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Step Lively (1944 Film)
''Step Lively'' is a 1944 American musical film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Frank Sinatra. ''Step Lively'' was based on the 1937 play ''Room Service'', by Allen Boretz and John Murray. It was a remake of the 1938 RKO film ''Room Service'', starring the Marx Brothers, Lucille Ball, and Ann Miller. Plot Theatrical producer Gordon Miller is keeping his fingers crossed that his newest play will be a success so that he can pay off his massive hotel bill. Miller and his entire cast can live at the hotel on credit thanks to the generosity of the hotel manager, Joe Gribble, who is Miller's brother-in-law. Wagner, a company auditor, arrives unexpectedly, as does playwright Glenn Russell, who has left his small town hoping to collect a large amount of (non-existent) royalties on his play. Russell ends up taking a lead musical role in his own production. Miller suddenly has mixed feelings about his own play, as his girlfriend Christine Marlowe has fallen head-over-heels fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tim Whelan
Tim Whelan (November 2, 1893 – August 12, 1957) was an American film director, writer, producer and actor best remembered for his writing credits on ''Harold Lloyd'' and '' Harry Langdon'' comedies, and his directing of mostly British films (e.g.'' The Thief of Bagdad'' (1940). Whelan died at his home in Beverley Hills. Selected filmography * '' Safety Last!'' (1923) * '' Why Worry?'' (1923) * '' Girl Shy'' (1924) * ''Hot Water'' (1924) * '' The Freshman'' (1925) * '' Tramp, Tramp, Tramp'' (1926) * ''The Strong Man'' (1926) * '' Exit Smiling'' (1926) * ''My Best Girl'' (1927) * '' Adam's Apple'' (1928) * '' When Knights Were Bold'' (1929) * '' The Fall Guy'' (1930) * '' The Crooked Circle'' (1932) * '' Girl Crazy'' (1932) * '' It's a Boy'' (1933) * '' Aunt Sally'' (1933) * '' The Camels are Coming'' (1934) * '' The Murder Man'' (1935) * '' The Perfect Gentleman'' (1935) * '' Two's Company'' (1936) * '' Farewell Again'' (1937) * '' Action for Slander'' (1937) * '' Smash and Gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) as among the top 100 comedy films, with two of them, ''Duck Soup'' (1933) and '' A Night at the Opera'' (1935), in the top fifteen. They are widely considered by critics, scholars and fans to be among the greatest and most influential comedians of the 20th century. The brothers were included in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars list of the 25 greatest male stars of Classical Hollywood cinema, the only performers to be included collectively. The brothers are almost universally known by their stage names: Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo. There was a sixth brother, the first born, named Manfred (Mannie), who died in infancy; Zeppo was given the middle name Manfred in his memory. The core of the act was the three elder brothers: Ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment industry worldwide. Given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the awards are an international recognition of excellence in cinematic achievements, as assessed by the Academy's voting membership. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a golden statuette as a trophy, officially called the "Academy Award of Merit", although more commonly referred to by its nickname, the "Oscar". The statuette, depicting a knight rendered in the Art Deco style, was originally sculpted by Los Angeles artist George Stanley from a design sketch by art director Cedric Gibbons. The 1st Academy Awards were held in 1929 at a private dinner hosted by Douglas Fairbanks in The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The Academy Awards ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eddie Albert
Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was an American actor and activist. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; the first nomination came in 1954 for his performance in ''Roman Holiday'', and the second in 1973 for '' The Heartbreak Kid''. Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing Edwards in the '' Brother Rat'' films, traveling salesman Ali Hakim in the musical ''Oklahoma!'', and the sadistic prison warden in 1974's '' The Longest Yard''. He starred as Oliver Wendell Douglas in the 1960s television sitcom ''Green Acres'' and as Frank MacBride in the 1970s crime drama ''Switch''. He also had a recurring role as Carlton Travis on ''Falcon Crest'', opposite Jane Wyman. Early life Edward Albert Heimberger was born in Rock Island, Illinois, on April 22, 1906, the eldest of the five children of Frank Daniel Heimberger, a real estate agent, and his wife, Julia Jones. His year of birth is often given as 1908, but this is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid digital subscribers. It also is a producer of popular podcasts such as '' The Daily''. Founded in 1851 by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones, it was initially published by Raymond, Jones & Company. The ''Times'' has won 132 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any newspaper, and has long been regarded as a national "newspaper of record". For print it is ranked 18th in the world by circulation and 3rd in the U.S. The paper is owned by the New York Times Company, which is publicly traded. It has been governed by the Sulzberger family since 1896, through a dual-class share structure after its shares became publicly traded. A. G. Sulzberger, the paper's publisher and the company's chairman, is the fifth generation of the family to head the p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bosley Crowther
Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were perceived as unnecessarily mean. Crowther was an advocate of foreign-language films in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly those of Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica, Ingmar Bergman, and Federico Fellini. Life and career Crowther was born Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. in Lutherville, Maryland, the son of Eliza Hay (née Leisenring, 1877–1960) and Francis Bosley Crowther (1874–1950). As a child, Crowther moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he published a neighborhood newspaper, ''The Evening Star''. His family moved to Washington, D.C., and Crowther graduated from Western High School in 1922. After two years of prep school at Woodberry Forest School, he entered Princeton University, where he majored i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sammy Cahn
Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area. He and his collaborators had a series of hit recordings with Frank Sinatra during the singer's tenure at Capitol Records, but also enjoyed hits with Dean Martin, Doris Day and many others. He played the piano and violin, and won an Oscar four times for his songs, including the popular hit " Three Coins in the Fountain". Among his most enduring songs is "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", cowritten with Jule Styne in 1945. Life and career Cahn was born Samuel Cohen in the Lower East Side of New York City, the only son (he had four sisters) of Abraham and Elka Reiss Cohen, who were Jewish immigrants from Galicia, then ruled by Austria-Hungary. His sisters, Sadye, Pearl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jule Styne
Jule Styne (; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer best known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also became successful films: ''Gypsy,'' '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,'' and '' Funny Girl.'' Early life Styne was born to a Jewish family in London, England. His parents, Anna Kertman and Isadore Stein, were emigrants from Ukraine, the Russian Empire, and ran a small grocery. Even before his family left Britain, he did impressions on the stage of well-known singers, including Harry Lauder, who saw him perform and advised him to take up the piano. At the age of eight, he moved with his family to Chicago, where he began taking piano lessons. He proved to be a prodigy and performed with the Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit Symphonies before he was ten years old. Career Before Styne attended Chicago Musical College, he had already attracted the attent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Davies (American Actor)
Richard Davies (1915–1994) was an American actor. Davies was born in Provo, Utah. His first films date from 1941, and he was active through the early 1960s, ranging from lead roles to small bit and character parts. Filmography * '' San Antonio Rose'' (1941) - Eddie * '' Unfinished Business'' (1941) - Richard * '' Road Agent'' (1941) - Tom Martin * '' Don't Get Personal'' (1942) - John Stowe * ''The Mad Doctor of Market Street'' (1942) - Jim * ''Gang Busters'' (1942, serial) - Happy Haskins * '' Private Buckaroo'' (1942) - Lt. Howard Mason * '' Top Sergeant'' (1942) - Phil * '' Eagle Squadron'' (1942) - White, RAF pilot * '' Give Out, Sisters'' (1942) - Kendall * '' Strictly in the Groove'' (1942) - Bob Saunders * '' Behind the Eight Ball'' (1942) - Clay Martin * ''When Johnny Comes Marching Home'' (1942) - Lt. Tommy Bridges * '' The Amazing Mrs. Holliday'' (1943) - Reporter (uncredited) (unbilled) * ''Hi'ya, Chum'' (1943) - Worker (uncredited) (unbilled) * '' The Sky's the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anne Jeffreys
Anne Jeffreys (born Annie Jeffreys Carmichael; January 26, 1923 – September 27, 2017) was an American actress and singer. She was noted as the female lead in the 1950s TV series '' Topper''. Career Jeffreys was born Annie Jeffreys Carmichael on January 26, 1923, in Goldsboro, North Carolina, Jeffreys entered the entertainment field at a young age, having her initial training in voice (she was an accomplished soprano). She became a member of the New York Municipal Opera Company on a scholarship and sang the lead at Carnegie Hall in such presentations as ''La bohème'', '' Traviata'', and ''Pagliacci.'' However, she decided as a teenager to sign with the John Robert Powers agency as a junior model. Her plans for an operatic career were sidelined when she was cast in a staged musical review, ''Fun for the Money''. Her appearance in that revue led to her being cast in her first movie role, in ''I Married an Angel'' (1942), starring Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. She was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grant Mitchell (actor)
John Grant Mitchell Jr. (June 17, 1874 – May 1, 1957) was an American actor. He appeared on Broadway from 1902 to 1939 and appeared in more than 125 films between 1930 and 1948. Early years Mitchell was born John Grant Mitchell Jr. on June 17, 1874, in Columbus, Ohio, the only son of American Civil War general John G. Mitchell. His paternal grandmother, Fanny Arabella Hayes, was the sister of President Rutherford B. Hayes. He attended Yale University, where he served as feature editor of campus humor magazine ''The Yale Record''. Like his father, he became an attorney, graduating from the Harvard Law School. However, by his mid-to-late 20s, he tired of his legal practice and turned a long term dream into a reality by becoming an actor on Broadway. He played lead roles in plays such as ''It Pays to Advertise'', ''The Whole Town's Talking'', ''The Champion'', and ''The Baby Cyclone''. Mitchell was a brother of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Phi chapter). Stage Mit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Carney
Alan Carney (December 22, 1909 – May 2, 1973) was an American actor and comedian. Biography Alan Carney was born David Boughal in Brooklyn, New York, on December 22, 1909. His parents, Edward and Nellie (Kearney) Boughal, were Irish immigrants. He performed in vaudeville for years. After making his first film, 1941's ''Convoy'', Carney signed a contract at RKO Pictures and appeared in choice supporting roles in such films as '' Mr. Lucky''. In 1943, Carney teamed up with Wally Brown as RKO's answer to Abbott and Costello. In addition to their inexpensive starring vehicles, Brown and Carney co-starred in '' Step Lively'', a musical remake of the Marx Brothers film '' Room Service''. Wally played Chico's part, while Alan Carney filled in for Harpo; the "Groucho" role was essayed by George Murphy. The comedy team was also featured on a live USO tour arranged by the studio. After 1946's ''Genius at Work'', RKO terminated the team's contracts. Alan Carney continued in films and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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