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1-15 of 15
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Rose Marie was a legend of show business, with a career stretching 90 years, since her debut as her self in a Vitaphone musical short that appeared on the bill with The Jazz Singer (1927) at its premiere in 1927. According to Rose Marie, when she approached Al Jolson at the Winter Garden Theater in New York on the night of the premiere that made movie history and told him, "You were wonderful, Mr. Jolson!", his reply was, "Get away, you little brat!"
"He didn't like kids," Rose Marie explained. Her first credited appearance was in another musical short, Baby Rose Marie the Child Wonder (1929) in 1929.
The legendary performer was born Rose Marie Mazetta on August 15, 1923 in New York City, the daughter of an Italian-American father, Frank Mazetta (known as Frank Curley), and Polish-American mother, Stella (Gluszcak). Blessed with a remarkable singing voice for a child that allowed her to belt out jazz songs in the "coon shouter" style of the 1920s (as exemplified by Sophie Tucker), she began performing when she was three years old as "Baby Rose Marie." By the time she was five, she had her own radio show on NBC, appearing after 'Amos and Andy' (1949)_, the most popular show in the country. Many people could not believe the voice they were hearing actually belonged to a child.
Baby Rose Marie made many appearances in films in the 1930s, most famously in International House (1933), a movie about television, the medium in which Rose Marie would win her everlasting fame. In addition to her film performances, Baby Rose Marie also appeared on records and performed in vaudeville as a headliner. One of the acts she appeared with was Edgar Bergen before his Charlie McCarthy ventriloquism act, when he was still a small-timer. A half century later, when she appeared on Murphy Brown (1988), she told star Candice Bergen, "I worked with your father in vaudeville when he was doing a doctor sketch."
When Bergen replied that she couldn't have played the nurse in the act as she was too young, Rose Marie told her that she was the headliner and he was her opening act. "She didn't care for that too much," Rose Marie remembered.
She also appeared in vaudeville with Dick Powell, Rudy Vallee and Jimmy Durante, who mentored her. She also entertained at the White House three separate times at the request of three presidents. They were Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
She transitioned to becoming a nightclub chanteuse as a teenager, playing all the big night clubs and hotels in New York, Chicago, Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Miami, Florida, usually in Mob-controlled venues. (Prominent mobsters, who called her "The Kid", liked her and protected her.) A young Milton Berle, whom she had known since she was a child, wrote some of her material, as did Morey Amsterdam, her future "Dick Van Dyke" co-star whom she knew since she was nine years old.
After the war she married trumpeter Bobby Guy of the Kay Kyser Orchestra, in 1946. She made her Broadway debut in 1951, co-starring with Phil Silvers in the hit show Top Banana (1954) (she also appeared in the 1954 film adaptation). Rose Marie also appeared on radio on "The Phil Harris - Alice Faye Show", playing the sister of Sheldon Leonard, who would later hire her for The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961) in his capacity as executive producer.
Rose Marie had a career resurgence as an actress in the 1960s, starring in three sitcoms during the decade: First, My Sister Eileen (1960) in the 1960-1961 season. Second: as comedy writer "Sally Rogers" on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961) from 1961 to 1966, and on The Doris Day Show (1968) from 1969 to 1971. She also appeared frequently on The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965). She was the center square at least once, and had a recurring role on Murphy Brown (1988) and Wings (1990). She appeared in a Remington Steele episode "Steele in the Spotlight (1986).
She also kept her singing career going, touring as part of the musical revue "4 Girls 4" from 1977 to 1981 with Rosemary Clooney, Helen O'Connell and Margaret Whiting. In her latter years, she continued to make occasional appearances.
She died on December 28, 2017 in Van Nuys, California, at 94 years old.- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Sue Grafton was born in Louisville, Kentucky, USA as Sue Taylor Grafton. She is best known as the author of the "alphabet series" ("A" Is for Alibi, etc.) featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. She was married to Steve Humphrey for 43 years, and died on December 28, 2017 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Edeltraut Elsner was born on 8 April 1936 in Berlin, Germany. She was an actress, known for Tingeltangel (1971), Die Koblanks (1979) and Tatort (1970). She was married to Wolfgang Ziffer. She died on 28 December 2017 in Berlin, Germany.
- Producer
- Actor
- Production Manager
Born on September 26, 1942, Charlie first began a career as a police officer in 1978 where he stayed until retiring in 1996. In between the time of being a police officer, he spoofed his own career by playing a dumb cop in Killseeker 3. After retiring from the police he obtained the role of Jack in Evil On Queen Street. He is critically acclaimed for this humorous role in an otherwise dark film.- Ronit Matalon was born in 1959 in Gnei Tikva, Israel. She was a writer, known for Dreams of Innocence (1994) and The Women Next Door (1992). She was married to Emanuel Berman. She died on 28 December 2017 in Haifa, Israel.
- Recy Taylor was born on 31 December 1919 in Abbeville, Alabama, USA. She was married to Willie Guy Taylor. She died on 28 December 2017 in Abbeville, Alabama, USA.
- John McCool Bowers is a versatile character actor known for his appearances on film, TV and stage. His most recent appearances include the feature film The Enchanted Cottage (2016) and the TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2016). He returned to show business in 2009 after a 23 year hiatus during which he pursued a law career. He's still a lawyer (don't hate him for that), but he's back to his first love - acting.
- Ulrich K. Wegener was born on 22 August 1929 in Jüterbog, Brandenburg, Germany. He was married to Regina. He died on 28 December 2017 in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
- Writer
- Actor
- Soundtrack
John passed away while visiting his family in Panama City, FL for the holidays. While continuing to write screenplays, John also was an Adjunct Professor at UCLA the last 10 years. John was very popular with his students as he showed he truly cared about their success. He will be greatly missed by family, friends and students whose lives he touched so deeply.- Sterling Norris was born on 25 April 1939 in Newcastle, Wyoming, USA. He died on 28 December 2017 in Northridge, California, USA.
- Lee Brandenburg was born on 8 June 1930 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He was married to Diane . He died on 28 December 2017 in Pebble Beach, California, USA.
- Molly LaMar was born on 3 April 1971 in Danville, Illinois, USA. She died on 28 December 2017 in Danville, Illinois, USA.
- Francis Wyndham was born on 2 July 1924 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Tigers are Better-Looking (1979), Take It or Leave It (1964) and The Book Programme (1973). He died on 28 December 2017 in the UK.
- Ali Ramez was an actor, known for Give Back (2013), Parviz (2012) and The Organization 4 (1987). He died on 28 December 2017 in Tehran, Iran.
- Jean-François Hory was born on 15 May 1949 in Neufchâteau, Vosges, France. He died on 28 December 2017 in Burgundy, France.