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Duchess Of Idaho
''Duchess of Idaho'' is an American musical romantic comedy produced in 1950 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Directed by Robert Z. Leonard, it was the fourth film pairing Esther Williams and Van Johnson. It was filmed at the MGM Studios lot and exteriors shot in Sun Valley, Idaho. Plot Christine Riverton Duncan (Esther Williams) attempts to play matchmaker for her lovelorn friend Ellen ( Paula Raymond) by pursuing Douglas J. Morrissen, Jr. ( John Lund), the man Ellen loves, all the way to Idaho. There, Christine decides to play a joke on Douglas. After boarding his train to Sun Valley, Christine wins the man's affections and then shocks him with hints that she expects a commitment. Once she's in Sun Valley, however, things become problematic when Christine falls in love with hotel bandleader Dick Layne ( Van Johnson). During her time in Sun Valley, Christine wins the title of "Duchess of Idaho" in a dance contest. Cast * Esther Williams as Christine Riverton Duncan * Van Johnson as D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Z
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, renown, godlike" and ''berht'' "bright, light, shining"). It is the second most frequently used given name of ancient Germanic origin.Reaney & Wilson, 1997. ''Dictionary of English Surnames''. Oxford University Press. It is also in use Robert (surname), as a surname. Another commonly used form of the name is Rupert (name), Rupert. After becoming widely used in Continental Europe, the name entered England in its Old French form ''Robert'', where an Old English cognate form (''Hrēodbēorht'', ''Hrodberht'', ''Hrēodbēorð'', ''Hrœdbœrð'', ''Hrœdberð'', ''Hrōðberχtŕ'') had existed before the Norman Conquest. The feminine version is Roberta (given name), Roberta. The Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish form is Roberto (given name), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "the Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arrangement, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire") and co-wrote the lyrics with Robert Wells (songwriter), Bob Wells. Tormé won two Grammy Awards and was nominated a total of 14 times. Early life and education Melvin Howard Tormé was born in Chicago, Illinois, to William David Tormé (born Wowe Torma, also spelled as Tarme or Tarmo), a History of the Jews in Poland, Polish Jewish immigrant from Brest, Belarus, Brest (now Belarus), and Sarah "Betty" Tormé (''née'' Sopkin), a New York City native. Named after the actor Melvyn Douglas, Tormé grew up in a home filled with music and entertainment. His father, whom he recalled as having the pure voice of a cantor, had been an amateur dancer in his youth. His aunt Faye Tormé had risen to local fame in Chicago, where, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Janet Leigh
Jeanette Helen Morrison (July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004), known professionally as Janet Leigh, was an American actress. Raised in Stockton, California, by working-class parents, Leigh was discovered at 18 by actress Norma Shearer, who helped her secure a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. With MGM, she appeared in films such as the drama '' The Romance of Rosy Ridge'' (1947), the crime drama '' Act of Violence'' (1948), the adaptation of ''Little Women'' (1949), the comedy '' Angels in the Outfield'' (1951), the swashbuckler romance '' Scaramouche'' (1952), the Western drama '' The Naked Spur'' (1953). Leigh was married to actor Tony Curtis from 1951 to 1962. After leaving MGM in 1954, she starred in films such as ''Safari'' (1956) and Orson Welles' ''Touch of Evil'' (1958). She then achieved her biggest success playing Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's horror film '' Psycho'' (1960), winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and earning a nomination for the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG ( ; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became widely known for performances in genres from crime and drama to musicals and comedy. Later in his career, Montalbán portrayed Armando in the ''Planet of the Apes'' film series from the early 1970s, starring in both ''Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' (1971) and ''Conquest of the Planet of the Apes'' (1972). As the villain Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically enhanced human, he guest-starred in the original ''Star Trek'' television series (1967) and starred in the film '' Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'' (1982). During the 1970s and 1980s, Montalbán was a spokesman for Chrysler for thirteen years, featured in their automotive commercials and advertisements, notably those in which he extolled the "rich Corinthian leather" used in the Cordoba's interior. Montal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Cummings
Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (June 9, 1910 – December 2, 1990) was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941) and ''Princess O'Rourke'' (1943), and in dramatic films, especially two of Alfred Hitchcock's Thriller (genre), thrillers, ''Saboteur (film), Saboteur'' (1942) and ''Dial M for Murder'' (1954).Wise and Wilderson 2000, p. 189. He received five Primetime Emmy Awards, Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, Best Actor in a Single Performance in 1955. On February 8, 1960, he received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion picture and television industries, at 6816 Hollywood Boulevard and 1718 Vine Street. He used the stage name Robert Cummings from mid-1935 until the end of 1954 and was credited as Bob Cummings from 1955 until his death. Early ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Jubalaires
The Jubalaires were an American gospel group active between 1935 and 1950. Originally known as the Royal Harmony Singers, the band was known for song verses delivered in a rhythmic, rhyming style that has been described as an early version of rapping. History The band's name was derived from Jubal, a biblical figure in Genesis who is sometimes regarded as "the father of all harpists and organists." The band reached no. 10 on the R&B charts on November 14, 1942, with " Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" a song adapted from the speech of a naval chaplain in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor the previous year. Other releases included "Before This Time Another Year" / "Ezekiel (Saw the Wheel A Rollin')" (released under the Decca Records label), " God Almighty's Gonna Cut You Down" / "Go Down Moses" ( King Records), and "My God Called Me This Morning" / "Ring That Golden Bell" (King Records). The band recorded with Andy Kirk on November 27, 1945, a session which prod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red Skelton
Richard Bernard Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national old-time radio, radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in radio and television, and also appeared in burlesque, vaudeville, films, nightclubs, and casinos, all while he pursued an entirely separate career as an artist. Skelton began developing his comedic and pantomime skills from the age of 10, when he became part of a traveling medicine show. He then spent time on a showboat, worked the burlesque circuit, and then entered into vaudeville in 1934. The "Doughnut Dunkers" pantomime sketch, which he wrote together with his wife, launched a career for him in vaudeville, radio, and films. His radio career began in 1937 with a guest appearance on ''The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour'', which led to his becoming the host of ''Avalon Time'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Simmons
Richard Simmons (August 19, 1913 – January 11, 2003) was an American actor. Early life Simmons was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and his family later moved across the Mississippi River to Minneapolis. There, he attended West Side High School and then the University of Minnesota, where he studied drama. Simmons was a professional pilot. Career While attending the university, Simmons competed in fencing and swimming, and also acted in a few theater productions. Simmons left the Twin Cities in the 1930s to launch his film acting career in 1937. He soon became an MGM contract player. Many of his minor movie roles went uncredited through the 1940s. One even included his portrayal of a Mountie in ''King of the Royal Mounted'' produced by Republic Pictures. Starting in 1943, he began appearing in credited roles, beginning with his appearance in ''The Youngest Profession'', starring Virginia Weidler. From 1943 through 1949, he appeared in 17 films, of which 10 listed him in the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sig Arno
Sig Arno (born Siegfried Aron; 27 December 1895 – 17 August 1975) was a German-Jewish film actor who appeared in such films as '' Pardon My Sarong'' and '' The Mummy's Hand''. He may be best remembered from '' The Palm Beach Story'' (1942) as Toto, the nonsense-talking, mustachioed man who hopelessly pursues Mary Astor's Princess Centimillia. Biography Arno was born in Hamburg, Germany. Before beginning to make films in 1920, he was well-known in Germany as a stage comedian.Erickson, HaBiography (Allmovie) He acted in 90 films in Germany – including G.W. Pabst's '' Pandora's Box'' with Louise Brooks – playing primarily comic roles, then he left Germany in 1933 due to the rise of Adolf Hitler. He worked in Europe until 1939 when he moved to Hollywood. During the next 20 years he appeared in over 50 films, often playing waiters, maitre d's and "funny Europeans". Arno appeared three times on Broadway, notably in the musical '' Song of Norway'' and the play ''Time Re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy Farrell
Tommy Farrell (born Thomas Farrell Richards; October 7, 1921 – May 9, 2004) was an American actor who appeared in over 100 films and TV series between 1944 and 1983. He was best known for his sidekick roles in the B movies (Hollywood Golden Age), Hollywood Golden Age. Career Farrell made his Broadway theatre, Broadway debut as a young drummer in ''Strip for Action'' and made his movie debut in ''Winged Victory (film), Winged Victory'', the film version of the Army Air Forces play of the same title. He was a corporal at the time. During the 1940s, he became entrenched as a supporting player in B movies (Hollywood Golden Age)#Cowboys and dogs, B Westerns and serial (film), cliffhanger serials. He also appeared in a number of other films, including ''Kissin' Cousins'' costarring with his mother, Glenda Farrell, and Elvis Presley, and ''A Guide for the Married Man'' with Walter Matthau. After the Westerns and serials, he migrated to television work. On television, Farrell play ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amanda Blake
Amanda Blake (born Beverly Louise Neill; February 20, 1929 – August 16, 1989) was an American actress best known for the role of the red-haired saloon proprietress "Miss Kitty Russell" on the Western television series ''Gunsmoke''. Along with her fourth husband, Frank Gilbert, she ran one of the first successful programs for breeding cheetahs in captivity. Early life Amanda Blake was born Beverly Louise Neill in Buffalo, New York, the only child of Jesse and Louise (née Puckett) Neill. Her father was a banker. Blake was a telephone operator and briefly attended Pomona College before took up acting. Blake attended Brenau Academy from 1944 to 1945. She then served on the board of advisors and became a trustee. Career In the late 1940s, Blake was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as the studio saw her as its next Greer Garson. She appeared in a few Hollywood films, such as the 1952 western '' Cattle Town'' and in the starring role of '' Miss Robin Crusoe'', a 1954 adaptation o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Connie Haines
Connie Haines (born Yvonne Marie Antoinette JaMais; January 20, 1921 – September 22, 2008) was an American singer and actress. Her 200 recordings were frequently up-tempo big band songs with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, and Frank Sinatra. Early years Born in Savannah, Georgia, Haines was of French-Irish descent. Her mother Mildred JaMais (February 15, 1899 – January 7, 2010) died about sixteen months after her daughter, shortly before her 111th birthday. She began performing at age 4 as a singer in ''Pick Malone's Saucy Baby Show'' in Savannah, and by age 9 had a regular radio show performing as "Baby Yvonne Marie, the Little Princess of the Air". Her professional debut in New York came at the Roxy Theatre when she was 14. Career After a number of regional successes and winning the Major Bowes contest, she was hired by Harry James, who asked her to change her name. In 1981, she recalled: "He said you don't look like Yvonne Marie Antonette Jasme. And the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
