Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Happy Easter

From:



                                                                    Jane Winton






                                                           Jean Parker and Mary Carlisle

 
 
 
 
Our Gang

 
 
 
 
Shirley Temple

 
 
 
 
 
Lana Turner
 
 
 
 
 
Judy Garland and Fred Astaire

 
 
 
Diana Lynn

 
 
 
Susan Hayward

 
 
 
 
George Reeves and Friend
 
 
 
 
 
 
Easter Bunny 

 
 
 
 
 Easter Bunny
 
 
 
 
 
Doris Day
 
 
 
 
 
Laraine Day
 
 
 
 
 
 
Priscilla Lane
 






A

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Gale Storm And Zasu Pitts

Years after the two reel comedies with Thelma Todd, Zasu Pitts went to work for Hal Roach in a television series with Gale Storm.

The Gale Storm Show


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



James Fairfax, Gale Storm, and ZaSu Pitts (1956)
Also known asOh, Susanna
GenreSitcom
Created byLee Karson
StarringGale Storm
ZaSu Pitts
Roy Roberts
James Fairfax
Composer(s)Leon Klatzkin
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes143
Production
Executive producer(s)Hal Roach
Producer(s)Hal Roach, Jr.
Lou Derman
Alex Gottlieb
Running time22–24 minutes
Production company(s)Hal Roach Studios
Independent Television Corporation
Broadcast
Original channelCBS (1956-1960)
ABC (1960)
Picture formatBlack-and-white
Audio formatMonaural
Original runSeptember 29, 1956 (1956-09-29) – September 22, 1960 (1960-09-22)
The Gale Storm Show is an American sitcom starring Gale Storm. The series premiered on September 29, 1956, and ran until 1960 for 143 half-hour black-and-white episodes, initially on CBS and in its last year on ABC. The Gale Storm Show was co-produced by Independent Television Corporation (now ITC Entertainment) and Hal Roach Studios.
The series was aired under the title Oh, Susanna in syndication.

 

Synopsis

The series was based on a cruise director, Susanna Pomeroy (Storm), on a ship travelling around the world. A cast of regular characters inhabited the ship and new situations were created by the ship mooring in ports. Unlike her previous role on My Little Margie, Storm's character of Susanna would let out a shrill two fingered whistle to get people's attention. In her previous show, she would make a Trilling sound when in trouble.

Main characters

Notable guest stars

Award nominations

YearResultAwardCategoryRecipient
1959NominatedEmmy AwardBest Supporting Actress (Continuing Character) in a Comedy SeriesZaSu Pitts

External links





                                                       *                  *                 *


Prior to the television series, Gale Storm and Zasu Pitts had worked together in the 1941 movie UNCLE JOE.

Hal Roach went into television production in the 1950s and the half-hour programs he made for television have been compared to the short subjects he previously had made for theatrical distribution. Although the bulk of these had been two-reelers, Roach had made some three-reelers, and those were around the same length as a half hour television program.

The Gale Storm show was filmed at the Hal Roach studio with the same familiar locations that were seen in the old comedies, such as "Lake Laurel and Hardy". The studio and it's lake are no longer there: it was torn down in the 1960's after going out of business.

After the series ended, Gale Storm herself eventually went into something of a decline, which seems to have been due in part to a drinking problem. She eventually made a recovery and said afterwards,  "During the 1970s I experienced a terribly low and painful time of dealing with alcoholism...I thank God daily that I have been fully recovered for more than 20 years. During my struggle, I had no idea of the blessing my experience could turn out to be! I've had the opportunity to share with others suffering with alcoholism the knowledge that there is help, hope, and an alcohol free life awaiting them." 

The business of making a trilling sound ( something she had done on the series MY LITTLE MARGIE ) was also associated with pulp superhero Doc Savage, who was wont to do it upon making important discoveries, and sometimes on other occasions. It was considered unusual enough in those stories that it was supposed to set him apart from everyone else.




                                                               Gale Storm and Zasu Pitts

 
 


 
 
 
 
With Robby the Robot from FORBIDDEN PLANET

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
"Robby the Robot" of course was really a man in a robot costume.

 
 
 
 
 
With Boris Karloff
 
 
 
 
With Boris Karloff

 
 
 
 
With Joi Lansing
 
 
 









Watch Gale Storm Show - Classic TV - www.nostalgiamerchant.tv in Comedy | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com


Gale Storm:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0832561/


Gale Storm Show Site:
http://www.galestorm.tv/the_gale_storm_show_oh_susanna/


Gale Storm Show On The Internet:
http://www.veoh.com/watch/v19244628T5SHDF4S?h1=Gale+Storm+Show+-+Classic+TV+-+www.nostalgiamerchant.tv


Gale Storm and Zasu Pitts photos:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/246112



UNCLE JOE at the internet archive:
http://archive.org/details/UncleJoe




A

Friday, March 22, 2013

Laurel And Hardy Meet Superman

Laurel and Hardy didn't make a career out of meeting people so much as Abbott and Costello did, but Stan Laurel did happen to meet Superman. Knew him pretty well, as a matter of fact.


Reblogged from http://www.nuttynutnewsnetwork.co.uk/april2012december2012.html
















From the Facebook page The Making of Stan Laurel. Echoes of a British Boyhood. The model for Superman was the professional wrestler Karol Krauser (real name Piwoworczyk). What has that to do with Stan Laurel you ask? Well, Stan was best man at Karol’s wedding. You will see from this photo, in real life Stan was a tall as Superman!



Karol Krauser:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19400121&id=Jm8hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-YcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3473,3792486


Karol Krauser As Superman:

http://www.supermanhomepage.com/movies/movies.php?topic=dyk-karolkrauser

http://davewesselscomix.blogspot.com/2012/08/max-fleischers-rotoscope-patent.html

http://www.supermansupersite.com/08271155.html

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

CHICKENS COME HOME

Laurel and Hardy's CHICKENS COME HOME featured Thelma Todd along with Mae Busch in the supporting cast.







Chickens Come Home



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


    

Chickens Come Home

UK title card
Directed byJames W. Horne
Produced byHal Roach
Written byHal Roach (story)
H.M. Walker (dialogue)
StarringStan Laurel
Oliver Hardy
Music byMarvin Hatley
Leroy Shield
CinematographyJack Stevens
Art Lloyd
Editing byRichard C. Currier
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)February 21, 1931
Running time30' 26" (English)
56' 11" (Spanish)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Chickens Come Home is a 1931 short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by James W. Horne and produced by Hal Roach. It was shot in January, 1931 and released on February 21, 1931. It is a remake of the 1927 silent film Love 'em and Weep in which Jimmy Finlayson played Hardy's role and Hardy played a party guest.

 


 Plot

Ollie is living a perfect life: a lovely wife, a beautiful mansion complete with a butler, even his own manure dealership—with a mayoral nomination not far behind. Ollie calls on Stan (who was in the sample room, holding a flyswatter) to transcribe an acceptance speech. Enter an old flame (Mae Busch), aiming to take advantage of Ollie's situation: blackmail Ollie into giving her hush money, or else present to the press a scandalous picture of her and Ollie, a picture taken during his "gilded youth...my primrose days...before I was married." Ollie's plans of reaching a final settlement with the woman are scuppered when his wife (Thelma Todd) enters: They are to have an important dinner party with a judge and his wife the same time Ollie is to meet the woman to discuss terms. Ollie then enlists Stan to go over to the woman's apartment and stall her until Ollie can get there.
Stan enters the old flame's house that night. The woman, displeased about being tricked, calls Ollie on the phone. Ollie promises to get there as soon as possible. While the woman is waiting in another room, Stan intercepts the scandalous photograph. Soon after, Stan barricades the door with most of her furniture, although this does not stall the woman (she uses the other door to leave). A struggle to keep the woman from entering her car is witnessed by a busybody neighbor (Patsy O'Byrne), who immediately rushes to tell the wife (Norma Drew) that Stan was "going to Mr. Hardy's house to make whoopee" with the woman.
Meanwhile, Ollie is thinking of a way to get out of the house. In one instance, he feigns running out of cigars. As he is about to go to the store, the butler (Jimmy Finlayson) enters with a fresh box. This good deed is met with an ungrateful kick in the shin by Ollie, although the butler is paid off to keep mum. All of Ollie's attempts fail to work, and the old flame eventually arrives (with Stan on her trail). Ollie tries to pass her off as Mrs. Laurel to avoid suspicion by Mrs. Hardy. As soon as Stan, Ollie, and the woman are alone, Ollie produces a gun, threatening to kill the woman and then himself, causing her to faint.
The boys attempt to get her out before Mrs. Hardy returns. They strike upon a plan: Mrs. Hardy returns to see Stan take "Mrs. Laurel" home (actually, Ollie carrying the woman on his back while his head is concealed with her coat). Stan whimpers when he sees the real Mrs. Laurel ringing the doorbell, and the two of them race back to the den to switch positions. Mr. Hardy tries taking the woman out, but the wives are not fooled, and Mrs. Laurel, bearing a hatchet, chases after her husband.

 Cast

 Spanish version

A Spanish language version of this film was completely re-shot with the stars delivering their lines in phonetic Spanish. It was expanded to one hour by adding scenes of Abraham J. Cantu, a magician and of vaudeville regurgitator, Hadji Ali, performing at the Hardy dinner party. Titled Politiquerias, the film was released in Latin American and Spanish markets as a feature.
Joining headliners Laurel and Hardy was a supporting cast of native Spanish speakers: Linda Loredo played Mrs. Hardy, Carmen Granada was Mrs. Laurel and Rina De Liguro was the burr under everyone's saddle in the Mae Busch role. James Finlayson absorbed the abuse — and more — of the magician and the regurgitator in the added scenes, reprising his role as the Hardy butler.

 References

 External links



CHICKENS COME HOME would be the last short subject Thelma Todd would make with Laurel and Hardy. She was about to begin her own series at the Roach studio with Zasu Pitts and would only make one other non-series two-reeler there after that, THE NICKEL NURSER with Charley Chase. But she would work again with Laurel and Hardy in the features THE DEVIL'S BROTHER and THE BOHEMIAN GIRL.


According to Randy Skretvedt, Thelma Todd was originally slated to play the "other woman"in this film, but the part eventually went to former silent movie vamp Mae Busch





and Thelma Todd played Hardy's wife instead. Thelma Todd wears an ear ring only in her left ear in this film, something I hadn't remembered that is remarked upon at the "Lord Heath" site.




The Spanish Language version has Hadji Ali, a "regurgitator", in it. A regurgitator swallows and regurgitates things as part of his act, or pretends to. Sometimes it's actually done by sleight-of-hand. Houdini was a regurgitator and there was a story that he regurgitated the picks he used to open locks after having been searched to make sure he didn't have anything of the kind on him.


                                       Laurel and Hardy in another fine big business.

 
 
 
 She was an old flame, but she still thought she was hot stuff.

 
 
 
 
 
 Hiding the other woman from wifey.
 
 
 
 
 
The "incriminating photo" of Hardy with his old flame.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Stan at work. 

 
 
 
 
 
 The nosey neighbor spots Stan with that wild woman.
 
 
 
 
 
Jimmy Finlayson up to his usual tricks.
 
 
They should have had him play Popeye.
 
 
 

     "They laughed when I sat down at the piano, or at least they did when we came to the next joke."

 
 
 
 
Thelma Todd's sheet music appears to have a likeness of Thelma Todd upon it.

 
 
 
 
 
 The nosey neighbor knows Mrs. Laurel and tells all she knows, which isn't much.
 
 
 
 
 
The scene where Hardy attempts to smuggle Mae Busch out on his back is vaugely reminescent of the "incriminating photo" where he has Mae Busch on his back.

 
 
 
 
 Thelma can't believe her eyes.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Laurel and Hardy sought to pull the wool over everyone's eyes, but what they had was only cotten.

 
 
 
 
 Not even cotton cloth, just the raw stuff picked from the plant.

 
 
 
 
 
 And it didn't fool anyone!
 
 
 
 
 


 
 











CHICKENS COME HOME:
http://www.lordheath.com/index.php?p=1_137_Chickens-Come-Home


http://www.doctormacro.com/Movie%20Summaries/C/Chickens%20Come%20Home.htm


Laurel And Hardy:
http://www.laurel-and-hardy.com/

A

Monday, March 18, 2013

Photos For A Fan

A fan's photo collection from the thirties included Thelma Todd, along with a lot of others, all of which they carefully listed on an index. Which I have here on the blog along with a number of the other pictures.


                                                  The seller's description on ebay:


1934 Thelma Todd 5 by 7 Fan Portrait Photo

From an extraordinary private collection of over 200 Vintage Hollywood and Television photographs.
Look at her index with dates she collected each photo shown in the listing.


Here is the photo of Thelma Todd with her dog "Gallant", which was evidently widely circulated at the time.

 
 
 
And here are some of the other pictures in the collection.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
And here is the index.


 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 




Quite a few popular favorites in there. Some fans of the day were able to amass such collections even in the depths of the depression. At that time there were people going to the movies even when they had little money to spend on anything else. The popularity of the movies has since declined, as has the quality of the movies themselves.







A