1.
Rock Hudson
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Rock Hudson was an American actor. Hudson is generally known for his turns as a man in the 1950s and 1960s and is viewed as a prominent actor. Hudson was voted Star of the Year, Favorite Leading Man and he completed nearly 70 films and starred in several television productions during a career that spanned more than four decades. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1956, Hudson died from AIDS-related complications in 1985, becoming the first major celebrity to die from an AIDS-related illness. Hudson was born in Winnetka, Illinois, the child of telephone operator Katherine Wood and auto mechanic Roy Harold Scherer. His mother remarried and his stepfather, Wallace Wally Fitzgerald, adopted him and changed his surname to Fitzgerald. Hudsons years at New Trier High School were unremarkable, although he sang in the glee club and was remembered as a shy boy who delivered newspapers, ran errands. Although he tried out for roles in many of his plays, Hudson failed to win any because he could not remember his lines. Working as an usher in his years, he developed an interest in film. He worked as a driver for some time, longing to be an actor. After he sent talent scout Henry Willson a picture of himself in 1947, Willson took Hudson on as a client and changed his name to Rock Hudson, Hudsons name was coined by combining the Rock of Gibraltar and the Hudson River. Hudson made his debut with a small part in the 1948 Warner Bros. film Fighter Squadron. In 1953 he appeared in a Camel commercial which showed him on the set of Seminole, director Douglas Sirk gave Hudson his first leading role, in the 1954 film Magnificent Obsession, co-starring Jane Wyman. The film received positive reviews, with Modern Screen Magazine citing Hudson as the most popular actor of the year and his popularity soared with George Stevens film Giant. Hudson and his co-star James Dean were both nominated for Oscars in the Best Actor category, in the 1950s, Hudson made nine films with acclaimed director and father-figure Douglas Sirk, with Sirks own favorite being The Tarnished Angels. Following Richard Brooks acclaimed film Something of Value was a performance in Charles Vidors box office failure A Farewell to Arms. In order to make A Farewell to Arms, Hudson reportedly turned down Marlon Brandos role in Sayonara, William Holdens role in The Bridge on the River Kwai, and Charlton Hestons role in Ben-Hur. A Farewell to Arms received negative reviews, failed at the box office, Hudson sailed through the 1960s on a wave of romantic comedies
2.
Susan Saint James
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Susan Saint James is an American actress and activist, most widely known for her work in television during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Saint James was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Connecticut family, the daughter of Constance, a teacher, and Charles Daniel Miller, Saint James was raised in Rockford, Illinois, where she began modeling as a teenager. In her younger years she attended the Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest. She later attended the Connecticut College for Women and she moved to California at age 20, when she began her acting career. Her first screen role was in the TV movie Fame Is the Name of the Game with Tony Franciosa, among her other early television appearances were two episodes of the first season of Ironside. She also had a role in Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows. In the first-season story Pineapple Rose, she was featured when her character was kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity. In 1967, Saint James had a part in the pilot episode of the Robert Wagner crime-caper series It Takes a Thief. This led to a role playing a new character, Charlene Chuck Brown, Alexander Mundys fellow thief. She was featured in four episodes of the series from 1968 to 1970 and she went on to appear in the pilot episode of the western series Alias Smith and Jones. Saint James left the show to further her career as an actress in feature films, such as co-starring with Peter Fonda in the film Outlaw Blues. She achieved significant success in the vampire comedy Love at First Bite and followed up with a role in the comedy How to Beat the High Cost of Living, co-starring Jessica Lange, between films, she made a guest appearance in the March 3,1980 episode of M*A*S*H. After other film ventures failed to establish her, she returned to television and she received three more Emmy Award nominations for this role. Saint James was a celebrity and commentator for World Wrestling Federation s WrestleMania 2 event in 1986 along with Vince McMahon, in her mid-40s, Saint James proclaimed herself retired after Kate & Allie ended. In 1998, Saint James, her sister Mercedes Dewey and friend Barrie Johnson founded Seedling and Pip and she also starred in a Warner Theatre 1999 production of The Miracle Worker. On June 11,2008, Saint James was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Saint James married aspiring writer-director Richard Neubert at age 21, but the marriage lasted only a year. She was married a second time in 1971, to Thomas Lucas and they had a daughter, Sunshine Lucas, and a son, Harmony Lucas, the marriage lasted six years. While guest-hosting Saturday Night Live in 1981, Saint James met her husband, then-SNL executive producer Dick Ebersol
3.
NBC
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The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcast television network that is the flagship property of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The network is part of the Big Three television networks, founded in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America, NBC is the oldest major broadcast network in the United States. Following the acquisition by GE, Bob Wright served as executive officer of NBC, remaining in that position until his retirement in 2007. In 2003, French media company Vivendi merged its entertainment assets with GE, Comcast purchased a controlling interest in the company in 2011, and acquired General Electrics remaining stake in 2013. Following the Comcast merger, Zucker left NBC Universal and was replaced as CEO by Comcast executive Steve Burke, during a period of early broadcast business consolidation, radio manufacturer Radio Corporation of America acquired New York City radio station WEAF from American Telephone & Telegraph. Westinghouse, a shareholder in RCA, had an outlet in Newark, New Jersey pioneer station WJZ. This station was transferred from Westinghouse to RCA in 1923, WEAF acted as a laboratory for AT&Ts manufacturing and supply outlet Western Electric, whose products included transmitters and antennas. The Bell System, AT&Ts telephone utility, was developing technologies to transmit voice- and music-grade audio over short and long distances, the 1922 creation of WEAF offered a research-and-development center for those activities. WEAF maintained a schedule of radio programs, including some of the first commercially sponsored programs. In an early example of chain or networking broadcasting, the station linked with Outlet Company-owned WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island, AT&T refused outside companies access to its high-quality phone lines. The early effort fared poorly, since the telegraph lines were susceptible to atmospheric. In 1925, AT&T decided that WEAF and its network were incompatible with the companys primary goal of providing a telephone service. AT&T offered to sell the station to RCA in a deal that included the right to lease AT&Ts phone lines for network transmission, the divisions ownership was split among RCA, its founding corporate parent General Electric and Westinghouse. NBC officially started broadcasting on November 15,1926, WEAF and WJZ, the flagships of the two earlier networks, were operated side-by-side for about a year as part of the new NBC. On April 5,1927, NBC expanded to the West Coast with the launch of the NBC Orange Network and this was followed by the debut of the NBC Gold Network, also known as the Pacific Gold Network, on October 18,1931. The Orange Network carried Red Network programming, and the Gold Network carried programming from the Blue Network, initially, the Orange Network recreated Eastern Red Network programming for West Coast stations at KPO in San Francisco. The Orange Network name was removed from use in 1936, at the same time, the Gold Network became part of the Blue Network. In the 1930s, NBC also developed a network for shortwave radio stations, in 1927, NBC moved its operations to 711 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, occupying the upper floors of a building designed by architect Floyd Brown
4.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
5.
Columbo
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Columbo is an American television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. The plot revolves around how a perpetrator whose identity is known to the audience will finally be caught. Columbo is a police detective of Italian descent whose clothes are disheveled and whose trademarks include wearing a rumpled, beige raincoat over his suit. He is consistently underestimated by his suspects who, while initially reassured and distracted by his circumstantial speech, despite his unassuming appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he is extremely intelligent and shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for a conviction. His formidable eye for detail and relentlessly dedicated approach, often become clear to the only late in the story line. The episodes are all movie-length, between 73 and 100 minutes long, and have been broadcast in forty-four countries, in 2012, the program was chosen as the third-best cop or legal show on Best in TV, The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time. In 2013, TV Guide included it in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time, also in 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked it No.57 in the list of 101 Best Written TV Series. After two pilot episodes, the originally aired on NBC from 1971 to 1978 as one of the rotating programs of The NBC Mystery Movie. Columbo then aired less regularly on ABC beginning in 1989 under the umbrella of The ABC Mystery Movie, the last film was broadcast in 2003 as part of ABC Thursday Night at the Movies. In almost every episode the audience sees the crime unfold at the beginning and knows the identity of the culprit, once Columbo enters the story, viewers watch him solve the case by sifting through the contradictions between the truth and the version presented to him by the killer. This style of mystery is sometimes referred to as a howcatchem, episodes tend to be driven by their characters, the audience observing the criminals reaction to Columbos increasingly intrusive presence. In some cases, the arrogance and dismissive attitude allow Columbo to manipulate his suspects into self-incrimination. While details of the actions are shown to the viewer, Columbos true thoughts. Columbo generally maintains a relationship with the murderer until the end. The point at which the detective first begins to suspect the murderer is not revealed. Each case is concluded in a similar style, with Columbo dropping any pretense of uncertainty. Following the killers reaction, the episode ends with the killer confessing or quietly submitting to arrest. There are few attempts to deceive the viewer or provide a twist in the tale, other sources claim Columbos character is also influenced by Inspector Fichet from the French suspense-thriller film Les Diaboliques
6.
San Francisco
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San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the cultural, commercial, and financial center of Northern California. It is the birthplace of the United Nations, the California Gold Rush of 1849 brought rapid growth, making it the largest city on the West Coast at the time. San Francisco became a consolidated city-county in 1856, after three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was quickly rebuilt, hosting the Panama-Pacific International Exposition nine years later. In World War II, San Francisco was a port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the Pacific Theater. Politically, the city votes strongly along liberal Democratic Party lines, San Francisco is also the headquarters of five major banking institutions and various other companies such as Levi Strauss & Co. Dolby, Airbnb, Weebly, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Yelp, Pinterest, Twitter, Uber, Lyft, Mozilla, Wikimedia Foundation, as of 2016, San Francisco is ranked high on world liveability rankings. The earliest archaeological evidence of habitation of the territory of the city of San Francisco dates to 3000 BC. Upon independence from Spain in 1821, the became part of Mexico. Under Mexican rule, the system gradually ended, and its lands became privatized. In 1835, Englishman William Richardson erected the first independent homestead, together with Alcalde Francisco de Haro, he laid out a street plan for the expanded settlement, and the town, named Yerba Buena, began to attract American settlers. Commodore John D. Sloat claimed California for the United States on July 7,1846, during the Mexican–American War, montgomery arrived to claim Yerba Buena two days later. Yerba Buena was renamed San Francisco on January 30 of the next year, despite its attractive location as a port and naval base, San Francisco was still a small settlement with inhospitable geography. The California Gold Rush brought a flood of treasure seekers, with their sourdough bread in tow, prospectors accumulated in San Francisco over rival Benicia, raising the population from 1,000 in 1848 to 25,000 by December 1849. The promise of fabulous riches was so strong that crews on arriving vessels deserted and rushed off to the gold fields, leaving behind a forest of masts in San Francisco harbor. Some of these approximately 500 abandoned ships were used at times as storeships, saloons and hotels, many were left to rot, by 1851 the harbor was extended out into the bay by wharves while buildings were erected on piles among the ships. By 1870 Yerba Buena Cove had been filled to create new land, buried ships are occasionally exposed when foundations are dug for new buildings. California was quickly granted statehood in 1850 and the U. S. military built Fort Point at the Golden Gate, silver discoveries, including the Comstock Lode in Nevada in 1859, further drove rapid population growth. With hordes of fortune seekers streaming through the city, lawlessness was common, and the Barbary Coast section of town gained notoriety as a haven for criminals, prostitution, entrepreneurs sought to capitalize on the wealth generated by the Gold Rush
7.
Nancy Walker
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Nancy Walker was an American actress and comedian of stage, screen, and television. She was also a film and television director, Walker was born in 1922 as Anna Myrtle Swoyer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the elder of two daughters of vaudevillian Dewey Barto and Myrtle. Walker and her father both stood 411 and her younger sister, Betty Lou, also had a musical career. The sisters were raised in a trunk by their father, an entertainer with George Mann in the comedic and acrobatic dance act, Barto. In 1937, as Nan Barto, Walker appeared on the NBC radio programs Coast to Coast On A Bus and she made her Broadway debut in 1941 in Best Foot Forward. The role provided Walker with her debut when she signed a contract with M-G-M to make a movie version. In 1943, she appeared with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in the second film version of Girl Crazy. Her next film, Broadway Rhythm, in which she had a musical number backed by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet. Her dry comic delivery enabled her to continue acting throughout the 1940s and 1950s, originating the roles of Hildy Eszterhazy in On the Town and Lily Malloy in Look Ma, Im Dancin. on Broadway. She was nominated for a Tony Award in 1956 for her work in the musical revue Phoenix 55, Walker also starred in the short-lived Broadway musical comedy Copper and Brass in 1957, and appeared in the 1958 New York City Center production of Wonderful Town. For the early 1970s revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, she appeared again opposite Silvers, because of her T. V. work, she was unable to transfer with the show to Broadway. Her appearances in musicals led to record releases, and Dozens of television guest appearances and recurring roles followed, providing her with steady work. Her career spanned five decades and included comedies, dramas, and television variety shows such as Faye Emersons Wonderful Town, The Garry Moore Show, in the 1960-61 television season, she appeared in two episodes of NBCs The Tab Hunter Show. In 1970, she secured a role as Emily the housekeeper on the television series Family Affair. However, after four seasons, the ratings of Family Affair had plummeted opposite NBCs popular The Flip Wilson Show, and the series was cancelled at the end of that season. That same year Walker made her first appearance playing Ida Morgenstern, the role proved to be ideal for her. Walker thereafter became an annual guest star on the show for the three years. In 1974, when the MTM spinoff series, Rhoda premiered, from 1971-76, she was a regular on the successful Rock Hudson detective series McMillan & Wife, playing the McMillans housekeeper, Mildred
8.
Peter Falk
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He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, first for Murder, Inc. and again for Pocketful of Miracles. Director William Friedkin said of Falks role in his film The Brinks Job and he could break your heart or he could make you laugh. Falk was the first actor to be nominated for an Academy Award, in 1968, Falk starred with Gene Barry in a ninety-minute television movie about a highly skilled, laid-back detective. Columbo eventually became part of a series titled The NBC Mystery Movie, along with McCloud, McMillan & Wife. The detective series stayed on NBC from 1971 to 1978, took a respite, Falk was everyones favorite rumpled television detective, wrote historian David Fantle. In 1996, TV Guide ranked Falk number 21 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list. Born in New York City, Falk was the son of Michael Peter Falk, owner of a clothing and dry goods store, and his wife, Madeline, an accountant and buyer. Both of his parents were Jewish, coming from Poland and Russia on his fathers side, and from Hungary, Falks right eye was surgically removed when he was three because of a retinoblastoma, he wore an artificial eye for most of his life. The artificial eye was the cause of his trademark squint, despite this limitation, as a boy he participated in team sports, mainly baseball and basketball. In a 1997 interview in Cigar Aficionado magazine with Arthur Marx, Falk said, I got so mad I took out my glass eye, handed it to him and said, Try this. I got such a laugh you wouldnt believe, Falks first stage appearance was at the age of 12 in The Pirates of Penzance at Camp High Point in upstate New York, where one of his camp counselors was Ross Martin. Falk attended Ossining High School in Westchester County, New York, after graduating from high school in 1945, Falk briefly attended Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, and then tried to join the armed services as World War II was drawing to a close. Rejected because of his eye, he joined the United States Merchant Marine. Falk said of the experience in 1997, There they dont care if youre blind or not, the only one on a ship who has to see is the captain. And in the case of the Titanic, he couldnt see very well, Falk recalls this period in his autobiography, A year on the water was enough for me, so I returned to college. After a year and a half in the Merchant Marine, Falk returned to Hamilton College and he transferred to the New School for Social Research in New York City, which awarded him a bachelors degree in literature and political science in 1951. He then traveled in Europe and worked on a railroad in Yugoslavia for six months, Falk obtained a Master of Public Administration degree at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University in 1953. The program was designed to civil servants for the federal government
9.
Joe DiMaggio
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Joseph Paul Joe DiMaggio, nicknamed Joltin Joe and The Yankee Clipper, was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak, a record still stands. DiMaggio was a three-time MVP winner and an All-Star in each of his 13 seasons, during his tenure with the Yankees, the club won ten American League pennants and nine World Series championships. At the time of his retirement, he ranked fifth in home runs. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955 and his brothers Vince and Dom also were major league center fielders. DiMaggio was born on November 25,1914 in Martinez, California and he was named Paolo after his father Giuseppes favorite saint, Saint Paul. The family moved to nearby San Francisco when Joe was a year old, Giuseppe was a fisherman, as were generations of DiMaggios before him. After being processed on Ellis Island, Giuseppe worked his way across America, eventually settling near Rosalias father in Pittsburg, California, on the east side of the San Francisco Bay Area. After four years, he earned money to send to Italy for Rosalia and their daughter. Giuseppe hoped that his five sons would become fishermen, DiMaggio recalled that he would do anything to get out of cleaning his fathers boat, as the smell of dead fish nauseated him. Giuseppe called him lazy and good-for-nothing, DiMaggio did not finish his education at Galileo High School and instead worked odd jobs including hawking newspapers, stacking boxes at a warehouse and working at an orange juice plant. DiMaggio was playing semi-pro ball when older brother Vince DiMaggio, playing for the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League, Joe DiMaggio made his professional debut on October 1,1932. From May 27 to July 25,1933, he hit safely in 61 consecutive games, a PCL-record, Baseball didnt really get into my blood until I knocked off that hitting streak, he said. Getting a daily hit became more important to me than eating, drinking or sleeping, in 1934, DiMaggio suffered a career-threatening knee injury when he tore ligaments while stepping out of a jitney. Scout Bill Essick of the New York Yankees, convinced that the injury would heal, after DiMaggio passed a physical examination in November, the Yankees purchased his contract for $50,000 and five players. He remained with the Seals for the 1935 season and batted.398 with 154 runs batted in and 34 home runs and his team won the 1935 PCL title, and DiMaggio was named the leagues Most Valuable Player. DiMaggio made his league debut on May 3,1936. The Yankees had not been to the World Series since 1932, in total, DiMaggio led the Yankees to nine titles in 13 years
10.
Perry Mason (TV series)
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Perry Mason is an American legal drama series originally broadcast on CBS television from September 21,1957, to May 22,1966. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer who appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner. Many episodes are based on stories written by Gardner, Hollywoods first weekly one-hour series filmed for television, Perry Mason is one of TVs longest-running and most successful legal series. During its first season, it received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination as Best Dramatic Series, Raymond Burr received two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor, and Barbara Hale received an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Masons secretary Della Street. Perry Mason and Burr were honored as Favorite Series and Favorite Male Performer in the first two TV Guide Award readers polls, in 1960, the series received the first Silver Gavel Award presented for television drama by the American Bar Association. Perry Mason has aired in syndication in the United States and internationally ever since its cancellation, a 2014 study found that Netflix users rate Raymond Burr as their favorite actor, with Barbara Hale number seven on the list. The New Perry Mason, a 1973 revival of the series with a different cast, was poorly received and ran a mere 15 episodes. In 1985, the first in a series of 30 Perry Mason television films aired on NBC. Perry Mason is a criminal defense lawyer practicing in Los Angeles. He represents clients, most of whom have been charged with murder, each episode typically follows a formula. The first half of the show introduces a prospective murder victim, the body is found, often through circumstance by Mason and private investigator Paul Drake, or with his secretary Della Street. Clues point to Masons client, who is charged with murder, in the second-half courtroom setting, Mason spars most often with his legal adversary Hamilton Burger, Los Angeles district attorney, and police homicide detective Lt. Arthur Tragg. Mason establishes his clients innocence by dramatically demonstrating the guilt of another character, the murderer often breaks down and confesses to the crime in the courtroom. In the closing scene, the characters together to discuss how the case was solved. In many episodes, the identity of the guilty party is uncovered without a trial being held. During this stage, other malefactors — such as blackmailers, frauds, and forgers — are frequently forced into confessions by Masons relentless and clever questioning, and the killer is exposed. Lieutenant Andy Anderson – another police homicide detective and lead police official on the series, lieutenant Steve Drumm – another police homicide detective and lead police official on the series, who appeared in the final season. Dr. Hoxie – autopsy surgeon Sgt and his literary agent was advertising executive Thomas Cornwell Jackson, who had, in 1947, married actress Gail Patrick
11.
Sheree North
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Sheree North was an American film and television actress, dancer, and singer, known for being one of 20th Century-Foxs intended successors to Marilyn Monroe. North was born as Dawn Shirley Crang in Los Angeles, California, on January 17,1932, following her mothers remarriage to Edward Bethel, she was known as Dawn Shirley Bethel. She began dancing in USO shows during World War II at age ten, in 1948, she married Fred Bessire. She bore her first child at age 17 in 1949, North made her film début as an uncredited extra in Excuse My Dust. She was then spotted by a performing at the Macayo Club in Santa Monica. Around that time, she adopted the stage name Sheree North and she made her Broadway début in the musical Hazel Flagg, for which she won a Theatre World Award. She reprised her role in the version, Living It Up, starring Dean Martin. In early 1954, aged 22, she appeared in a live TV version of Cole Porters Anything Goes on The Colgate Comedy Hour, with Ethel Merman, Frank Sinatra, in 1954, North signed a four-year contract with 20th Century-Fox. The studio had big plans for her, hoping to groom her as a replacement for the studios leading, after her screen tests, however, North was not cast in either film. In March 1954, North had a brush with scandal when it was revealed that she had danced in a bikini in an 8 mm erotic film. Fox capitalized on the publicity as the studio previously had with Monroes nude calendar posing in 1952, in 1955, she was assigned the lead role opposite Betty Grable in How to Be Very, Very Popular, a role that Marilyn Monroe had refused to accept. Media attention surrounding Monroes suspension and Norths hiring resulted in North appearing on the cover of Life magazine with the cover line Sheree North Takes Over From Marilyn Monroe, the movie received mixed reviews from critics and was a moderate box office success. Despite this, film historians, then and now, cite Norths electrically-charged dancing to Shake, Rattle and Roll, in an attempt to promote North, Fox studio executives lobbied to cast her in films surrounded with popular stars. The studio had campaigned to cast her in a film with comedian Tom Ewell, to promote the film, North posed for several publicity shots showing her legs. When the majority of the shots were released, only her legs appeared with the tagline, Believe it or not, the film premiered with much fanfare in January 1956, and became a box office success, grossing over $4 million in the United States. Norths follow-up was The Best Things in Life Are Free, a musical in which her singing voice was dubbed by Eileen Wilson. She received fourth billing under Gordon MacRae, Dan Dailey, and it was an attempt by the studio to broaden Norths audience appeal, and while it earned favorable reviews from critics, it did not become the success Fox had hoped for. In 1956, Fox signed another blonde bombshell, Broadway actress Jayne Mansfield to a contract, although Fox slowly lost interest in North, the studio continued to offer her a string of films
12.
Dennis Weaver
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William Dennis Weaver was an American actor who was best known for his work in television. Weavers two most notable roles were as Marshal Matt Dillons trusty helper Chester Goode on the CBS western Gunsmoke and he appeared in the 1971 television film Duel, the first film of director Steven Spielberg. He is also remembered for his role as the twitchy motel attendant in Orson Welless film Touch of Evil, Weaver was born in Joplin, Missouri, the son of Walter Weaver and his wife Lenna Prather. His father was of English, Irish, Scottish, Cherokee, Weaver wanted to be an actor from childhood. He lived in Shreveport, Louisiana, for years and for a short time in Manteca. During World War II he served as a pilot in the United States Navy, after the war, he married Gerry Stowell, with whom he had three children. Weaver tried out for the 1948 U. S. Olympic team in the decathlon, however, only the top three finishers were selected. Weaver later commented, I did so poorly, I decided to, stay in New York and try acting. Weavers first role on Broadway came as an understudy to Lonny Chapman as Turk Fisher in Come Back and he eventually took over the role from Chapman in the national touring company. Solidifying his choice to become an actor, Weaver enrolled in The Actors Studio, in the beginning of his acting career, he supported his family by doing odd jobs, including selling vacuum cleaners, tricycles, and womens hosiery. In 1952, Shelley Winters helped him get a contract from Universal Studios and he made his film debut that same year in the movie The Redhead from Wyoming. Over the next three years, he played in a series of movies, but still had to work odd jobs to support his family. It was while delivering flowers that he heard he had landed the role of Chester Goode and it was his big break, the show would go on to become the highest-rated and longest-running live action series in United States television history. He received an Emmy Award in 1959 for Best Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Series, according to the Archive of American Television interview with Weaver, the producer had him in mind for Chester, but could not locate him, and was delighted when he showed up to audition. Never having heard the show, Weaver gave Chesters inane dialog his best Method delivery. Disappointed in his delivery, however, the producer asked for something humorous, the stiff leg came about when the producer pointed out that sidekicks almost always have some failing or weakness that makes them less-capable than the star. Weaver decided that a leg would be just the right thing. In 1960, he appeared in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents titled Insomnia, in 1961, he did an episode of The Twilight Zone called Shadow Play where he was trapped inside his own dream
