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Billy Chapin
William McClellan Chapin (December 28, 1943 – December 2, 2016) was an American child actor, known for a considerable number of screen and TV performances from 1943 to 1959 and best remembered for both his roles as the "diaper manager" Christie Cooper in the 1953 family feature '' The Kid from Left Field'' and little John Harper in Charles Laughton's 1955 film noir movie '' The Night of the Hunter''. Chapin was the brother of former child actors Lauren Chapin, known as Kathy "Kitten" Anderson from the TV series ''Father Knows Best'' and of Michael Chapin, another child performer of the 1940s and 1950s. Life and career Born William McClellan Chapin on December 28, 1943, in Los Angeles, he was the second of three children of Roy Chapin, a bank manager, and Marquerite Alice Barringer, who later became a kind of personal coach for all of her children's acting careers. His sister Lauren later told about alcohol problems and sexual abuse in the troubled family. Early roles an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Night Of The Hunter (film)
''The Night of the Hunter'' is a 1955 American thriller film directed by Charles Laughton and starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish. The screenplay by James Agee was based on the 1953 The Night of the Hunter (novel), novel of the same name by Davis Grubb. The plot is about Preacher Harry Powell (Mitchum), a serial killer who poses as a preacher and pursues two children in an attempt to get his hands on $10,000 of stolen cash hidden by their late father. The novel and film draw on the true story of Harry Powers, who was hanged in 1932 for the murder of two widows and three children in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The film's lyrical and Expressionism, expressionistic style, borrowing techniques from silent film, sets it apart from other Hollywood films of the 1940s and 1950s, and it has influenced such later directors as Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Robert Altman, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, the Coen brothers and Guillermo del Toro. ''The Night of the Hunter'' pre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sterling Hayden
Sterling Walter Hayden (born Sterling Relyea Walter; March 26, 1916 – May 23, 1986) was an American actor, author, sailor, and Marine. A leading man for most of his career, he specialized in Westerns and film noir throughout the 1950s, in films such as John Huston's ''The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950), Nicholas Ray's ''Johnny Guitar'' (1954), and Stanley Kubrick's ''The Killing (film), The Killing'' (1956). In the 1960s, he became noted for supporting roles, perhaps most memorably as General Jack D. Ripper in Kubrick's ''Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'' (1964). Hayden's success continued into the New Hollywood era, with roles such as Irish-American policeman Captain McCluskey in Francis Ford Coppola's ''The Godfather'' (1972), alcoholic novelist Roger Wade in Robert Altman's ''The Long Goodbye (film), The Long Goodbye'' (1973), elderly peasant Leo Dalcò in Bernardo Bertolucci's ''1900 (film), 1900'' (1976), and chairman of the board Russell Tins ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naked Alibi
''Naked Alibi'' is a 1954 American film noir crime film directed by Jerry Hopper and starring Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame and Gene Barry. It was released on October 1, 1954 by Universal Pictures, Universal-International. Portions of the film were shot in Tijuana. Plot In a California city, police lieutenant Fred Parks interrogates mild-mannered baker Albert Willis about his suspected involvement in a series of violent robberies. When Willis angrily assaults Parks during questioning, Chief Joseph "Joe" E. Conroy intervenes but is pressured to release Willis due to political scrutiny from city councilman Edgar Goodwin, who is investigating allegations of police brutality. That night, Parks is murdered, and Joe takes charge of the case. Despite circumstantial evidence linking Willis to the crime—notably matching bullets from the murder—the police lack definitive proof. Willis flees during a subsequent arrest attempt, sustaining a head injury. Public outrage over his treatment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tobor The Great
''Tobor the Great'' (a.k.a. ''Tobor'') is a 1954 independently made American black-and-white science fiction film, produced by Richard Goldstone, directed by Lee Sholem, and starring Charles Drake, Karin Booth, and Billy Chapin. The film was written by Carl Dudley and Philip MacDonald and was distributed by Republic Pictures. The film's storyline involves Dr. Ralph Harrison, who resigns his government post in protest against the inhumane treatment being inflicted upon spaceship pilots. His colleague, Professor Nordstrom, develops an alternative: a robot that he names " Tobor" (the reverse anagram of "robot"), which soon becomes a friend and playmate to Harrison's young son, "Gadge". Tobor is stolen by enemy agents, and only the two scientists' and Gadge's psychic link with the robot can save it from being reprogrammed and used for evil purposes against the United States. Plot At his underground laboratory in Los Angeles, Professor Nordstrom (Taylor Holmes), worried that cr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
B Film
A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, somewhat similar to A-side and B-side, B-sides in recorded music. However, the production of such films as "second features" in the United States largely declined by the end of the 1950s. This shift was due to the rise of commercial television, which prompted film studio B movie production departments to transition into television film production divisions. These divisions continued to create content similar to B movies, albeit in the form of low-budget films and series. Today, the term "B movie" is used in a broader sense. In post-Golden Age usage, B movies can encompass a wide spectrum of films, ranging from sensationalistic exploitation films to independent arthouse productions. In either usage, most B movies ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Science Fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space exploration, time travel, Parallel universes in fiction, parallel universes, and extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial life. The genre often explores human responses to the consequences of projected or imagined scientific advances. Science fiction is related to fantasy (together abbreviated wikt:SF&F, SF&F), Horror fiction, horror, and superhero fiction, and it contains many #Subgenres, subgenres. The genre's precise Definitions of science fiction, definition has long been disputed among authors, critics, scholars, and readers. Major subgenres include hard science fiction, ''hard'' science fiction, which emphasizes scientific accuracy, and soft science fiction, ''soft'' science fiction, which focuses on social sciences. Other no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dragnet (series)
''Dragnet'' is an American media franchise created by actor and producer Jack Webb and owned by his company Mark VII Limited and Universal Pictures. It follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Detective Joe Friday and his partners as they conduct by-the-book police work and solve crimes in Los Angeles. Originating as a radio drama on NBC in 1949, ''Dragnet'' has been adapted into several successful television shows and films, though the franchise's popularity has reduced since Webb's death in 1982. Its name is derived from the police term " dragnet", a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects. ''Dragnet'' is perhaps the most famous and influential police procedural crime drama in American media history. Webb's aims in ''Dragnet'' were for unpretentious acting and a realistic depiction of policing. The series portrayed police work as dangerous and heroic, and helped shape public perception of law enforcement in the 20th century, improving the p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack Webb
John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, Television director, director, and screenwriter, most famous for his role as Joe Friday in the Dragnet (franchise), ''Dragnet'' franchise, which he created. He was also the founder of his own production company, Mark VII Limited. Webb started his career in the 1940s as a radio personality, starring in several Radio program, radio shows and Radio drama, dramas—including ''Dragnet'', which he created in 1949—before entering television in the 1950s, creating the television adaptation of ''Dragnet'' for NBC as well as other series. Throughout the 1960s, Webb worked in both acting and television production, creating ''Adam-12'' in 1968, and in 1970, Webb retired from acting to focus on producing, creating ''Emergency!'' in 1972. Webb continued to make television series, and although many of them were less successful and short-lived, he wished to rekindle his prior successes, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, including the actors Beau Bridges and Jeff Bridges. He started his career as a contract performer for Columbia Pictures, appearing in films such as ''Sahara'' (1943), '' A Walk in the Sun'' (1945), '' Little Big Horn'' (1951) and ''High Noon'' (1952). On television, he starred in '' Sea Hunt'' (1958-1961). By the end of his career, he had re-invented himself and demonstrated a comedic talent in such parody films as ''Airplane!'' (1980), ''Hot Shots!'' (1991), and '' Jane Austen's Mafia!'' (1998). Among other honors, Bridges was a two-time Emmy Award nominee. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 1, 1994. Early life Bridges was born in San Leandro, California, to Harriet Evelyn (née Brown) Bridges (1893–1950) and Lloyd V ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Tony Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Cannes Film Festival Award. She is one of 24 thespians to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting. Associated with the method acting technique, having studied under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, Bancroft made her film debut in the noir thriller '' Don't Bother to Knock'' in 1952, and appeared in 14 other films over the following five years. In 1958, she made her Broadway debut with the play '' Two for the Seesaw'', winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. The next year she portrayed Anne Sullivan in the original Broadway production of '' The Miracle Worker'', winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. After her continued success on stage, Bancroft's film caree ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dan Dailey
Daniel James Dailey Jr. (December 14, 1915 – October 16, 1978) was an American actor and dancer. He is best remembered for a series of popular musicals he made at 20th Century Fox such as '' Mother Wore Tights'' (1947). Biography Early life Dailey was born on December 14, 1915, in New York City, to Daniel James Dailey Sr. and Helen Theresa (née Ryan) Dailey. His younger sister was actress Irene Dailey. Theatre He appeared in a minstrel show in 1921 and later appeared in vaudeville. He worked as a golf caddy and shoe salesman before he got his first good break, playing in a show on a South American cruise ship in 1934. He made his Broadway debut in 1937 in '' Babes in Arms''. He followed it with ''Stars in Your Eyes'' and '' I Married an Angel''. MGM In 1940, he was signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to make films and, although his past career had been in musicals, he was initially cast in the drama '' Susan and God'' (1940). He also played a Nazi in '' The Mortal Storm'' (1940) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
