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1-41 of 41
- Producer
- Actor
- Production Manager
Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III was born in Santiago, Cuba on March 2, 1917. His father was the mayor of Santiago. The 1933 revolution led by Fulgencio Batista had landed his father in jail and stripped the family of its wealth, property and power. His father was released because of the intercession of U.S. officials who believed him to be neutral during the revolt. The family fled to Miami, Florida. One of Desi's first jobs in America consisted of cleaning canary cages. However, after forming his own small band of musicians, he was hired by Xavier Cugat, the "king" of Latin music.
Desi soon left Cugat, formed his own Latin band, and literally launched the conga craze in America. He was cast in the Broadway play "Too Many Girls" and then brought to Hollywood to make the film version of the play. It was on the set of Too Many Girls (1940) that he and Lucille Ball met. They soon married and approximately 10 years later formed Desilu Productions and began the I Love Lucy (1951) shows. Desi and Lucille had two children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr.. At the end of the I Love Lucy (1951) run, which included The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957), the two divorced. Desi later wrote an autobiography entitled "A Book." In 1986 he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died on December 2, 1986 at age 69.- Actor
- Producer
Alec Musser joined the cast of All My Children (1970) in July 2005, playing the role of Del Henry. He won this role after emerging the winner of the second season of the SOAPnet original series I Wanna Be a Soap Star (2004).
Musser was born in New York City but grew up in New Jersey and other places. He graduated from the University of San Diego. Musser had a passion for sports and was an avid athlete. After college, he worked with the professional ski patrol at Mammoth Mountain, which is a ski resort in North America that is located in the eastern Sierra Mountains. When he was not working during the off-season, he worked as a lifeguard. During his third season, he was discovered by a modeling agent, which led to his first modeling job with Abercrombie and Fitch. He modeled for Gianfranco Ferre, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Speedo and Target.
While modeling, Musser started booking national commercials. It was at this time that he auditioned for I Wanna Be a Soap Star (2004), which landed him the role that brought him back to live in New York City.
Alec died 13 Jan 2024 of a self- inflicted gunshot wound.- Animation Department
- Director
- Writer
Starting as a cel washer, Chuck Jones worked his way up to animator and then director at the animation division of Warner Bros. He is famous for creating such beloved cartoon characters as Wile E. Coyote, Henery Hawk, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, Ralph Wolf, Road Runner, Sam Sheepdog, Sniffles, and many others, as well as adding to the development of Warner favorites such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and countless others.
His most famous cartoons tend to have been created with writer Michael Maltese. Jones' autobiography, published by Simon & Schuster "Chuck Amuck"--a pun on his Daffy Duck short Duck Amuck (1953)--gives a very amusing account of his life. It is liberally sprinkled with hundreds of cartoons with some color plates.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Nan Peterson was born on 7 July 1931 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. She was an actress, known for The Hideous Sun Demon (1958), Shotgun Wedding (1963) and The Twilight Zone (1959). She was married to Dr. James Clifford Doyle and James Edwin Moore. She died on 15 August 2023 in Corona del Mar, California, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Dubbed "The Sweetest Girl in Pictures", Mary Brian started life as Louise Byrdie Datzler. She was born in Corsicana, Texas, and went to high school in Dallas. Her widowed mother had big plans for young Louise and took her to California in 1923, with the intention of getting her into the film business. After several unsuccessful attempts, a bathing beauty competition in Long Beach resulted in a second-prize letter of introduction to Herbert Brenon at Paramount and the girl with the dark brown curls and blue/gray eyes wound up being screen-tested for the role of Wendy in Peter Pan (1924), co-starring Betty Bronson and Esther Ralston (with whom she would form lifelong friendships). She not only got the part but a five-year contract with Paramount (1925-30) and a new name.
In 1926 she became one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars, which further enhanced her popularity. During the next few years she played ornamental leads and second leads as adolescent heroines, co-eds and ingénues. Many of those early silent features no longer exist today (Paris at Midnight (1926), among others), though surviving reels of some, like The Air Mail (1925), can still be accessed at the Library of Congress. Mary effortlessly made the transition from silents to talkies, co-starring with Gary Cooper as a feisty schoolmarm on the frontier in The Virginian (1929). One of her biggest hits was as Gwen Cavendish in the urbane comedy The Royal Family of Broadway (1930), with Ina Claire and Fredric March. A thinly disguised caricature of the private lives of the Barrymore dynasty, it hit the mark to the extent that Ethel Barrymore even threatened to sue Paramount. Mary acted three times opposite W.C. Fields, first as his daughter in Running Wild (1927), later reprising her role for The Man on the Flying Trapeze (1934) (the third was Two Flaming Youths (1927), another lost film).
Signing up for another four-year contract, Mary was one of the all-star cast in the musical Paramount on Parade (1930) and then was given another good part in the first talkie version of The Front Page (1931). However, she was dropped from her contract (alongside her more illustrious colleagues Fay Wray and Jean Arthur) when Paramount began to forsake innocence and charm in favor of glamour and sophistication. From 1932 Mary freelanced and also performed occasionally in vaudeville at the Palace Theater. Arguably her last good picture was the romantic comedy Hard to Handle (1933), with James Cagney as a grifter (hilariously promoting grapefruit diets, spoofing his infamous scene with Mae Clarke in The Public Enemy (1931)). In 1936 Mary went to England, where she co-starred opposite Cary Grant in The Amazing Adventure (1936). She then made several pictures for Poverty Row companies such as Majestic and Monogram, including the low-budget potboiler I Escaped from the Gestapo (1943).
Mary's motion picture career faded after 1937 and she turned towards the stage. In 1940 she went on tour with "Three after Three" , alongside Simone Simon and Mitzi Green and later entertained American troops in the South Pacific as part of the USO. In the 1950's, she enjoyed a brief resurgence on television as the mother of a "Gidget"-type teen in the syndicated sitcom Meet Corliss Archer (1954). After the death of her second husband, the film editor George Tomasini, Mary spent her retirement fulfilling a lifelong passion for portrait painting.- Kane Richmond was born on 23 December 1906 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for The Lost City (1935), Brick Bradford (1947) and Spy Smasher (1942). He was married to Marion Burns. He died on 22 March 1973 in Corona Del Mar, Newport Beach, California, USA.
- Don Kennedy was born on 3 September 1921 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Stunt Man (1980), You Are There (1953) and Bat Masterson (1958). He died on 3 April 2013 in Del Mar, California, USA.
- Actress
- Editor
- Producer
Ruth Foster was born on 29 January 1920 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. She was an actress and editor, known for Cyborg 2087 (1966), Ben Casey (1961) and Little House on the Prairie (1974). She was married to Peter James. She died on 12 May 2012 in Del Mar, California, USA.- Bob Talmadge was born on 3 February 1924 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was married to Escoleta (Patricia) Marie McGough. He died on 19 July 2009 in Del Mar, California, USA.
- Brick Huston was born on 25 October 1936 in Davidson, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for Mannix (1967), The Streets of San Francisco (1972) and Police Story (1973). He was married to Lynne Marta. He died on 20 August 2018 in Corona Del Mar, California, USA.
- Drue Leyton was born on 12 June 1903 in Somers, Wisconsin, USA. She was an actress, known for Charlie Chan in London (1934), Blackmailer (1936) and Alibi for Murder (1936). She was married to Jacques Terrane. She died on 8 February 1997 in Corona Del Mar, California, USA.
- Actress
Born Christine Mae in Chickasha, Oklahoma, to Tip and Orrie Gossett and the last surviving and youngest of three children. She had two brothers, William Thomas Gossett of Birmingham, MI and Wayne I. Gossett of Rancho Santa Fe, California. Mr. and Mrs. Gossett owned and operated hotels in Oklahoma and then in Salt Lake City, Utah. A beautiful woman, aspiring to be an actress, Gossett moved with her family to Salt Lake City, and attended the University of Utah but, after moving to Hollywood, California, eventually found herself under contract to 20th Century Fox Studios where she met her future husband of 55 years and became Mrs. Leon Ames in 1938. Christine Ames became a devoted housewife to Leon and mother to Shelley in 1940 and to Leon, Jr. in 1943. The Ames family lived in Studio City, California, for well over 30 years and, in addition to the acting profession of her late husband, Leon, she served as president of their family owned car dealerships, originally coined Gossett-Ames Ford in Studio City. Leon and Chris Ames moved to Corona del Mar in 1978 where they enjoyed a warm and comfortable retirement until the death of Leon in 1993. Christine remained in their home the remainder of her life. Christine Gossett Ames passed away peacefully October 27, 2005 in Corona del Mar, California.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Beebe received a degree in mathematics and physics from Occidental College in 1935 and applied for navy flight training. He was designated a naval aviator in December 1937 and led two squadrons in World War II, being credited with 10.5 Japanese planes shot down. In the Korean War he commanded Air Group 5 aboard USS Essex in 1951-52, where he met novelist James Michener who wrote "The Bridges at Toko-Ri". Subsequently Beebe was naval attaché' to Venezuela and, promoted to captain, he commanded two ships including the carrier USS Bon Homme Richard. He retired in 1963.- Mr Salah M. Hassanein was born in 1921 in Egypt. He attended the British School, Alexandria, and the London School of Economics, Cairo. He came to the United States in 1945, where he served in the U.S. Armed forces from 1945 to 1947. He joined Skouras Theatres Corporation as an usher in 1947, and became President in 1961. Subsequently, and until 1987, Salah M. Hassanein was appointed Executive Vice president, a member of the Board of Directors of the United Artists Communications and President of United Artists Eastern Theatres. In 1987, he was appointed President of Warner Brothers International Theatres and was entrusted with the task of building a network of multiplex theatres in Europe, Japan and Australia on behalf of Warner Brothers. In July of 1994, he assumed the Presidency of The Todd-AO Corporation, which he occupied until June of 2000. Currently, he is President of SMH Entertainment, Chairman of the Board of PointSource Technology and a member of the Board of Directors of SeeBeyond. He is Chairman of the Board of Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens, past Chairman of the Board and President of Variety Clubs International, Honorary Chairman of the Will Rogers Memorial Fund, past Chairman and President of the Foundation of Motion Picture Pioneers, a member of the New York State Motion Picture and Television Advisory Board, an advisory board member of the National Bank of New York City, past member of the Board of Television & Film Committee of the United States Information Agency, a trustee of the North Shore Hospital, Manhasset, N.Y. and a member of the Board of Aging in America, Inc. He is also currently Chairman of the Variety International Lifeline Program. Mr Hassanein currently resides in San Diego and lives with British fashion designer Zandra Rhodes.
- Helena Greenwood was born on 26 August 1949 in Lymington, Hampshire, England. She died on 22 August 1985 in Del Mar, California, USA.
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
- Cinematographer
Jack Wilson was born in 1881. He was an actor and cinematographer, known for Tarzan of the Apes (1918), Midnight Secrets (1924) and The Supreme Test (1915). He died on 30 April 1979 in Corona Del Mar, California, USA.- Michael Leone was born on 29 June 1943 in New Jersey, USA. He was a producer, known for The Octagon (1980), A Force of One (1979) and Tough Enough (1983). He died on 26 June 1997 in Del Mar, California, USA.
- Linda Lorimer was born on 14 October 1936 in Oakland, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Batman (1966) and The Rounders (1966). She died on 28 June 1974 in Rio Del Mar, California, USA.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Arthur Johnston was born on 10 January 1898 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a composer, known for City Lights (1931), Raging Bull (1980) and The Artist (2011). He died on 1 May 1954 in Carona Del Mar, California, USA.- Producer
- Production Manager
- Director
After completing his education at the University of Pennsylvania, Hugh McCollum moved to Los Angeles and worked a variety of odd jobs before being hired as an assistant to an executive at First National Pictures. He later served as a business manager for several studios, and in 1929 joined Columbia Pictures as secretary to studio chief Harry Cohn. McCollum was promoted to assistant to the studio production chief, and in 1934 became business manager of Columbia's short subjects division. In 1937 he was elevated to executive producer of the department, a position he shared with Jules White. Although McCollum's duties tended more toward the business end of the department than the production end, he did in fact personally produce several comedy shorts, and even directed a handful, including several entries in The Three Stooges series. In 1952 he left Columbia to join Gene Autry's Flying A Productions as its production manager. He kept that position until his retirement.- Mary McAllister was born on 27 May 1909 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for On Trial (1917), The Devil's Skipper (1928) and The Midnight Watch (1927). She died on 1 May 1991 in Del Mar, California, USA.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
Vic Schoen was born on 26 March 1916 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Nightcrawler (2014), The Court Jester (1955) and Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958). He was married to Sally-Jan Calbeck, Marion Hutton, Kay Starr and Yvette Agnes Gowdy. He died on 5 January 2000 in Corona del Mar, California, USA.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Wein attended Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, PA, graduating in 1957. At Harvard in the early 1960s, he met a young Radcliffe heiress named Edie Sedgwick, reportedly in their psychiatrist's office. When Chuck decided to move to New York, Edie went with him. With fair skin, natural blond hair, and blue eyes, Chuck was convinced that he and Edie could become society darlings. Recognizing that Edie had great social potential but was too disorganized to promote herself, he took over her life. Acting as her promoter, he introduced Edie to Andy Warhol in January 1965, and began taking her regularly to Warhol's Factory. According to friends, Chuck plotted their every move - whom he was going to introduce to Edie that night, what they could do for her. Chuck called himself and Edie "mock elitists in fellowship... I was her roommate, shrink, astrologer, and Tarot instructor." He was a product of the Timothy Leary acid-experiment days. He was largely responsible for several Factory films, including 'Poor Little Rich Girl' and 'Beauty #2,' as well as conceiving 'My Hustler' and 'Ciao Manhattan.' After becoming disillusioned with Factory life, he spent the rest of the 60s adventuring in the Far East, managing bizarre nightclub acts, and focusing on the occult.- Animation Department
- Additional Crew
Retta Davidson was born on 1 November 1921 in Arcadia, California, USA. She is known for Heavy Metal (1981), The Great Mouse Detective (1986) and The Black Cauldron (1985). She died on 12 June 1998 in Del Mar, California, USA.- Make-Up Department
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Makeup artist Clay Campbell was born in Chicago in 1901, but grew up in Toronto, Canada. After graduating high school he journeyed to Los Angeles, where he got a job with a wax factory, creating and producing the faces of wax figures. His company was contracted to supply such figures for the Warner Bros. film Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), and Campbell's work was noticed by Perc Westmore, chief of Warners' makeup department. He hired Campbell to be his assistant. After gaining experience there, Campbell left Warners and went to work for 20th Century-Fox, heading its makeup department, then to Columbia Pictures, where he ran that studio's makeup division. His work can be seen in such films as Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), The Son of Dr. Jekyll (1951), and The Werewolf (1956). He retired in 1966.