- published: 08 Dec 2013
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Peter Lorre (26 June 1904 – 23 March 1964) was an Austrian-American actor frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner.
He caused an international sensation with his portrayal of a serial killer who preys on little girls in the German film M (1931). Later he became a popular featured player in Hollywood crime films and mysteries, in particular with Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet, and as the star of the successful Mr. Moto detective series.
Lorre was born László Löwenstein on 26 June 1904, as the first child of Jewish couple Alajos Löwenstein and Elvira Freischberger, in the Austrian-Hungarian town of Ružomberok in present-day Slovakia, then known by its Hungarian name Rózsahegy. His parents had recently moved there, following his father's appointment as chief bookkeeper at a local textile mill. Beside working as a bookkeeper, Alajos Löwenstein also served as a lieutenant in the Austrian army reserve, which meant that he was often away on military manoeuvres. When Lorre was four years old, his mother died, probably of food poisoning, leaving Alajos with three very young sons, the youngest only a couple of months old. He soon remarried, to his wife's best friend, Melanie Klein, with whom he had two more children. However, Lorre and his stepmother never got on, and this coloured his childhood memories.
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic performances in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.
Price was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Marguerite Cobb (née Wilcox) and Vincent Leonard Price, Sr., who was the president of the National Candy Company. His grandfather, Vincent Clarence Price, invented "Dr. Price's Baking Powder," the first cream of tartar baking powder, and secured the family's fortune.
Price attended St. Louis Country Day School. He was further educated at Yale in art history and fine art. He was a member of the Courtauld Institute, London. He became interested in the theatre during the 1930s, appearing professionally on stage for the first time in 1935.
He made his film debut in 1938 with Service de Luxe and established himself in the film Laura (1944), opposite Gene Tierney, directed by Otto Preminger. He also played Joseph Smith, Jr. in the movie Brigham Young (1940) and William Gibbs McAdoo in Wilson (1944) as well as a pretentious priest in The Keys of the Kingdom (1944).
Humphrey DeForest Bogart (December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957) was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon. The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema.
After trying various jobs, Bogart began acting in 1921 and became a regular in Broadway productions in the 1920s and 1930s. When the stock market crash of 1929 reduced the demand for plays, Bogart turned to film. His first great success was as Duke Mantee in The Petrified Forest (1936), and this led to a period of typecasting as a gangster with films such as Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) and B-movies like The Return of Doctor X (1939).
Bogart's breakthrough as a leading man came in 1941, with High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon. The next year, his performance in Casablanca raised him to the peak of his profession and, at the same time, cemented his trademark film persona, that of the hard-boiled cynic who ultimately shows his noble side. Other successes followed, including To Have and Have Not (1944); The Big Sleep (1946); Dark Passage (1947) and Key Largo (1948), with his wife Lauren Bacall; The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); In a Lonely Place (1950); The African Queen (1951), for which he won his only Academy Award; Sabrina (1954); and The Caine Mutiny (1954). His last movie was The Harder They Fall (1956). During a film career of almost thirty years, he appeared in 75 feature films.
Actors: Nancy Hanks (producer), Nancy Hanks (editor), Nancy Hanks (director), Nancy Hanks (composer), Steve Gelder (actor), Luciana Lagana (actress), Gregory Graham (actor), Craig C. Chen (actor), Vanessa Bednar (actress), Shalonda Shaw (actress), Holly Beavon (actress), Alistair McKenzie (actor), Susan R. Upperco (producer), Susan R. Upperco (actress), Linda Simeone (writer),
Genres: Fantasy,Actors: Philippe Mora (director), Philippe Mora (producer), Philippe Mora (actor), Philippe Mora (writer), Rena Riffel (actress), Hoyt Richards (actor), Paul Clemens (actor), Georges Mora (miscellaneous crew), Georges Mora (actor), Pamela Krause Mora (producer), Harald Grosskopf (composer), Victoria Bullock (actress), Anni Blackhurst (actress), Dan Allington (editor),
Genres: Thriller,Actors: Joe Alaskey (actor), Brendan Fraser (actor), Joe Alaskey (actor), Joe Alaskey (actor), Timothy Dalton (actor), Brendan Fraser (actor), Jeff Bennett (actor), Jeff Bennett (actor), Jeff Bennett (actor), Bob Bergen (actor), Mel Blanc (actor), Joe Alaskey (actor), Joe Alaskey (actor), Roger Corman (actor), Brendan Fraser (actor),
Plot: Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are up to their feuding ways again. Tired of playing second fiddle to Bugs, Daffy has decided to leave the Studio for good. He is aided by Warner Bros.' humor impaired Vice President of Comedy, Kate Houghton, who releases him from his contract and instructs WB security guard/aspiring stunt man DJ Drake to capture and "escort" Daffy off the studio lot. Suddenly a sidekick without a hero, the duck decides to ally himself with DJ, whether he likes it or not. Consequently, Daffy is on the scene when DJ discovers that his famous movie star father was Damian Drake, known for playing suave international spies onscreen, is actually a suave international spy in real life--and has been kidnapped by the evil insane nerdy, prancing villain known as Mr. Chairman of the equally nefarious Acme Corporation. It seems that Damian knows the whereabouts of the mysterious magical and powerful Blue Monkey Diamond, and the Chairman will do anything to get his hands on it! With Daffy in tow, DJ hits the road in a desperate attempt to outrace the evil Acme stooges to the diamond and save the world from their evil clutches. Unbeknownst to the two neo-spies, they are also being followed by VP Kate and Bugs--the studio brass has decided that the rabbit needs a comic foil after all, and Kate's job is on the line if she can't get Daffy back to work ASAP.
Keywords: acme-brand, africa, banana-peel, beaky-buzzard, bird, breaking-the-fourth-wall, car-chase, cartoon-bird, cartoon-dog, cartoon-duckActors: John W. Iwanonkiw (actor), Phil Hawn (actor), Andy Heyward (actor), D.L. Hughley (actor), Rupert Everett (actor), Brian George (actor), Don Adams (actor), Andy Dick (actor), Matthew Broderick (actor), Matthew Broderick (actor), Matthew Broderick (actor), Rene Auberjonois (actor), Dabney Coleman (actor), J.P. Manoux (actor), Richard Kiel (actor),
Plot: A remake of the television series, Matthew Broderick stars as Gadget, who suffers an accident at the beginning of the film, and befriends Brenda, a robotic surgeon who repairs Gadget so that he can defeat the villain Claw. In the meantime, Gadget and Brenda fall in love.
Keywords: actor-playing-multiple-roles, actress-playing-multiple-roles, android, animal-licking-someone, audio-flashback, babe-scientist, back-from-the-dead, ballroom, based-on-cartoon, based-on-tv-seriesActors: Arthur Franz (actor), Richard Dysart (actor), Robert Karnes (actor), Charles Bernstein (composer), Charles W. Fries (producer), Vincent Sherman (director), William Phipps (actor), Ross Elliott (actor), Patricia Barry (actress), Drew Barrymore (actress), Ann Wedgeworth (actress), John Colton (actor), Norman Burton (actor), Orin Kennedy (miscellaneous crew), Orin Kennedy (miscellaneous crew),
Plot: This TV movie focuses on the life of actor Humphrey Bogart, particularly the part of his life when his marriage to actress Mayo Methot was breaking up and his relationship with future wife Lauren Bacall was just beginning.
Keywords: acting, actor, actress, based-on-novel, filmmaking, hollywood, stardomActors: Whitey Hughes (actor), John Myhers (actor), Burt Mustin (actor), Jay Robinson (actor), Dan Gordon (writer), Jack DeLeon (actor), Jimmy Lennon Sr. (actor), Roberta Collins (actress), Phyllis Davis (actress), James T. Heckert (editor), Gordon A. Webb (producer), Jay Lawrence (actor), Jay Lawrence (actor), Tracy Reed (actress), Peter Ratray (actor),
Plot: Harry Williams, member of the rhythm & blues band, Bloodstone, is about to go onstage for a concert when he is hit on the head. The rest that follows is his dream. The four band members become conductors on a train filled with characters and (impersonated) actors from the 1930s, such as W.C. Fields, Dracula, and Scarlett O'Hara. Various songs are featured. The singing conductors are obliged to solve a mystery; Marlon Brando is murdering Nelson Eddy, Jeanette McDonald and others by suffocating them in his armpits. A wacky funeral, a fight with a gorilla, and the threat of being turned into a wax museum figure are all part of Harry's dream.
Keywords: independent-film, it-was-all-a-dream, reference-to-w.c.-fields, trainActors: Paul Frees (actor), Paul Frees (actor), Paul Frees (actor), Paul Frees (actor), Paul Frees (actor), Paul Frees (actor), Paul Frees (actor), Paul Frees (actor), Paul Frees (actor), Paul Frees (actor), Bill Scott (actor), Bill Scott (actor), Bill Scott (actor), Bill Scott (actor), Bill Scott (actor),
Genres: Comedy,Actors: John Eldredge (actor), Michael Dugan (actor), Phil Arnold (actor), Leonard Bremen (actor), Ralph Brooks (actor), Jim Backus (actor), George Chakiris (actor), Roscoe Ates (actor), Jerry Colonna (actor), Chuck Courtney (actor), Dan Dailey (actor), Jack Daly (actor), Benny Burt (actor), Sammy Davis Jr. (actor), Dick Elliott (actor),
Plot: Chuck Redwell is a gambling cowboy who discovers that he's lucky at the roulette wheel if he holds hands with dancer Marie. However, Marie doesn't like to hold hands with him, at least not to begin with...
Keywords: gambling, loveActors: Jonathan Hale (actor), Paul Henreid (actor), Jack Carson (actor), Richard Erdman (actor), Alan Hale (actor), Victor Francen (actor), John Garfield (actor), James Flavin (actor), Dane Clark (actor), Joe E. Brown (actor), Jack Benny (actor), John Dehner (actor), Eddie Cantor (actor), Ralph Dunn (actor), Robert Hutton (actor),
Plot: Two soldiers on sick leave spend three nights at the Hollywood Canteen before going back to active duty. With a little friendly help from John Garfield, Slim gets to kiss Joan Leslie, who he has been dreaming about while in the Pacific. He meets her later at the Farmer's Market. On the third night, Slim is the millionth man into the Canteen, earning him a date with Joan. Slim thinks he's been duped when she doesn't show up at his train. Slim's buddy Sergant dances with Joan Crawford. Canteen President Bette Davis praises the canteen and the war effort. Virtually everyone Warners could spare entertains.
Keywords: dancing-horse, hollywood, hollywood-sign, hollywoodland, horse, kiss, obsessed-fan, purple-heart, shore-leave, soldierActors: Treg Brown (editor), Kent Rogers (actor), Sara Berner (actress), Sara Berner (actress), Sara Berner (actress), Sara Berner (actress), Leon Schlesinger (producer), Carl W. Stalling (composer), Tex Avery (director), Mel Blanc (actor), Mel Blanc (actor), Kent Rogers (actor), Kent Rogers (actor), Dave Barry (actor), Dave Barry (actor),
Plot: A tour of Ciro's Nightclub packed with caricatures of many top stars, including (in order) 'Cary Grant', 'Greta Garbo' (qv) 'Edward G. Robinson' and 'Ann Sheridan' (qv), 'Johnny Weissmuller' (qv), 'James Cagney' (qv), 'Humphrey Bogart' (qv) and 'George Raft' (qv), 'Harpo Marx' (qv), 'Clark Gable', 'Bing Crosby' (qv), 'Leopold Stokowski' (qv), 'James Stewart (I)' (qv) and 'Dorothy Lamour' (qv), 'Tyrone Power (I)' and 'Sonja Henie' (qv), The Frankenstein Monster, 'Larry Fine (I)' (qv), 'Moe Howard (I)' (qv), 'Curly Howard' (qv), 'Oliver Hardy' (qv), 'Cesar Romero (I)' (qv), 'Mickey Rooney (I)' (qv), 'Judy Garland (I)' and 'Lewis Stone (I)' (qv), 'Kay Kyser' (qv), 'Peter Lorre (I)' (qv), 'Henry Fonda' (qv), 'J. Edgar Hoover' (qv), 'Ned Sparks (I)' (qv), 'Jerry Colonna' (qv), and 'Groucho Marx' (qv); many more just get sight gags, such as 'Claudette Colbert', 'Norma Shearer' (qv), 'William Powell (I)' (qv), 'Don Ameche' (qv), 'Wallace Beery' (qv), 'C. Aubrey Smith' (qv), 'Boris Karloff' (qv), 'Arthur Treacher' (qv), 'Buster Keaton' (qv) and 'Mischa Auer' (qv).
Keywords: celebrity, celebrity-caricature, conga, dancing, fan-dancer, horse, hotfoot, merrie-melodies, nightclub, reference-to-jerry-colonna