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Benn Levy
Benn Wolfe Levy (7 March 1900 – 7 December 1973) was a Labour Party Member of Parliament in the House of Commons (1945–1950), and a successful playwright. He was educated at Repton School and University College, Oxford and served in uniform in both World Wars. Playwright and parliamentarian Before entering politics, Levy was a successful playwright and screenwriter. He was the dialogue writer for ''Blackmail'' (1929); directed by Alfred Hitchcock, it was the first British sound film. Later, he wrote the adapted screenplay for James Whale's macabre horror film '' The Old Dark House'' (1932) in collaboration with R. C. Sherriff, based on the novel ''Benighted'' (1927) by J. B. Priestley. Levy directed one film, ''Lord Camber's Ladies'' (1932), which was the only film produced by Hitchcock which he did not himself direct. Levy was first elected at the 1945 general election, for the Eton and Slough constituency, and stood down at the 1950 general election. Politically, Levy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constance Cummings
Constance Cummings CBE (May 15, 1910 – November 23, 2005) was an American-British actress with a career spanning over 50 years. Early life Cummings was born in Seattle, Washington, the only daughter and younger child of Kate Logan (née Cummings), a concert soprano, and Dallas Vernon Halverstadt, a lawyer. Her mother was sister to Helen Cummings Bruce, whose daughter, Helen Bruce Baldwin, was the wife of famed 20th century journalist Hanson W. Baldwin. Cummings' parents separated when she was 10 years old, and she never saw her father again. She attended St. Nicholas Girls' School in Seattle. Career The San Diego Stock Company gave Cummings her initial acting opportunity in a "walk-on part" playing a prostitute in a 1926 production of ''Seventh Heaven.'' She debuted on Broadway as a chorus girl, a member of the ensemble in ''Treasure Girl'' (1928) by the age of 18. While appearing on Broadway, she was discovered by Samuel Goldwyn, who brought her to Hollywood in 1931. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ernest Bevin
Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 – 14 April 1951) was a British statesman, trade union leader, and Labour Party politician. He co-founded and served as General Secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union in the years 1922–1940, and served as Minister of Labour and National Service in the war-time coalition government. He succeeded in maximising the British labour supply, for both the armed services and domestic industrial production, with a minimum of strikes and disruption. His most important role came as Foreign Secretary in the post-war Labour government, 1945–1951. He gained American financial support, strongly opposed communism, and aided in the creation of NATO. Bevin was also instrumental to the founding of the Information Research Department (IRD), a secret propaganda wing of the UK Foreign Office which specialised in disinformation, anti-communism, and pro-colonial propaganda. Bevin's tenure also saw the end of British rule in India and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Topaze (1933 American Film)
''Topaze'' is a 1933 American pre-Code film directed by D'Abbadie D'Arrast and starring John Barrymore and Myrna Loy. It was based on the 1928 French play of the same name by Marcel Pagnol. Another film version of ''Topaze'', this one made in the original French was also released that year, starring Louis Jouvet in the title role. Subsequently, Pagnol himself directed another film titled '' Topaze'' in 1936. Plot Prof. Auguste A. Topaze (John Barrymore), an honest, naive chemist and schoolteacher at the Stegg Academy in Paris, loses his job when he refuses to accede to a demand by the Baroness de La Tour-La Tour to alter the grades of her bratty son, Charlemagne. On the same day, Friday the 13th, Topaze calls on the Baron de La Tour-La Tour's mistress, Coco (Myrna Loy), who is looking for a tutor for her sister's son, Alphonse, and had gotten Topaze's name from La Tour. Upon meeting and listening to the sincere remarks of Topaze, the baron, head of the La Tour Chemical Works, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Devil And The Deep
''Devil and the Deep'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Marion Gering, based on Maurice Larrouy's novel (''Sirenes et Tritons''), and starring Tallulah Bankhead, Gary Cooper, Charles Laughton and Cary Grant. It follows a naval commander who has alienated his wife due to his insane jealousy over every man she speaks to. After his obsessive behavior drives her to the arms of a handsome lieutenant, tragic drama ensues. Plot Charles Sturm (Laughton) is a naval commander whose jealousy and abuse makes life miserable for his wife Diana (Bankhead). His suspicions fall on his own subordinate, Lieutenant Jaeckel (Grant). Although his suspicions are baseless, Sturm has Jaeckel transferred. After Charles falls into another fit of paranoid rage and strikes Diana, she wanders off into the streets during a festival and soon encounters another officer, who turns out to be Jaeckel's replacement, Lieutenant Sempter (Cooper). Learning of their affair, which this time is real not ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waterloo Bridge (1931 Film)
''Waterloo Bridge'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama romance war film directed by James Whale and starring Mae Clarke and Kent Douglass. The screenplay by Benn Levy and Tom Reed is based on the 1930 play ''Waterloo Bridge'' by Robert E. Sherwood. The film was remade in 1940 as ''Waterloo Bridge'' and as '' Gaby'' in 1956. Both remakes were made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which bought the 1931 version from Universal. Today, the rights to all three films are held by Warner Bros. and their subsidiary Turner Entertainment. This film was one of Bette Davis' first. Plot Unable to find work in London at the height of World War I, American chorus girl Myra Deauville resorts to prostitution to support herself. She sometimes meets her clients on Waterloo Bridge, the primary entry point into the city for soldiers on military leave. During an air raid, she meets fellow American Roy Cronin, a member of the Canadian Army. Distracted from her original plans by the air raid, she makes no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Informer (1929 Film) ''The Informer'' is a 1929 British part-talkie drama film directed by Arthur Robison and starring Lya De Putti, Lars Hanson, Warwick Ward and Carl Harbord. The picture was based on the 1925 novel '' The Informer'' by Liam O'Flaherty. In the film, a man betrays his best friend, a member of the outlawed Irish Republican Army, to the authorities and is then pursued by the other members of the organisation. The later better-known adaptation '' The Informer'' (1935) was directed by John Ford. Cast * Lya De Putti as Katie Fox * Lars Hanson as Gypo Nolan * Warwick Ward as Dan Gallagher * Carl Harbord as Francis McPhilip * Dennis Wyndham as Murphy * Janice Adair as Bessie * Daisy Campbell as Mrs McPhillip * Craighall Sherry as Mulholland * Ray Milla |
