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- Actor Martin West (born Martin Weixelbaum) began appearing in feature films and on television in 1960 with Freckles (1960). In 1966, he played Dr. Phil Brewer on the daytime soap opera General Hospital (1963), becoming the fifth actor to play the role. In 1965, he was featured in Harper (1966), starring Paul Newman. In 1976, he appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's final feature film, Family Plot (1976).
- Versatile, award-winning character actress Eileen Heckart, with the lean, horsey face and assured, fervent gait, was born Anna Eileen Herbert on March 29, 1919, in Columbus, Ohio. An only child, she lived with her mother after her parents separated when she was 2 years old, and was eventually adopted by her grandfather, whose surname (Heckart) she took. Her childhood was an acutely unhappy one. Her mother, an alcoholic, was married five times, and her stern grandmother, with whom Eileen was often shuttled off to stay, was physically abusive. To survive, Eileen escaped into the joy of movies as an adolescent.
She graduated from Ohio State University in 1942 with a degree in English. That same year she married John Harrison Yankee Jr., an insurance broker. They had three sons in a union that lasted 54 years, unusual for a feisty, independent lady of show business. While her husband was off to the war (he joined the Navy), she moved to New York and toiled in a number of day jobs while trying to jump start a career in acting. Beginning in summer stock, she took classes at the American Theatre Wing and apprenticed in a number of obscure plays/revues such as "Tinker's Dam" (1943) and "Musical Moment" (1943).
Following extensive work on the NY stage, which included her Broadway debut as an understudy and eventual replacement in "The Voice of the Turtle" (1945), she established herself as a major force on the Great White Way. Her first big break under the Broadway lights was her portrayal of the arch, lonely schoolteacher in William Inge's "Picnic", which earned her both the Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World awards in 1953. (Rosalind Russell played the role in the film version.)
Heckart was in demand by then as flinty, overwrought, down-to-earth types or wise-to-the-bone old gals. Later award-worthy Broadway hits would include "The Bad Seed" (which earned her the Donaldson award), "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" (Tony-nom), "Invitation to a March" (Tony-nom), and "Butterflies Are Free" (Tony-nom). Intermixed were live performances on TV for such prestigious programs as "Goodyear Television Playhouse", "Kraft Television Theatre", "Studio One", "Suspense", "The Alcoa Hour", and "Playhouse 90".
Heckart was a dominant yet only intermittent force in films, making her debut in the so-so Miracle in the Rain (1956) featured as Jane Wyman's confidante. Although greatly disappointed at losing the bid to recreate her Broadway role in the film version of Picnic (1955) (Rosalind Russell won the honors), she did receive the satisfaction of transferring her scene-chewing stage role as the despairing, drunken mom whose son falls victim to young Patty McCormack's malevolent mischief in The Bad Seed (1956). For this Eileen copped both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. During this period she fell into a number of dowdy matrons, dour moms and matter-of-fact gal friends with flashy roles in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), Bus Stop (1956), Hot Spell (1958) and Heller in Pink Tights (1960).
Earning another Tony nomination and the New York Drama Critics Award for her brittle role in the 1957 production of Inge's "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs", she was pregnant with her third child when the film version of The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960) started rolling and Angela Lansbury stepped in to replace her.
For most of the 1960s, she traded off TV guest parts ("Ben Casey", "Dr. Kildare", "The F.B.I.", "The Defenders") with theater roles ("Pal Joey", "Barefoot in the Park", "You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running"). She was finally rewarded on film as blind Edward Albert's busybody mom in Butterflies Are Free (1972), netting the Academy Award for "Best Supporting Actress". It was a role she had played on Broadway, receiving her fourth Tony nomination.
The Oscar did not bring her the choice roles which other winners had enjoyed but she continued on in all three mediums quite enviably. While not fond of sitcom work, she gave Emmy-style for her guest work on such shows as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", "Love & War", "Ellen", "Cybill", and was part of a short-lived ensemble series as one of The 5 Mrs. Buchanans (1994). She also put together a one-woman stage tribute to Eleanor Roosevelt and gave assertive theater performances in "The Ladies of the Alamo", "The Cemetery Club", and "Northeast Local".
The Tony Award eluded the four-time nominee during her long, eventful career. The Tony committee finally made up for this oversight in 2000 by awarding her a "special" Tony for "excellence in theater, triggered by her final, multiple award-winning success (Obie, Drama Desk) as an Alzheimer's patient in "The Waverly Gallery" in 2000. In retrospect, it was none too soon as Heckart, who worked nearly until the end, had been diagnosed with lung cancer, which was kept secret until after her death, on December 31, 2001, aged 82. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Dee was born in Los Angeles, where her Army officer father was stationed, and grew up in Chicago after her father was transferred there. In 1929, he was re-assigned to L.A., and, as a lark, the 19 year old Dee began working in motion pictures as an extra. Her debut was in Words and Music (1929) with Lois Moran. After her breakthrough role in Playboy of Paris (1930) opposite Maurice Chevalier, she met Joel McCrea on the set of the 1933 film The Silver Cord (1933).
Following a whirlwind courtship, the two were married later that year in Rye, New York. Their 57-year marriage ended in 1990, when McCrea died. In the 70s, she and McCrea were rumored to be worth between fifty and one hundred million dollars. Dee hasn't acted since the mid-1950s, and said she didn't miss it. The nonagenarian actress was a huge hit at the 1998 Memphis Film Festival in Tunica, Mississippi. She died in 2004.- Actor
- Producer
The son of a Dallas wholesale coal dealer, Noble spent much of his youth attending pool halls and movie houses. He retained his expertise with a pool cue throughout his life, while his stronger interest in acting (fueled by movies) manifested itself in local stage productions and drama studies at Southern Methodist University. Following Navy service in World War II, Noble went to New York to study at the Actors Studio, then went on to a stage revival of Pygmalion wherein he met his future wife, actress Carolyn Coates. The actor appeared on such TV soap operas as As the World Turns (1956), A World Apart (1970) and such Broadway productions as "1776" (a role he took to the movie 1776 (1972)), spending much of his spare time in psychotherapy to handle his ongoing feelings of self-doubt. In films from the mid '70s, Noble principally played small roles as authority figures and politicians (Being There (1979), The Nude Bomb (1980)), with occasional larger roles. such as Bo Derek's father in 10 (1979). In 1979, Noble was cast as the genially absent-minded "Governor Gene Gatling" on the sitcom, Benson (1979), a role in which he remained until the series' 1986 cancellation. Two years later, he resurfaced on TV in the role of a Nebraska-based recording engineer on the very short-lived sitcom, First Impressions (1988).- Writer
- Producer
Reginald Rose was born on 10 December 1920 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for 12 Angry Men (1957), Studio One (1948) and The Defenders (1961). He was married to Ellen McLaughlin and Barbara E. Langbart. He died on 19 April 2002 in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Beginning as a chorus girl at age 14, Ruth Chatterton became a Broadway star with "Daddy Long Legs" in 1914. She appeared in such shows as "Mary Rose" and "Come Out of the Kitchen" before moving to Hollywood in 1925. As her film career faded in the late 1930s, she returned to the stage in revivals, and radio and TV performances, including "Hamlet." In the 1950s, she began a successful writing career. She had no children.- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Jim Fowler was born on 9 April 1930 in Albany, Georgia, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for The Lion King (1994), Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (1963) and Little Laura and Big John (1973). He was married to Betsey Munroe Burhans. He died on 8 May 2019 in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Tall, oval-faced, fair-haired, sensitive-looking Douglass Montgomery was born in Los Angeles on October 29, 1909, the son of a jeweler. Graduating from Los Angeles High School, he sought early experience at the Pasadena Playhouse. Deciding to move to New York to pursue the stage, he was quickly typed as dashing suitors in romantic and social dramas.
After his discovery by an MGM agent and his resulting studio contract, Douglass's marquee name was immediately changed to Kent Douglass so as not to be mistaken for the studio's major star Robert Montgomery. A handsome and dapper dramatic "second lead" opposite some of MGM's powerhouse actresses, he supported Joan Crawford in her vehicle Paid (1930), which was his debut film, and, more memorably, Katharine Hepburn in Little Women (1933) as "Laurie" opposite Hepburn's "Jo." Other "second lead" MGM credits include Daybreak (1931) starring Ramon Novarro and Helen Chandler, Five and Ten (1931) with Marion Davies and Leslie Howard, and two films as co-lead: the romantic WWI drama Waterloo Bridge (1931), directed by James Whale, as "Roy Cronin" opposite Mae Clarke's "Myra," and the melodrama A House Divided (1931), directed by William Wyler, as the son of Walter Huston and love interest to Helen Chandler.
Montgomery's stay at MGM was very brief, and when he left in 1932 he immediately changed his name back to his real name. Now a freelancing agent, Douglass went on to play leads or second leads in such films as Paramount's 8 Girls in a Boat (1934) opposite Dorothy Wilson, Universal's Little Man, What Now? (1934) co-starring Margaret Sullavan, Fox's Music in the Air (1934) starring Gloria Swanson, Universal's Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935) with Claude Rains and Heather Angel, and Universal's Lady Tubbs (1935) starring Alice Brady.
Montgomery scored well with his first top-billed role as the frail, alcoholic 19th century "Swanee River" composer Stephen Foster in the "poverty row" biopic Harmony Lane (1935) with Evelyn Venable and Adrienne Ames as his lady loves. This success was followed by a co-starring role opposite Constance Bennett in Everything Is Thunder (1936) as well as a top-billed role in the British comedy Tropical Trouble (1936); a lead role as spoiled playboy Life Begins with Love (1937) opposite Jean Parker, who played "Beth" in his version of Little Women (1933); the crime drama Counsel for Crime (1937); and a fourth-billed role in the Bob Hope comedy-mystery classic The Cat and the Canary (1939).
Montgomery's career was interrupted by World War II service with the Royal Canadian Air Force, after which he moved to Great Britain and made a few films there. He played American pilot John Hollis in Johnny in the Clouds (1945) starring Michael Redgrave and John Mills, played an amnesiac in the romantic drama Woman to Woman (1947), flew to Rome to play an American composer in the Italian romancer Sinfonia fatale (1947) ("When in Rome") with Marina Berti and Sarah Churchill, and starred in his last film, the melodrama Forbidden (1949) with Hazel Court.
On March 14, 1952, Montgomery married British actress Kay Young, who was previously married to actor Michael Wilding. Young and Montgomery remained married until his death. Moving to TV work, he and Kay eventually moved to the States, and he finished his career with guest appearances in such anthology shows as "Cameo Theatre" "Robert Montgomery Presents," "Kraft Theatre," and "TV Reader's Digest," in which he ably played the title roles in stories about "Peer Gynt," "Robert Louis Stevenson" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."
Douglass Montgomery died of spinal cancer in Norwalk, Connecticut, aged 58, on July 23, 1966.- Louise Campbell was born on 30 May 1911 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Bulldog Drummond's Peril (1938), Bowery Boy (1940) and Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937). She was married to Horace McMahon. She died on 5 November 1997 in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Tough, craggy, furrow-browed, gruff-voiced character actor Horace McMahon's urban film and TV characters played on both sides of the legal fence in over a hundred films. His first few years were usually heavy on the wrong side with various hoods, thugs, jailbirds, mobsters and murderers in crime yarns. He later turned over a leaf and started playing good-guy cops and hard-nosed detectives. Born in Connecticut on May 17, 1906, McMahon (sometimes billed as MacMahon) discovered acting while pursuing a law degree at Fordham University.
A former shipping clerk and mail deliverer, he was a news reporter for The South Norwalk Sentinel before attempting to break through the acting ranks in New York. He made his Broadway debut in 1931 as a reporter in "Wonder Boy," and went on to play in a number of New York shows -- "Wild Waves" (1932), "Man Bites Dog" (1933), "Knock on Wood" (1935), "Three Men on a Horse" (1936, 1942) and "Red Gloves" (1948).
His dark, streetwise mug and cynical attitude proved perfect for playing assorted "Runyonesque" New York characters -- cabbies, chauffeurs, henchmen, prisoners, bouncers -- in a slew of unbilled movie bits in the late 30's and 40's. His character had typical street-tough names like "Fingers," "Limpy," "Brains," "Maxey," "Swifty" and Looey". Such films included Bulldog Edition (1936), They Gave Him a Gun (1937), Kid Galahad (1937), The Last Gangster (1937), King of the Newsboys (1938), The Crowd Roars (1938), Broadway Musketeers (1938), I Was a Convict (1939), The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939), My Favorite Wife (1940), Rookies on Parade (1941), Jail House Blues (1942), Roger Touhy, Gangster (1944), Joe Palooka in Fighting Mad (1948) and Waterfront at Midnight (1948). He also was cast as taxi driver "Foghorn" Murphy in Calling Dr. Kildare (1939) and continued the role in several movie entries.
After a slew of "bad guys," McMahon scored his best role on Broadway as a change-of-pace "good guy" police chief. In 1949 he was cast as New York City Lt. Monaghan in the critical stage hit "Detective Story" starring Ralph Bellamy. The play ran well over a year. He was then given the opportunity to solidify the part on film with Detective Story (1951) starring Kirk Douglas. It was nominated for four Oscars.
Thereafter, McMahon's crusty cops and detectives could be found all over the TV screen, including episodes of "Martin Kane," "Lux Video Theatre," "The Lone Wolf," "Climax!," The Ford Television Theatre," "Undercurrent" and "Suspicion." He went on to cop an Emmy nomination for his regular role as Lt. Mike Parker on the well-received Naked City (1958) TV series. He also had a regular role supporting Craig Stevens in his post "Peter Gunn" dramatic series Mr. Broadway (1964), set in New York. The veteran's intrepid cops also infiltrated later films as well -- Susan Slept Here (1954), Blackboard Jungle (1955), My Sister Eileen (1955), The Delicate Delinquent (1957) and The Swinger (1966). He ended his on-camera career on TV with guest spots on the mild comedies "My Three Sons" and "Family Affair."
Long married to retired actress Louise Campbell who was best known for her recurring role as Phyllis on the "Bulldog Drummond" movie series. They had three children. McMahon died of a heart ailment on August 17, 1971, aged 65.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Dave Brubeck was born on 6 December 1920 in Concord, California, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Inland Empire (2006), Baby Driver (2017) and Constantine (2005). He was married to Iola Brubeck. He died on 5 December 2012 in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Mady Christians was born in Vienna, Austria. Destined to be in films in both Germany and the US, she started out as a stage actress but soon found new challenges in the world of cinema. Her first film was at the age of 24 when she appeared in Audrey (1916). She remained in German films for the next 17years before coming to the US and starring in The Only Girl (1933). Mady left the film industry in 1948 after finishing All My Sons (1948).
She died on October 28, 1951, in Norwalk, CT, from a cerebral hemorrhage.- Harry Reasoner was born on 17 April 1923 in Dakota City, Iowa, USA. He was a writer, known for The Reasoner Report (1973), Calendar (1961) and ABC World News Tonight with David Muir (1953). He was married to Lois Harriett Weber and Kathleen Ann Carroll. He died on 6 August 1991 in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.
- Writer
- Actor
- Visual Effects
Domonic Muir was born on 20 January 1962. He was a writer and actor, known for Critters (1986), Hitman (1998) and High Risk (1995). He died on 19 September 2010 in Norwalk Community Hospital, Norwalk, California, USA.- Tony Bickley was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Swimmer (1968), Studio One (1948) and The Philco Television Playhouse (1948). He died on 19 June 1976 in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
- Producer
Earl McEvoy was born on 12 June 1913 in Leominster, Massachusetts, USA. He was an assistant director and director, known for Cargo to Capetown (1950), The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) and The Barefoot Mailman (1951). He died on 26 February 1959 in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Donald Novis was born on 3 March 1906 in Hastings, East Sussex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Big Broadcast (1932), The Policy Girl (1934) and Trouble in Paradise (1932). He was married to Dorothy Bradshaw and Julietta Novis. He died on 23 July 1966 in Norwalk, California, USA.- Lovely blonde Janet Pilgrim was born Charlaine Edith Karalus on June 13, 1934 in Wheaton, Illinois. Pilgrim was working in the subscription department for "Playboy" magazine when editor/publisher Hugh Hefner asked her to pose for a pictorial. Hefner choose the alias Janet Pilgrim as a spoof on puritanism. Moreover, Pilgrim's "girl next door" quality set the tone for future Playmates. Janet was the Playmate of the Month in the June, 1955 issue of "Playboy." She went on to become the Playmate of the Month in the December, 1955 and October, 1956 issues of "Playboy." Pilgrim holds the distinction of being one out of two Playmates of the Month to be a three-time centerfold in the magazine. Janet Pilgrim was listed at #83 in the 1999 "Playboy" newsstand special "Sex Stars of the Century."
- Dick Bass was born on 15 March 1937 in Georgetown, Mississippi, USA. He was an actor, known for Bracken's World (1969), Sanford and Son (1972) and Adam-12 (1968). He was married to Barbara Price. He died on 31 January 2006 in Norwalk, California, USA.
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Peter De Vries was born on 27 February 1910 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a writer, known for Pete 'n' Tillie (1972), The Tunnel of Love (1958) and How Do I Love Thee? (1970). He was married to Katinka Elizabeth Loeser. He died on 28 September 1993 in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.- Actress
- Make-Up Department
Elinore Blair was born on 13 September 1924 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Up Your Alley (1989). She was married to James Frederick Blair . She died on 13 June 1994 in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.- Norman Trevor was born on 23 June 1877 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. He was an actor, known for The Wizard (1927), Beau Geste (1926) and Jane Eyre (1921). He died on 31 October 1929 in Norwalk, California, USA.
- Irish comic actor Paddy McGuire born in 1884, became a star in American musical comedy theatre and burlesque from the mid 1900's. A Great comic character who was best remembered in many of Charlie Chaplin's short movies in 1915-16, such as 'The Champion' 'The Tramp' and 'Shanghaied' and many more, followed by a chance to star in his own comedies the 'Bungling Bill' series for the Vogue Film Company in 1916. from 1917 he was often supporting in many comedies for Ben Turpin, Chester Conklin and Ford Sterling est. His last appearance on screen was 'A Broadway Cowboy' a western/comedy directed by Joseph Franz and starring William Desmond for the Jesse D. Hampton studios in 1920. Sadly in 1923 age 38 he died in Norwalk, California
- Animation Department
- Producer
- Art Department
Composer and writer of popular Saturday morningtoons for the cult-ABC children's classic "Schoolhouse Rock". Some of his songs include "Conjunction Junction," "Three Is a Magic Number," and "I'm Just a Bill." He had four children from a previous marriage, before marrying for a second time in 1980.- Ron Parady was born on 12 March 1940 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for American Playhouse (1980), All My Children (1970) and The Naked Face (1984). He was married to Joanne Jameson. He died on 15 June 2003 in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.