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George Spelvin
George Spelvin, Georgette Spelvin, and Georgina Spelvin are traditional pseudonyms used in programs in American theater. "Georgina Spelvin" has fallen out of general use since it was adopted as a screen name by pornographic actress Shelley Graham, who was credited by that name in ''The Devil in Miss Jones'' (1973) and her subsequent films. History According to a 1910 ''New York Sun'' article, actor-manager William Gillette created the pseudonym for an actor doubling in a second role in his 1908 play ''Ticey'' (aka ''That Little Affair of Boyd's''). The actor was afraid that his reputation would be damaged if his name appeared in the cast list for a bit part. Gillette apparently made up the name George Spelvin on the spot. However, the Encyclopedia Britannica notes without citation that the name is said to have first appeared on a cast list in 1886 in ''Karl the Peddler'', a play by Charles A. Gardiner, and that it was used by a cast member of Winchell Smith's ''Brewster's Mill ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's own. Many pseudonym holders use them because they wish to remain anonymous and maintain privacy, though this may be difficult to achieve as a result of legal issues. Scope Pseudonyms include stage names, user names, ring names, pen names, aliases, superhero or villain identities and code names, gamertags, and regnal names of emperors, popes, and other monarchs. In some cases, it may also include nicknames. Historically, they have sometimes taken the form of anagrams, Graecisms, and Latinisations. Pseudonyms should not be confused with new names that replace old ones and become the individual's full-time name. Pseudonyms are "part-time" names, used only in certain contexts: to provide a more clear-cut separation between one's privat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Old Time Radio
The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the early 1920s and lasted through the 1950s, when television superseded radio as the medium of choice for scripted programming, variety and dramatic shows. Radio was the first broadcast medium, and during this period people regularly tuned in to their favorite radio programs, and families gathered to listen to the home radio in the evening. According to a 1947 C. E. Hooper survey, 82 out of 100 Americans were found to be radio listeners. A variety of new entertainment formats and genres were created for the new medium, many of which later migrated to television: radio plays, mystery serials, soap operas, quiz shows, talent shows, daytime and evening variety hours, situation comedies, play-by-play sports, children's shows, cooking shows, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Westbrook Pegler
Francis James Westbrook Pegler (August 2, 1894 – June 24, 1969) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning U.S. journalist described as "one of the godfathers of right-wing populism". He was a newspaper columnist popular in the 1930s and 1940s for his opposition to the New Deal, labor unions, and anti-lynching legislation. As an ardent proponent of States' rights, Pegler criticized a variety of targets whom he saw as extending the reach of the federal government, including Herbert Hoover, FDR ("moosejaw"), Harry Truman ("a thin-lipped hater"), and John F. Kennedy. He also criticized the Supreme Court, the tax system, labor unions, and any federal intervention on the issue of civil rights. In 1962, he lost his contract with King Features Syndicate, owned by the Hearst Corporation, after he started criticizing Hearst executives. His late writing appeared sporadically in publications that included the John Birch Society's ''American Opinion''. Farr (1975) Background James Westbrook Pegler was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Archer (2009 TV Series)
''Archer'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Adam Reed for FX that aired from September 17, 2009, to December 17, 2023. The show follows the exploits of bumbling, volatile secret agent Sterling Archer (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) and his dysfunctional colleagues. The show's primary setting is an anachronistic parody of Cold War-era espionage thrillers, with some individual seasons switching to milieus such as the Latin American drug trade, 1940s film noir, the interwar South Pacific, and retro-futuristic space opera. Reed conceived ''Archer'' shortly after the cancellation of his Adult Swim comedy '' Frisky Dingo''. His experience vacationing in Spain and interest in adventure-oriented comedies shaped his vision of the show. Its hallmarks include reference-heavy jokes, rapid-fire dialogue, and meta-comedy. ''Archer'' is produced in a limited animation style that draws visually from mid-twentieth-century comic art. Actors record their lines individually, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Serafinowicz
Peter Szymon Serafinowicz ( ; born 10 July 1972) is an English actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. His film roles include the voice of Darth Maul in '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'' (1999), Pete in '' Shaun of the Dead'' (2004), Garthan Saal in '' Guardians of the Galaxy'' (2014), the voice of Big Daddy in ''Sing'' (2016) and ''Sing 2'' (2021), and The Sommelier in '' John Wick: Chapter 2'' (2017). On television, Serafinowicz created and starred in the comedy shows '' Look Around You'' (2002–2005) and ''The Peter Serafinowicz Show'' (2007–2008). He also voiced characters and worked as a creative consultant on ''South Park'' (2006–2015), portrayed Edgar Covington in '' Parks and Recreation'' (2013–2015), voiced the Fisher King in ''Doctor Who'' (2015), and starred as the title character in the live-action adaptation series '' The Tick'' (2016). His other television work includes voicing characters in animated series such as '' Archer'', ''Bob's Bu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mama's Family
''Mama's Family'' is an American sitcom television series starring Vicki Lawrence as Thelma Harper, Mama (Thelma Harper). The series is a spin-off of a recurring series of comedy sketches called "The Family (sketch), The Family" featured on ''The Carol Burnett Show'' (1967–78) and ''Carol Burnett & Company'' (1979). The sketches led to the television film ''Eunice (film), Eunice'', and finally the television series. ''Mama's Family'' aired for a total of six seasons. It originally aired on NBC for two seasons, debuting for the 1982-1983 season on January 22, 1983. After several time slot changes and moderate ratings, the network cancelled the series; the final episode of this two-season NBC incarnation of the series aired on April 7, 1984. NBC broadcast reruns of the show for another year, until September 1985, which performed well in ratings. Two years after its NBC cancellation, original series producer Joe Hamilton Productions (JHP) revived ''Mama's Family'' for new episod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Munsters
''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom about the home life of a family of benign monsters that aired from 1964 to 1966 on CBS. The series stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster (Frankenstein's monster),Episodes referring to the fact that Herman is Frankenstein's monster include #55, "Just Another Pretty Face," in which Grandpa explains how he came to possess Herman's original blueprint by reading the inscription on it: "To our favorite Count, Dracula - a souvenir from Dr. Frankenstein and all the guys and gals" and #61, "Cyrano de Munster," in which Lily, suspecting Herman of infidelity, tells Marilyn: "I'll take Herman apart so that even Dr. Frankenstein couldn't put him together" Yvonne De Carlo as his vampire wife Lily Munster, Lily, Al Lewis (actor), Al Lewis as Grandpa (The Munsters), Grandpa (Count Dracula),Episodes mentioning that Grandpa is Count Dracula include #55, "Just Another Pretty Face," in which he explains his possession of Herman's original blueprint by reading the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Love Lucy
''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian Vance and William Frawley, and follows the life of Lucy Ricardo (Ball), a young, middle-class housewife living in New York City, who often concocts plans with her best friends and landlords, Ethel and Fred Mertz (Vance and Frawley), to appear alongside her bandleader husband, Ricky Ricardo (Arnaz), in his nightclub. Lucy is depicted trying numerous schemes to mingle with and be a part of show business. After the series ended in 1957, a modified version of the show continued for three more seasons, with 13 one-hour specials, which ran from 1957 to 1960. It was first known as ''The Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show,'' and later, in reruns, as ''The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour''. ''I Love Lucy'' became the most-watched show in the United States in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Nelson (actor)
Frank Brandon Nelson (May 6, 1911 – September 12, 1986) was an American comedic actor best known for playing put-upon foils on radio and television, and especially for his "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss?" catchphrase. He made numerous guest appearances on television shows, including '' The Jack Benny Program'', '' I Love Lucy'', '' The Real McCoys'', '' The Addams Family'', '' Alice'', and '' Sanford and Son''. He also provided voices for animated series such as '' The Flintstones'', '' Mister Magoo'', '' The Jetsons'', '' Dinky Dog'' and '' Snorks''. Career Radio Nelson began his entertainment career in radio, and later moved into television and movies. In 1926, at age 15, Nelson played the role of a 30-year-old man in a series broadcast from KOA in Denver, Colorado. In 1929, Nelson moved to Hollywood, California, and worked in local dramatic broadcasts, usually playing the leading man. The first sponsored program in which he appeared that reached a national market was '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fibber McGee And Molly
''Fibber McGee and Molly'' (1935–1959) was a longtime American husband-and-wife team radio comedy program. The situation comedy was a staple of the NBC Red Network from 1936 on, after originating on NBC Blue in 1935. One of the most popular and enduring radio series of its time, it ran as a stand-alone series from 1935 to 1956, and then continued as a short-form series as part of the weekend ''Monitor'' from 1957 to 1959. The title characters were created and portrayed by Jim and Marian Jordan, a husband-and-wife team that had been working in radio since the 1920s. ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' followed up the Jordans' previous radio sitcom '' Smackout''. It featured the misadventures of a working-class couple: habitual storyteller Fibber McGee and his sometimes terse but always loving wife Molly, living among their numerous neighbors and acquaintances in the community of Wistful Vista. As with radio comedies of the era, ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' featured an announcer, house ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher Durang
Christopher Ferdinand Durang (January 2, 1949 – April 2, 2024) was an American playwright known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work was especially popular in the 1980s, though his career seemed to get a second wind in the late 1990s. '' Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You'' was Durang's watershed play as it brought him to national prominence when it won him the Obie Award for Best Playwright (1980). His play ''Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike'' won the Tony Award for Best Play in 2013. The production was directed by Nicholas Martin, and featured Sigourney Weaver, David Hyde Pierce, Kristine Nielsen, Billy Magnussen, Shalita Grant and Genevieve Angelson. Durang was a past co-director of the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program at Juilliard. Early life and education Durang was born on January 2, 1949, in Montclair, New Jersey, the son of two WWII veterans, architect Francis Ferdinand Durang Jr. and Patricia Elizabeth Durang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Actor's Nightmare
''The Actor's Nightmare'' is a short comic play by Christopher Durang. It involves an accountant named George Spelvin, who is mistaken for an actor's understudy and forced to perform in a play for which he does not know any of the lines. Inspiration The play was inspired by the dreams actors and performers often have in which they are about to go on stage and need help remembering their lines or rehearsal instructions. Durang himself had an actor's nightmare after performing in this play, in which he could not remember any lines and could not find his script, and when he did find the script, it was gibberish to him. Later, the play was the subject of the legal case '' See v. Durang'' (1983), when John William See claimed that Durang had infringed his copyright in the play ''Fear of Acting''. The district court summarily dismissed the case because no reasonable person could find any substantial similarity between the two plays, and the appeals court confirmed this decision. Plot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
