University of Pennsylvania. He entered vaudeville in 1913 as a German dialect comedian and married his vaudeville partner. Due to anti-German sentiment brought about by the sinking of the RMS Lusitania, Brendel developed a new character, one he would portray on stage and in films for the rest of his career: a good-natured, simple Swede, often called "Oley," "Ole," or "Ol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eddie Leonard
Eddie Leonard (October 17, 1870 – July 28, 1941), born Lemuel Golden Toney, was a vaudevillian and a man considered the greatest American minstrel of his day, at a time when minstrel shows were an acceptable and popular mainstream entertainment in the United States. He was called "last of the great minstrels" in his 1941 obituary in ''Time''. He performed in vaudeville for 45 years before that medium faded in the 1920s, and was known for such songs as " Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider" and "Roly Boly Eyes". He published his memoir titled ''What a Life I'm Telling You'' in 1934. Early life Lemuel Golden Toney was born in 1871 or on October 18, 1875, sources vary, in Church Hill, Richmond, Virginia, to Ellen and Richard Toney. As a boy, his family moved to South Richmond and Manchester. At the age of 12, he started his stage career at Putnam's Theatre Comique at East Franklin Street in Richmond. He then took up the stage name Eddie Leonard. He also worked as a water boy at Tredegar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blanche Ring
Blanche Ring (April 24, 1871 – January 13, 1961) was an American singer and actress in Broadway theatre productions, musicals, and Hollywood motion pictures. She was best known for her rendition of " In the Good Old Summer Time." Early life and family Ring was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to James H. Ring and Wilhelmena F. Ring. She came from show business stock. Her father was a comedian for 30 years and her grandfather James H. Ring, was a leading comedian of the Boston Museum company. Her great-great-grandfather, Charles Fisher, was also an actor and came to the United States from England. His wife waJosephine H. Shaw an actress. He journeyed with theatrical caravans as far west as the Mississippi River. Her grandmother was Julie Fisher, a celebrated actress of her time. Her heritage was English-Irish-Scottish. In total, four generations of her ancestors were Shakespearean actors. Blanche was one of six children (five daughters and one son) born to the Rings. Seve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emory Parnell
Emory Parnell (December 29, 1892 – June 22, 1979) was an American vaudeville performer and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36-year career. Early years Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Parnell trained as a musician at Morningside College, a Methodist institution in Sioux City, Iowa. He spent eight months in the Arctic in 1929, looking for gold in that area's wastelands. He also worked as a telegrapher. Music Parnell spent his early years as a concert violinist. He performed on the Chautauqua and Lyceum circuits until 1930, when he relocated to Detroit, Michigan, to narrate and act in commercial and industrial films. A 1923 newspaper article described an upcoming Lyceum performance of "Emory Parnell, the one man band," saying that Parnell "plays an accordion, the snare drum and base icdrum, all at the same time." During part of the Chautauqua years, Parnell had a family act that included his wife. In 1970, she recalled, " covered every state as well as Canada, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe King (actor)
Joe King ( – ) was an American actor of silent films and talkies as well as a director and writer. Biography King was born in Austin, Texas as Joseph Sayer King and acted in 211 films from 1912 to 1946. He appeared in his later years mainly in minor, uncredited roles. He directed two films, both in 1916 and wrote one script in 1915. Joe King was married to actress Hazel Buckham and he died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. Selected filmography * '' The Battle of Gettysburg'' (1913) as Jack Lamar, the Confederate Brother * '' Her Bounty'' (1914, Short) as David Hale * '' The Pipes o' Pan'' (1914, Short) as Stephen Arnold * ''The Eternal Feminine'' (1915) as John Strong * ''Wild Winship's Widow'' (1917) * '' Big Timber'' (1917) * '' The Rose of Blood'' (1917) * '' Madame Du Barry'' (1917) * '' The Last Rebel'' (1918) * '' Everywoman's Husband'' (1918) * ''Shifting Sands'' (1918) * ''The Hand at the Window'' (1918) * '' The Secret Code'' (1918) * '' Love's Prison ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dell Henderson
George Delbert "Dell" Henderson (July 5, 1877 – December 2, 1956) was a Canadian-American actor, director, and writer. He began his long and prolific film career in the early days of silent film. Biography Born in the Southwestern Ontario city of St. Thomas, Dell Henderson started his acting career on the stage, but appeared in his first movie '' Monday Morning in a Coney Island Police Court'' already in 1908. Henderson was a frequent associate of film pioneer D.W. Griffith since 1909 and appeared in numerous of his early shorts in Hollywood. He also acted on a less prolific basis in the movies of producer Mack Sennett and his Keystone Studios. In addition to acting, Henderson also directed nearly 200 silent films between 1911 and 1928. Most of those films are forgotten or lost, but he also directed movies with silent stars like Harry Carey and Roscoe Arbuckle. Henderson also worked as a writer on numerous screenplays. After retiring from directing in 1927, Henderson turne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Verna Felton
Verna Arline Felton (July 20, 1890December 14, 1966) was an American actress, best known for providing many voices in numerous Disney animated films. She also provided the voice for Fred Flintstone's mother-in-law, Pearl Slaghoople in Hanna-Barbera's '' The Flintstones'' (1962–1963) and had roles in live-action films. However, she was most active in radio programs, where her characters were known for their husky voices and no-nonsense attitudes. Two of her most famous roles were as Dennis Day's mother, Mrs. Day on '' The Jack Benny Program'' (1939–1962) and as Hilda Crocker on the CBS sitcom '' December Bride'' (1952–1959). Felton's television appearances include those in ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', '' I Love Lucy'', '' Where's Raymond?'', ''Pete and Gladys'' and '' Dennis the Menace''. Early years Verna Arline Felton was born in Salinas, California, on July 20, 1890. Her father, Horace Wilcox Felton, a doctor, died shortly before her ninth birthday. Whe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brandon Hurst
Brandon Hurst (30 November 1866 – 15 July 1947) was an English stage and film actor. Early life Born in London, England, Hurst studied philology in his youth and began performing in theater in the 1880s. Before he began acting professionally, Hurst served seven years in the English army, including five years with the King's Dragoon Guards in India. Career He worked in Broadway shows from 1900 until his entry into motion pictures. His most notable stage appearance was ''Two Women'' in 1910, costarring Mrs. Leslie Carter and Robert Warwick.''Pictorial History of the American Theatre: 1860-1970'' p.118 c.1969 by Daniel Blum He was nearly fifty before his film debut in ''Via Wireless'' (1915) as Edward Pinckney. He appeared in 129 other films. He became well known in the 1920s for portraying the antagonist and anti-heroes. Those roles include Sir George Carewe in '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1920), Jehan Frollo in '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1923), Alexei Karenin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kathryn Adams (actress Born 1920)
Kathryn Elizabeth Doty (née Hohn; July 15, 1920 – October 14, 2016), also known by her stage name Kathryn Adams or as Kathryn Adams Doty, was an American actress. Early years The daughter of a Methodist minister, Dr. Chris G. Hohn, Doty was born in New Ulm, Minnesota. When she was six, the family moved to Warrenton, Missouri, where her father was chaplain and executive secretary at an orphans' home. After she developed lung problems, she spent two years at a camp in Minnesota. As early as age 13, she took her father's place in the pulpit when he was sick. In a 1939 newspaper article, she recalled: "It was quite a radical thing, in that small town, for a little girl to conduct the church services and preach the sermon, but the congregation understood and were very kind to me." Doty was a student at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, (where she sang in the a cappella choir) and worked as a catalog clerk at the headquarters of Montgomery Ward when an opportunity fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donald Woods (actor)
Donald Woods (born Ralph Lewis Zink; December 2, 1906 – March 5, 1998) was a Canadian-American film and television actor whose career in Hollywood spanned six decades. Life and career Woods was born in Brandon, Manitoba, and moved with his family to California, where he was raised in Burbank. His parents were William and Margaret Zink, Presbyterians of German descent. His younger brother, Clarence Russell Zink, also became an actor (Russ Conway). Woods graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and made his film debut in 1928. His screen career was spent mostly in B movies, for example as lawyer Perry Mason in the 1937 film ''The Case of the Stuttering Bishop''. He also played romantic leads in B comedies, notably the popular ''Mexican Spitfire'' series opposite Lupe Velez. He also occasionally played major roles in bigger feature films like ''A Tale of Two Cities'' (1935), ''Anthony Adverse'' (1936), '' If I Had My Way'' (1940, as a doomed bridge worker), '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nana Bryant
Nana Irene Bryant (November 23, 1888 – December 24, 1955) was an American film, stage, and television actress. She appeared in more than 100 films between 1935 and 1955. Biography Bryant was born 1888 in Cincinnati, Ohio. She appeared in stock companies in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and spent several seasons on tour. She also played on Broadway, appearing in the then non-singing role of Morgan le Fay in Rodgers and Hart's ''A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'', before working in films. Her other Broadway credits included ''Marriage Is for Single People'' (1945), ''Baby Pompadour'' (1934), ''A Ship Comes In'' (1934), ''The First Apple'' (1933), ''The Dubarry'' (1932), ''The Stork is Dead'' (1932), ''Heigh-Ho, Everybody'' (1932), ''The Padre'' (1926), ''The Wild Rose'' (1926), ''No More Women'' (1926), ''The Firebrand'' (1924). Bryant had a supporting role in the ''Frank Morgan Show'', a summer replacement for Jack Benny's program in 1946. On television, she ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
