1.
Manhattan, New York City
–
Manhattan is the most densely populated borough of New York City, its economic and administrative center, and the citys historical birthplace. The borough is coextensive with New York County, founded on November 1,1683, Manhattan is often described as the cultural and financial capital of the world and hosts the United Nations Headquarters. Many multinational media conglomerates are based in the borough and it is historically documented to have been purchased by Dutch colonists from Native Americans in 1626 for 60 guilders which equals US$1062 today. New York County is the United States second-smallest county by land area, on business days, the influx of commuters increases that number to over 3.9 million, or more than 170,000 people per square mile. Manhattan has the third-largest population of New York Citys five boroughs, after Brooklyn and Queens, the City of New York was founded at the southern tip of Manhattan, and the borough houses New York City Hall, the seat of the citys government. The name Manhattan derives from the word Manna-hata, as written in the 1609 logbook of Robert Juet, a 1610 map depicts the name as Manna-hata, twice, on both the west and east sides of the Mauritius River. The word Manhattan has been translated as island of hills from the Lenape language. The United States Postal Service prefers that mail addressed to Manhattan use New York, NY rather than Manhattan, the area that is now Manhattan was long inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans. In 1524, Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano – sailing in service of King Francis I of France – was the first European to visit the area that would become New York City. It was not until the voyage of Henry Hudson, an Englishman who worked for the Dutch East India Company, a permanent European presence in New Netherland began in 1624 with the founding of a Dutch fur trading settlement on Governors Island. In 1625, construction was started on the citadel of Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island, later called New Amsterdam, the 1625 establishment of Fort Amsterdam at the southern tip of Manhattan Island is recognized as the birth of New York City. In 1846, New York historian John Romeyn Brodhead converted the figure of Fl 60 to US$23, variable-rate myth being a contradiction in terms, the purchase price remains forever frozen at twenty-four dollars, as Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace remarked in their history of New York. Sixty guilders in 1626 was valued at approximately $1,000 in 2006, based on the price of silver, Straight Dope author Cecil Adams calculated an equivalent of $72 in 1992. In 1647, Peter Stuyvesant was appointed as the last Dutch Director General of the colony, New Amsterdam was formally incorporated as a city on February 2,1653. In 1664, the English conquered New Netherland and renamed it New York after the English Duke of York and Albany, the Dutch Republic regained it in August 1673 with a fleet of 21 ships, renaming the city New Orange. Manhattan was at the heart of the New York Campaign, a series of battles in the early American Revolutionary War. The Continental Army was forced to abandon Manhattan after the Battle of Fort Washington on November 16,1776. The city, greatly damaged by the Great Fire of New York during the campaign, became the British political, British occupation lasted until November 25,1783, when George Washington returned to Manhattan, as the last British forces left the city
Manhattan, New York City
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View from
Midtown Manhattan, facing south toward
Lower Manhattan
Manhattan, New York City
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Peter Minuit, early 1600s.
Manhattan, New York City
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The
Castello Plan showing the Dutch colonial city of
New Amsterdam in 1660 – then confined to the southern tip of Manhattan Island.
Manhattan, New York City
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J.Q.A. Ward 's statue of
George Washington in front of
Federal Hall (on
Wall Street) where he was inaugurated as the first
U.S. President in 1789.
2.
New York (state)
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New York is a state in the northeastern United States, and is the 27th-most extensive, fourth-most populous, and seventh-most densely populated U. S. state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south and Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont to the east. With an estimated population of 8.55 million in 2015, New York City is the most populous city in the United States, the New York Metropolitan Area is one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. New York City makes up over 40% of the population of New York State, two-thirds of the states population lives in the New York City Metropolitan Area, and nearly 40% lives on Long Island. Both the state and New York City were named for the 17th-century Duke of York, the next four most populous cities in the state are Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, and Syracuse, while the state capital is Albany. New York has a diverse geography and these more mountainous regions are bisected by two major river valleys—the north-south Hudson River Valley and the east-west Mohawk River Valley, which forms the core of the Erie Canal. Western New York is considered part of the Great Lakes Region and straddles Lake Ontario, between the two lakes lies Niagara Falls. The central part of the state is dominated by the Finger Lakes, New York had been inhabited by tribes of Algonquian and Iroquoian-speaking Native Americans for several hundred years by the time the earliest Europeans came to New York. The first Europeans to arrive were French colonists and Jesuit missionaries who arrived southward from settlements at Montreal for trade, the British annexed the colony from the Dutch in 1664. The borders of the British colony, the Province of New York, were similar to those of the present-day state, New York is home to the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the United States and its ideals of freedom, democracy, and opportunity. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. On April 17,1524 Verrazanno entered New York Bay, by way of the now called the Narrows into the northern bay which he named Santa Margherita. Verrazzano described it as a vast coastline with a delta in which every kind of ship could pass and he adds. This vast sheet of water swarmed with native boats and he landed on the tip of Manhattan and possibly on the furthest point of Long Island. Verrazannos stay was interrupted by a storm which pushed him north towards Marthas Vineyard, in 1540 French traders from New France built a chateau on Castle Island, within present-day Albany, due to flooding, it was abandoned the next year. In 1614, the Dutch under the command of Hendrick Corstiaensen, rebuilt the French chateau, Fort Nassau was the first Dutch settlement in North America, and was located along the Hudson River, also within present-day Albany. The small fort served as a trading post and warehouse, located on the Hudson River flood plain, the rudimentary fort was washed away by flooding in 1617, and abandoned for good after Fort Orange was built nearby in 1623. Henry Hudsons 1609 voyage marked the beginning of European involvement with the area, sailing for the Dutch East India Company and looking for a passage to Asia, he entered the Upper New York Bay on September 11 of that year
New York (state)
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British general
John Burgoyne surrenders at
Saratoga in 1777.
New York (state)
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Flag
New York (state)
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1800 map of New York from
Low's Encyclopaedia
New York (state)
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The
Erie Canal at
Lockport, New York in 1839
3.
Hollywood, California
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Hollywood is an ethnically diverse, densely populated neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It is notable as the home of the U. S. film industry, including several of its studios, and its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the industry. Hollywood was a community in 1870 and was incorporated as a municipality in 1903. It was consolidated with the city of Los Angeles in 1910, in 1853, one adobe hut stood in Nopalera, named for the Mexican Nopal cactus indigenous to the area. By 1870, an agricultural community flourished, the area was known as the Cahuenga Valley, after the pass in the Santa Monica Mountains immediately to the north. According to the diary of H. J. Whitley, known as the Father of Hollywood, along came a Chinese man in a wagon carrying wood. The man got out of the wagon and bowed, the Chinese man was asked what he was doing and replied, I holly-wood, meaning hauling wood. H. J. Whitley had an epiphany and decided to name his new town Hollywood, Holly would represent England and wood would represent his Scottish heritage. Whitley had already started over 100 towns across the western United States, Whitley arranged to buy the 500-acre E. C. Hurd ranch and disclosed to him his plans for the land. They agreed on a price and Hurd agreed to sell at a later date, before Whitley got off the ground with Hollywood, plans for the new town had spread to General Harrison Gray Otis, Hurds wife, eastern adjacent ranch co-owner Daeida Wilcox, and others. Daeida Wilcox may have learned of the name Hollywood from Ivar Weid, her neighbor in Holly Canyon and she recommended the same name to her husband, Harvey. In August 1887, Wilcox filed with the Los Angeles County Recorders office a deed and parcel map of property he had sold named Hollywood, Wilcox wanted to be the first to record it on a deed. The early real-estate boom busted that year, yet Hollywood began its slow growth. By 1900, the region had a post office, newspaper, hotel, Los Angeles, with a population of 102,479 lay 10 miles east through the vineyards, barley fields, and citrus groves. A single-track streetcar line ran down the middle of Prospect Avenue from it, but service was infrequent, the old citrus fruit-packing house was converted into a livery stable, improving transportation for the inhabitants of Hollywood. The Hollywood Hotel was opened in 1902 by H. J. Whitley who was a president of the Los Pacific Boulevard, having finally acquired the Hurd ranch and subdivided it, Whitley built the hotel to attract land buyers. Flanking the west side of Highland Avenue, the structure fronted on Prospect Avenue, the hotel was to become internationally known and was the center of the civic and social life and home of the stars for many years. Whitleys company developed and sold one of the residential areas
Hollywood, California
–
The Four Ladies installation at the
Hollywood Boulevard –
La Brea Avenue Gateway
Hollywood, California
–
Glen-Holly Hotel, first hotel in Hollywood, at the corner of what is now Yucca Street. It was built in the 1890s.
Hollywood, California
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Hollywood Hotel, 1905
Hollywood, California
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The intersection of
Hollywood and Highland, 1907
4.
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
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Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the location of Forest Lawn, a chain of six cemeteries in Southern California. Forest Lawn Glendale was founded in 1906 as a cemetery by a group of businessmen from San Francisco. Dr. Hubert Eaton and C. B. Sims entered into a contract with the cemetery in 1912. Eaton took over the management of the cemetery in 1917, Eaton was a firm believer in a joyous life after death. A number of plaques which state Eatons intentions are signed The Builder, frederick Llewellyn, Eatons nephew, became CEO of Forest Lawn in 1966. In 1987 he was succeeded by his son, John Llewellyn, for many decades the cemetery refused black, Jewish, and Chinese burials. The Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale was founded in 1957 and displays art, artifacts, the museum has hosted solo exhibitions for Henri Matisse, Winslow Homer, Ian Hornak, Francisco Goya, Rembrandt, Marc Davis and Reuben Nakian among many others. The objects in Forest Lawns permanent collection represent specific locations and peoples from around the world, there are sections for India, Africa, the Middle East, East and Southeast Asia, the United States, South America, Australia and Europe. D. The stained glass collection includes portions of William Randolph Hearsts former collection and owns the work of Albrecht Dürer, all of these precious art pieces are put in storage or hidden behind temporary walls when a special display is on site. The six Forest Lawn cemeteries contain about 1,500 statues, about 10% of which are reproductions of works of art. On display in the Hall of the Crucifixion is the painting by the Polish artist Jan Styka entitled The Crucifixion. It is the largest permanently mounted religious painting in the world, the main gates of Forest Lawn – Glendale are claimed to be the worlds largest wrought iron gates. Over 60,000 people have actually been married here, including Ronald Reagan, more than 250,000 people are buried at Forest Lawn, and over a million people visit it each year, including thousands of schoolchildren on field trips. Many commentators have considered Forest Lawn to be a unique American creation, the Great Mausoleum was fashioned after Campo Santo in Genoa, Italy and contains many of the most highly sought after interment places within Forest Lawn, Glendale. Within the portion of the Great Mausoleum accessible to the public is the Court of Honor where individuals are inducted as Immortals by Forest Lawns Council of Regents, the rest of the structure is protected by guards and is closed to the public. Time magazine described it as the New Worlds Westminster Abbey, in 2009 the cemetery became the focus of intense media interest surrounding the private interment of Michael Jackson in the privacy of Holly Terrace in the Great Mausoleum. List of United States cemeteries Providencia Ranch The Loved One – a satirical novel inspired by Forest Lawn, official website Evelyn Waughs witty essay, Half in love with easeful death, imagines archaeologists in 1000 years coming upon Forest Lawn
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
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Forest Lawn's Great Mausoleum
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
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Song of the Angels by
William Bouguereau, 1881.
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
–
A copy of
Michelangelo 's
David
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
–
Mosaic of
Trumbull's Declaration of Independence
5.
Sam Marx
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Samuel Marx was the husband of Minnie Marx, and father of the Marx Brothers. According to his certificate, Marx was born as Simon Marx in Alsace, France. Due to his place of birth, he was known as Frenchie and he met Minnie in New York where he was working as a dance teacher. They married in 1884 and had six sons and their first son, Manfred, born 1885, died in infancy. The other children were Leonard, born in 1887, Adolph in 1888, Julius in 1890, Milton in 1892, Marx was an excellent pinochle player, a game he taught to his two oldest sons. Marx became a tailor, although not a good one. He was a cook, often convincing the landlord to delay their rent paytime with a good meal. Harpo put the bad tailoring down to the fact that Frenchie never took the time to measure a client for a suit and he then took the suits that clients had rejected, travel to New Jersey, and sell them door-to-door. In his last interview, Zeppo joked that his father was a very bad tailor but he found people who were so stupid that they would buy his clothes. Sam Marx died on May 10,1933, from due to kidney failure. Family — The Marx Brothers Sam Marx at the Internet Movie Database Sam Marx at Find a Grave
Sam Marx
–
Sam Marx in his late years
6.
Minnie Marx
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Minnie Marx was the mother and manager of the Marx Brothers, wife of Sam Marx, and the sister of vaudeville star Al Shean. Marx was born Miene Schönberg in Dornum, Germany and her parents Fanny née Salomons and Levy Lafe Schönberg were members of the local Jewish community. Her mother was a yodeling harpist, her father a ventriloquist and her younger brother, Abraham Elieser Adolf, the future Al Shean, was born in 1868. About 1880 the family emigrated to New York City, where Minnie married Samuel Frenchie Marx in 1884. While managing the Marx Brothers, she went under the name of Minnie Palmer. She played the harp as did her mother and her son, Marx was also the main character in the stage musical Minnies Boys. As a tribute to her, all the Marx Brothers daughters were given names began with M. Family - The Marx Brothers Minnie Marx at Find a Grave
Minnie Marx
–
Minnie Marx
Minnie Marx
–
The only known photo of the entire Marx family, c. 1915
7.
Harpo Marx
–
Arthur Marx, known professionally as Harpo Marx, was an American comedian, actor, mime artist, and musician, and the second-oldest of the Marx Brothers. In contrast to the mainly verbal comedy of his brothers Groucho and Chico, Harpos comic style was visual and he wore a curly reddish blonde wig, and never spoke during performances. He frequently used such as a horn cane, made up of a lead pipe, tape, and a bulbhorn. Harpo was born on November 23,1888 in Manhattan, New York City and he grew up in a neighborhood now known as Carnegie Hill on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, on East 93rd Street off Lexington Avenue. The turn-of-the-century building that Harpo called the first real home they ever knew was populated with European immigrants, just across the street were the oldest brownstones in the area, owned by people like David L. Loew and William Orth. Harpos parents were Sam Marx and his wife, Minnie Schoenberg Marx and his mother was from East Frisia in Germany, and his father was a native of Alsace in France and worked as a tailor. Harpo received little education and left grade school at age eight during his second attempt to pass the second grade. In January 1910, Harpo joined two of his brothers, Julius and Milton, to form The Three Nightingales, later changed to simply The Marx Brothers, multiple stories—most unsubstantiated—exist to explain Harpos evolution as the silent character in the brothers act. Harpo gained his name during a card game at the Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg. The dealer called him Harpo because he played the harp and he learned how to hold it properly from a picture of an angel playing a harp that he saw in a five-and-dime. No one in town knew how to play the harp, so Harpo tuned it as best he could, starting with one basic note and tuning it from there. Three years later he found out he had tuned it incorrectly, but he could not have tuned it properly, if he had, Harpos method placed much less tension on the strings. Although he played this way for the rest of his life, he did try to learn how to play correctly and they spent their time listening to him, fascinated by the way he played. In the autobiography Harpo Speaks, he recounts how Chico found him playing piano to accompany silent movies. Harpo had changed his name from Adolph to Arthur by 1911 and this was due primarily to his dislike for the name Adolph. The name change may have happened because of the similarity between Harpos name and Adolph Marks, a prominent show business attorney in Chicago. His first screen appearance was in the film Humor Risk, with his brothers, although according to Groucho, it was screened once. Four years later, Harpo appeared without his brothers in Too Many Kisses, four years before the brothers first released film, in Too Many Kisses, Harpo spoke the only line he would ever speak on-camera in a movie, You sure you cant move
Harpo Marx
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Harpo Marx in 1931
Harpo Marx
–
Harpo Marx playing the
harp
Harpo Marx
–
The Marx Brothers (from top,
Chico, Harpo,
Groucho, and
Zeppo Marx)
Harpo Marx
–
Harpo and Chico Marx in "The Incredible Jewelry Robbery"
8.
Groucho Marx
–
Julius Henry Marx, known professionally as Groucho Marx, was an American comedian, stage, film and television star. He was known as a master of quick wit and is considered one of the best comedians of the modern era. His rapid-fire, often impromptu delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers and imitators and he made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born. He also had a solo career, most notably as the host of the radio. His distinctive appearance, carried over from his days in vaudeville, included such as an exaggerated stooped posture, glasses, cigar. Julius Marx was born on October 2,1890, in Manhattan, New York City. Marx stated that he was born in a room above a shop on East 78th Street in Manhattan, New York City, Between Lexington & 3rd. The Marx children grew up on East 93rd Street off Lexington Avenue in a neighborhood now known as Carnegie Hill on the Upper East Side of the borough of Manhattan, in New York City. The turn-of-the-century building that his brother Harpo called the first real home they ever knew was populated with European immigrants, just across the street were the oldest brownstones in the area, owned by people such as the well-connected Loew Brothers and William Orth. The Marx family lived at this location for about 14 years, Grouchos mother was Miene Minnie Schoenberg, whose family came from Dornum in northern Germany when she was 16 years old. His father was Simon Sam Marx, who changed his name from Marrix, minnies brother was Al Schoenberg, who shortened his name to Al Shean when he went into show business as half of Gallagher and Shean, a noted vaudeville act of the early 20th century. According to Groucho, when Shean visited he would throw the local waifs a few coins so that when he knocked at the door he would be surrounded by adoring fans, Marx and his brothers respected his opinions and asked him on several occasions to write some material for them. Minnie Marx did not have an entertainment industry career but had ambition for her sons to go on the stage like their uncle. While pushing her eldest son Leonard in piano lessons she found that Julius had a pleasant soprano voice, juliuss early career goal was to become a doctor, but the familys need for income forced him out of school at the age of twelve. By that time young Julius had become a reader, particularly fond of Horatio Alger. Marx would continue to overcome his lack of education by becoming very well-read. Marx reputedly claimed that he was hopelessly average as a vaudevillian, by 1909 Minnie Marx had assembled her sons into a forgettable-quality vaudeville singing group billed as The Four Nightingales. The brothers Julius, Milton and Arthur and another boy singer, Lou Levy, after exhausting their prospects in the East the family moved to La Grange, Illinois, to play the Midwest
Groucho Marx
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Groucho Marx, c. 1950
Groucho Marx
–
An early photo of the Marx brothers with their parents in New York City, 1915; from left: Groucho, Gummo, Minnie (mother), Zeppo, Frenchie (father), Chico, and Harpo
Groucho Marx
–
The Marx Brothers in 1931 (from top,
Chico,
Harpo, Groucho, and
Zeppo)
Groucho Marx
–
Groucho and
Eve Arden in a scene from
At the Circus (1939)
9.
Gummo Marx
–
Milton Marx, better known by his stage name Gummo Marx, was an American vaudevillian performer, actor, comedian and theatrical agent. He was the second youngest of the five Marx Brothers and his parents were Sam Marx, and his wife, Minnie Schoenberg Marx. His mother was from Dornum in East Frisia, and his father was a native of Alsace, although the fourth Marx Brother in age, he was the first to make his debut, pretending to be a dummy in an act with his uncle Henry Shean in 1899. Milton was put into a costume with a head and pretended to be a dummy while Henry pretended to work him. The act may have only performed once and was not helped by Sheans deafness or Miltons stammer, Gummo, who in an interview said he never liked being on stage, left the group and joined the military during World War I. He wasnt sent overseas because the armistice was signed shortly afterward, gummos younger brother Zeppo took his place in the group. Gummo later went into the raincoat business, after his Army career he joined with Zeppo and operated a theatrical agency. After that collaboration ended, Gummo represented his brother Groucho and worked on the television show The Life of Riley and he also represented other on-screen talent and a number of writers. Gummo was well respected as a businessman and he rarely had contracts with those he represented, his philosophy being that, if they liked his work, they would continue to use him, and if not, they would seek representation elsewhere. Around the time he left his brothers Vaudeville act, Marx applied for a patent for a clothes packing rack, on October 28,1919, Marx was granted patent US1320335A. Gummo was given his nickname because he had a tendency to be sneaky backstage and he married Helen von Tilzer on March 16,1929. Their son, Robert, was born in 1930, Gummo died on April 21,1977, at his home in Palm Springs, California, aged 84, from a cerebral hemorrhage. His death was never reported to Groucho, who by that time had become so ill, Marx was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. His grandsons are actors Gregg Marx, Chris Marx, and actor/producer Brett Marx, when Richard J. Anobile asked Groucho in The Marx Bros. Scrapbook which of his brothers he was closest, Groucho replied, hes a nice man, and thats more than I can say for Zeppo
Gummo Marx
–
Gummo Marx
Gummo Marx
–
Gravesite of Gummo Marx
10.
Zeppo Marx
–
Herbert Manfred Marx, better known by his stage name, Zeppo Marx, was an American actor, comedian, theatrical agent, and engineer. He was the youngest of the five Marx Brothers and he appeared in the first five Marx Brothers feature films, from 1929 to 1933, but then left the act to start his second career as an engineer and theatrical agent. Zeppo Marx was a due to his engineering efforts. Zeppo was born in Manhattan, New York City on February 25,1901 and his parents were Sam Marx, and his wife, Minnie Schönberg Marx. His mother was from East Frisia in Germany, and his father was a native of France, Zeppos ex-wife Barbara Sinatra repeated this in her 2011 book, Lady Blue Eyes, My Life with Frank. His brother Harpo offered a different account in his 1961 autobiography, claiming that there was a popular trained chimpanzee named Mr. Zippo, and that Herbie was tagged with the name Zippo because he liked to do chinups and acrobatics, as the chimp did in its act. The youngest brother objected to this nickname, and it was altered to Zeppo, Zeppo appeared in the first five Marx Brothers movies, as a straight man and romantic lead, before leaving the team. According to a 1925 newspaper article, he made a solo appearance in the Adolphe Menjou comedy A Kiss in the Dark. Although no copy of the film is known to exist, according to newspaper reviews, Zeppo was supposed to go out that night with a Jewish friend of his. They were supposed to take out two Irish girls, but Zeppo had to cancel to board the train to Texas. His friend went ahead and went on the date, and was shot a few hours later when he was attacked by an Irish gang that disapproved of a Jew dating an Irish girl. As the youngest and having grown up watching his brothers, Zeppo could fill in for and he was so good as Captain Spaulding that I would have let him play the part indefinitely, if they had allowed me to smoke in the audience, Groucho recalled. However, a persona of his own that could stand up against those of his brothers did not emerge. As critic Percy Hammond wrote, sympathetically, in 1928, One of the handicaps to the enjoyment of the Marx Brothers in their merry escapades is the plight of poor Zeppo Marx. While Groucho, Harpo and Chico are hogging the show, as the phrase has it, their brother hides in an insignificant role, peeping out now and then to listen to plaudits in which he has no share. He also played a role as the love interest of Ruth Hall in Monkey Business. The popular assumption that Zeppos character was superfluous was fueled in part by Groucho, according to Grouchos own story, when the group became the Three Marx Brothers, the studio wanted to trim their collective salary, and Groucho replied Were twice as funny without Zeppo. Offstage, Zeppo had great skills and was largely responsible for keeping the Marx family car running
Zeppo Marx
–
Zeppo in 1931
Zeppo Marx
–
The Marx Brothers (from top,
Chico, Harpo,
Groucho, and Zeppo Marx)
11.
Al Shean
–
Al Shean was the stage name for comedian Abraham Elieser Adolph Schönberg, although other sources give his birth name variously as Adolf Schönberg, Albert Schönberg, or Alfred Schönberg. He is most remembered for being half of the vaudeville team Gallagher and Shean, Shean was born in Dornum, Germany, on 12 May 1868, the son of Fanny and Levi or Louis Schoenberg. His sister, Minnie, married Sam Frenchie Marx, their children would become the Marx Brothers, after making a name for himself in vaudeville, Shean teamed up with Edward Gallagher to create the act Gallagher and Shean. While the act was successful, the men apparently did not like other much. After their acts final Ziegfeld Follies pairing, Shean went on to solo in eight Broadway shows. Shean had some film roles, as the piano player, known as The Professor in San Francisco, as a priest in Hitlers Madman, as the grandfather in The Blue Bird. He and Gallagher also made a sound film at the Theodore Case studio in Auburn, New York. He died on 12 August 1949, sheans son, also named Al Shean, worked on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Gallagher and Shean Al Shean at the Internet Broadway Database Al Shean at the Internet Movie Database Gallagher and Shean experimental sound film made by Theodore Case 1918 passport photo, Al Shean
Al Shean
–
Al Shean
12.
Comedian
–
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, a comedian who addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up comic. Since the 1980s, a new wave of comedy, called alternative comedy, has grown in popularity with its more offbeat and this normally involves more experiential, or observational reporting, e. g. Alexei Sayle, Daniel Tosh, Louis C. K. and Malcolm Hardee. Many comics achieve a cult following while touring famous comedy hubs such as the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, the Edinburgh Fringe, often a comics career advances significantly when they win a notable comedy award, such as the Edinburgh Comedy Award. Comics sometimes foray into other areas of entertainment, such as film and television, however, a comics stand-up success does not guarantee a films critical or box office success. Comedians can be dated back to 425 BC, when Aristophanes and he wrote 40 comedies,11 of which survive and are still being performed. Aristophanes comedy style took the form of satyr plays, the English poet and playwright William Shakespeare wrote many comedies. A Shakespearean comedy is one that has an ending, usually involving marriages between the unmarried characters, and a tone and style that is more light-hearted than Shakespeares other plays. Charles Chaplin was the most popular comedian of the first half of the 20th century. He wrote comedic silent films such as Modern Times and The Kid and his films still have a major impact on comedy in films today. One of the most popular forms of comedy is stand-up comedy. Stand-up comedy is a monologue performed by one or more people standing on a stage. Bob Hope was the most popular comedian of the 20th century. Other noted stand-up comedians include George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, Louis CK, another popular form of modern-day comedy is talk shows where comedians make fun of current news or popular topics. Such comedians include Jay Leno, Conan OBrien, Daniel Tosh, Chris Hardwick, Jimmy Fallon, David Letterman, a third form of modern-day comedy is television programs in which many comedians band together to make skits, such as Saturday Night Live. These shows often receive high ratings, likely because many comedians band together to create jokes, one of the most successful comedians is Ellen Degeneres, who has parlayed her comic career into film, television shows, and hosting major media events. In 1986, Ellen DeGeneres appeared for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson since she began gaining popularity as a comic in the 1980s. Johnny Carson, who launched many contemporary comics careers, would invite them to join him on the couch for one-on-one conversation after their set
Comedian
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Charlie Chaplin in the film
The Champion, 1915
Comedian
–
Sarah Silverman at
Upright Citizens Brigade in
LA, 2013
Comedian
–
Adam Sandler circa 2011
13.
Marx Brothers
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The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute as among the top 100 comedy films and they are widely considered by critics, scholars, and fans to be among the greatest and most influential comedians of the 20th century. The brothers were included in AFIs 100 Years.100 Stars list of the 25 greatest male stars of Classic Hollywood cinema, the group are almost universally known today by their stage names, Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo Marx. The core of the act was the three brothers, Chico, Harpo, and Groucho. Each developed a highly distinctive stage persona, Harpo and Chico more or less retired after 1949, while Groucho went on to begin a second career in television. The two younger brothers, Gummo and Zeppo, did not develop their characters to the same extent. The two eventually left the act to pursue careers at which they were successful, as well as a large theatrical agency for a time. Gummo was not in any of the movies, Zeppo appeared in the first five films in relatively straight roles, the performing lives of the brothers were brought about by their mother Minnie Marx, who also acted as their manager. The Marx Brothers were five brothers born to U. S. immigrants Miene Minnie Schoenberg, the brothers are best known by their stage names, Another brother, Manfred, the first-born son of Sam and Minnie, was born in 1886 and died in infancy. Family lore told privately of the son, Manny, born in 1886. Even some members of the Marx family wondered if he was pure myth. A death certificate of the Borough of Manhattan reveals that he died, aged seven months, on 17 July 1886, of enterocolitis, with asthenia contributing, i. e. probably a victim of influenza. He is buried at New Yorks Washington Cemetery, beside his grandmother, Fanny Sophie Schönberg, the Marx Brothers also had an older sister, actually a cousin, born in January 1885 who had been adopted by Minnie and Frenchie. Her name was Pauline, or Polly, Groucho talked about her in his 1972 Carnegie Hall concert. Minnie Marx came from a family of performers and her mother was a yodeling harpist and her father a ventriloquist, both were funfair entertainers. Around 1880, the family emigrated to New York City, where Minnie married Sam in 1884, Minnie also acted as the brothers manager, using the name Minnie Palmer so that agents did not realize that she was also their mother. Gummo and Zeppo both became successful businessmen, Gummo gained success through his activities and a raincoat business. The Marx Brothers were born in New York City, the sons of Jewish immigrants from Germany and their mother Minnie Schönberg was from Dornum in East Frisia, and their father Simon Marx was a native of Alsace and worked as a tailor
Marx Brothers
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Four of the five Marx Brothers in 1931 (top to bottom:
Chico,
Harpo,
Groucho and
Zeppo)
Marx Brothers
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The only known photo of the entire Marx family, c. 1915. From left:
Groucho,
Gummo,
Minnie (mother),
Zeppo,
Sam (father),
Chico, and
Harpo.
Marx Brothers
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Julius Henry Marx (Groucho) on the left and Adolph Marx (Harpo) on the right holding a rat terrier dog, c. 1906
Marx Brothers
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1911 newspaper advertisement for a Marx Brothers appearance (l–r: Gummo, Groucho, Harpo)
14.
Tyrolean hat
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The Tyrolean hat, also Bavarian hat or Alpine hat, is a type of headwear that originally came from the Tyrol in the Alps, in what is now part of Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. A typical Tyrolean hat originally had a crown tapering to a point and was made of felt with a brim roughly the width of a hand. There are various forms of Tyrolean hat, frequently the hats are decorated with a coloured, corded hatband and a spray of flowers, feathers or brush at the side of the crown. The traditional brush is made of the beard of the chamois goat and it takes a variety of forms, and may often be combined with feathers. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Tyrolean costumes developed a degree of uniformity in their appearance. In the local village costumes of the Tyrol, the styles of Tyrolean hat have survived since the 1830s/40s. These original forms vary from the tall, relatively narrow-brimmed hats of North Tyrol which were dented on top, to the small, later the Tyrolean hat became the image bearer of Tyrolean culture as a tourist symbol, influenced also by folk music bands who wore fanciful local costumes. The musician, Billy Mo, wrote a song in 1962 called I prefer to buy a Tyrolean hat, in 1965, a comedy musical appeared under the same title. It is said that the Tyrolean hat was the inspiration for the homburg
Tyrolean hat
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Grey variant of the Tyrolean hat
Tyrolean hat
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Boy with Tyrolean hat and monkey (Knabe mit Tirolerhut und Äffchen). Oil on canvas, ca. 1834
Tyrolean hat
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Self portrait with Tyrolean hat (Selbstporträt mit Tiroler Hut),
Lovis Corinth
Tyrolean hat
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Simple, party version of the Tyrolean hat
15.
Animal Crackers (1930 film)
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A critical and commercial success on its initial release, filming took place at Paramounts Astoria Studios in Astoria, Queens, it was the second of two films the Brothers would make in New York City. The film stars the four brothers, Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx and it was directed by Victor Heerman and adapted from a successful 1928 Broadway musical of the same title by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, also starring the Marx Brothers and Margaret Dumont. The part of Hives the butler was played by Robert Greig who also appeared with the Marx Brothers in Horse Feathers, prologue, A newspaper headline explains that society matron Mrs. Rittenhouse is holding a lavish party at her home in Long Island. The party will host renowned explorer Captain Geoffrey T. Spaulding as the guest of honor, also, as a special treat for the guests and Capt. Spaulding, revered art collector Roscoe W. Chandler will unveil his recently acquired painting by famous fictional artist Beaugard. The bulk of the consists of a succession of comedy sketches, one liner jokes. Hives instructs the servant crew on preparations for the party, Chandler arrives with the Beaugard and proceeds to set it up to be displayed. Hives announces Capt. Spauldings assistant Horatio Jameson who arrives to announce the captain, immediately, Capt. Spaulding makes a grand entrance and announces that he cannot stay and must leave immediately, uninterested in the party. Mrs. Rittenhouse begs him to stay and the guests declare their admiration for the Captain, soon after, Signor Emanuel Ravelli arrives with his colleague the professor, hired to provide music for the weekend event. After an elaborate introduction, The Professor scares the guests away with a pistol he grabs from Capt. Spauldings supplies, the Professor soon takes off chasing after a young, attractive, blonde party-goer. Mrs. Rittenhouses daughter Arabella is attending the party with her fiancé John Parker, John feels discouraged because he hasnt be able to make a living with his art in order to support himself and Arabella. Arabella suggests John do a portrait for Chandler, suggesting he would receive an impressive commission, John laughs at the idea, not believing Chandler to have a genuine appreciation for art. After the painting is unveiled at the party, they will surprise everyone, Arabella asks Ravelli to switch the paintings. Meanwhile another guest, neighbor Mrs. Whitehead thinks up the idea with her friend Grace Carpenter as a means of humiliating Mrs. Rittenhouse. They grab Graces poorly made copy that she painted and ask Hives to put it in place of the Beaugard, throughout the day a series of comedy sketches and visual gags take place, Ravelli catches the Professor chasing after the blonde girl and scolds him. Soon Mrs. Rittenhouse and Mrs. Whitehead arrive and the four proceed to play a variation on Bridge. Ravelli and the Professor run into Chandler on the staircase and recognize him as a peddler from Czechoslovakia. Chandler tries to bribe the two in order to keep quiet, but they end up taking his money, tie and garters as well as, miraculously. After a series of strange interludes while speaking with Mrs. Rittenhouse, Capt. Spaulding has a debate with Chandler outside on the balcony after his encounter with Ravelli and the Professor
Animal Crackers (1930 film)
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Theatrical release poster
Animal Crackers (1930 film)
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Multicolor frame from a scene rehearsal (Harpo in robe and without wig)
16.
Duck Soup (1933 film)
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Duck Soup is a 1933 Marx Brothers comedy film written by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, with additional dialogue by Arthur Sheekman and Nat Perrin, and directed by Leo McCarey. It was the last Marx Brothers film to feature Zeppo, compared to the Marx Brothers previous Paramount films, Duck Soup was a box office disappointment, although it was not a flop as is sometimes reported. The film opened to mixed reviews, although this by itself did not end the business with Paramount. Bitter contract disputes, including a threatened walk-out by the Marxes, after the film fulfilled their five-picture contract with the studio, the Marxes and Paramount agreed to part ways. While contemporaneous critics of Duck Soup felt it did not quite meet the standards of its predecessors, critical opinion has evolved, Duck Soup is now widely considered among critics to be a masterpiece of comedy, and the Marx Brothers finest film. In 1990 the United States Library of Congress deemed Duck Soup culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, the wealthy Mrs. Teasdale insists that Rufus T. Firefly be appointed leader of the small, bankrupt country of Freedonia before she will continue to provide much-needed financial aid. Meanwhile, neighboring Sylvania is attempting to annex the country, sylvanian ambassador Trentino tries to foment a revolution and to woo Mrs. Teasdale, and he tries to dig up dirt on Firefly by sending in spies Chicolini and Pinky. Meanwhile, Fireflys secretary, Bob Roland, suspects Trentinos motives, Firefly agrees to the plan, but after a series of personal insults exchanged between Firefly and Trentino, the plan backfires when Firefly slaps Trentino instead of being slapped by him. As a result, the two come to the brink of war. Adding to the friction is the fact that Firefly is also courting Mrs. Teasdale. Trentino learns that Freedonias war plans are in Mrs. Teasdales safe and orders Chicolini, Chicolini is caught by Firefly and put on trial, during which war is officially declared, and everyone is overcome by war frenzy, breaking into song and dance. The trial put aside, Chicolini and Pinky join Firefly and Bob Roland in anarchic battle, the end of the film finds Trentino caught in makeshift stocks, with the Brothers pelting him with fruit. Trentino surrenders, but Firefly tells him to wait until they run out of fruit, Mrs. Teasdale begins singing the Freedonia national anthem in her operatic voice and the Brothers begin hurling fruit at her instead. In the mirror scene, Pinky, dressed as Firefly, pretends to be Fireflys reflection in a missing mirror, in one particularly surreal moment, the two men swap positions, and thus the idea of which is a reflection of the other. Eventually, and to their misfortune, Chicolini, also disguised as Firefly, enters the frame, although its appearance in Duck Soup is the best known instance, the concept of the mirror scene did not originate in this film. Max Linder included it in Seven Years Bad Luck, where a mans servants have accidentally broken a mirror, Charlie Chaplin used a similar joke in The Floorwalker, though it did not involve a mirror. This scene has been imitated many times, for instance, in the Bugs Bunny cartoon Hare Tonic, the Mickey Mouse cartoon Lonesome Ghosts, The Square Peg, The Pink Panther, and Big Business. Harpo himself did a reprise of this scene, dressed in his costume, with Lucille Ball also donning the fright wig and trench coat, in the I Love Lucy episode Lucy
Duck Soup (1933 film)
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Theatrical release poster
Duck Soup (1933 film)
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Groucho in one of the many costumes he wore in the war sequence of Duck Soup.
17.
Margaret Dumont
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Margaret Dumont was an American stage and film actress. She is best remembered as the foil to the Marx Brothers in seven of their films. Groucho Marx called her practically the fifth Marx brother and she was born Daisy Juliette Baker in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of William and Harriet Anna Baker. Dumont trained as a singer and actress in her teens. After her husbands death during the 1918 influenza pandemic, she returned reluctantly to the Broadway stage. Dumont then came to the attention of writer George S. Kaufman, in October 1928, their next Broadway show, Animal Crackers, opened, and Dumont was again cast as the Marx Brothers foil and straight woman, Mrs. Rittenhouse, the wealthy society dowager. In 1929, they filmed the screen version of The Cocoanuts, performing with the Marx Brothers, Dumont played wealthy high-society, posh-voiced widows whom Groucho alternately insulted and romanced for their money. Groucho once said that people believed they were married in real life. An exchange from Duck Soup, Groucho, I suppose youll think me a sentimental old fluff, Dumont, A lock of my hair. Groucho, Im letting you off easy, I was gonna ask for the whole wig. Groucho, Well, that covers a lot of ground, say, you cover a lot of ground yourself. Youd better beat it, I hear theyre going to tear you down, and, Groucho, Why dont you marry me. Groucho, You take me, and Ill take a vacation, Ill need a vacation if were going to get married. I can see you now in the kitchen, bending over a hot stove. But I cant see the stove, or her age, Dumont, You make me think of my youth. He must be a big boy by now, Dumonts character would often give a short, startled or confused reaction to such insults, but would not otherwise respond and appeared to forget the insult quickly. And this, from A Night at the Opera, Dumont, Are you sure you have everything, Groucho, Ive never had any complaints yet. Decades later in his show at New Yorks Carnegie Hall, Groucho mentioned Dumonts name
Margaret Dumont
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Margaret Dumont as Mrs. Claypool in
A Night at the Opera (1935)
Margaret Dumont
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Salt Lake Telegram "Copyright Faces" 2/21/1903
Margaret Dumont
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The Brooklyn Daily Eagle 8/5/1906
18.
A Night at the Opera (film)
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A Night at the Opera is a 1935 American comedy film starring the Marx Brothers, and featuring Kitty Carlisle, Allan Jones, Margaret Dumont, Sig Ruman, and Walter Woolf King. It was the first film the Marx Brothers made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer after their departure from Paramount Pictures, the film was adapted by George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind, and Al Boasberg from a story by James Kevin McGuinness. It was directed by Sam Wood and it is also included in the 2007 update of AFIs 100 Years. 100 Movies, at number 85, and previously in AFIs 100 Years.100 Laughs 2000 showing, Driftwood, business manager for wealthy dowager Mrs. Claypool, has stood her up and is having dinner with another woman in the very same restaurant. When she discovers him seated directly behind her, Driftwood joins Mrs. Claypool, Driftwood has arranged for Mrs. Claypool to invest $200,000 in the opera company, allowing Gottlieb to engage Rodolfo Lassparri, the greatest tenor since Caruso. Backstage at the house, chorister Ricardo Baroni hires his best friend Fiorello to be his manager. Ricardo is in love with the soprano, Rosa Castaldi, who is also being courted by Lassparri, Driftwood arrives and finds Lassparri attacking Tomasso, who knocks Lassparri unconscious by hitting him over the head with a mallet. Fiorello appears and identifies himself as the manager of the greatest tenor in the world, Driftwood, mistakenly thinking Fiorello is referring to Lassparri, signs Baroni to a contract. After bidding farewell to Rosa at the pier, Ricardo, Fiorello, after Driftwood discovers them, he tries to get the three of them to leave, as he is expecting a rendezvous with Mrs. Claypool. They refuse to go until theyve eaten and eventually, Driftwoods incredibly small stateroom is crowded with an assortment of people, Lassparri later spots the stowaways among the immigrants on the ship and they are caught and thrown into the brig. They escape with help from Driftwood and are able to sneak into the country by assuming the identities of three famous bearded aviators, who are traveling aboard the ship. After a welcoming reception in New York their true identities are discovered and they hide out in Driftwoods hotel room, meanwhile, Ricardo is reunited with Rosa after climbing in the window of her hotel room. Ricardo has an altercation with Lassparri, which results in both Rosa and Driftwood being fired from the company by Gottlieb. The boys decide to revenge by sabotaging the opening night performance of Il trovatore ending with the abduction of Lassparri, forcing Gottlieb to substitute Ricardo. The audience clearly prefers Baroni over Lassparri and the latter is booed and pelted with fruit after he attempts to return to the stage, the film ends with Driftwood and Fiorello attempting to negotiate another contract, as Rosa and Ricardo sing an encore. Driftwood plans a rendezvous with Mrs. Claypool in his stateroom, then he finds out how small it is, and that he, his steamer trunk, and the bed barely fit in it. Driftwood discovers that Fiorello, Tomasso, and Ricardo have stowed away in his steamer trunk, Driftwood calls a steward and orders dinner. This continues until Fiorello and Tomasso each have ordered about a dozen hard-boiled eggs and this is just a set-up for the famous Stateroom Scene, in which a total of 15 people crowd into Driftwoods tiny cabin
A Night at the Opera (film)
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The stateroom scene. Groucho says: "Is it my imagination, or is it getting crowded in here?"
A Night at the Opera (film)
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theatrical poster
A Night at the Opera (film)
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Groucho Marx,
Sig Ruman and
Margaret Dumont
A Night at the Opera (film)
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The contract scene between
Chico and
Groucho
19.
Go West (1940 film)
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It was directed by Edward Buzzell and written by Irving Brecher, who receives the original screenplay credit. Confidence man S. Quentin Quale heads west to find his fortune, in the train station, he encounters crafty brothers Joseph and Rusty Panello who manage to swindle his money. The Panellos are friends with an old miner named Dan Wilson whose property and they loan him their last ten dollars for a grub stake and he gives them the deed to the Gulch as collateral. Groucho Marx - S. Groucho was aged 49 during the filming of Go West, as such, he took to wearing a toupee throughout the film, as he did the previous film, At the Circus. Go West Screenwriter Irving Brecher stood in for an ailing Groucho when publicity stills for the film were first taken, Brecher bore a remarkable resemblance to Groucho and is all but unrecognizable in the photos, sporting Grouchos glasses, greasepaint mustache and eyebrows. Harrisons Reports wrote that it was better than their last two pictures and that the final twenty minutes should thrill as well as amuse spectators. Film Daily called it funny in places, amusing for the most part. John Mosher of The New Yorker wrote, Possibly not the most strenuous Marxian product that we have seen, Go West at the TCM Movie Database Go West at AllMovie Go West at the Internet Movie Database
Go West (1940 film)
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Theatrical release poster.
20.
The Big Store
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The Big Store is a Marx Brothers comedy film in which Groucho, Chico and Harpo cause havoc in a department store. Groucho plays detective Wolf J. Flywheel, a name originating from the Marx-Perrin radio show Flywheel, Shyster. The Big Store was the last of five films the Marx Brothers made under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, however, the team would return to the screen in A Night in Casablanca and Love Happy. The Big Store co-starred singer Tony Martin and Virginia Grey as the interests, as well as long time Marx Brothers foil, Margaret Dumont in her seventh. The villain was portrayed by Douglass Dumbrille, who had played a role in A Day at the Races. Tagline, Where everything is a good buy, the Phelps Department Store owner Hiram Phelps has died, leaving half-ownership in the business to his nephew, singer Tommy Rogers. The other half is owned by Hirams sister, Martha Phelps, Rogers has no interest in running a department store, so he plans to sell his interest and use the money to build a music conservatory. Store manager Grover wants to kill Rogers before he can sell his share, marry the wealthy Martha, Martha is highly suspicious, worried about Tommys safety lest anyone suspect her of foul play to take over the store. Against Grovers wishes she hires Wolf J. Flywheel as a floorwalker, between Tommy wooing his sweetheart Joan and Flywheel romancing Miss Phelps, the brothers eventually expose and thwart the plot to kill Tommy. The film has two extended scenes, one of them in the stores bed department, which has all kinds of beds that come out of the walls. This chase involves an amount of Mack Sennett-type slapstick stunts for a Marx Brothers movie. One gag breaks the wall, during the Sing While You Sell sequence, while Groucho is narrating a fashion show, he asides This is a bright red dress. Later in the film, Groucho breaks the wall again when he comments I told you in the first reel was a crook. As in the previous Marx Bros, the screenwriting team of Kuller, Golden, and Fimberg also supplied the lyrics to Hal Bornes original music. Also of note is that this is the film in which an instrumental version of Cosi-Cosa from A Night at the Opera can be heard. Flywheel Harpo Marx - Wacky Chico Marx - Ravelli Tony Martin - Tommy Rogers Virginia Grey - Joan Sutton Margaret Dumont - Martha Phelps Douglas Dumbrille - Mr. If one were entirely truthful one would have to admit that the picture has many a stretch, that the tricks have been overworked. But with Marxian adherents—among whom we most decidedly belong—the question is simply, a review in Variety called it a moderate comedy where dull stretches overshadow the several socko laugh sequences during a bumpy unfolding
The Big Store
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Theatrical poster for Big Store (1941)
21.
Monkey Business (1931 film)
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Monkey Business is a 1931 American Pre-Code comedy film. It is the third of the Marx Brothers released movies, the film also stars Thelma Todd. It is directed by Norman Z. McLeod with screenplay by S. J. Perelman, most of the story takes place in on an ocean liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean. On board a ship to America, four stowaways get involuntarily pressed into service as toughs for a pair of feuding gangsters while trying desperately to evade the ships crew, prior to this, the film has no real plot, just the brothers causing unending uproar. Except in the credits and in the screenplay, the Brothers characters have no names in this film and they are referred to simply as the stowaways. After arriving stateside, one of the gangsters kidnaps the others daughter, Groucho Marx as Groucho Harpo Marx as Harpo Chico Marx as Chico Zeppo Marx as Zeppo Rockliffe Fellowes as J. J. Monkey Business was banned in some countries because censors feared it would encourage anarchic tendencies. This is the first Marx Brothers film not to feature Margaret Dumont, this time their female foil is comedian Thelma Todd, a few years after the release of Horse Feathers, Todd died in unexplained circumstances. A line of dialogue in Monkey Business seems to foreshadow Todds death, alone with Todd in her cabin, Groucho quips, Youre a woman whos been getting nothing but dirty breaks. Well, we can clean and tighten your brakes, but youll have to stay in the all night. In 1935, Todd died in her car inside a garage, early on in Monkey Business, the Brothers—playing stowaways concealed in barrels—harmonize unseen while performing the popular song Sweet Adeline. It is a matter of debate whether Harpo joins in with the singing, if so, it would be one of only a few times Harpo used speech on screen, as opposed to other vocalizations such as whistling or sneezing. At least one other possible on-screen utterance occurs in the film A Day at the Races, in which Groucho, Chico and this was the first Marx film to be filmed in Hollywood. Their first two films were filmed at Paramount Pictures Astoria Studios in Queens, New York City. Upon alighting from the ship, the Marx Brothers real life father is seen in a cameo appearance. Chico performs two pieces on the piano, the Pizzicato from Sylvia by Léo Delibes, which morphs into the song When I Take My Sugar to Tea written by Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal. Harpo performs Im Daffy over You by Sol Violinsky and Chico, the most famous sequence from this film involves the four brothers attempting to get off the ship using a passport stolen from famous singer Maurice Chevalier. Each brother impersonates Chevalier and sings You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me in turn and this poses a problem for Harpo, who never talks
Monkey Business (1931 film)
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theatrical release poster
Monkey Business (1931 film)
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The four
Marx Brothers stowing away on an ocean vessel by hiding in barrels in this promotional still for Monkey Business. Left to right: Harpo, Zeppo, Chico, Groucho.
22.
Christopher Columbus
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Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer, navigator, colonizer, and citizen of the Republic of Genoa. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean and those voyages and his efforts to establish permanent settlements on the island of Hispaniola initiated the European colonization of the New World. Western imperialism and economic competition were emerging among European kingdoms through the establishment of routes and colonies. During his first voyage in 1492, he reached the New World instead of arriving at Japan as he had intended, landing on an island in the Bahamas archipelago that he named San Salvador. Over the course of three voyages, he visited the Greater and Lesser Antilles, as well as the Caribbean coast of Venezuela and Central America. These voyages had, therefore, an impact in the historical development of the modern Western world. He spearheaded the transatlantic trade and has been accused by several historians of initiating the genocide of the Hispaniola natives. Columbus himself saw his accomplishments primarily in the light of spreading the Christian religion, Columbus never admitted that he had reached a continent previously unknown to Europeans, rather than the East Indies for which he had set course. He called the inhabitants of the lands that he visited indios, the name Christopher Columbus is the Anglicisation of the Latin Christophorus Columbus. His name in Italian is Cristoforo Colombo and, in Spanish and he was born before 31 October 1451 in the territory of the Republic of Genoa, though the exact location remains disputed. His father was Domenico Colombo, a wool weaver who worked both in Genoa and Savona and who also owned a cheese stand at which young Christopher worked as a helper. Bartolomeo, Giovanni Pellegrino, and Giacomo were his brothers, Bartolomeo worked in a cartography workshop in Lisbon for at least part of his adulthood. He also had a sister named Bianchinetta, Columbus never wrote in his native language, which is presumed to have been a Genoese variety of Ligurian. In one of his writings, he says he went to sea at the age of 10, in 1470, the Columbus family moved to Savona, where Domenico took over a tavern. In the same year, Christopher was on a Genoese ship hired in the service of René of Anjou to support his attempt to conquer the Kingdom of Naples. Some modern historians have argued that he was not from Genoa but, instead and these competing hypotheses have generally been discounted by mainstream scholars. In 1473, Columbus began his apprenticeship as business agent for the important Centurione, Di Negro, later, he allegedly made a trip to Chios, an Aegean island then ruled by Genoa. In May 1476, he took part in a convoy sent by Genoa to carry valuable cargo to northern Europe
Christopher Columbus
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Posthumous portrait of Christopher Columbus by
Sebastiano del Piombo, 1519. There are no known authentic portraits of Columbus.
Christopher Columbus
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Christopher Columbus at the gates of the
monastery of Santa María de la Rábida with his son Diego, by
Benet Mercadé
Christopher Columbus
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Columbus' handwritten notes in Latin, on the margins of his copy of
The Travels of Marco Polo
Christopher Columbus
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"Columbus map", drawn c. 1490 in the
Lisbon workshop of Bartolomeo and Christopher Columbus
23.
The Cocoanuts
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The Cocoanuts is the Marx Brothers first feature-length film. Produced for Paramount Pictures by Walter Wanger, who is not credited, the musical comedy stars the four Marx Brothers, Oscar Shaw, Mary Eaton, and Margaret Dumont. It was the first sound film to more than one director. Five of the tunes were composed by Irving Berlin, including When My Dreams Come True, sung by Oscar Shaw. The Cocoanuts is set in the Hotel de Cocoanut, a resort hotel, mr. Hammer runs the place, assisted by Jamison, who would rather sleep at the front desk than actually help him run it. Chico and Harpo arrive with empty luggage, which they plan to fill by robbing and conning the guests. Mrs. Potter is one of the few paying customers and her daughter Polly is in love with struggling young architect Bob Adams. He works to support himself as a clerk at the hotel, Mrs. Potter wants her daughter to marry Harvey Yates, whom she believes to be of higher social standing than the clerk. This suitor is actually a con man out to steal the diamond necklace with the help of his conniving partner Penelope. The plot is almost beside the point, and the story, the film is notable for its musical production numbers, including techniques which were soon to become standard, such as overhead shots of dancing girls imitating the patterns of a kaleidoscope. The musical numbers were recorded live on the soundstage as they were shot, rather than pre-recorded, the main titles are superimposed over a negative image of the Monkey-Doodle-Do number photographed from an angle that does not appear in the body of the film. One of the more famous gags in the film has Groucho giving directions to Chico, in another sequence Groucho is the auctioneer for some land of possibly questionable value He has hired Chico to inflate the sale prices by making phony bids. To Grouchos frustration, Chico keeps outbidding everyone, even himself, during the auction, Mrs. Potter announces that her necklace has been stolen and offers a thousand dollar reward, whereupon Chico offers two thousand. Still another sequence has Groucho, Mrs. Potter and Harvey Yates make formal speeches, Harpo repeatedly walks off, with a grimace on his face, to the punch bowl. Another highlight is when the cast, already dressed in traditional Spanish garb for a theme party, an earlier scene shows Harpo and Chico abusing a cash register while whistling the Anvil Chorus from Il trovatore, a piece also referenced in several other Marx Brothers films. In fact, this did not occur to director Florey until 27 takes had been made, Florey finally got the idea to soak the paper in water, the 28th take of the Viaduct scene used soaked paper, and this take was quiet and used in the film. The ink that Harpo drank from the hotel lobby inkwell was actually Coca-Cola, filming took place at Paramounts Astoria Studios in Astoria, Queens. Their second film, Animal Crackers, was shot there
The Cocoanuts
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Theatrical release poster
24.
Atlantic Ocean
–
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the worlds oceans with a total area of about 106,460,000 square kilometres. It covers approximately 20 percent of the Earths surface and about 29 percent of its surface area. It separates the Old World from the New World, the Atlantic Ocean occupies an elongated, S-shaped basin extending longitudinally between Eurasia and Africa to the east, and the Americas to the west. The Equatorial Counter Current subdivides it into the North Atlantic Ocean, in contrast, the term Atlantic originally referred specifically to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and the sea off the Strait of Gibraltar and the North African coast. The Greek word thalassa has been reused by scientists for the huge Panthalassa ocean that surrounded the supercontinent Pangaea hundreds of years ago. The term Aethiopian Ocean, derived from Ancient Ethiopia, was applied to the Southern Atlantic as late as the mid-19th century, many Irish or British people refer to the United States and Canada as across the pond, and vice versa. The Black Atlantic refers to the role of ocean in shaping black peoples history. Irish migration to the US is meant when the term The Green Atlantic is used, the term Red Atlantic has been used in reference to the Marxian concept of an Atlantic working class, as well as to the Atlantic experience of indigenous Americans. Correspondingly, the extent and number of oceans and seas varies, the Atlantic Ocean is bounded on the west by North and South America. It connects to the Arctic Ocean through the Denmark Strait, Greenland Sea, Norwegian Sea, to the east, the boundaries of the ocean proper are Europe, the Strait of Gibraltar and Africa. In the southeast, the Atlantic merges into the Indian Ocean, the 20° East meridian, running south from Cape Agulhas to Antarctica defines its border. In the 1953 definition it extends south to Antarctica, while in later maps it is bounded at the 60° parallel by the Southern Ocean, the Atlantic has irregular coasts indented by numerous bays, gulfs, and seas. Including these marginal seas the coast line of the Atlantic measures 111,866 km compared to 135,663 km for the Pacific. Including its marginal seas, the Atlantic covers an area of 106,460,000 km2 or 23. 5% of the ocean and has a volume of 310,410,900 km3 or 23. 3%. Excluding its marginal seas, the Atlantic covers 81,760,000 km2 and has a volume of 305,811,900 km3, the North Atlantic covers 41,490,000 km2 and the South Atlantic 40,270,000 km2. The average depth is 3,646 m and the maximum depth, the bathymetry of the Atlantic is dominated by a submarine mountain range called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It runs from 87°N or 300 km south of the North Pole to the subantarctic Bouvet Island at 42°S, the MAR divides the Atlantic longitudinally into two halves, in each of which a series of basins are delimited by secondary, transverse ridges. The MAR reaches above 2000 m along most of its length, the MAR is a barrier for bottom water, but at these two transform faults deep water currents can pass from one side to the other
Atlantic Ocean
–
The Atlantic Ocean as seen from the western coast of
Portugal
Atlantic Ocean
–
The Atlantic Ocean, not including
Arctic and
Antarctic regions
Atlantic Ocean
–
The Atlantic Ocean as seen from
Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Atlantic Ocean
–
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina view of the Atlantic Ocean.
25.
Rockaway Beach, New York
–
Rockaway Beach is a neighborhood on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located on the South Shore of Long Island, the neighborhood is bounded by Arverne to the east and Rockaway Park to the west. The neighborhood, with 13,000 residents as of 2010, was known as the Irish Riviera because of the large Irish American population in the area. What is now Rockaway Beach was formerly two different hamlets, Holland and Hammels, in 1857, Michael P. Holland had purchased land and named the area after himself. Soon afterward, Louis Hammel, an immigrant from Germany, bought a tract of land just east of Holland, in 1878, he decided to give portions of his land to the New York, Woodhaven and Rockaway Railroad in order to build a railroad station for the peninsula. The area around it became known as Hammels. On June 11,1897, Hammels merged with Holland and they incorporated as the Village of Rockaway Beach, one year later, it was incorporated into the City of Greater New York and became part of the newly formed borough of Queens. However, the neighborhood, along with the communities of Arverne and Far Rockaway. In 1915 and 1917, a bill approving the secession passed in the legislature but was vetoed by the mayor at the time, in the early 1900s, the newly built railroad station opened up the community and the rest of the peninsula to a broad range of the population. The wealthy no longer had a monopoly on the peninsula, as various amusement parks, stores, much of the area was developed by James S. Remsen and William Wainwright. In this era, it known as New Yorks Playground. Rockaways famous amusement park, Rockaways Playland, was built in 1901, the park was grand for its time. One of its most popular attractions, the Atom Smasher roller coaster, would be featured in the beginning of This is Cinerama, an Olympic-size swimming pool and a million-dollar midway also were built within the amusement park, they would serve the community for over eighty years. The Temple of Israel Synagogue was built in 1921, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. In the 1930s, Robert Moses came to power as New York Citys Parks Commissioner and his extensive road, as commissioner, Moses ordered the construction of the Marine Parkway Bridge and the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge. The bridges were completed in 1937 and 1939 respectively, the Marine Parkway Bridge was built further west on the peninsula between Jacob Riis Park and Breezy Point linking the isolated communities to Brooklyn. The Cross Bay Bridge landed in the middle of the neighborhood of Rockaway Beach, the new bridge made the community the peninsulas gateway to Queens as it provided the only direct car access to the borough. The conversion of the Rockaway Beach LIRR branch to the Rockaway subway line also brought an increase to Rockaways permanent residents, although the bridges were intended to improve the Rockaways, Moses other projects both directly and indirectly hurt the community
Rockaway Beach, New York
–
Rockaway Beach
Rockaway Beach, New York
–
Public library
Rockaway Beach, New York
–
Police station
Rockaway Beach, New York
–
Firehouse
26.
Pianist
–
A pianist is an individual musician who plays the piano. Most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, consequently, pianists have a wide variety of repertoire and styles to choose from, including traditionally classical music, Jazz, blues and all sorts of popular music, including rock music. Most pianists can, to an extent, play other keyboard-related instruments such as the synthesizer, harpsichord, celesta. Perhaps the greatest pianist of all time was Franz Liszt, whose mastery was described by Anton Rubinstein, In comparison with Liszt. Modern classical pianists dedicate their careers to performing, recording, teaching, researching as well as learning new works/expanding their repertoire and they generally do not write or transcribe music as pianists did in the 19th century. Some classical pianists might specialize in accompaniment and chamber music while others perform as full-time piano soloists. Mozart could be considered the first concert pianist as he performed widely on the piano, composers Beethoven and Clementi from the classical era were also famed for their playing, as were, from the romantic era, Liszt, Brahms, Chopin, Mendelssohn and Rachmaninoff. From that era, leading performers less known as composers were Clara Schumann, however, as we do not have modern audio recordings of most of these pianists, we rely mainly on written commentary to give us an account of their technique and style. Jazz pianists almost always perform with other musicians and their playing is freer than that of classical pianists and they create an air of spontaneity in their performances. They generally do not write down their compositions, improvisation is a significant part of their work, well known Jazz pianists include Art Tatum, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson and Bud Powell. Popular pianists might work as performers, session musicians, arrangers most likely feel at home with synthesizers. A single listing of pianists in all genres would be impractical, the following is an incomplete list of such musicians. As a result, there are prominent communities of amateur pianists all over the world play at quite a high level and give concerts just because of their love to music. The International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, held annually in Paris and it was only after the competition that he started pursuing a career as a classical pianist. The German pianist Davide Martello is known for traveling around conflict zones to play his moving piano, Martello has previously been recognised by the European parliament for his “outstanding contribution to European cooperation and the promotion of common values”
Pianist
27.
Love Happy
–
Love Happy is a 1949 American musical comedy film, released by United Artists, directed by David Miller, starring the Marx Brothers. It was the 15th and last film starring feature for the Marx Brothers, the plot was written by Frank Tashlin and Mac Benoff, based on a story by Harpo. Grunion notes that the young dancers would starve were it not for the sweet, silent Harpo, at Herbert & Herbert. Harpo kindly helps ladies with their bags, all the while pilfering their groceries. When the elegant Madame Egelichi arrives, store manager Lefty Throckmorton tells her that the sardines have come in. Harpo sneaks into the basement and watches as Lefty lovingly unpacks a sardine can marked with a Maltese cross, Madame Egelichi, who has gone through eight husbands in three months in her quest for the Romanoff diamonds, is furious when Lefty produces the wrong can. When Lefty remembers seeing Harpo in the basement, she orders him to call the police, Harpo, who is secretly in love with dancer Maggie Phillips, Mikes girl friend, gives her the sardine can, and she says she will eat them tomorrow. A policeman sees Harpo inside the theater and brings him to Madame Egelichi, after three days of interrogation, Harpo still refuses to talk, and when he is left alone, he calls Faustino at the theater, using the bike horn he carries in his pocket to communicate. Madame Egelichi listens on the extension as Faustino declares that there are plenty of sardines at the theater, meanwhile, Mike has just finished telling the troupe that they do not have enough money to open when Madame Egelichi arrives and offers to finance the show. Mike cancels his plans to take Maggie out for her birthday so that he and his new backer can discuss the arrangements. In the alley outside the theater, Harpo, having escaped from Madame Egelichis suite, finds the diamonds in the sardine can which had set out for a cat. When he finds Maggie crying in her room, Harpo takes her to Central Park. On the opening night of the show, Grunion is visited by an agent of the Romanoff family, who threatens to kill him if he does not produce the diamonds in an hour. At the theater, Lefty and the Zoto brothers spy through a window as Maggie puts on the diamond necklace, as they kiss, Maggie removes the necklace and drops it on the piano strings. The curtain goes up, and when Harpo sees Lefty and the Zoto brothers menacing Maggie, he distracts them with a piece of costume jewelry, Faustino pockets the diamonds, then rushes to the roof to help Harpo. Madame Egelichi shows up with a gun and demands the necklace, after tying up Lefty and the Zotos and recovering the real diamonds, Harpo encounters Grunion, who has been hiding on the roof. Harpo drops the diamonds in Grunions pocket, but then steals them back as Madame Egelichi begins to lead the detective away, later, in his office, Grunion comments that Harpo disappeared with the diamonds, never realizing their true value. Grunion interrupts his story to take a call from his wife
Love Happy
–
Love Happy
28.
Violin
–
The violin is a wooden string instrument in the violin family. It is the smallest and highest-pitched instrument in the family in regular use, smaller violin-type instruments are known, including the violino piccolo and the kit violin, but these are virtually unused in the 2010s. The violin typically has four strings tuned in fifths, and is most commonly played by drawing a bow across its strings. Violins are important instruments in a variety of musical genres. They are most prominent in the Western classical tradition and in varieties of folk music. They are also used in genres of folk including country music and bluegrass music. Electric violins are used in forms of rock music, further. The violin is sometimes called a fiddle, particularly in Irish traditional music and bluegrass. The violin was first known in 16th-century Italy, with further modifications occurring in the 18th and 19th centuries. In Europe it served as the basis for stringed instruments used in classical music, the viola. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or equal it, many of these trade instruments were formerly sold by Sears, Roebuck and Co. and other mass merchandisers. A person who makes or repairs violins is called a luthier or violinmaker, the parts of a violin are usually made from different types of wood and on the use of a pickup and an amplifier and speaker). Violins can be strung with gut, Perlon or other synthetic, the earliest stringed instruments were mostly plucked. Similar and variant types were probably disseminated along East-West trading routes from Asia into the Middle East, the first makers of violins probably borrowed from various developments of the Byzantine lira. These included the rebec, the Arabic rebab, the vielle, the earliest pictures of violins, albeit with three strings, are seen in northern Italy around 1530, at around the same time as the words violino and vyollon are seen in Italian and French documents. One of the earliest explicit descriptions of the instrument, including its tuning, is from the Epitome musical by Jambe de Fer, by this time, the violin had already begun to spread throughout Europe. The violin proved very popular, both among street musicians and the nobility, the French king Charles IX ordered Andrea Amati to construct 24 violins for him in 1560, one of these noble instruments, the Charles IX, is the oldest surviving violin. The Messiah or Le Messie made by Antonio Stradivari in 1716 remains pristine and it is now located in the Ashmolean Museum of Oxford
Violin
–
A standard modern violin shown from the front and the side
Violin
–
A young violinist at
Ruthin School
Violin
–
The cupola of Madonna dei Miracoli in
Saronno, with angels playing violin, viola and cello, dates from 1535 and is one of the earliest depictions of the violin family
29.
Duet
–
Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology or DUET is a public university for the study of engineering in Bangladesh. Only the Diploma in Engineering holders can avail themselves of enrolling here for bachelors degree in Engineering and it is one of the nine PhD granting research universities of Bangladesh. Every year, around 540 students enroll in programs to study engineering. In the undergraduate admission test, only about top 10% students can get admitted among 5,000 selected candidates, the number of teachers is about 300. After a short time, the College of Engineering was renamed as Dhaka Engineering College, then DEC shifted to its present permanent campus Gazipur City in 1983. DEC was converted to the Bangladesh Institute of Technology, Dhaka as a degree awarding Institute by the government ordinance in 1986, from September 2003, Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology, Gazipur was created out of BIT, Dhaka. The University is located at Gazipur District,40 km north of Dhaka and this district town Gazipur is well connected by roads and railway with Dhaka and other cities of Bangladesh. The four academic years of study for the degree of B, Engineering is designated as first year class, second year class, third year class and fourth year class in succeeding higher levels of study. Each academic year comprises two semesters, i. e. 1st and 2nd semester, students are generally admitted into the 1st year 2nd semester class. The 1st semester of 1st year class is exempted because of the completion of minimum 3 or 4 years Diploma in Engineering backgrounds after 10 years of schooling. DUET, Gazipur offers 10 graduate degrees across its 3 faculties, Bangladesh generally enjoys a sub-tropical climate. The three prominent seasons are winter, summer and monsoon, the warmest days in Dhaka region are between April and June with temperature ranging from 25C to 37C. Winter temperatures usually vary between 10 to 20C, the general library has over 25000 items on all subject relevant to academic programmed. Library service include lending, reference, photo-copying and document delivery service, the library has a computerized information system to provide information about library materials for its members. All library services are available to faculty and students, except for certain designated official holidays, the library is open from 9,00 AM to 8,30 PM daily. Besides, the library systems each academic discipline maintains rental library from which students can borrow text books at a nominal rate for the whole semester. Each department maintains its own affluent and modern library which provides sufficient books for the students of the respective discipline
Duet
–
Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology
Duet
30.
Gary Owens
–
Gary Owens was an American disc jockey, voice actor, radio announcer and personality. His polished baritone speaking voice generally offered deadpan recitations of total nonsense, Owens was equally proficient in straight or silly assignments and was frequently heard on television and radio as well as in commercials. He was best known, aside from being the announcer on Laugh-In and he also played himself in a cameo appearance on Space Ghost Coast to Coast in 1998. Owens first cartoon-voice acting was performing the voice of Roger Ramjet on the Roger Ramjet cartoons and he later served as voice of the over-the-air digital network Antenna TV. Owens was born in Mitchell, South Dakota, the son of Venetta, an educator and county auditor, and Bernard Joseph Altman, a county treasurer and sheriff. Owens started his career in 1952 as a news reporter at KORN, Mitchell, South Dakota. In 1956 he left KORN for a job at KMA, Shenandoah, Iowa before moving on to a disc jockey job at KOIL, Omaha. Owens moved to KEWBs sister station KFWB in Los Angeles in 1961. From there, he joined the staff of KMPC in 1962, a gifted punster, Owens became known for his surrealistic humor. His regular on-air radio terms included krenellemuffin, as in Well be back in just a krenellemuffin, Gary always credited his radio engineer at the end of his broadcast, Id like to thank my engineer, Wayne Doo, for creebling at the turntables. He also created the previously non-existent colors veister and krelb, in the early 1960s, like punster-TV star comic colleagues Ernie Kovacs, Steve Allen, and Jonathan Winters, Gary Owens created a few comic characters of his own, such as the gruff old man Earl C. Festoon and his wife Phoebe Festoon, the stuffy old businessman Endocrine J. Sternwallow, another character was crotchety old cantankerous Mergenthaler Waisleywillow. Festoon would describe where cows were moving inbound on the freeways of Los Angeles. Often during these comedy sketches on the air, he would have the assistance of other comics, most notably Bob Arbogast, Stan Ross. According to IMDb, Owens appeared on eight episodes of the 1966-67 television series The Green Hornet and he also hosted its daily game show spin-off, Letters to Laugh-In, during its brief run in 1969. Initially, the Man was also to have had a chief, the segments were created by Sesame Street executive producer David Connell and referenced such tongue-in-cheek spy series as Get Smart and The Man from U. N. C. L. E. Despite the advance publicity, and Connells investment in the series, the combination of the Man from Alphabets constant bungling and problem solving attempts confused kids, and the lessons never came across. H. B. s role as the true problem-solver was not clearly understood, as assessed by Edward L. Palmer, The amount of truly effective educational content, relative to our goals, is virtual nil
Gary Owens
–
Owens in San Diego, 1982
Gary Owens
–
Jack Haley and Gary Owens, 1979.
31.
A Night in Casablanca
–
A Night in Casablanca is a 1946 film starring the Marx Brothers, Groucho, Chico, and Harpo. The picture was directed by Archie Mayo and written by Joseph Fields, set in Casablanca shortly after World War II, escaped Nazi war criminal Heinrich Stubel has steadily murdered three different managers of the Hotel Casablanca. Disguised as a Count Pfferman, Stubels goal is to reclaim the stolen art treasures that he has hidden in the hotel, however, the only way he can do this undetected is by murdering the hotels managers and running the hotel himself. The newest manager of Hotel Casablanca is former motel proprietor Ronald Kornblow, in his many efforts to murder Kornblow, Stubel sends beautiful Beatrice Reiner to romance the clueless manager. Arrested on false charges, Kornblow, Corbaccio and Rusty eventually crash Stubels plane into a station where the brothers expose Stubel as an escaped Nazi. Groucho Marx has said that an early draft named his character Humphrey Bogus, Warner Bros. did not actually litigate, or even threaten to litigate, but it did issue a formal inquiry to the Marx Brothers concerning the plot and script of the film. These letters were among those he donated to the Library of Congress, and he reprinted them in his book The Groucho Letters, which he published in 1967. In the end, the matter died without legal action, Warner Bros. now owns the distribution rights to this film via Castle Hill Productions. Story at snopes. com The letter to Warner Bros
A Night in Casablanca
–
Theatrical release poster.
32.
Hollywood
–
Hollywood is an ethnically diverse, densely populated neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It is notable as the home of the U. S. film industry, including several of its studios, and its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the industry. Hollywood was a community in 1870 and was incorporated as a municipality in 1903. It was consolidated with the city of Los Angeles in 1910, in 1853, one adobe hut stood in Nopalera, named for the Mexican Nopal cactus indigenous to the area. By 1870, an agricultural community flourished, the area was known as the Cahuenga Valley, after the pass in the Santa Monica Mountains immediately to the north. According to the diary of H. J. Whitley, known as the Father of Hollywood, along came a Chinese man in a wagon carrying wood. The man got out of the wagon and bowed, the Chinese man was asked what he was doing and replied, I holly-wood, meaning hauling wood. H. J. Whitley had an epiphany and decided to name his new town Hollywood, Holly would represent England and wood would represent his Scottish heritage. Whitley had already started over 100 towns across the western United States, Whitley arranged to buy the 500-acre E. C. Hurd ranch and disclosed to him his plans for the land. They agreed on a price and Hurd agreed to sell at a later date, before Whitley got off the ground with Hollywood, plans for the new town had spread to General Harrison Gray Otis, Hurds wife, eastern adjacent ranch co-owner Daeida Wilcox, and others. Daeida Wilcox may have learned of the name Hollywood from Ivar Weid, her neighbor in Holly Canyon and she recommended the same name to her husband, Harvey. In August 1887, Wilcox filed with the Los Angeles County Recorders office a deed and parcel map of property he had sold named Hollywood, Wilcox wanted to be the first to record it on a deed. The early real-estate boom busted that year, yet Hollywood began its slow growth. By 1900, the region had a post office, newspaper, hotel, Los Angeles, with a population of 102,479 lay 10 miles east through the vineyards, barley fields, and citrus groves. A single-track streetcar line ran down the middle of Prospect Avenue from it, but service was infrequent, the old citrus fruit-packing house was converted into a livery stable, improving transportation for the inhabitants of Hollywood. The Hollywood Hotel was opened in 1902 by H. J. Whitley who was a president of the Los Pacific Boulevard, having finally acquired the Hurd ranch and subdivided it, Whitley built the hotel to attract land buyers. Flanking the west side of Highland Avenue, the structure fronted on Prospect Avenue, the hotel was to become internationally known and was the center of the civic and social life and home of the stars for many years. Whitleys company developed and sold one of the residential areas
Hollywood
–
The Four Ladies installation at the
Hollywood Boulevard –
La Brea Avenue Gateway
Hollywood
–
Glen-Holly Hotel, first hotel in Hollywood, at the corner of what is now Yucca Street. It was built in the 1890s.
Hollywood
–
Hollywood Hotel, 1905
Hollywood
–
The intersection of
Hollywood and Highland, 1907
33.
Irving Thalberg
–
Irving Grant Thalberg was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called The Boy Wonder for his youth, innate commercial instincts, Thalberg had little interest in films as an art form, he notoriously remarked that filmmakers are like servant girls, they need a good slap on the backside now and then. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and as a child was afflicted with a heart disease that doctors said would kill him before he reached the age of thirty. After graduating from school he took night classes in typing. Among the films he produced was The Hunchback of Notre Dame and he then partnered with Louis B. Mayers studio and, after it merged with two studios, helped create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He was made head of production of MGM in 1925, at the age of twenty-six, and after three years MGM became the most successful studio in Hollywood as a result of his supervision. During his twelve years with MGM, until his death at age 37, he produced four hundred films, most of which bore his imprint. Among those innovations were story conferences with writers, sneak previews to gain early feedback, in addition, he introduced horror films to audiences and coauthored the “Production Code, ” guidelines for morality followed by all studios. During the 1920s and 1930s, he synthesized and merged the world of stage drama, Thalberg created numerous new stars and groomed their screen images. He had the ability to combine quality with commercial success, and was credited with bringing his artistic aspirations in line with the demands of audiences. After his death, Hollywoods producers declared him to have been, despite his young age, President Roosevelt wrote, The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces, the Irving G. Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German-Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta. Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with blue baby syndrome, the prognosis from the family doctor, and from specialists years later, was that he would possibly live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and this affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17, he contracted fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books and she also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the tantalizing sounds of children playing outside his window. With little to him, he read books as a main activity
Irving Thalberg
–
Irving Thalberg, c. 1930s
Irving Thalberg
–
Thalberg, 1929
Irving Thalberg
–
Lon Chaney in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)
Irving Thalberg
–
Thalberg (L) with wife, Norma Shearer, and Louis B. Mayer, 1932
34.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
–
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of feature films and television programs. Its headquarters are in Beverly Hills, California and it is one of the worlds oldest film studios. In 1971, it was announced that MGM would merge with 20th Century Fox, over the next thirty-nine years, the studio was bought and sold at various points in its history until, on November 3,2010, MGM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. MGM Resorts International, a Las Vegas-based hotel and casino company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MGM, is not currently affiliated with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In 1966, MGM was sold to Canadian investor Edgar Bronfman Sr. whose son Edgar Jr. would later buy Universal Studios, the studio continued to produce five to six films a year that were released through other studios, mostly United Artists. Kerkorian did, however, commit to increased production and a film library when he bought United Artists in 1981. MGM ramped up production, as well as keeping production going at UA. It also incurred significant amounts of debt to increase production, the studio took on additional debt as a series of owners took charge in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1986, Ted Turner bought MGM, but a few later, sold the company back to Kerkorian to recoup massive debt. The series of deals left MGM even more heavily in debt, MGM was bought by Pathé Communications in 1990, but Parretti lost control of Pathé and defaulted on the loans used to purchase the studio. The French banking conglomerate Crédit Lyonnais, the major creditor. Even more deeply in debt, MGM was purchased by a joint venture between Kerkorian, producer Frank Mancuso, and Australias Seven Network in 1996, the debt load from these and subsequent business deals negatively affected MGMs ability to survive as an independent motion picture studio. In 1924, movie theater magnate Marcus Loew had a problem and he had bought Metro Pictures Corporation in 1919 for a steady supply of films for his large Loews Theatres chain. With Loews lackluster assortment of Metro films, Loew purchased Goldwyn Pictures in 1924 to improve the quality, however, these purchases created a need for someone to oversee his new Hollywood operations, since longtime assistant Nicholas Schenck was needed in New York headquarters to oversee the 150 theaters. Mayer, Loew addressed the situation by buying Louis B. Mayer Pictures on April 17,1924, Mayer became head of the renamed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with Irving Thalberg as head of production. MGM produced more than 100 feature films in its first two years, in 1925, MGM released the extravagant and successful Ben-Hur, taking a $4.7 million profit that year, its first full year. Marcus Loew died in 1927, and control of Loews passed to Nicholas Schenck, in 1929, William Fox of Fox Film Corporation bought the Loew familys holdings with Schencks assent. Mayer and Thalberg disagreed with the decision, Mayer was active in the California Republican Party and used his political connections to persuade the Justice Department to delay final approval of the deal on antitrust grounds
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
–
MGM Tower, former company headquarters highlighted by the famous
Leo the Lion logo at the top
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
–
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
–
Clark Gable
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
–
Marie Dressler and
Wallace Beery in
Min and Bill (1930)
35.
Paramount Pictures
–
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film studio based in Hollywood, California, that has been a subsidiary of the American media conglomerate Viacom since 1994. In 1916, film producer Adolph Zukor contracted 22 actors and actresses and these fortunate few would become the first movie stars. Paramount Pictures is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America, in 2014, Paramount Pictures became the first major Hollywood studio to distribute all of its films in digital form only. Paramount is the fifth oldest surviving studio in the world after the French studios Gaumont Film Company and Pathé, followed by the Nordisk Film company. It is the last major film studio headquartered in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. Paramount Pictures dates its existence from the 1912 founding date of the Famous Players Film Company, hungarian-born founder, Adolph Zukor, who had been an early investor in nickelodeons, saw that movies appealed mainly to working-class immigrants. With partners Daniel Frohman and Charles Frohman he planned to offer feature-length films that would appeal to the class by featuring the leading theatrical players of the time. By mid-1913, Famous Players had completed five films, and Zukor was on his way to success and its first film was Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth, which starred Sarah Bernhardt. That same year, another aspiring producer, Jesse L. Lasky, opened his Lasky Feature Play Company with money borrowed from his brother-in-law, Samuel Goldfish, the Lasky company hired as their first employee a stage director with virtually no film experience, Cecil B. DeMille, who would find a site in Hollywood, near Los Angeles, for his first feature film. Hodkinson and actor, director, producer Hobart Bosworth had started production of a series of Jack London movies, Paramount was the first successful nationwide distributor, until this time, films were sold on a statewide or regional basis which had proved costly to film producers. Also, Famous Players and Lasky were privately owned while Paramount was a corporation, in 1916, Zukor maneuvered a three-way merger of his Famous Players, the Lasky Company, and Paramount. Zukor and Lasky bought Hodkinson out of Paramount, and merged the three companies into one, with only the exhibitor-owned First National as a rival, Famous Players-Lasky and its Paramount Pictures soon dominated the business. It was this system that gave Paramount a leading position in the 1920s and 1930s, the driving force behind Paramounts rise was Zukor. In 1926, Zukor hired independent producer B. P. Schulberg and they purchased the Robert Brunton Studios, a 26-acre facility at 5451 Marathon Street for US$1 million. In 1927, Famous Players-Lasky took the name Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation, three years later, because of the importance of the Publix Theatres, it became Paramount Publix Corporation. In 1928, Paramount began releasing Inkwell Imps, animated cartoons produced by Max, the Fleischers, veterans in the animation industry, were among the few animation producers capable of challenging the prominence of Walt Disney. The Paramount newsreel series Paramount News ran from 1927 to 1957, Paramount was also one of the first Hollywood studios to release what were known at that time as talkies, and in 1929, released their first musical, Innocents of Paris
Paramount Pictures
–
Logo used as of 2012
Paramount Pictures
–
Paramount Pictures logo, based on a design by founder
William Wadsworth Hodkinson, from 1917 to 1967.
Paramount Pictures
–
Lasky's original studio, a.k.a.: "The Barn"; as it appeared in the mid-1920s. The Taft building, built in 1923, is visible in the background.
Paramount Pictures
–
The original Paramount logo seen on its 1930s films and
Popeye shorts.
36.
Big band
–
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s. Big Bands evolved with the times and continue to this day, a big band typically consists of approximately 12 to 25 musicians and contains saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. The terms jazz band, jazz ensemble, stage band, jazz orchestra and this does not, however, mean that each one of these names is technically correct for naming a big band specifically. The music is traditionally called charts, improvised solos may be played only when called for by the arranger. There are two periods in the history of popular bands. Beginning in the mid-1920s, big bands, then consisting of 10–25 pieces. At that time they played a form of jazz that involved very little improvisation, which included a string section with violins. A few bands also had violas and cellos, usually one or two along with them, the dance form of jazz was characterized by a sweet and romantic melody. Orchestras tended to stick to the melody as it was written and vocals would be sung, many of these artists changed styles or retired after the introduction of swing music. Although unashamedly commercial, these bands often featured front-rank jazz musicians - for example Paul Whiteman employed Bix Beiderbecke, there were also all-girl bands such as Helen Lewis and Her All-Girl Jazz Syncopators. Towards the end of the 1920s, a new form of Big Band emerged which was more authentically jazz and this form of music never gained the popularity of the sweet dance form of jazz. The few recordings made in form of jazz were labelled race records and were intended for a limited urban audience. Few white musicians were familiar with music, Johnny Mercer. The three major centres in this development were New York City, Chicago and Kansas City, some big ensembles, like the Joe King Oliver outfit played a kind of half arranged, half improvised jazz, often relying on head arrangements. Other great bands, like the one of Luis Russell became a vehicle for star instrumentalists, there the whole arrangement had to promote all the possibilities of the star, although they often contained very good musicians, like Henry Red Allen, J. C. Earl Hines became the star of Chicago with his Grand Terrace Cafe band, meanwhile, in Kansas City and across the Southwest, an earthier, bluesier style was developed by such bandleaders as Benny Moten and, later, by Jay McShann and Jesse Stone. Radio was a factor in gaining notice and fame for Benny Goodman. Soon, others challenged him, and the battles of the bands became a staple at theater performances featuring many groups on one bill
Big band
–
Paul Whiteman and his orchestra in 1921
Big band
–
Benny Goodman and
Peggy Lee
Big band
–
Glenn Miller
Big band
–
Ockbrook Big Band at
Pride Park Stadium
37.
General Electric Theater
–
General Electric Theater was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electrics Department of Public Relations, jaime del Valle produced and directed the show. Ken Carpenter was the host and announcer, stereo Theater, the program was the first network radio series to be broadcast on FM in stereo. The television version of the program, produced by MCA-TV/Revue, was broadcast every Sunday evening at 9,00 pm EST, beginning February 11953, and ending May 271962. Each of the estimated 209 television episodes was an adaptation of a novel, short story, play, film, an exception was the 1954 episode Music for Christmas, which featured choral director Fred Waring and his group The Pennsylvanians performing Christmas music. On September 26,1954, Ronald Reagan debuted as the only host of the program, GE added a host to provide continuity in the anthology format. General Electric Theater made the already well-known Reagan, who had appeared in films as a second lead throughout his career, wealthy. After eight years as host, Reagan estimated he had visited 135 GE research and manufacturing facilities, Reagan, who would later be known as The Great Communicator because of his oratorical prowess, often credited these engagements as helping him develop his public-speaking abilities. Among the guest stars on the anthology were, Reagan was fired by General Electric in 1962 in response to his reference to the Tennessee Valley Authority as one of the problems of big government. This program started as a flood control project, the Tennessee Valley was periodically ravaged by destructive floods, the Army Engineers set out to solve this problem. They said that it was possible that once in 500 years there could be a total capacity flood that would inundate some 600,000 acres and they made a permanent lake which inundated a million acres. This solved the problem of floods, but the annual interest on the TVA debt is five times as great as the flood damage they sought to correct. Of course, you point out that TVA gets electric power from the impounded waters, and this is true. The series was not dropped because of low ratings but political intervention, Michael claimed that Robert Kennedy told GE officials that the company would receive no federal contracts so long as Reagan was host of the series. S. According to Michael Reagan, Kennedys directive is another example of the law of unintended consequences, had Kennedy stayed out of GE contract matters, there would have been no Governor or President Reagan, speculates Michael Reagan. In fact, the primary reason Reagan was fired by General Electric for his comments regarding the TVA was that the TVA was one of General Electrics biggest customers. General Electric was and remains the largest supplier of equipment to the TVA, don Herbert, a television personality well known as the host of Watch Mr. Wizard, appeared as the General Electric Progress Reporter, adding a scientific touch to the institutional advertising pitch. The show was produced by Revue Studios, whose successor-in-interest, NBC Universal Television, was co-owned by GE, following General Electric Theaters cancellation in 1962, the series was replaced in the same time slot by the short-lived GE-sponsored GE True, hosted by Jack Webb
General Electric Theater
–
Ronald Reagan, host
General Electric Theater
–
Harpo and Chico Marx performed "The Incredible Jewelry Robbery" in pantomime in 1959.
General Electric Theater
–
Subsidiaries and
divisions
38.
American Broadcasting Company
–
The network is headquartered on Columbus Avenue and West 66th Street in Manhattan, New York City. There are additional offices and production facilities elsewhere in New York City, as well as in Los Angeles and Burbank. Since 2007, when ABC Radio was sold to Citadel Broadcasting, ABC originally launched on October 12,1943, as a radio network, separated from and serving as the successor to the NBC Blue Network, which had been purchased by Edward J. Noble. It extended its operations to television in 1948, following in the footsteps of established broadcast networks CBS, in the mid-1950s, ABC merged with United Paramount Theatres, a chain of movie theaters that formerly operated as a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures. Leonard Goldenson, who had been the head of UPT, made the new television network profitable by helping develop, in 1996, most of Capital Cities/ABCs assets were purchased by The Walt Disney Company. The television network has eight owned-and-operated and over 232 affiliated television stations throughout the United States, most Canadians have access to at least one U. S. ABC News provides news and features content for radio stations owned by Citadel Broadcasting. In the 1930s, radio in the United States was dominated by three companies, the Columbia Broadcasting System, the Mutual Broadcasting System and the National Broadcasting Company. The last was owned by electronics manufacturer Radio Corporation of America, in 1938, the FCC began a series of investigations into the practices of radio networks and published its report on the broadcasting of network radio programs in 1940. The report recommended that RCA give up control of either NBC Red or NBC Blue, at that time, the NBC Red Network was the principal radio network in the United States and, according to the FCC, RCA was using NBC Blue to eliminate any hint of competition. Once Mutuals appeals against the FCC were rejected, RCA decided to sell NBC Blue in 1941, the newly separated NBC Red and NBC Blue divided their respective corporate assets. Investment firm Dillon, Read & Co. offered $7.5 million to purchase the network, Edward John Noble, the owner of Life Savers candy, drugstore chain Rexall and New York City radio station WMCA, purchased the network for $8 million. Due to FCC ownership rules, the transaction, which was to include the purchase of three RCA stations by Noble, would require him to resell his station with the FCCs approval, the Commission authorized the transaction on October 12,1943. Soon afterward, the Blue Network was purchased by the new company Noble founded, Noble subsequently acquired the rights to the American Broadcasting Company name from George B. Meanwhile, in August 1944, the West Coast division of the Blue Network, both stations were then managed by Don Searle, the vice-president of the Blue Networks West Coast division. The ABC Radio Network created its audience slowly, the network also became known for such suspenseful dramas as Sherlock Holmes, Gang Busters and Counterspy, as well as several mid-afternoon youth-oriented programs. S. From Nazi Germany after its conquest, to pre-record its programming, while its radio network was undergoing reconstruction, ABC found it difficult to avoid falling behind on the new medium of television. To ensure a space, in 1947, ABC submitted five applications for television station licenses, the ABC television network made its debut on April 19,1948, with WFIL-TV in Philadelphia becoming its first primary affiliate
American Broadcasting Company
–
ABC's corporate headquarters are located at 77 West 66th Street, on the
Upper West Side of
Manhattan in
New York City.
American Broadcasting Company
–
American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
–
Edward Noble, founder of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
–
In 2002, dancers and other cast members from the 32-year run of American Bandstand reunited with host
Dick Clark to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the show's local television debut.
39.
You Bet Your Life
–
You Bet Your Life is an American quiz show that aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio on October 27,1947, then moved to CBS Radio debuting October 5,1949, before making the transition to NBC-TV, because of its simple format, it was possible to broadcast the show simultaneously on radio and television. June 10,1960 was the last episode aired in its radio broadcast format, for its final season debuting September 22,1960, the TV show was renamed The Groucho Show and ran a further year. The play of the game, however, was secondary to the interplay between Groucho, the contestants, and occasionally Fenneman, the program was rerun into the 1970s, and later in syndication as The Best of Groucho. As such, it was the first game show to have its reruns syndicated, the mid-1940s was a lull in Groucho Marxs career. His radio show Blue Ribbon Town, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, had begun in March 1943 and had failed to catch on, Groucho left the program in June 1944, replaced by vocalist Kenny Baker until the shows end two months later. He also reluctantly appeared in two movies with brothers Chico and Harpo Marx, A Night in Casablanca and the lackluster Love Happy. During a radio appearance with Bob Hope in March 1947, Marx ad-libbed most of his performance after being forced to stand by in a room for 40 minutes before going live on the air. John Guedel, the Hope programs producer, formed an idea for a quiz show, Guedel also convinced Marx to invest in 50% of the show, in part by saying that he was untouchable at ad-libbing, but not at following a script. As Marx and the contestants were ad-libbing, he insisted that each show be filmed and edited before release to remove the risque or less interesting material, the show for the studio audience ran longer than the broadcast version. The president of Film Craft Productions, which did the filming, contestant teams usually consisted of one male and one female, most selected from the studio audience. Occasionally, famous or otherwise interesting figures were invited to play, after his signature introduction of Here he is, the one, the only. By Fenneman and finished by a thunderous GROUCHO, from the audience, Marx would be introduced to the music of Hooray for Captain Spaulding, his signature song. Some show tension revolved around whether a contestant would say the secret word, if a contestant said the word, a toy duck resembling Groucho—with eyeglasses and a mustache—descended from the ceiling to bring a $100 bill. A cartoon of a duck with a cigar was also used in the title sequence. In one episode, Grouchos brother Harpo came down instead of the duck, the duck was occasionally replaced with various other things, for example a wooden Indian figure, each carrying the required $100 to the lucky contestant. Marx would sometimes direct conversation to encourage the secret word to come up, after the contestants introduction and interview, the actual game began
You Bet Your Life
–
1955–60 title card
You Bet Your Life
–
Groucho interviews contestants during a 1950s episode (the woman is 1954
Rose Bowl Queen Barbara Schmit)
40.
Chico, California
–
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 86,187, Bidwell Park makes up over 17% of the city. Other cities in close proximity to the Chico Metropolitan Area include Paradise and Oroville, while towns and villages include Durham, Cohasset, Dayton, Nord. The Chico Metropolitan Area is the 14th largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in California, the nickname City of Roses appears on the Seal of the City of Chico. The city has designated a Tree City USA for 31 years by the National Arbor Day Foundation. The original inhabitants of the now known as Chico were the Mechoopda Maidu Native Americans. The City of Chico was founded in 1860 by John Bidwell, a member of one of the first wagon trains to reach California in 1843. During the American Civil War, Camp Bidwell, was established a mile outside Chico, by Lt. Col. A. E. Hooker with a company of cavalry and two of infantry, on August 26,1863. By early 1865 it was being referred to as Camp Chico when a post called Camp Bidwell was established in northeast California, the city became incorporated January 8,1872. Chico was home to a significant Chinese American community when it was first incorporated, old Hutch Hutchinson identified five events as the most seminal in Chico history. Several other significant events have unfolded in Chico more recently, Chico is at the northeast edge of the Sacramento Valley, one of the richest agricultural areas in the world. The Sierra Nevada mountains lie to the east, with Chicos city limits venturing several miles into the foothills, to the west, the Sacramento River lies 5 miles from the city limits. Chico sits on the Sacramento Valley floor close to the foothills of the Cascade Range to the north, Big Chico Creek is the demarcation line between the ranges. The citys terrain is flat with increasingly hilly terrain beginning at the eastern city limits. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 27.8 square miles. The city is bisected by Bidwell Park, which runs 5 miles from the city center deep into the foothills. The city is traversed by two creeks and a flood channel, which feeds the Sacramento River. They are named Big Chico Creek, Little Chico Creek, the downtown area of Chico is located generally between Big Chico Creek and Little Chico Creek
Chico, California
–
City Plaza in Chico
Chico, California
–
Bidwell Mansion
Chico, California
Chico, California
–
Kendall Hall at
Chico State
41.
Carnegie Hall
–
Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1891, it is one of the most prestigious venues in the world for both classical music and popular music. Carnegie Hall has its own programming, development, and marketing departments. It is also rented out to performing groups, the hall has not had a resident company since 1962, when the New York Philharmonic moved to Lincoln Centers Philharmonic Hall. Carnegie Hall has 3,671 seats, divided among its three auditoriums, Carnegie Hall presented about 200 concerts in the 2008–2009 season, up 3 percent from the previous year. Its stages were rented for an additional 600 events in the 2008–2009 season, Carnegie Hall contains three distinct, separate performance spaces. The Isaac Stern Auditorium seats 2,804 on five levels and was named after violinist Isaac Stern in 1997 to recognize his efforts to save the hall from demolition in the 1960s, the hall is enormously high, and visitors to the top balcony must climb 137 steps. All but the top level can be reached by elevator, the main hall was home to the performances of the New York Philharmonic from 1892 until 1962. Known as the most prestigious concert stage in the U. S. almost all of the classical music. After years of wear and tear, the hall was extensively renovated in 1986. The Ronald O. Perelman Stage is 42 feet deep, the First Tier and Second Tier consist of sixty-five boxes, the First Tier has 264 seats at eight seats per box and the Second Tier seats 238, with boxes ranging from six to eight seats each. Second from the top is the Dress Circle, seating 444 in six rows, at the top, the balcony seats 837. Although seats with obstructed views exist throughout the auditorium, only the Dress Circle level has structural columns, Zankel Hall, which seats 599, is named after Judy and Arthur Zankel. Originally called simply Recital Hall, this was the first auditorium to open to the public in April 1891, following renovations made in 1896, it was renamed Carnegie Lyceum. The completely reconstructed Zankel Hall is flexible in design and can be reconfigured in several different arrangements to suit the needs of the performers, the 599 seats in Zankel Hall are arranged in two levels. The Parterre level seats a total of 463 and the Mezzanine level seats 136, each level has a number of seats which are situated along the side walls, perpendicular to the stage. These seats are designated as boxes, there are 54 seats in six boxes on the Parterre level and 48 seats in four boxes on the Mezzanine level, the boxes on the Parterre level are raised above the level of the stage. Zankel Hall is accessible and its stage is 44 feet wide and 25 feet deep — the stage occupies approximately one fifth of the performance space, the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Recital Hall seats 268 and is named after Sanford I. Weill, a chairman of the board, and his wife Joan
Carnegie Hall
–
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
–
Isaac Stern Auditorium
Carnegie Hall
–
A closeup view of Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
–
Andrew Carnegie, 1913
42.
Gambling
–
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning money and/or material goods. Gambling thus requires three elements be present, consideration, chance and prize, the term gaming in this context typically refers to instances in which the activity has been specifically permitted by law. However, this distinction is not universally observed in the English-speaking world, for instance, in the United Kingdom, the regulator of gambling activities is called the Gambling Commission. Gambling is also an international commercial activity, with the legal gambling market totaling an estimated $335 billion in 2009. In other forms, gambling can be conducted with materials which have a value, many popular games played in modern casinos originate from Europe and China. Games such as craps, baccarat, roulette, and blackjack originate from different areas of Europe, a version of keno, an ancient Chinese lottery game, is played in casinos around the world. In addition, pai gow poker, a hybrid between pai gow and poker is also played, many jurisdictions, local as well as national, either ban gambling or heavily control it by licensing the vendors. Such regulation generally leads to gambling tourism and illegal gambling in the areas where it is not allowed, there is generally legislation requiring that the odds in gaming devices are statistically random, to prevent manufacturers from making some high-payoff results impossible. Since these high-payoffs have very low probability, a bias can quite easily be missed unless the odds are checked carefully. Most jurisdictions that allow gambling require participants to be above a certain age, in some jurisdictions, the gambling age differs depending on the type of gambling. For example, in many American states one must be over 21 to enter a casino, E. g. Nonetheless, both insurance and gambling contracts are typically considered aleatory contracts under most legal systems, though they are subject to different types of regulation. Under common law, particularly English Law, a contract may not give a casino bona fide purchaser status. For case law on recovery of gambling losses where the loser had stolen the funds see Rights of owner of money as against one who won it in gambling transaction from thief. This was a plot point in a Perry Mason novel, The Case of the Singing Skirt. Religious perspectives on gambling have been mixed, ancient Hindu poems like the Gamblers Lament and the Mahabharata testify to the popularity of gambling among ancient Indians. However, the text Arthashastra recommends taxation and control of gambling, ancient Jewish authorities frowned on gambling, even disqualifying professional gamblers from testifying in court. For these social and religious reasons, most legal jurisdictions limit gambling, in at least one case, the same bishop opposing a casino has sold land to be used for its construction. Although different interpretations of law exist in the Muslim world
Gambling
–
Caravaggio,
The Cardsharps, c. 1594
Gambling
–
Gamblers in the
Ship of Fools, 1494
Gambling
–
Bag with 65 Inlaid Gambling Sticks, Tsimshian (Native American), 19th century,
Brooklyn Museum
Gambling
–
The
Caesars Palace main fountain. The statue is a copy of the ancient
Winged Victory of Samothrace.
43.
George Jessel (actor)
–
George Albert Georgie Jessel was an American illustrated song model, actor, singer, songwriter, and film producer. He was famous in his lifetime as a multitalented comedic entertainer and he was widely known by his nickname, the Toastmaster General of the United States, for his frequent role as the master of ceremonies at political and entertainment gatherings. Jessel originated the role in the stage production of The Jazz Singer. Jessel was born on 118th Street in Harlem, by age 10, he was appearing in vaudeville and on Broadway to support his family after his fathers death. At age 11, he was a partner of Eddie Cantor in a kid sketch and he later partnered with Lou Edwards and then became a solo performer. His most famous comedy skit was called Hello Mama or Phone Call from Mama, in 1919 he produced his own solo show, George Jessels Troubles and appeared in his first motion picture, the silent movie The Other Mans Wife. He co-wrote the lyrics for a hit tune, Oh How I Laugh When I Think How I Cried About You, in 1921 he recorded a hit single, The Toastmaster. He sometimes appeared in blackface in his vaudeville shows, in 1924, he appeared in a brief comedy sketch, possibly the telephone sketch described above, in a short film made in the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process. In 1925, he emerged as one of the most popular leading men on Broadway with the role in the stage production of The Jazz Singer. However, when the studio refused his demands, Jessel turned down the movie role. According to Jessel during an interview around 1980, Warner Brothers still owed Jessel money for earlier roles, Jolson, the biographical inspiration for the movie, became the movies main financial backer. His next movie role was in 1926 in Private Izzy Murphy, whereas Jolsons film career skyrocketed after the 1927 release of The Jazz Singer, Jessel remained in smaller movie roles, often intended for audiences fond of Jewish and other ethnic humor. In the middle 1940s, he began producing musicals for 20th Century Fox, at the same time he became known as a host on the banquet circuit, famous for his good-natured wit aimed at his fellow celebrities. In 1946, he was one of the members of the California branch of the Friars Club. He also traveled overseas with the USO entertaining troops. As he grew older, he wrote eulogies for many of his contemporaries in Hollywood and he wrote three volumes of memoirs, So Help Me, This Way, Miss and The World I Lived In. Jessel produced a number of Hollywood films, including The Dolly Sisters, Nightmare Alley, Golden Girl, in the early 1950s, he performed on the radio in The George Jessel Show, which became a television series of the same name from 1953 to 1954. Jessel was the emcee on the short-lived The Comeback Story, a 1954 reality show on ABC in which mostly celebrities shared stories of having overcome adversities in their personal lives and he was replaced as emcee by Arlene Francis, but the program soon folded
George Jessel (actor)
–
Jessel in the film
Stage Door Canteen (1943)
George Jessel (actor)
–
Jessel in Live, Love & Laugh, 1929
44.
Pinochle
–
Pinochle or binocle is a trick-taking card game typically for two to four players and played with a 48-card deck. It is derived from the game bezique, players score points by trick-taking. It is thus considered part of a category which also includes a cousin. Each hand is played in three phases, bidding, melds, and tricks, the standard game today is called partnership auction pinochle. Pinochle derives from the game bezique, the French word binocle also meant eyeglasses. The word is possibly derived from the French word, binage. This latter pronunciation of the game was adopted by German speakers, German immigrants brought the game to America, where it was later mispronounced and misspelled pinochle. Auction pinochle for three players has some similarities with the German game skat, although the bidding is more similar to that of bid whist, during World War I, the city of Syracuse, New York outlawed the playing of pinochle in a fit of anti-German sentiment. Pinochle was the card game of American Jews and Irish immigrants. A pinochle deck consists of two copies of each of the 9,10, jack, queen, king, and ace cards of all four suits, Pinochle follows a nonstandard card ordering. The complete ordering from highest to lowest is A,10, the game can also be played using standard ranking with a simple change to scoring. Variants of pinochle can be played with five, six, eight or more players and these larger variations can combine two pinochle decks called a double deck. The double deck can also be used when playing with four players, hand sizes, average scores, the game is played with a pinochle deck of 48 cards and four players, one player is the dealer. After the shuffle, the dealer will offer a cut to the player on their right, all the cards are dealt in partnership pinochle. In variations for odd numbers of players like three, a hand of cards remain. Traditionally, the deal is clockwise, dealing a packet of three or four cards at a time, starting with the player to the left and ending with the dealer. The deal rotates clockwise, so the dealers left-hand opponent will deal next, in auction pinochle, players bid for the points they predict their hand could earn. The highest bidder earns the right to declare the trump suit, One of the players, usually the player to the left of the dealer, or the dealer themselves, is obligated to open with a first bid
Pinochle
–
The jack of diamonds and the queen of spades are the "pinochle" meld of pinochle.
45.
Alsace
–
Alsace is a cultural and historical region in eastern France now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Alsace is located on Frances eastern border and on the west bank of the upper Rhine adjacent to Germany, from 1982 until January 2016, Alsace was the smallest of 22 administrative regions in metropolitan France, consisting of the Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin departments. Territorial reform passed by the French legislature in 2014 resulted in the merger of the Alsace administrative region with Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine to form Grand Est. The predominant historical language of Alsace is Alsatian, a Germanic dialect also spoken across the Rhine, but today most Alsatians primarily speak French, the political status of Alsace has been heavily influenced by historical decisions, wars, and strategic politics. The economic and cultural capital as well as largest city of Alsace is Strasbourg, the city is the seat of several international organizations and bodies. The name Alsace can be traced to the Old High German Ali-saz or Elisaz, an alternative explanation is from a Germanic Ell-sass, meaning seated on the Ill, a river in Alsace. In prehistoric times, Alsace was inhabited by nomadic hunters, by 1500 BC, Celts began to settle in Alsace, clearing and cultivating the land. It should be noted that Alsace is a surrounded by the Vosges mountains. It creates Foehn winds which, along with irrigation, contributes to the fertility of the soil. In a world of agriculture, Alsace has always been a region which explains why it suffered so many invasions and annexations in its history. By 58 BC, the Romans had invaded and established Alsace as a center of viticulture, to protect this highly valued industry, the Romans built fortifications and military camps that evolved into various communities which have been inhabited continuously to the present day. While part of the Roman Empire, Alsace was part of Germania Superior, with the decline of the Roman Empire, Alsace became the territory of the Germanic Alemanni. The Alemanni were agricultural people, and their Germanic language formed the basis of modern-day dialects spoken along the Upper Rhine, Clovis and the Franks defeated the Alemanni during the 5th century AD, culminating with the Battle of Tolbiac, and Alsace became part of the Kingdom of Austrasia. Under Clovis Merovingian successors the inhabitants were Christianized, Alsace formed part of the Middle Francia, which was ruled by the eldest grandson Lothar I. Lothar died early in 855 and his realm was divided into three parts, the part known as Lotharingia, or Lorraine, was given to Lothars son. The rest was shared between Lothars brothers Charles the Bald and Louis the German, the Kingdom of Lotharingia was short-lived, however, becoming the stem duchy of Lorraine in Eastern Francia after the Treaty of Ribemont in 880. Alsace was united with the other Alemanni east of the Rhine into the duchy of Swabia. Alsace experienced great prosperity during the 12th and 13th centuries under Hohenstaufen emperors, Frederick I set up Alsace as a province to be ruled by ministeriales, a non-noble class of civil servants
Alsace
Alsace
Alsace
Alsace
46.
East Frisia
–
East Frisia or Eastern Friesland is a coastal region in the northwest of the German federal state of Lower Saxony. It is the section of Frisia between West Frisia in the Netherlands and North Frisia in Schleswig-Holstein. Administratively Ostfriesland belongs to three districts, namely Aurich, Leer, Wittmund and to the city of Emden, there are 465,000 people living in an area of 3,144.26 square kilometres. There is a chain of islands off the coast, called the East Frisian Islands and these islands are Borkum, Juist, Norderney, Baltrum, Langeoog, Spiekeroog and Wangerooge. The geographical region of East Frisia was inhabited in Paleolithic times by reindeer hunters of the Hamburg culture, later there were Mesolithic and Neolithic settlements of various cultures. The period after prehistory can only be reconstructed from archaeological evidence, access to the early history of East Frisia is possible in part through archaeology and in part through the studying of external sources such as Roman documents. The first proven historical event was the arrival of a Roman fleet under Drusus in 12 BC, the earlier settlements, known solely through material remnants but whose peoples name for themselves remains unknown, led up to the invasion of Germanic tribes belonging to the Ingvaeonic group. Those were Chauci mentioned by Tacitus, and Frisians, the region between the rivers Ems and Weser was thereupon inhabited by the Chauci, however, after the second century AD there is no mention of the Chauci. They were partly displaced by Frisian expansion after about 500, and were partially absorbed into the Frisian society. Saxons also settled the region and the East Frisian population of medieval times is based on a mixture of Frisian, nevertheless, the Frisian element is predominant in the coastal area, while the population of the higher Geest area expresses more Saxon influence. Historical information becomes clearer by early Carolingian time, when a Frisian kingdom united the area from present-day West Frisia throughout East Frisia up to the river Weser. It was ruled by kings like the famous Radbod whose known names were mentioned in folk tales until recent times. Frisia was a kingdom, and it was crushed by Pippin of Herstal in 689. East Frisia then became part of the Frankish Empire, charles the Great then divided East Frisia into two counties. At this time, Christianization by the missionaries Liudger and Willehad started, one part of East Frisia became a part of the diocese of Bremen, with the decay of the Carolingian empire, East Frisia lost its former bindings, and a unity of independent self-governed districts was established. Their elections were held every year to choose the Redjeven, who had to be judges as well as administrators or governors and this system prevented the establishment of a feudalistic system in East Frisia during mediaeval times. Frisians regarded themselves as people not obliged to any foreign authority. This period is called the time of the Friesische Freiheit and is represented by the still well-known salute Eala Frya Fresena that affirmed the non-existence of any feudality
East Frisia
–
Birds on “Watt” (mudflat)
East Frisia
–
Map of East Frisia in Germany
East Frisia
–
Morning fog in East Frisia, 2003
East Frisia
–
A cup of East Frisian tea with cream
47.
Germany
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Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres, with about 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. After the United States, it is the second most popular destination in the world. Germanys capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while its largest conurbation is the Ruhr, other major cities include Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Leipzig. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity, a region named Germania was documented before 100 AD. During the Migration Period the Germanic tribes expanded southward, beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation, in 1871, Germany became a nation state when most of the German states unified into the Prussian-dominated German Empire. After World War I and the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic, the establishment of the national socialist dictatorship in 1933 led to World War II and the Holocaust. After a period of Allied occupation, two German states were founded, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, in 1990, the country was reunified. In the 21st century, Germany is a power and has the worlds fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP. As a global leader in industrial and technological sectors, it is both the worlds third-largest exporter and importer of goods. Germany is a country with a very high standard of living sustained by a skilled. It upholds a social security and universal health system, environmental protection. Germany was a member of the European Economic Community in 1957. It is part of the Schengen Area, and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999, Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and the OECD. The national military expenditure is the 9th highest in the world, the English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine. This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz popular, derived from *þeudō, descended from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂- people, the discovery of the Mauer 1 mandible shows that ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago. The oldest complete hunting weapons found anywhere in the world were discovered in a mine in Schöningen where three 380, 000-year-old wooden javelins were unearthed
Germany
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The
Nebra sky disk is dated to c. 1600 BC.
Germany
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Flag
Germany
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Martin Luther (1483–1546) initiated the
Protestant Reformation.
Germany
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Foundation of the
German Empire in
Versailles, 1871.
Bismarck is at the center in a white uniform.
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Glendale, California
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Glendale /ˈɡlɛndeɪl/ is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its estimated 2014 population was 200,167, making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and it is located about 8 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. Glendale lies on the end of the San Fernando Valley, bisected by the Verdugo Mountains. The Golden State, Ventura, Glendale, and Foothill freeways run through the city, Glendale has one of the largest communities of Armenian descent in the United States. In 2013, Glendale was named LAs Neighborhood of the Year by the readers and editors of Curbed. com, Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery contains the remains of many noted celebrities and local residents. Grand Central Airport was the point for the first commercial west-to-east transcontinental flight flown by Charles Lindbergh. The area was inhabited by the Tongva people, who were later renamed the Gabrieleños by the Spanish missionaries. Rancho San Rafael was a Spanish concession, of which 25 were made in California, unlike the later Mexican land grants, the concessions were similar to grazing permits, with the title remaining with the Spanish crown. In 1860, his grandson Teodoro Verdugo built the Verdugo Adobe, the property is the location of the Oak of Peace, where early Californio leaders including Pio Pico met in 1847 and decided to surrender to Lieutenant Colonel John C. Verdugos descendants sold the ranch in various parcels, some of which are included in present-day Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, in 1884, residents gathered to form a townsite and chose the name Glendale. Residents to the southwest formed Tropico in 1887, the Pacific Electric Railway brought streetcar service in 1904. Glendale incorporated in 1906, and annexed Tropico 12 years later, Brand loved to fly, and built a private airstrip in 1919 and hosted fly-in parties, providing a direct link to the soon-to-be-built nearby Grand Central Airport. The grounds of El Miradero are now city-owned Brand Park and the mansion is the Brand Library, Brand partnered with Henry E. Huntington to bring the Pacific Electric Railway, or the Red Cars, to the area. Today, he is memorialized by one of the main thoroughfares. The citys population rose from 13,756 in 1920 to 62,736 in 1930, the Forest Lawn Cemetery opened in 1906 and was renamed Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in 1917. Pioneering endocrinologist and entrepreneur Henry R. Harrower opened his clinic in Glendale in 1920, the American Green Cross, an early conservation and tree preservation society, was formed in 1926. In 1964, Glendale was selected by George Lincoln Rockwell to be the West Coast headquarters of the American Nazi Party and its offices, on Colorado Street in the downtown section of the city, remained open until the early 1980s. In 1977 and 1978,10 murdered women were found in, the murders were the work of Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, the latter of whom resided at 703 East Colorado Street, where most of the murders took place
Glendale, California
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View of Glendale from
Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Glendale, California
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The Glendale area in the 1870s.
Glendale, California
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Glendale, 1910.
Glendale, California
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Looking south on Brand Blvd, 1915.
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IMDb
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In 1998 it became a subsidiary of Amazon Inc, who were then able to use it as an advertising resource for selling DVDs and videotapes. As of January 2017, IMDb has approximately 4.1 million titles and 7.7 million personalities in its database, the site enables registered users to submit new material and edits to existing entries. Although all data is checked before going live, the system has open to abuse. The site also featured message boards which stimulate regular debates and dialogue among authenticated users, IMDb shutdown the message boards permanently on February 20,2017. Anyone with a connection can read the movie and talent pages of IMDb. A registration process is however, to contribute info to the site. A registered user chooses a name for themselves, and is given a profile page. These badges range from total contributions made, to independent categories such as photos, trivia, bios, if a registered user or visitor happens to be in the entertainment industry, and has an IMDb page, that user/visitor can add photos to that page by enrolling in IMDbPRO. Actors, crew, and industry executives can post their own resume and this fee enrolls them in a membership called IMDbPro. PRO can be accessed by anyone willing to pay the fee, which is $19.99 USD per month, or if paid annually, $149.99, which comes to approximately $12.50 per month USD. Membership enables a user to access the rank order of each industry personality, as well as agent contact information for any actor, producer, director etc. that has an IMDb page. Enrolling in PRO for industry personnel, enables those members the ability to upload a head shot to open their page, as well as the ability to upload hundreds of photos to accompany their page. Anyone can register as a user, and contribute to the site as well as enjoy its content, however those users enrolled in PRO have greater access and privileges. IMDb originated with a Usenet posting by British film fan and computer programmer Col Needham entitled Those Eyes, others with similar interests soon responded with additions or different lists of their own. Needham subsequently started an Actors List, while Dave Knight began a Directors List, and Andy Krieg took over THE LIST from Hank Driskill, which would later be renamed the Actress List. Both lists had been restricted to people who were alive and working, the goal of the participants now was to make the lists as inclusive as possible. By late 1990, the lists included almost 10,000 movies and television series correlated with actors and actresses appearing therein. On October 17,1990, Needham developed and posted a collection of Unix shell scripts which could be used to search the four lists, at the time, it was known as the rec. arts. movies movie database
IMDb
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Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
50.
Turner Classic Movies
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Turner Classic Movies is an American movie-oriented basic cable and satellite television network owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner. TCM is headquartered at the Techwood Campus in Atlanta, Georgias Midtown business district, historically, the channels programming consisted mainly of featured classic theatrically released feature films from the Turner Entertainment film library – which comprises films from Warner Bros. However, TCM now has licensing deals with other Hollywood film studios as well as its Time Warner sister company, Warner Bros. and occasionally shows more recent films. The channel is available in United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, France, Spain, Nordic countries, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific. In 1986, eight years before the launch of Turner Classic Movies, concerns over Turner Entertainments corporate debt load resulted in Turner selling the studio that October back to Kirk Kerkorian, from whom Turner had purchased the studio less than a year before. As part of the deal, Turner Entertainment retained ownership of MGMs library of films released up to May 9,1986, Turner Broadcasting System was split into two companies, Turner Broadcasting System and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and reincorporated as MGM/UA Communications Co. The film library of Turner Entertainment would serve as the form of programming for TCM upon the networks launch. After the library was acquired, MGM/UA signed a deal with Turner to continue distributing the pre-May 1986 MGM and to begin distributing the pre-1950 Warner Bros. film libraries for video release. Turner Classic Movies debuted on April 14,1994, at 6,00 p. m. Eastern Time, the date and time were chosen for their historical significance as the exact centennial anniversary of the first public movie showing in New York City. The first movie broadcast on TCM was the 1939 film Gone with the Wind, at the time of its launch, TCM was available to approximately one million cable television subscribers. AMC had broadened its content to feature colorized and more recent films by 2002. In the early 90s AMC abandoned its format, leaving TCM as the only movie-oriented cable channel to devote its programming entirely to classic films without commercial interruption. In 1996, Turner Broadcasting System merged with Time Warner, which besides placing Turner Classic Movies, in March 1999, MGM paid Warner Bros. and gave up the home video rights to the MGM/UA films owned by Turner to Warner Home Video. In 2008, TCM won a Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting, in April 2010, Turner Classic Movies held the first TCM Classic Film Festival, an event – now held annually – at the Graumans Chinese Theater and the Graumans Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. In 2007, some of the films featured on TCM were made available for streaming on TCMs website. The networks programming season runs from February until the following March of each year when a retrospective of Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated movies is shown, called 31 Days of Oscar. Turner Classic Movies presents many of its features in their original aspect ratio whenever possible – widescreen films broadcast on TCM are letterboxed on the standard definition feed. TCM also regularly presents widescreen presentations of films not available in the format on any video release
Turner Classic Movies
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Robert Osborne at the 73rd Annual Peabody Awards
