1.
Victor Saville
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Victor Saville was an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. He directed 39 films between 1927 and 1954 and he also produced 36 films between 1923 and 1962. His first picture as director was The Arcadians, in 1929 he and Michael Balcon worked together again on a talkie remake of Woman to Woman for Balcons company, Gainsborough Pictures, this time directed by Saville himself. In 1937, he left to set up his own company, Victor Saville Productions. Both films starred Robert Donat and were a success in the USA as well as in Britain. After the war he continued directing films for MGM but eventually returned to Britain and he produced two final films in the 1960s, The Greengage Summer and Mix Me a Person. BFI screenonline biography Saville, Victor Retrieved on 2 February 2009 Lloyd & Robinson, Victor Saville at the Internet Movie Database Victor Saville at AllMovie
2.
I, the Jury
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I, the Jury is the 1947 debut novel of American crime-fiction writer Mickey Spillane, the first work to feature private investigator Mike Hammer. Dr. Charlotte Manning is young, beautiful, blonde, to increase her profit, she becomes involved with a crime syndicate with ties to both prostitution and drug-trafficking. The leader of the organization is Hal Kines, who has had surgery to make him look younger. Manning herself has upscale clientele, though her trade is not prostitution but coercing her patients into becoming dependent upon medications, on the surface, Charlotte Manning maintains her façade as a renowned psychiatrist. As the sinister plots of Manning and the crime syndicate evolve, Williams himself is a former New York police officer who has lost his arm in World War II saving the life of his friend Mike Hammer. Williams asks Dr. Manning to admit Devlin to her clinic for psychotherapy, after Myrna has become clean, she and Williams become engaged, though the couple maintains a casual friendship with Manning. Over time, Williams becomes suspicious of Mannings business, and secretly investigates further and he realizes that Hal Kines, one of Mannings college students who has spent some time at her clinic and who has become one of her casual acquaintances, is in fact a criminal. When, at a party given by Williams in his apartment, Charlotte Manning finds old college yearbooks whose contents would expose Kines criminal actions, she has to act fast. After the party, she goes home but on the night, undetected, returns to Williams apartment. Then she takes the college yearbooks and leaves, on a Saturday morning, Hammer picks up Myrna Devlin and gives her a lift. They drive to the Bellemy twins estate in the country for a gigantic all-day party there, Charlotte Manning says she has some business to attend to and will be there in time for a tennis game due to take place that evening. After an unsuccessful attempt at playing tennis himself, Hammer gets rid of his sleep deficit by spending all day in his room, fast asleep, with old junior — his gun — close to him. He is woken up just in time for dinner, during which Harmon Wilder, the Bellemys lawyer and this is a fine — and the final — distractor in the novel, Wilder and Sherman are suddenly missing from the party after Myrna Devlin has been found shot. In fact they had illicit drugs on them and did not want to be found out, during the tennis game, Mary Bellemy asks Charlotte if she can borrow Hammer. Then she leads him into the woods where they have sex and they return to the party just as a maid discovers Myrnas body in an upstairs room, in front of a large mirror. Both Pat Chambers and the police are called in, and the alibis of each guest is checked, again Charlotte can convince everyone that she could not have done anything. Back home, Hammer retreats into his apartment to think, finally, he knows the identity of the killer. This is when he goes to Charlottes place, recapitulates the whole crime and finally shoots her dead, by the time the book was adapted into a film in 1953, it had sold 3,500,000 copies
3.
Mickey Spillane
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Frank Morrison Spillane, better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American crime novelist, whose stories often feature his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally, Spillane was also an occasional actor, once even playing Hammer himself. Born in Brooklyn, New York City, and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Spillane was the child of his Irish bartender father, John Joseph Spillane. Spillane attended Erasmus Hall High School, graduating in 1935. during World War II Spillane enlisted in the Army Air Corps, becoming a fighter pilot and a flight instructor. While flying over Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, he said and he was an active Jehovahs Witness. Mickey and Mary Ann Spillane had four children, and their marriage ended in 1962, in November 1965, he married his second wife, nightclub singer Sherri Malinou. After that marriage ended in divorce in 1983, Spillane shared his waterfront house in Murrells Inlet with his wife, Jane Rogers Johnson, whom he married in October 1983. In the 1960s, Spillane became a friend of the novelist Ayn Rand, despite their apparent differences, Rand admired Spillanes literary style, and Spillane became, as he described it, a fan of Rands work. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo ravaged his Murrells Inlet house to such a degree it had to be almost entirely reconstructed, a television interview showed Spillane standing in the ruins of his house. He received an Edgar Allan Poe Grand Master Award in 1995, Spillanes novels went out of print, but in 2001, the New American Library began reissuing them. Spillane died July 17,2006 at his home in Murrells Inlet, after his death, his friend and literary executor, Max Allan Collins, began the task of editing and completing Spillanes unpublished typescripts, beginning with a Mike Hammer novel, The Goliath Bone. In July 2011, the town of Murrells Inlet named U. S17 Business the Mickey Spillane Waterfront 17 Highway, the proposal first passed the Georgetown County Council in 2006 while Spillane was still alive, but the South Carolina General Assembly rejected the plan then. He is survived by his wife, Jane Spillane, Spillane started as a writer for comic books. While working as a salesman in Gimbels department store basement in 1940, he met tie salesman Joe Gill, Gill told Spillane to meet his brother, Ray Gill, who wrote for Funnies Inc. an outfit that packaged comic books for different publishers. Spillane soon began writing a story every day. He concocted adventures for major 1940s comic book characters, including Captain Marvel, Superman, Batman, two-page text stories, which he wrote in the mid-1940s for Timely, appeared under his name and were collected in Primal Spillane. Spillane joined the United States Army Air Forces on December 8,1941, in the mid-1940s he was stationed as a flight instructor in Greenwood, Mississippi, where he met and married Mary Ann Pearce in 1945. The couple wanted to buy a house in the town of Newburgh, New York,60 miles north of New York City
4.
Biff Elliot
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Biff Elliot was an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as popular detective Mike Hammer in the 1953 version of I, the Jury, Elliot was born Leon Shalek in Lynn, Massachusetts, the son of Susan M. and Israel Michael Shalek. All of his grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe and his father was a former semi-pro baseball player, then retiring and opening up a burlap-bag manufacturing business in Presque Isle, Maine. Elliot had a childhood nickname Bith but later adapted it to Biff when he went into boxing, when he was 16 his family moved to Presque Isle, where he became involved in boxing and was known as Biff Harris. In 1943 Elliot signed up for the United States Army and was placed in the 34th Infantry Division, once the war finished Elliot was discharged and decided to return to the University of Maine in 1945. He graduated from Maine in 1949 and moved to New York City in hopes of pursuing a writing career, after failing to make out as a writer, Elliot switched his attention to acting, and began taking acting courses at the actors studio. He first started doing stage and television work, mostly playing tough, when accepted for the audition, Elliot was brought to Hollywood, and began preparing for his role by cramming himself with Mike Hammer novels and spending the whole night re-reading them. After a successful 15-minute audition Elliot was selected to become the first actor to portray the famed Mike Hammer in a motion picture, and thus his first leading role on film. Over the next few years, Elliot was a prominent fixture in classic war films of the 1950s and 60s, appearing in such as Between Heaven and Hell, The Enemy Below, Pork Chop Hill. But mostly he worked in television, in 1959, Elliot got a seemingly good break when playwright Clifford Odets happened to see I, the Jury and offered him a role in The Story on Page One, which Odets wrote and directed. Thereafter Elliot was mostly seen on television over the decade, including an appearance on Frank Lovejoys detective series, Meet McGraw. In 1966, he portrayed a government agent in an episode of the comedy series The Dick Van Dyke Show, in 1967, he appeared in the Star Trek episode The Devil in the Dark. He guest-starred in an episode of Gibbsville in 1976, in 1977, he had a memorable supporting role in Telly Savalass Beyond Reason with Diana Muldaur. A late notable role came in 1981 when he co-starred in Back to the Planet of the Apes, Elliot would make his final film appearance in 1986 in a comedy, co-starring with Jack Lemmon in a scene from Thats Life. His last appearance on television was in 1986 on the set of the series of Starman. After Elliots retirement he continued to work in sports, covering Los Angeles sports for CBS Radio Network. Elliot was previously married to Betty Cole a former model, whom he met during his tenure at the University of Maine and married her in his year in 1948. Elliot remarried in 1977 to Connie and both resided in Los Angeles, a brother of Win Elliott, longtime CBS Radio Network sportscaster and 1950s TV game show host, Biff Elliot died in his home in Studio City, California on August 15,2012, aged 89
5.
Preston Foster
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Preston Foster, sometimes credited as Preston S. Foster, was an American stage and film actor. He also had a career as a vocalist, Foster entered films in 1929 after acting on Broadway. He was still appearing on Broadway as late as November 1931 and he soon reprised that role in a filmed version. His most notable films include Doctor X, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, Annie Oakley, The Last Days of Pompeii, The Informer, and My Friend Flicka. While serving with the United States Coast Guard during World War II, he rose to the rank of captain and he eventually held the honorary rank of commodore. Foster enjoyed a career as a vocalist. In 1948, he created a trio consisting of himself, his wife, Sheila, Leis arranged the songs and the trio performed on radio and in clubs, appearing with Orrin Tucker, Peggy Ann Garner and Rita Hayworth. He starred in the television drama Waterfront, playing Captain John Herrick and he guest-starred in the ABC drama series Going My Way, starring Gene Kelly. On July 25,1943, Foster co-starred with Ellen Drew in China Bridge, Foster was married to his first wife, stage actress Gertrude Warren, from 1926 until their 1945 divorce. He was married to his wife, actress Sheila Darcy. Preston Foster has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Preston Foster at the Internet Broadway Database Preston Foster at Find a Grave
6.
Peggie Castle
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Peggie Castle was an American actress who specialized in playing the other woman in B-movies. She was also billed under the names Peggy Castle and Peggie Call, Castle was born Peggy Blair in Appalachia in Wise County in far southwestern Virginia. She changed her last name from Blair because there was another actress named Blair at the first studio in which she worked and her father, Doyle H. Blair, was at one point an industrial relations director for a large corporation and later business manager for Donald OConnor. She took lessons in drama when she was 8 years old and she attended Mills College for two years. Castles first work as an actress came in the soap opera Todays Children, then a spot on Radio Theatre in 1947 brought her a screen test offer from 20th Century Fox. Castle was discovered by a talent scout while eating in a restaurant in Beverly Hills and she was signed to a seven-year contract with Universal-International and made her film debut in the 1947 film When a Girls Beautiful. In 1949, she was named Miss Cheesecake by the Southern California Restaurant Association, later that year, the Junior Chamber of Commerce named Castle Miss Three Alarm. She later appeared in films as Payment on Demand, The Prince Who Was a Thief Invasion U. S. A.99 River Street. In the 1950s, Castle moved into television and she appeared in multiple guest roles on Fireside Theater, Cheyenne,77 Sunset Strip, and The Restless Gun. In 1957 she played defendant Sally Fenner in the Perry Mason episode, from 1959 to 1962, she co-starred in the television western series Lawman — her first continuing series. Her role as saloon owner Lily Merrill brought out a new dimension of Castles talent and she stated For the first time in my life Im a singer — thats the producers opinion, not mine. Her final onscreen role was a guest appearance in a 1966 episode of The Virginian, in 1960, Castle and Peter Brown traveled to rodeos, performing as a song-and-dance team. Castle stressed, Were very careful not to sing any romantic songs, the duos stops included St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Albuquerque. Her first marriage was to Revis Call and they married in 1945 and divorced in 1950. She married Universal publicist Robert H. Raines January 4,1951 and her third marriage was to producer/director William McGarry in 1955. They had a daughter, Erin, before divorcing in 1969, Castles fourth and final marriage was to Arthur Morganstern in 1971. They remained married until Morgansterns death in April 1973, for her contribution to the television industry, Peggie Castle has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6230 Hollywood Boulevard. It was dedicated February 8,1960, in her later years, Castle developed alcoholism
7.
Margaret Sheridan
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Margaret Elizabeth Sheridan was an American actress of the early 1950s, and protégée of director Howard Hawks. She is best remembered for her role as Nikki Nickolson opposite Kenneth Tobey in the 1951 science fiction classic The Thing from Another World and she was born in Los Angeles, California, to Thomas J. and Julia P. Sheridan. Sheridan was discovered by Howard Hawks while she was attending college. Initially, Hawks believed she was the most promising woman actress of her era, in 1947 she married William F. Pattison, a professional airline pilot. Hawks offered Sheridan the female lead opposite John Wayne in the 1948 film Red River, Sheridan turned down the role because she was expecting the birth of her first child. Hawks offered her the role of Nikki Nickolson in the 1951 film The Thing from Another World, sheridans career suffered, and she never achieved the fame Hawks had hoped. Motherhood and a few years of maturity had evidently changed her, Hawks is quoted as saying she was just not the same girl he had discovered. He later commented that if she had taken the role in Red River, her career would have flourished and she died of lung cancer on May 1,1982 in Orange, California. The Thing from Another World One Minute to Zero I, the Jury The Diamond Pride of the Blue Grass McCarthy, Howard Hawks, the Gray Fox of Hollywood. Margaret Sheridan at the Internet Movie Database Margaret Sheridan at AllMovie The Private Life and Times of Margaret Sheridan
8.
Alan Reed
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He also appeared in many films, including Days of Glory, The Tarnished Angels, Breakfast at Tiffanys, Viva Zapata. and Nob Hill, and various television series. Born Herbert Theodore Bergman in New York City, he attended Washington High School, between graduating from WHS and entering Columbia, he studied drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He began his career in the city, eventually working on Broadway. For several years, Reed toured in vaudeville with his cousin and he also had two other jobs—operating a wholesale candy factory and working at the Copake Country Club as social director, entertainment producer and actor. For a time, he continued to list himself either as Bergman or Alan Reed and he was able to act in 22 foreign dialects, and made a career as a successful radio announcer and stage actor. As early as 1930, Reed co-starred with Herbert Polesie in Henry and George, Reed was heard regularly on the Crime Doctor series, and was the original Daddy to Fanny Brice on Baby Snooks. Billed as Teddy Bergman, he had the role on Joe Palooka. Billed as Teddy Bergman, Reed appeared on Broadway in Double Dummy, and A House in the Country, in 1963, he appeared as Councilman Jack Gramby in episode 8 of the CBS sitcom My Favorite Martian. In 1964–65, he had a role as Mr. Swidler in the ABC sitcom Mickey, starring Mickey Rooney as the owner of a resort hotel in Newport Beach. As a voice actor, Reed provided the voice of Boris the Russian Wolfhound in Walt Disneys Lady, in 1960, he began the voice role for which he was most famous, that of Fred Flintstone, the lead character of Hanna-Barberas prime-time animated series The Flintstones. Reed provided Freds voice for the entire run of the show, as well as in several spin-off series. His final performance as Fred Flintstone was a cameo guest role on an episode of Scoobys All-Star Laff-A-Lympics, among his other voice roles for Hanna-Barbera was Touché Turtles sidekick, Dum Dum. Radio playwright and director Norman Corwin cast Reed as Santa Claus in the 1969 KCET television reading of his 1938 play The Plot to Overthrow Christmas. In May 1932, Reed married the former Finette Walker, a Broadway actress whom he met at television station W2XAB in New York City and she appeared on stage in the early 1930s and was a chorus member in the original 1934 Broadway production of Anything Goes with Ethel Merman. They had three sons, including actor Alan Reed, Jr, once his son started acting, Reed took the professional name Alan Reed, Sr. Reed died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on June 14,1977, two months shy of his 70th birthday. His body was donated to the Loma Linda University School of Medicine and he was survived by his wife, sons, and several grandchildren. Porkys Romance as Opening Announcer Days of Glory as Sasha The Postman Always Rings Twice as Ezra Liam Kennedy Viva Zapata. L, ISBN 0-7864-0351-9 Alan Reed at the Internet Movie Database Alan Reed
9.
Franz Waxman
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Franz Waxman – born Franz Wachsmann – was a German and American composer of Jewish descent, known primarily for his work in the film music genre. His film scores include Bride of Frankenstein, Rebecca, Sunset Boulevard, A Place in the Sun, Stalag 17, Rear Window, Peyton Place, The Nuns Story and he received twelve Academy Award nominations, and won two Oscars in consecutive years. He also received a Golden Globe Award for the former film, bernard Herrmann said that the score for Taras Bulba was the most wonderful thing. Waxman also founded the Los Angeles Music Festival in 1947 with which he conducted a number of West Coast premieres by fellow film composers, Waxman was born Franz Wachsmann in Königshütte to Jewish parents in the German Empires Prussian Province of Silesia. At the age of three Waxman suffered an eye injury involving boiling water tipped from a stove, which left his vision permanently impaired. In 1923, at age 16, Waxman enrolled in the Dresden Music Academy and studied composition, Waxman lived from the money he made playing popular music and managed to put himself through school. While working as a pianist with the Weintraub Syncopators, a band, Waxman met Frederick Hollander. Waxman worked as an orchestrator for the German film industry, including on Hollander’s score for The Blue Angel, Waxman’s first dramatic score was for the film Liliom. That year Waxman suffered a beating by Nazi sympathizers in Berlin that led him to leave Germany and move with his wife first to Paris. In Hollywood, Waxman met James Whale, who had been impressed by Waxmans score for Liliom. The success of his score for Whales Bride of Frankenstein led to the young composer’s appointment as Head of Music at Universal Studios, Waxman, however, was more interested in composition than musical direction for film, and in 1936 he left Universal to become a composer at MGM. Waxman scored a number of pictures during the few years. Waxman was frequently called to work on scores of horror or suspense films, Rebecca was Hitchcock’s first Hollywood film as part of his contract with David O. Selznick, and thus it was the first time he was allowed a full symphonic score. Selznick financed the film at the time as he was making Gone With the Wind. Waxman’s score for Rebecca is eerie and ethereal, often setting the mood and as Jack Sullivan put it, becoming a “soundboard for the subconscious. ”In 1943 Waxman left MGM and moved to Warner Bros. where he worked alongside such great film composers as Max Steiner and Erich Wolfgang Korngold. A period of extended composition followed, including such films as Mr. Skeffington and Objective, a climactic scene in Objective, Burma. was scored fugally, and this would become one of Waxmans trademarks, returning in The Spirit of St. Louis and Taras Bulba. In 1947 Waxman formed the Los Angeles Music Festival, for which he served as director and conductor for the rest of his life. Waxmans goal with the LA Music Festival was to bring the town to “European cultural standards”
