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Special Services Division
Special Services was the entertainment branch of the American military. The unit was created on 22 July 1940 by the War Department as part of the Army Service Forces. Special Services not only used its own specially trained and talented troops but also would often engage local performers. Among its activities were staging plays and stage acts, holding concerts, filming documentaries, and providing recreational opportunities for servicemen. Special Services were one of the few U.S. Army units to be racially integrated during World War II. Special Services opened their first Recreational Officer school at Fort Meade Maryland on 1 April 1942. Within the United States Marine Corps, the Special Services Division was the forerunner of today's Special Services Branch. It was formed on 1 March 1943, to provide morale maintaining recreational and informational services to Marine Corps personnel. As of at least 2004, the Special Services Branch was still active within the USMC. Roles R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Department Of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, also bearing responsibility for naval affairs until the establishment of the United States Department of the Navy, Navy Department in 1798, and for most land-based air forces until the creation of the United States Department of the Air Force, Department of the Air Force on September 18, 1947. The United States Secretary of War, secretary of war, a civilian with such responsibilities as finance and purchases and a minor role in directing military affairs, headed the War Department throughout its existence. The War Department existed for 158 years, from August 7, 1789, to September 18, 1947, when it split into the United States Department of the Army, Department of the Army and the United States Department of the Air Force, Department of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ian Abercrombie
Ian Abercrombie (11 September 1934 – 26 January 2012) was an English actor. He was best known for playing Justin Pitt (Elaine Benes' boss) during the sixth season of ''Seinfeld''. He also played Alfred Pennyworth on ''Birds of Prey'', Rupert Cavanaugh (Ian Hainsworth's butler) in ''Desperate Housewives'', Professor Crumbs in ''Wizards of Waverly Place'', and Palpatine in '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars''. Early life Abercrombie was born on 11 September 1934 in Grays, Essex, England. He began his career as a dancer during World War II. After his footwork years during which he earned bronze, silver and gold medals in stage dancing, he performed in London, Scotland, Ireland, and the Netherlands. He moved to the United States at age 17. He made his American stage debut in 1951 in a production of '' Stalag 17'' with Jason Robards and Jules Munshin. Many plays in summer stock, regional, and off-Broadway followed in a variety of theatrical offerings, from revues to Shakespeare (in a pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Best
Jewel Franklin Guy (July 26, 1926 – April 6, 2015), known professionally as James Best, was an American television, film, stage, and voice actor, as well as a writer, director, acting coach, artist, college professor, and musician. During a career that spanned more than 60 years, Best was known for his high-pitched, exasperated voice, who performed not only in feature films, but also in scores of television series, his appearances were almost all on Western programs, as well as appearing on various country music programs and talk shows. He played Captain Thorne Sherman in both '' The Killer Shrews'' (1959) and its spin-off, '' Return of the Killer Shrews'' (2012). Television audiences, however, perhaps most closely associate Best with his starring role as the bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the action comedy series ''The Dukes of Hazzard'', which originally aired on CBS between 1979 and 1985. He reprised the role in 1997 and 2000 for the made-for-television movies ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken Berry
Kenneth Ronald Berry (November 3, 1933 – December 1, 2018) was an American actor, comedian, dancer, and singer. Berry starred on the television series '' F Troop'' (1965–1967), '' Mayberry R.F.D.'' (1968–1971) and ''Mama's Family'' (1983–1990). He also appeared on Broadway in '' The Billy Barnes Revue'', headlined as George M. Cohan in the musical ''George M!'' and provided comic relief for the medical drama '' Dr. Kildare'' with Richard Chamberlain in the 1960s. Early life Berry was born in Moline, Illinois in 1933 of Swedish and English descent, one of two children of an accountant, Darrell Berry, and his wife, Bernice (née Larson). He realized he wanted to be a dancer and singer at age 12, as he watched a children's dance performance during a school assembly. He then dreamed of starring in musicals and went to movie theaters to watch Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly in some of his favorite films such as '' Easter Parade'', '' Royal Wedding'', '' On the Town'', and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Bennett was named a NEA Jazz Masters, National Endowments for the Arts Jazz Master and a Kennedy Center Honors, Kennedy Center Honoree. He founded the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, New York, along with Exploring the Arts, a non-profit arts education program. He sold more than 50 million records worldwide and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Bennett began singing at an early age. He fought in the final stages of World War II as a United States Army, U.S. Army infantryman in the European theatre of World War II, European Theater. Afterward, he developed his singing technique, signed with Columbia Records and had his first number-one popular song wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harry Bellaver
Harry Bellaver (born Enricho Bellaver; February 12, 1905 – August 8, 1993) was an American stage, film, and television actor who appeared in many roles from the 1930s through the 1980s. Early years Bellaver was born in Hillsboro, Illinois, the son of Matteo and Maria (née Copa) Bellaver. His father worked in the Hillsboro coal mines. He left school at a young age and worked various jobs but eventually was awarded a scholarship to Brookwood Labor College in Katonah, New York.Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. McFarland & Company, Inc.; , pp. 44-46. Stage Bellaver was a member of the Hedgerow Players of Rose Valley, Pennsylvania, for eight years. Early in Bellaver's career, he appeared in numerous Broadway plays. He made his Broadway debut in the 1931 Group Theatre in the play ''1931''. Bellaver appeared in the original production of the Broadway musical ''Annie Get Your Gun'' as Chief Sitting Bull. He appeared in the same role in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burt Bacharach
Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Starting in the 1950s, he composed hundreds of pop songs, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. Bacharach's music is characterized by unusual chord progressions and time signature changes, influenced by his background in jazz, and uncommon selections of instruments for small orchestras. He arranged, conducted, and produced much of his recorded output. More than 1,000 different artists have recorded Bacharach's songs. From 1961 to 1972, most of Bacharach and David's hits were written specifically for and performed by Dionne Warwick, but earlier associations (from 1957 to 1963) saw the composing duo work with Marty Robbins, Perry Como, Gene McDaniels, and Jerry Butler. Following the initial success of these collaborations, Bacharach w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albert Ayler
Albert Ayler (; July 13, 1936 – November 25, 1970) was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and composer. After early experience playing rhythm and blues and bebop, Ayler began recording music during the free jazz era of the 1960s. However, some critics argue that while Ayler's style is undeniably original and unorthodox, it does not adhere to the generally accepted critical understanding of free jazz. In fact, Ayler's style is difficult to categorize, and it evoked incredibly strong and disparate reactions from critics and fans alike.Claghorn, 1982. His innovations have inspired subsequent jazz musicians. His trio and quartet records of 1964, such as '' Spiritual Unity'' and '' The Hilversum Session'', show him advancing the improvisational notions of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman into abstract realms where whole timbre, and not just mainly harmony with melody, is the music's backbone. His ecstatic music of 1965 and 1966, such as "Spirits Rejoice" and "Truth Is Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arnold M
Arnold may refer to: People * Arnold (given name), a masculine given name * Arnold (surname), a German and English surname Places Australia * Arnold, Victoria, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria Canada * Arnold, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Arnold, East Riding of Yorkshire * Arnold, Nottinghamshire United States * Arnold, California, in Calaveras County * Arnold, Carroll County, Illinois * Arnold, Morgan County, Illinois * Arnold, Iowa * Arnold, Kansas * Arnold, Maryland * Arnold, Mendocino County, California * Arnold, Michigan * Arnold, Minnesota * Arnold, Missouri * Arnold, Nebraska * Arnold, Ohio * Arnold, Pennsylvania * Arnold, Texas * Arnold, Brooke County, West Virginia * Arnold, Lewis County, West Virginia * Arnold, Wisconsin * Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Massachusetts * Arnold Township, Custer County, Nebraska Other uses * Arnold (automobile), a short-lived English car * Arnold of Manchester, a former English coachbuilder ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Humbert Allen Astredo
Humbert Allen "Bud" Astredo, Jr. (April 4, 1929 – February 19, 2016) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He made several notable Broadway and Off-Broadway theatrical performances, but was best known for the numerous roles he performed on the daytime Gothic horror soap opera ''Dark Shadows'', most notably that of the warlock Nicholas Blair. Early life Astredo was born on April 4, 1929, in Pasadena, California to Humbert Allen and Bess Houston ( Alley) Astredo. His early childhood was spent in Pasadena, before the family moved to San Francisco. His mother taught him to play the piano, and he often performed at parties hosted by friends. His father took him sailboating, hunting, and fishing, and inculcated in him a passion for the arts. From an early age, his nickname was "Bud". After graduating from high school, Astredo studied law at the University of San Francisco, but dropped out after discovering he hated public speaking. He then sold home-care products for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ed Asner
Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor. He is most notable for portraying Lou Grant on the sitcom ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977) and drama '' Lou Grant'' (1977–1982), making him one of the few television actors to portray the same character in both a comedy and a drama. Asner is the most honored male performer in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards, having won seven – five for portraying Lou Grant (three as Supporting Actor in a Comedy Television Series on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and two as Lead Actor in a Dramatic Television Series on spin-off ''Lou Grant''. His other Emmys were also for performances in two miniseries: '' Rich Man, Poor Man'' (1976), and ''Roots'' (1977). Asner acted in the films ''El Dorado'' (1966), ''They Call Me Mister Tibbs!'' (1970), '' Fort Apache, The Bronx'' (1981), ''JFK'' (1991), and ''Too Big to Fail'' (2011). He also played Santa Claus in several films and voiced Carl Fredricksen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desi Arnaz
Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986), known as Desi Arnaz, was a Cuban-American actor, musician, producer, and bandleader. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom ''I Love Lucy'', in which he co-starred with his wife Lucille Ball. Arnaz and Ball are credited as the innovators of the Broadcast syndication, syndicated rerun, which they pioneered with the ''I Love Lucy'' series. Arnaz and Lucille Ball co-founded and ran the television production company Desilu Productions, originally to market ''I Love Lucy'' to television networks. After ''I Love Lucy'' ended, Arnaz went on to produce several other television series, at first with Desilu Productions, and later independently, including ''The Ann Sothern Show'' and ''The Untouchables (1959 TV series), The Untouchables''. He was also the bandleader of his Latin group, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra. He was known for playing conga drums and popularized the conga line in the United St ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
