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Skirts Ahoy!
''Skirts Ahoy!'' is a 1952 musical film directed by Sidney Lanfield, and starring Esther Williams, Vivian Blaine and Joan Evans. Shot in Technicolor, the film follows several women who join the WAVES with sequences filmed on location at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station. It also features the film debut of Billy Eckstine. Plot Three young women who previously have had traumatic emotional experiences decide to change their lives by enlisting in the WAVES. Mary Kate Yarborough, from the Midwest, was jilted by her fiancé. Whitney Young, a socialite from Long Island who has been engaged multiple times, left her fiancé standing at the altar. Una Yancy, from New York City, is determined to track down Archie, her boyfriend in the Navy she has only heard from twice in two years, and be assigned to the same station he is serving in; he last contacted her from Paris. The only thing they have in common is their last names start with the letter Y. They are sent to the Great Lakes Nav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sidney Lanfield
Sidney Ivanovich Lanfield (April 20, 1898 – June 20, 1972) was an American film director known for directing romances and light comedy films and later television programs. The one-time jazz musician and vaudevillian star started his first directing job for the Fox Film Corporation in 1930; he went on to direct a number of films for 20th Century Fox. In 1941, he directed the Fred Astaire film ''You'll Never Get Rich'' for Columbia Pictures, then moved to Paramount Pictures. There Lanfield worked on a number of film comedies. He is probably best remembered for directing actor Bob Hope in a number of films including ''My Favorite Blonde'' (1942), ''Let's Face It (film), Let's Face It'' (1943), ''Where There's Life'' (1947), and ''The Lemon Drop Kid'' (1951). Lanfield's most profitable film, however, was the first teaming of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in 1939's ''The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939 film), The Hound of the Baskervilles''. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Great Lakes Naval Training Center
Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only current recruit training, boot camp, located near North Chicago, Illinois, North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois, along Lake Michigan. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center and Navy Recruiting District Chicago. Naval Station Great Lakes is the largest military installation in Illinois and the largest training station in the Navy. The base has 1,153 buildings situated on and has of roadway to provide access to the base's facilities. Within the naval service, it has several different nicknames, including "The Quarterdeck of the Navy". It is also referred to as "second boot camp" for those attending Training Support Command. The original 39 buildings built between 1905 and 1911 were designed by Jarvis Hunt. The base functions similarly to a small city, with its own fire department, Naval Security Forces (Police), and public works departm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The DeMarco Sisters
The DeMarco Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the big-band era who recorded popular music and performed in concerts and on the radio, television, and on film from the 1930s through the 1960s. They first achieved fame as weekly performers on ''The Fred Allen Show'' from 1946 to 1949, and were featured singers in the 1952 film ''Skirts Ahoy!'' with actress Esther Williams. The group was initially composed of five biological sisters. Music critics have compared their sound and style to that of The King Sisters. They made recordings for Majestic Records and Mercury Records among other labels. History The DeMarco Sisters consisted of five sisters originally from Rome, New York: Antoinette (Anne), Jeanette (Gina), Gloria, Terri, and Arlene. Joann Quartuccio-Bean, joined the group from 1949-1953. Later, singer Joyce DeYoung, who also sang as a member of The Andrews Sisters during her career, joined the group in 1955 when Terri married actor Murray Hamilton and left t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keefe Brasselle
Keefe Brasselle (February 7, 1923 – July 7, 1981) was an American film actor, television actor/producer, and author. He is best remembered for the starring role in '' The Eddie Cantor Story'' (1953). Early years and career He was born Henry Keefe Brassil, the son of an Irish father, Henry Richard Brassil, a hotel manager in Cleveland, Ohio; and Madelaine Antonelli, an Italian nightclub singer from New York. Keefe was raised by his mother and her second husband, Harold Prindle, in New York; Prindle trained Keefe for a career in show business. Brasselle joined the U. S. Army in 1942 and appeared in a few motion pictures without screen credit. Just a few days after separating from the Army in September 1944, he auditioned for the juvenile lead opposite singing star Gloria Jean in the waterfront mystery '' River Gang'' (filmed in 1944, released 1945). MacGillivray, Scott and MacGillivray, Jan. ''Gloria Jean: A Little Bit of Heaven'', iUniverse, Bloomington, IN, 2005, p. 172. . ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeff Donnell
Jean Marie "Jeff" Donnell (July 10, 1921 – April 11, 1988) was an American actress. Early years Donnell was born in South Windham, Maine, to Harold and Mildred Donnell, when her father was superintendent at a boys' reformatory in that town. As a child, she adopted the nickname "Jeff" after the character in her favorite comic strip, ''Mutt and Jeff''.Newspaper columnist Erskine Johnson wrote in a July 12, 1943, article, "... an uncle nicknamed her Jeff when she was three years old and the name stuck." To avoid gender confusion, she was sometimes billed as "(Miss) Jeff Donnell." Donnell graduated from Towson High School, Towson, Maryland, in 1938 and attended the Leland Powers School of Drama in Boston, Massachusetts. Later, she studied at the Yale School of Drama. Career Donnell was signed to a contract by Columbia Pictures while she was active with the Farragut Playhouse in New Hampshire, and she made her film debut in '' My Sister Eileen'' (1942). She became a fixtur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Margalo Gillmore
Margaret Lorraine "Margalo" Gillmore (31 May 1897 – 30 June 1986) was an English-born American actress who had a long career as a stage actress on Broadway. She also appeared in films and TV series, mostly in the 1950s and early 1960s. Family Gillmore was the daughter of Frank Gillmore, a founder and former president of Actors' Equity, and the actress Laura MacGillivray, and the sister of actress Ruth Gillmore. Her great-aunt was the British actor-manager Sarah Thorne, and her great-uncles were the actors Thomas Thorne and George Thorne. Career A fourth-generation actress on her father's side, Gillmore trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her stage acting career stretched from ''The Scrap of Paper'' in 1917 through to Noël Coward's musical '' Sail Away'' on Broadway in 1961. She was first noticed by the critics in the 1919 play ''The Famous Mrs. Fair'', in which she appeared with Henry Miller and Blanche Bates. In 1921 she played the tubercular patient Eileen C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barry Sullivan (American Actor)
Patrick Barry Sullivan (August 29, 1912 – June 6, 1994) was an American actor of film, television, theatre, and radio. In a career that spanned over 40 years, Sullivan appeared in over 100 movies from the 1930s to the 1980s, primarily as a leading actor after establishing himself in the industry, and later as a character actor. Memorable films and TV programs that Sullivan appeared in include '' The Great Gatsby'', '' The Bad and the Beautiful'', '' Forty Guns'', '' The Price'', and '' Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid''. He was a featured guest performer in the top television series of his day, starring in two series, '' Harbormaster'' and '' The Tall Man.'' He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance on the 1955 teleplay '' The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.'' Ronald Bergan wrote in ''The Guardian'' in 1994: "Second division Hollywood actors like Barry Sullivan ... are usually faintly praised for being reliable or solid. However, when given the chance, Sullivan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Twentieth Century Limited
The ''20th Century Limited'' was an express passenger train on the New York Central Railroad (NYC) from 1902 to 1967. The train traveled between Grand Central Terminal in New York City and LaSalle Street Station in Chicago, Illinois, along the railroad's "Water Level Route". NYC inaugurated the ''20th Century Limited'' as competition to the Pennsylvania Railroad, aimed at upper-class and business travelers. It made few station stops along the way and used track pans to take water at speed. On June15, 1938, streamlined train sets designed by Henry Dreyfuss were added to the route. Widely considered to be one of the greatest American passenger trains of all time, the ''20th Century Limited'' was the flagship train of the New York Central and was advertised as "The Most Famous Train in the World". It was described in ''The New York Times'' as having been " ..known to railroad buffs for 65 years as the world's greatest train", and its style was described as "spectacularly understa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919 and is presented to Sailors and Marines to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritorious service to the United States while serving in a duty or position of great responsibility. Navy Distinguished Service Medal is equivalent to the Army's Distinguished Service Medal, Air and Space Forces' Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, and the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal. The Navy Distinguished Service Medal was originally senior to the Navy Cross, until August 1942 when the precedence of the two decorations was reversed. Currently, it is worn after the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and before the Silver Star Medal. History At the start of World War I, the Department of the Navy had the Medal of Honor as the only decoration with which to recognize heroism. To recognize acts deserving recognition, but at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army's Distinguished Service Cross, the Air and Space Forces' Air Force Cross, and the Coast Guard Cross. The Navy Cross is bestowed by the Secretary of the Navy and may also be awarded to members of the other armed services, and to foreign military personnel while serving with the U.S. Naval Service. The Navy Cross was established by Act of Congress ( Public Law 65-253) and approved on February 4, 1919. History The Navy Cross was instituted in part due to the entrance of the United States into World War I. Many European nations had the custom of decorating heroes from other nations, but the Medal of Honor was the sole U.S. award for valor at the time. The Army instituted the Distinguished Service Cross and Distinguished Service Medal in ... [...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] |
Bobby Van
Robert Jack Stein (December 6, 1928 – July 31, 1980), known by his legalized stage name Bobby Van, was a musical actor and dancer, best known for his career on Broadway, in films and television from the 1950s through the 1970s. He was also a game show host and panelist. Early life Van was born to Jewish vaudeville parents in The Bronx, New York City, and grew up backstage, witnessing many memorable Depression-era acts. Originally, Van took ''King'' as his stage name (after his father's stage name, from the trio "Gordon, Reed and King"). He finally opted for ''Van'', after seeing a Van Johnson poster hanging in his sister's bedroom. In a 1976 interview, Van said he had legalized his name change from 'Stein'. Career Van began his career as a musician, playing trumpet. When his band played a venue in the Catskills, Van was asked to fill in as a song and dance man for another act. His act drew rave reviews and gave Van a thrill performing live as a solo act. He went on to appe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
