Download or read book Helen Morgan written by Christopher S. Connelly and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2024-08-06 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An emotive soprano voice, heartrending melodies about unrequited love, and a draped-over-the-piano persona made Helen Morgan (1902–1941) the original torch singer, but she was so much more. The versatile actress appeared on Broadway, in film, and on radio. In a number of stage revues, she danced, sang, and excelled in sketch comedy. She played Julie in Kern and Hammerstein's Broadway musical Show Boat (1927) and also starred in the duo's Sweet Adeline in 1929. That same year, Morgan appeared in Rouben Mamoulian's classic film Applause. When the Great Depression made theater roles scarce, she headed the CBS radio program Broadway Melodies and worked in the emerging medium of television. Yet Morgan's life was one of extremes. She earned a million dollars throughout her career but remained in constant debt. She was one of the most universally beloved people in her profession, but a stable romantic relationship eluded her until the very end of her life. She was a protofeminist who aided women facing unplanned pregnancies, yet she also sought respite in a man whose financial support would allow her to retire from the stage. Through it all, she battled alcoholism; brandy would eventually extinguish her flame in 1941. Helen Morgan: The Original Torch Singer and Ziegfeld's Last Star is the first biography of the gifted performer since 1974. Author Christopher Connelly utilizes interviews, newspaper articles, and family scrapbooks to present an honest and unflinching look at Morgan's life. Connelly's meticulous research addresses Morgan's troubled childhood, including her mother's six marriages, and the trauma of her stepfather's arrest and conviction for manslaughter in 1913. Also revealed are details regarding her early career in vaudeville and silent film, insights into the speakeasy and supper-club culture that served as a backdrop to Morgan's career, and accounts of her outstanding accomplishments, philanthropic actions, and enduring popularity. This gripping narrative presents the brief but brilliant life of a complex, talented, and iconic entertainer.

Download or read book Ann Blyth written by Jacqueline T. Lynch and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2015-06-11 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book on the career of actress Ann Blyth. Multitalented and remarkably versatile, Blyth began on radio as a child, appeared on Broadway at the age of 12 in Lillian Hellman's WATCH ON THE RHINE, and enjoyed a long and diverse career in films, theatre, television, and concerts. A sensitive dramatic actress, the youngest at the time to be nominated for her role in MILDRED PIERCE (1945), she also displayed a gift for comedy, and was especially endeared to fans for her expressive and exquisite lyric soprano, which was showcased in many film and stage musicals. Still a popular guest at film festivals, lovely Ms. Blyth remains a treasure of the Hollywood's golden age.

Download or read book Inspired by True Events written by Robert J. Niemi and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2013-10-17 with total page 632 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An up-to-date and indispensable guide for film history buffs of all kind, this book surveys more than 500 major films based on true stories and historical subject matter. When a film is described as "based on a true story" or "inspired by true events," exactly how "true" is it? Which "factual" elements of the story were distorted for dramatic purposes, and what was added or omitted? Inspired by True Events: An Illustrated Guide to More Than 500 History-Based Films, Second Edition concisely surveys a wide range of major films, docudramas, biopics, and documentaries based on real events, addressing subject areas including military history and war, political figures, sports, and art. This book provides an up-to-date and indispensable guide for all film history buffs, students and scholars of history, and fans of the cinema.

Download or read book Blue Mauritius written by Helen Morgan and published by Atlantic Books Ltd. This book was released on 2015-06-04 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In September 1847 coloured squares of paper were stuck to envelopes and used to send out admission cards to a fancy-dress ball on the tropical island of Mauritius. No-one at the party would have guessed that the envelopes bearing these stamps would one day be worth more than a million dollars. When a two pence 'Blue Mauritius' surfaced on the fledgling French stamp-collecting market in 1865 it gained instant celebrity. Then in 1903, when a perfect specimen, discovered in a childhood album, was bought at auction by the Prince of Wales, the Blue Mauritius gained super-star status. Even now, the stamps of 'Post Office Mauritius' remain synonymous with fame, wealth and mystery. Helen Morgan tells the fascinating story of the most coveted scraps of paper in existence, from Mauritius' Port Louis to Bordeaux, India and Great Britain, Switzerland and Japan, into the fantasies and imagination of stamp collectors everywhere.

Download or read book Nostalgia Is What It Was written by Bob Cusack and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2005-08 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A nostalgic look at the decades; its music and the memories; as seen by veteran broadcaster Bob Cusack, who lived and worked through it all! A delightful trip down memory lane; remembering the music and entertainment of the century and how it affected our everyday lives. From the 1930s to the present, a glance at the world of entertainment and how it became a part of the way we lived.

Download or read book Sentimental Journey written by Marvin E. Paymer and published by Noble House Publishers. This book was released on 1999 with total page 572 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sentimental Journey is a cornucopia of 546 rang portraits that tell the story of America's very own great music, from its beginnings on Tin Pan Alley through its flourishing in step with the rise of the Broadway musical, radio, recordings, the big bands, and the film musical. The book spans 25 years, broken up into three decades entitled The Roaring Twenties, The Depression Years, and The War Years, each of which begins with a prologue giving a general description of the decade. Each year within the decades gives further historical background against which the individual songs were written -- including the political, social and artistic events. Within each year thc songs are portrayed individually, telling what made the song special and gives its vital statistics along with composer, lyricist, publisher, and when, where and by whom it was introduced.The twenty-six chapters of Sentimental Journey is finalized with a set of Appendices containing glossary, bibliography, index of composers and lyricists and an index of songs. No matter from what generation the reader is part of, the music from this book is being constantly rediscovered, and has become part of the American heritage.

Download or read book What Have You Done written by Louis Zorich and published by Hal Leonard Corporation. This book was released on 2009 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "All actors, and many other performers, have one experience in common - the audition. This process is often a dreaded, nerve-wracking trial by fire, but it is also a source of many a great story. What Have You Done? is a treasure trove of such stories." "With hundreds of anecdotes from and about the illustrious and the anonymous, Louis Zorich brings us up on stage, into the producer's office, onto the casting couch - and, frequently, through the exit door - to share how a brief few moments can seem like an eternity, and how individual triumphs and failures reveal the enduring spirit of the performer. Included are stories about Robert De Niro, Madonna, Oprah Winfrey, Renee Zellweger, Barbra Streisand, James Dean, Will Ferrell, Nathan Lane, and many more." --Book Jacket.

Download or read book New York The Movie Lover s Guide written by Richard Alleman and published by Crown. This book was released on 2013-03-06 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The classic guide to who-did-what-where in New York, on- and off-screen, including: Classic film and TV locations: Marilyn Monroe’s infamous Seven Year Itch subway grating . . . the deli where Meg Ryan famously faked an orgasm in When Harry Met Sally . . . the diner where Courteney Cox (in Friends) and Kirsten Dunst (in Spider-Man) waitressed . . . Men in Black’s Manhattan headquarters . . . The Godfather mansion on Staten Island…the Greenwich Village apartment where Jack Nicholson terrorized Greg Kinnear in As Good as It Gets . . . Ghostbusters’ Tribeca firehouse . . . Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow’s A Perfect Murder palazzo . . . the landmark West Side building that housed Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky and Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby . . . the Greenwich Village apartment of Friends . . . Will & Grace’s Upper West Side building . . . The All in the Family block in Queens . . . The Sopranos’ New Jersey mansion (and the real Bada Bing club) . . . Seinfeld’s favorite diner . . . Sex and the City’s sexiest haunts . . . and many more . . . Stars’ childhood homes: Lena Horne’s Bedford-Stuyvesant townhouse . . . Frank Sinatra’s Hoboken row house . . . Barbra Streisand’s Flatbush housing project . . . J.Lo’s Bronx block . . . Humphrey Bogart’s Upper West Side tenement . . . the Marx Brothers’ Upper East Side brownstone . . . Apartments and townhouses of the silver screen’s greatest legends: Joan Crawford . . . Marlene Dietrich . . . James Dean . . . Katharine Hepburn . . . Montgomery Clift . . . Rita Hayworth . . . Rock Hudson . . . and . . . Plus: Superstar cemeteries . . . major film and TV studios . . . historic movie palaces and Broadway theaters . . . star-studded restaurants and legendary hotels . . . For movie-loving New Yorkers, travelers and armchair film buffs, New York: The Movie Lover’s Guide is the ultimate insider’s guide to the Big Apple’s reel attractions.

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors written by Jerry Roberts and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2009-06-05 with total page 863 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From live productions of the 1950s like Requiem for a Heavyweight to big budget mini-series like Band of Brothers, long-form television programs have been helmed by some of the most creative and accomplished names in directing. Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors brings attention to the directors of these productions, citing every director of stand alone long-form television programs: made for TV movies, movie-length pilots, mini-series, and feature-length anthology programs, as well as drama, comedy, and musical specials of more than 60 minutes. Each of the nearly 2,000 entries provides a brief career sketch of the director, his or her notable works, awards, and a filmography. Many entries also provide brief discussions of key shows, movies, and other productions. Appendixes include Emmy Awards, DGA Awards, and other accolades, as well as a list of anthology programs. A much-needed reference that celebrates these often-neglected artists, Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the history of the medium.

Download or read book Showboat written by Jerome Kern and published by . This book was released on 1968 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Beside Myself written by Ann Morgan and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-01-14 with total page 658 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As gripping as Room, as powerful as Elizabeth is Missing, Beside Myself is the story of twin sisters, a childhood game with devastating consequences and the slippery nature of identity Helen and Ellie are identical twins – like two peas in a pod, everyone says. The girls know this isn't true, though: Helen is the leader and Ellie the follower. Until they decide to swap places: just for fun, and just for one day. But Ellie refuses to swap back... And so begins a nightmare from which Helen cannot wake up. Her toys, her clothes, her friends, her glowing record at school, the favour of her mother and the future she had dreamed of are all gone to a sister who blossoms in the approval that used to belong to Helen. And as the years pass, she loses not only her memory of that day but also herself – until eventually only 'Smudge' is left. Twenty-five years later, Smudge receives a call from out of the blue. It threatens to pull her back into her sister's dangerous orbit, but if this is her only chance to face the past, how can she resist? Beside Myself is a compulsive and darkly brilliant psychological drama about family and identity – what makes us who we are and how very fragile it can be.

Download or read book Femme Noir written by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2012-10-26 with total page 1298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Though often thought of as primarily a male vehicle, the film noir offered some of the most complex female roles of any movies of the 1940s and 1950s. Stars such as Barbara Stanwyck, Gene Tierney and Joan Crawford produced some of their finest performances in noir movies, while such lesser known actresses as Peggie Castle, Hope Emerson and Helen Walker made a lasting impression with their roles in the genre. These six women and 43 others who were most frequently featured in films noirs are profiled here, focusing primarily on their work in the genre and its impact on their careers. A filmography of all noir appearances is provided for each actress.

Download or read book Background Artist written by Karen Fang and published by Rutgers University Press. This book was released on 2024-10-11 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You might not know the name Tyrus Wong, but you probably know some of the images he created, including scenes from the beloved Disney classic Bambi. Yet when he came to this country as a child, Tyrus was an illegal immigrant locked up in an offshore detention center. How did he go on to a long and prosperous career drawing animation cels, storyboards, and greeting cards that shaped the American imagination? Background Artist shares the inspiring story of Tyrus Wong’s remarkable 106-year life and showcases his wide array of creative work, from the paintings and fine art prints he made working for Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration to the unique handmade kites he designed and flew on the Santa Monica beach. It tells how he came to the United States as a ten-year-old boy in 1920, at a time when the Chinese Exclusion Act barred him from legal citizenship. Yet it also shows how Wong found American communities that welcomed him and nurtured his artistic talent. Covering everything from his work as a studio sketch artist for Warner Bros. to the best-selling Christmas cards he designed for Hallmark and other greeting card companies, this book celebrates a multitalented Asian American artist and pioneer.

Download or read book Hold the Roses written by Rose Marie and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2002 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Casablanca Man written by Dr James C Robertson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-09-13 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michael Curtiz (1888-1962) was without doubt one of the most important directors in film history, yet he has never been granted his deserved recognition and no full-scale work on him has previously been published. The Casablanca Man surveys Curtiz' unequalled mastery over a variety of genres which included biography, comedy, horror, melodrama, musicals, swashbucklers and westerns, and looks at his relationship with the Hollywood studio moguls on the basis of unprecedented archive research at Warner Brothers. Concentrating on Curtiz' best-known films - Casablanca, Angels With Dirty Faces, Mildred Pearce and Captain Blood among them - Robertson explores Curtiz' practical creative struggles and his friendships and rivalries with other film celebrities including Errol Flynn, Bette Davis and James Cagney, and his discovery of future stars. Casablanca Man is the first comprehensive critical exploration of Curtiz' entire career and, linking his European work and his subsequent American work into a coherent whole, Robertson firmly re-establishes Curtiz' true standing in the history of cinema.

Download or read book Free and Easy written by Sean Griffin and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2017-05-25 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A History of the American Musical narrates the evolution of the film musical genre, discussing its influences and how it has come to be defined; the first text on this subject for over two decades, it employs the very latest concepts and research. The most up-to-date text on the subject, with uniquely comprehensive coverage and employing the very latest concepts and research Surveys centuries of music history from the music and dance of Native Americans to contemporary music performance in streaming media Examines the different ways the film musical genre has been defined, what gets counted as a musical, why, and who gets to make that decision The text is written in an accessible manner for general cinema and musical theatre buffs, whilst retaining theoretical rigour in research Describes the contributions made to the genre by marginalized or subordinated identity groups who have helped invent and shape the musical

Download or read book Emmy Award Winning Nighttime Television Shows 1948 2004 written by Wesley Hyatt and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-09-11 with total page 485 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the early days of television, well before most households had a set, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has been handing out honors for the industry's best efforts. Now fans can read about their favorites--and perhaps rediscover some forgotten pleasures--in this reference to prime time and nighttime Emmy winners. Beginning with the heated charade contest known as Pantomime Quiz, which won Most Popular Program of 1948 in the first Emmy Awards ceremony (held in 1949), each of more than 100 winning shows gets star treatment with an entry that includes the year of award or awards, air times, hosts, guests, casts and a full discussion of the show's history and run. Many of the entries include original interviews with cast or crew members. With such rich information, each show's entry constitutes a chapter in the history of television through the story of the show and the people who made it happen. The best of variety, drama, game shows, comedies, adventures and many more categories are featured. An appendix offers interesting facts and figures and ranks shows according to such statistics as longest run, longest delay from debut to win, and most Emmys won.