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1-12 of 12
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Eleanor Thatcher was born in Binghamton, New York on February 21, 1910. Growing up she sang often in church and later developed a deep love of dancing. With the start of the Great Depression in the early 1930s Eleanor decided to leave Broome County for the glamour and excitement of Hollywood. Arriving there in 1932 she secured work at MGM studios as a dress extra and was cast in a musical short entitled Wild People (1933) followed by another short, Over the Counter (1932) (which is still considered to be one of the most risque musical shorts to have ever been made during the Pre-Code era).
With her ice cream blonde hair, blue eyes, and creamy skin she was soon becoming a popular face in musical shorts. She was later known for her "wiggle" that she showed audiences in ''Campus Crawl'' (1933). In 1934 she appeared as a singer in The Road to Ruin (1934) and upon its completion MGM Studios dropped her, citing her as having no talent and little public interest. After three years in Hollywood, Eleanor packed her bags and moved back to Binghamton.
In 1935 she met Daniel Lesle who was employed by a department store in Binghamton. Following their marriage she secured secretarial work in the Managements Office of the same department store where her husband work and later mothered two children. Although her time in the spotlight may have been short Eleanor felt that it was a blessing and that it was better to have been a has-been then a never was. On March 13, 1987 Eleanor Thatcher Lesle died at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton due to an intestinal ailment. She was 77 years old.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Born Leroy Eliot Stewart in Englewood, New Jersey, Slam began on violin as a child. He eventually switched to bass and played with local bands before commencing formal studies at Boston Conservatory. There, he was introduced to the idea of singing (or humming) an octave higher, in unison with his bass fiddle (bowed bass). He perfected this technique with the orchestra of Peanuts Holland (1936-37) and subsequently moved to New York to form a hugely successful duo with the composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Slim Gaillard. Their double act, known as 'Slim and Slam', was spotlighted on radio station WNEW and hit its peak with a top-selling jazz track titled 'Flat-Foot Floogie' ('Floogie', being a slang term for 'Floozie'). Incidentally, Stewart acquired his nickname 'Slam' with input from Gaillard and disc jockey Martin Block (also their manager) who agreed it had more of a ring to it than 'Slim & Leroy'.
During the 1930's and 40's, Slam worked extensively with small groups led by Benny Goodman, Art Tatum, Tiny Grimes, Don Byas and Lester Young (one of the seminal tracks with this quartet was a December 1943 recording of 'Sometimes I'm Happy'). During some of these sessions, he would employ a slap bass technique to compensate for an absence of drums. The Dizzy Gillespie Sextet (February 1945 session) featured his improvisational solos on several excellent tracks, notably 'Dizzy Atmosphere'. Near the end of the decade, Slam Stewart also fronted his own trio which featured the pianist Erroll Garner whom he subsequently joined on tour in France. On screen, Slam was featured in the cast of the musical Stormy Weather (1943).
For much of the 50's, Slam provided rhythmic support to swing pianiste Beryl Booker (1922-78) and pianiste/singer Rose Murphy. The latter parts of his musical career included diversification into classical music (Lincoln String Quartet, 1969), reunions with Benny Goodman (1973-75), teaching music at Binghamton University (New York) and Yale, and appearances on the Today (1952) Show in conjunction with guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. A duo with the saxophonist Don Byas, 'I Got Rhythm' (recorded in 1945), is included in the Classic Jazz collection at the Smithsonian Inbstitute.- Jeff Kaye was born on 12 December 1936 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was an actor, known for The Super Duper Football Follies (1989), The NFL TV Follies (1987) and Hail to the Redskins (1986). He was married to Suzanne. He died on 16 November 2012 in Binghamton, New York, USA.
- Director
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Leo Bulgakov was born on 22 March 1899 in Moscow, Russia. He was a director and actor, known for For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), After the Dance (1935) and White Lies (1934). He was married to Barbara Bulgakov. He died on 20 July 1948 in Binghamton, New York, USA.- Writer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Sol Violinsky was a pseudonym for Sol Ginsberg, a violinist, pianist, composer and songwriter who came to the USA in 1901. He was a music director for the Williams Brothers in Pittsburgh, and a vaudeville entertainer in the US and abroad, as well as a violinist in the New York Symphony. Joining ASCAP in 1920, his chief musical collaborators included Ben Ryan, Billy Rose, and William Raskin. His popular-song compositions include "When Frances Dances With Me", "Honolulu Eyes", "Dancing to the Rhythm of My Heart", "You Left Me Out In the Rain", "Tum Tum Tumbling in Love", "When We Get Together in the Moonlight", and "Remember Mother's Day".- Additional Crew
Peter Hilton was born on 7 April 1923 in Brondesbury, London, England, UK. He is known for Square One Television (1987), Station X (1999) and Secrets of War (1998). He was married to Margaret Mostyn. He died on 6 November 2010 in Binghamton, New York, USA.- Ali Mazrui was born on 24 February 1933 in Mombasa, Coast Province, Kenya. He was a writer, known for The Africans: A Triple Heritage (1986), Thinking Aloud (1984) and Motherland (2010). He was married to Pauline Uti and Molly Vickerman. He died on 12 October 2014 in Binghamton, New York, USA.
- Lowell Stewart was born on 20 January 1913 in the USA. He died in July 1979 in Binghamton, New York, USA.
- Charles Wesley Flint was born on 14 November 1878 in Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. Charles Wesley died on 12 December 1964 in Binghamton, New York, USA.
- Alice John was born in 1881 in Llanelly, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for These Thirty Years (1934). She died on 9 August 1956 in Binghamton, New York, USA.
- Jake Pitler was born on 22 April 1894 in New York City, New York, USA. He died on 3 February 1968 in Binghamton, New York, USA.
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John J. Dunn was born in 1874 in New York, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for The Bludgeon (1915), Under Suspicion (1918) and The Eternal Mother (1917). He died on 10 May 1928 in Binghamton, New York, USA.