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1-14 of 14
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Dorothy Ford was born April 4, 1922 and raised in San Francisco and Santa Barbara, California, as well as in Tucson, Arizona. During school she appeared in several pageants, and after graduation went into modeling. Standing 6'2" and with measurements of 38-26-38-1/2, she was a natural for photographic work.
Her first job was in San Francisco when Billy Rose cast her in his "Aquacade", along with Johnny Weissmuller, and she was an Earl Carroll showgirl, appearing in various revues including "Something to Shout About" and "Star Spangled Glamour". Ford caught the attention of casting agents, and made her screen debut as a model in Lady in the Dark (1944). MGM put her under contract in 1943, casting her in two musicals, Thousands Cheer (1943) (with Red Skelton) and Broadway Rhythm (1944). Her other appearances that year included Two Girls and a Sailor (1944), Meet the People (1944), Bathing Beauty (1944) and The Thin Man Goes Home (1944). She was seen in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) as part of an onscreen performing act and in King Vidor's An American Romance (1944) before she left MGM in 1945.
Dorothy studied at the Actors' Lab, the West Coast version of New York City's Group Theater. She had a much fuller role in her Universal Pictures' debut with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Here Come the Co-eds (1945), which finally gave her a chance to really act. Playing the captain of a women's basketball team appearing as ringers in a college game, she exuded a bold confidence as well as a shy streak, and stole every scene she was in. She briefly returned to modeling in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as part of South America's first post-war fashion show. It was there that she met Gen. Mark W. Clark, who testified that "this is the first girl I've ever seen who could go bear hunting armed with a switch."
In 1946, she returned to MGM and appeared in Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946), playing a co-ed who doesn't have a date for the college dance and is unexpectedly matched up with Mickey Rooney. The height difference between Ford and the 5'2" Rooney made for laughs at the homecoming dance, which was the highlight of the film. This was her first major role to play off her height; she wore four-inch heels and publicity stills from the studio listed her height as 6'6". By that time she was often referred to in press releases as a "Glamazon". She was outspoken in advising other tall women that "if nature has made you tall, then be good and tall." During the 1940s, when actresses between 5'8" and 5'10", such as Maureen O'Hara, Ingrid Bergman, Alexis Smith, Angela Lansbury, and Marie Windsor, were regarded as formidable, Ford -- at 6'2" and 145 pounds -- was regarded as one of the most striking women in Hollywood.
Ford appeared in a New York stage production of "The Big People" (which played off her height in a positive way). In 1948, she was back in Hollywood in an unusual independently-made anthology film, On Our Merry Way (1948). In 1949, she was cast in John Ford's 3 Godfathers (1948) playing the potential love interest of John Wayne. That same year she married James Sterling in Las Vegas. However, just over a month later she obtained an annulment in Ventura, California on the grounds that they were both drunk at the time. Her Superior Court suit said the two never lived together after the rites and that she didn't know she was a bride until two days after the ceremony. Sterling did not contest the suit.
As the 1950s began, Ford's career slowed down and her biggest role of the decade came in the Abbott & Costello fantasy-comedy, Jack and the Beanstalk (1952). Evidently, Costello liked Ford and appreciated her sense of humor, because he later included her in an episode of The Abbott and Costello Show (1952). She made various television appearances throughout the 1950s, including "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" and "The Red Skelton Show". In April 1952, aged 30, she married Thomas B. Chambers, an automobile sales manager and tennis star. In 1953, she became pregnant, but was hospitalized after losing the baby. She and Chambers divorced the following year.
After an appearance in The Bowery Boys vehicle Feudin' Fools (1952), Ford's screen career started to wind down, but her remaining roles were in some surprisingly high-visibility films. John Wayne cast her in a small role in The High and the Mighty (1954) as a glamour girl with her hooks into 'Phil Harris', and Billy Wilder used her in the opening segment of The Seven Year Itch (1955). Dorothy appeared in several lower-budget films over the next few years, then faded out of movies in 1962 but remained involved with the movie business even after giving up acting, joining MGM as a technician in the studio's film lab in 1965. She was married for 30 years to actor Mike Ragan (born Hollis Alan Bane); they retired to Marina Del Rey, California until his death in 1995. She died in Canoga Park, California on October 15, 2010 at the age of 88.- His father was the actor Reginald Sheffield who began as a child star and later turned to character acting. Johnny appeared at age seven on Broadway in the original cast of "On Borrowed Time". When Maureen O'Sullivan wanted out of her Jane role in the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan series, it was decided that she and Tarzan would adopt a son (they had to adopt, according to the Legion of Decency, because they weren't married) before she died. Weissmuller personally chose Sheffield for the part of Boy, a part inspired by Bobby Nelson's portrayal in Tarzan the Mighty (1928); athletic by nature, he was taught to swim by swimming Olympian Weissmuller. Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939) was such a success that MGM signed Sheffield to six more films as Tarzan's Boy. By the time of Tarzan and the Mermaids (1948), he was too big for the part; the film merely said he was away at school. When Monogram Studios learned he had been dropped, they picked him up for the series of movies based on the Roy Rockwood Bomba: The Jungle Boy (1949) movies. He made twelve of these between 1949 and 1955.
- Production Designer
- Art Director
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Peter Jamison was born on 27 August 1944 in Oregon, USA. He was a production designer and art director, known for Howard the Duck (1986), Point Break (1991) and Mulholland Drive (2001). He died on 15 October 2010 in Venice, California, USA.- Hamer was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1932. He got involved in acting at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where he appeared in several theatre productions while doing his undergraduate studies. Joe later received a Master's Degree in Theatre from UCLA and did Doctoral Thesis work at Ohio State. He appeared on Broadway in "The Great White Hope" starring James Earl Jones and got his first feature film experience in the Elizabeth Taylor film BUtterfield 8 (1960). Joe later went on to become one of the busiest commercial actors in New York City over the next 30 years. He has appeared in over 300 TV and Radio commercials, as well as several Soap Operas and TV movies. He curently resides in East Hampton, New York and continues to work to this day.
- Actress
Saloni was an actress, known for Ghadaar (1964), Baba Dina (1971) and Chann Makhna (1968). She was married to Bari Malik. She died on 15 October 2010 in Karachi, Pakistan.- Viktor Bruçeti was born on 26 February 1938 in Shkoder, Albania. He was an actor, known for Hije që mbeten pas (1985), Komisari i Dritës (1966) and Një natë pa dritë (1981). He died on 15 October 2010 in Angoulême, France.
- Joan Veron was born on 10 September 1916 in Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for R.I.O.T.: The Movie (1996). He died on 15 October 2010 in Coffeyville, Kansas, USA.
- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Gérard Barreaux was born on 20 August 1948 in Paris, France. He was an actor and composer, known for Sunday (1997), Far from Brazil (1992) and Lovers (1994). He died on 15 October 2010 in Paris, France.- Bob was a much-beloved film critic in Spokane, WA, founding "Movies 101", a half-hour public radio show comprised of three critics, reviewing recent and classic films, which was continued by Dan Webster, Mary Pat Treuthart and Nathan Weinbender after Bob's death in 2010. Bob published the book "Beyond Popcorn: A Critic's Guide To Looking At Films", Eastern Washington University Press, ,2001. Bob was the Founding Artistic Director for Spokane International Film Festival (SpYFF)in 2007.
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Paul Kenworthy was born on 14 February 1925 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Perri (1957), Jaws 3-D (1983) and The Neptune Factor (1973). He died on 15 October 2010 in Ventura, California, USA.- Ilie Alexandru was born on 20 August 1952 in Slobozia, Romania. He died on 15 October 2010 in Slobozia, Romania.
- Actress
- Producer
Susana Fontana was born on 3 April 1937 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was an actress and producer, known for La Torre en jaque (1981), La gran ocasión (1982) and Teleshow (1996). She died on 15 October 2010 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Harold King was born on 27 February 1945 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. He was a writer, known for Red Alert (1977). He was married to Elaine Tucker. He died on 15 October 2010 in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA.
- Yalal Chin was an actor, known for Old Road Mistery (2011), Paloh (2003) and Wanita Bertudung Hitam (1992). He was married to Suriani Mohd Yusof. He died on 15 October 2010 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.