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John DeCuir
John DeCuir (June 4, 1918 – October 29, 1991) was a Hollywood art director and production designer known for his elaborate set designs that were illustrated with his own watercolor paintings.http://www.adg.org/?content=cm§ion=14 www.adg.org DeCuir studied at the Chouinard Art School, joined Universal in the late 1930s, and by the mid-1940s was designing sets. In 1949, he signed with 20th Century Fox where he worked on productions with elaborate sets. These included dramatic material such as '' The House on Telegraph Hill'' (1951), musicals including ''There's No Business Like Show Business'' 1954), and comedy ''Ghostbusters'' (1984). DeCuir earned eleven Oscar nominations, winning three: ''The King and I'' (1956), '' Cleopatra'' (1963), and '' Hello, Dolly!'' (1969). DeCuir designed the short-lived exhibit devoted to horror film at Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park, CA called The Black Box. His son, John DeCuir Jr. is also a production designer. Partial filmography * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th most populous in the United States, with 815,201 residents as of 2021. It covers a land area of , at the end of the San Francisco Peninsula, making it the second most densely populated large U.S. city after New York City, and the fifth most densely populated U.S. county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs. Among the 91 U.S. cities proper with over 250,000 residents, San Francisco was ranked first by per capita income (at $160,749) and sixth by aggregate income as of 2021. Colloquial nicknames for San Francisco include ''SF'', ''San Fran'', ''The '', ''Frisco'', and ''Baghdad by the Bay''. San Francisco and the surrounding San Francisco Bay Area are a global center of economic activity and the arts and sciences, spurred ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
My Cousin Rachel (1952 Film)
''My Cousin Rachel'' is a 1952 American romantic mystery film directed by Henry Koster and starring Olivia de Havilland, Richard Burton, Audrey Dalton, Ronald Squire, George Dolenz and John Sutton. The film is based on the 1951 novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier. Twentieth Century-Fox obtained the rights to film the novel, with Burton's agreeing to star in a U.S. film for the first time. Production was troubled when du Maurier and original director George Cukor were dissatisfied with the adaptation, causing Cukor to leave the project. ''My Cousin Rachel'' received some positive reviews upon its initial release, including for Burton's performance. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, and Burton won a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year. Plot On the coast of Cornwall, the boy Philip Ashley is raised by his older and wealthy cousin Ambrose on a large estate. When the weather in Cornwall threatens Ambrose's health, he leaves the estate for a warmer climate, m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Honey Pot
''The Honey Pot'', also known as ''The Honeypot'', is a 1967 American crime film, crime comedy-drama film written for the screen and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. It stars Rex Harrison, Susan Hayward, Cliff Robertson, Capucine, Edie Adams, and Maggie Smith. The film was based on the play ''Mr. Fox of Venice'' by Frederick Knott, the novel ''The Evil of the Day'' by Thomas Sterling, and loosely on the 1606 play ''Volpone'' by Ben Jonson. Plot The film is set in Venice as a contemporary tale. Struggling actor William McFly (Cliff Robertson) is hired by wealthy Cecil Fox (Rex Harrison) to play his personal secretary for a practical joke. Pretending to be on his deathbed, Fox invites three former lovers to his Venetian palazzo for a final visit: penniless Princess Dominique (Capucine), fading movie star Merle McGill (Edie Adams), and Texas millionairess Mrs. Lone Star Crockett Sheridan (Susan Hayward). Accompanying Mrs. Sheridan is her nurse, Sarah Watkins (Maggie Smith). By cha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Agony And The Ecstasy (film)
''The Agony and the Ecstasy'' is a 1965 American historical drama film directed by Carol Reed and starring Charlton Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II. The film was partly based on Irving Stone's 1961 biographical novel of the same name, and deals with the conflicts of Michelangelo and Pope Julius II during the 1508-1512 painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. It also features a soundtrack by prolific composers Alex North and Jerry Goldsmith. The film was shot in Todd-AO and Cinemascope versions. The Todd-AO version was used for the DVD release because of its superior picture quality. Plot The film opens in documentary style, chronicling the work of Michelangelo Buonarroti. It then follows Michelangelo, a renowned sculptor of the Republic of Florence in the early 16th century, and shows him at work on large-scale sculptures near St. Peter's Basilica. When Pope Julius II commissions him to paint the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo resists because h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Circus World (film)
''Circus World'' (released as ''The Magnificent Showman'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1964 American Drama Western film starring John Wayne, Claudia Cardinale and Rita Hayworth. It was directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Samuel Bronston, with a screenplay by Ben Hecht, Julian Zimet (writing under the pseudonym Julian Halevy), and James Edward Grant, from a story by Bernard Gordon and Nicholas Ray. The idea for ''Circus World'' originated from screenwriter Bernard Gordon. Nicholas Ray was initially assigned to direct the project until he suffered a heart attack while filming ''55 Days at Peking'' (1963). He was replaced by Frank Capra who later entered into creative differences with co-writer James Edward Grant and John Wayne. By the summer of 1963, Capra was replaced with Henry Hathaway. Filming commenced in September 1963 and concluded in February 1964. Prior to the film's release, the financial failure of ''The Fall of the Roman Empire'' (1964) caused Samuel Bronston ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seven Thieves
''Seven Thieves'' is a 1960 American film noir heist crime drama film shot in CinemaScope. It stars Edward G. Robinson, Rod Steiger, Joan Collins and Eli Wallach. Directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Sydney Boehm, it was adapted for the screen by Sydney Boehm, based on the 1959 novel ''The Lions At The Kill'' by Max Catto. Technical advisor was Candy Barr, who, as choreographer, taught dance routines to Collins. ''Seven Thieves'' received an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design Black-and-White (Bill Thomas). Plot A discredited expatriate American professor, Theo Wilkins, has called on a young protégé and sophisticated thief, Paul Mason, to come over from the US to the south of France and help him pull off one final heist. He has masterminded a caper to steal $4,000,000 in French francs from the underground vault of the casino of Monte Carlo, Monaco. Wilkins has recruited a team of thieves – including Melanie, an exotic dancer – but he needs someone h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Big Fisherman
''The Big Fisherman'' is a 1959 American historical drama film directed by Frank Borzage about the life of Simon Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus. Starring Howard Keel, Susan Kohner and John Saxon, the production is adapted from the 1948 novel by Lloyd C. Douglas, which is closely related to Douglas' previous book, 1942's ''The Robe'' which, six years earlier, in 1953, had been adapted for the screen under the same title, ''The Robe''. The film was shot at Universal-International studios but released by Buena Vista, the film releasing company of Walt Disney Productions. ''The Robe'' ends with "the Big Fisherman" as a nickname for Peter; Jesus called him "the fisher of men" and "the Rock". Plot The story traces Peter's journey from self-sufficient fisherman to his dependency on a risen Christ. It also presents another story of redemption and forgiveness, as he takes in a young Arab/Jewish girl, Fara. As they both learn of Jesus, it changes their lives. The young Fara disc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Certain Smile
''A Certain Smile'' was originally published in French as ''Un certain sourire'' by the Paris publisher Juillard in 1956. It was the second novel by Françoise Sagan and was written in two months. Two translations into English then followed in 1956. That by Anne Green was published by E.P. Dutton in New York and that by Irene Ash was published by John Murray in London, followed in the same year by a Penguin Books paperback edition. The story is related by a Parisian student who has an experimental love affair with a much older man. Plot Dominique is a sophisticated twenty-year-old law student at the Sorbonne in mid-1950s Paris who is introduced by her lover Bertrand to his uncle and aunt, the worldly businessman Luc and his wife Françoise. Both Luc and Dominique are aware of their mutual attraction from the beginning, but Dominique holds off for fear of hurting both Bertrand and Françoise. The latter has become close to Dominique, relating to her almost as a mother, buying her ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Pacific (1958 Film)
''South Pacific'' is a 1958 American romantic musical film based on the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' South Pacific'', which in turn is loosely based on James A. Michener's 1947 short-story collection ''Tales of the South Pacific''. The film, directed by Joshua Logan, stars Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr and Ray Walston in the leading roles with Juanita Hall as Bloody Mary, the part that she had played in the original stage production. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, winning the Academy Award for Best Sound for Fred Hynes. It is set in 1943, during World War II, on an island in the South Pacific. Cast * Rossano Brazzi as Emile de Becque ** Giorgio Tozzi as Emile's singing voice * Mitzi Gaynor as Ensign Nellie Forbush * John Kerr as Lieutenant Joseph Cable, USMC ** Bill Lee as Cable's singing voice (uncredited) * Ray Walston as Luther Billis * Juanita Hall as Bloody Mary ** Muriel Smith as Bloody Mary's singing voice (uncredited) * Fra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daddy Long Legs (1955 Film)
''Daddy Long Legs'' (1955) is a Hollywood musical comedy film set in France, New York City, and the fictional college town of Walston, Massachusetts. The film was directed by Jean Negulesco, and stars Fred Astaire, Leslie Caron, Terry Moore, Fred Clark, and Thelma Ritter, with music and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The screenplay was written by Phoebe Ephron and Henry Ephron, loosely based on the 1912 novel '' Daddy-Long-Legs'' by Jean Webster. This was the first of three consecutive Astaire films set in France or with a French theme (the others being ''Funny Face'' and ''Silk Stockings''), following the fashion for French-themed musicals established by ardent Francophile Gene Kelly with '' An American in Paris'' (1951), which also featured Kelly's protégée Caron. Like ''The Band Wagon'', ''Daddy Long Legs'' did only moderately well at the box office. Plot summary Wealthy American Jervis Pendleton III has a chance encounter at a French orphanage with cheerful 18-year-old reside ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Three Coins In The Fountain (1954 Film)
''Three Coins in the Fountain'' is a 1954 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Jean Negulesco from a screenplay by John Patrick, based on the 1952 novel '' Coins in the Fountain'' by John H. Secondari. It stars Clifton Webb, Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters, Louis Jourdan, and Maggie McNamara, with Rossano Brazzi, Howard St. John, Kathryn Givney, and Cathleen Nesbitt. The film follows three American women working in Rome who dream of finding romance in the Eternal City. It was originally titled ''We Believe in Love''. The film's main title song " Three Coins in the Fountain", sung by an uncredited Frank Sinatra, went on to become an enduring standard. The film was made in Italy during the "Hollywood on the Tiber" era. At the 27th Academy Awards in 1955, the film received two Academy Awards—for Best Cinematography and Best Song—and was nominated for Best Picture. Plot Young American secretary Maria Williams arrives in Rome and is greeted by Anita Hutchins, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
There's No Business Like Show Business
"There's No Business Like Show Business" is an Irving Berlin song, written for the 1946 musical '' Annie Get Your Gun'' and orchestrated by Ted Royal. The song, a slightly tongue-in-cheek salute to the glamour and excitement of a life in show business, is sung in the musical by members of ''Buffalo Bill's Wild West'' Show in an attempt to persuade Annie Oakley to join the production. It is reprised three times in the musical. In 1953, Ethel Merman sang the song before a live television audience of 60 million persons, broadcast live over the NBC and CBS networks, as part of ''The Ford 50th Anniversary Show''. Film The song is also featured in the 1954 movie of the same name, where it is notably sung by Ethel Merman as the main musical number. The movie, in which she starred with Marilyn Monroe and was directed by Walter Lang, is essentially a catalog of various Berlin's pieces, in the same way that ''Singin' in the Rain''—which starred Donald O'Connor as well—was a collect ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
