Jo Swerling (April 8, 1897 - October 23, 1964) was an American theatre writer, lyricist and screenwriter.

Born in Berdichev, Russian Empire, Swerling was a refugee of the Czarist regime who grew up on New York City's lower East Side, where he sold newspapers to help support his family. He worked as a newspaper and magazine writer in the early 1920s, then launched a playwriting career, including Street Cinderella, an early comedy for the Marx Brothers. He also wrote their first movie, the unreleased silent comedy short film Humor Risk (1921). He scored a major success with the book and lyrics for the musical revue The New Yorkers (1927) and the play The Kibitzer (1929), the latter co-written with actor Edward G. Robinson.

Swerling was brought to Hollywood by Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohn to work on the screenplay for Frank Capra's Ladies of Leisure (1930), the first of several collaborations with the director. His dozens of screenplays in the 1930s and 40s include Platinum Blonde, Behind the Mask, Once to Every Woman, The Pride of the Yankees (for which he received an Academy Award nomination), Lifeboat, Leave Her to Heaven, and It's a Wonderful Life. He also provided some uncredited writing for the Gone with the Wind screenplay.

James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime Achievement award. He was a major MGM contract star. He also had a noted military career and was a World War II and Vietnam War veteran, who rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force Reserve.

James Maitland Stewart was born on May 20, 1908, in Indiana, Pennsylvania, the son of Elizabeth Ruth (née Jackson) and Alexander Maitland Stewart, who owned a hardware store. Stewart's parents were of Scottish descent and Presbyterians. His maternal ancestors served in the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the American Civil War. The eldest of three children (he had two younger sisters, Virginia and Mary), he was expected to continue his father's business, which had been in the family for three generations. His mother was an excellent pianist but his father discouraged Stewart's request for lessons. But when his father accepted a gift of an accordion from a guest, young Stewart quickly learned to play the instrument, which became a fixture off-stage during his acting career. As the family grew, music continued to be an important part of family life.

Frank Russell Capra (May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s. His rags-to-riches story, having worked his way through college, has led film historians like Ian Freer to consider Capra the "American dream personified."

Capra became one of America's most powerful directors during the 1930s, winning three Oscars as Best Director. Among his leading films was It Happened One Night (1934), which became the first film to win all five top Oscars, including Best Picture. Other leading films included Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Lost Horizon (1937), You Can't Take It With You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Meet John Doe (1941), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and State of the Union (1948). Because of his early fame as a director, his name was listed "above the title" of his films when they were publicized. People "flocked to the theaters" during the 1930s and 1940s to see films directed by Frank Capra.

Cheyenne Jackson (born July 12, 1975) is an American actor and singer. He has played in many prominent roles in theater on Broadway, off-Broadway and throughout the United States starting with his first Broadway leading role in All Shook Up earning him a Theatre World Award for "Outstanding Broadway Debut". In 2006, he starred in lead role as Sonny in Xanadu, that earned him nominations from the Drama League and Drama Desk for Outstanding Lead Actor.

He has also appeared in a number of films, including portrayal of Mark Bingham in the 2006 Academy Award nominated United 93 which earned him the Boston Society of Film Critics 2006 award for "Best Ensemble Cast", in television series like NBC's 30 Rock, Fox's Glee and guest starring on several TV series and in webisodes.

He has starred in a sold out one man show, "Back to the Start" and besides his theatrical musical career, has also developed a general musical career, with a joint album The Power of Two with Michael Feinstein in 2008 and a debut single "Drive" in 2012 followed by similarly titled EP Drive.

Laura Ann Osnes (born November 19, 1985) is an American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage. She has played starring roles in Grease as Sandy, Anything Goes as Hope, and Bonnie and Clyde as Bonnie Parker, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Musical.

Osnes was born in Burnsville, Minnesota, and raised in Eagan, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. Her first acting performance was in the second grade, where she played a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz. She attended Eagan High School, and then the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point for one year where she majored in Musical Theatre and appeared in Fiddler on the Roof and Seussical the Musical.

Laura also participated in productions at the acclaimed Children's Theatre Company the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and the world-renowned Guthrie Theatre before she graduated from Eagan High School

In 2005–2006 she returned to Minneapolis to be a performing apprentice at the Children's Theatre Company, performing in Working, Aladdin Jr., Prom, and Pippi Longstocking. In 2006, she choreographed and starred in Peter Pan in Eagan community theatre. She also played the lead of Sandy in Chanhassen Dinner Theatres' production of Grease, but her run was cut short when she was chosen to compete in the nationally televised Broadway talent competition Grease: You're the One that I Want!.