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1-8 of 8
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Movies, especially comedies, have always needed big, blustery, booming authoritarian types for the lead to play off of (or against), and one of the best was Thurston Hall, most famous for his role of Mr. Schuyler in the Topper (1953) series of the early 1950s. Hall was a tall, distinguished, imposing-looking man, which fit perfectly with the variety of military officers, wealthy businessmen, bankers and upper-crust types he played so well. The Boston-born Hall was attracted to a theatrical career as a youth, and toured New England with a theater troupe and eventually journeyed to Britain, where he spent several years on the stage. He formed his own theater company and successfully toured South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. By the time he entered films he was an established and successful stage actor, in both the U.S. and Europe. He started out in silent films, but his rich baritone voice enabled him to easily transition into talkies. He appeared in more than 200 films, his final one being Affair in Reno (1957), although he had kept busy in television, with appearances on many different series in addition to his co-starring role on "Topper". He died of a heart attack in 1958.- Producer
- Additional Crew
Al Lichtman was at one time a burlesque house usher and, in 1912, a field manager for Famous Players. In the early 1920s he owned and operated his own distribution company. He served as an executive at such studios as Famous Players, MGM, United Artists and 20th Century-Fox and was a major figure in the development of CinemaScope. In 1919 he worked with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, D.W. Griffith and William S. Hart in the formation of United Artists Pictures, of which he became president. Lichtman met Adolph Zukor and worked with him at Paramount Pictures before becoming a field manager for Zukor at Famous Players. Later, he created his own company, Alco Films, which went bankrupt after his partner stole money. Creditors took over and Alco was renamed Metro Pictures, the predecessor of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Lichtman and Zukor's paths kept intersecting during these years and he presented the idea of block booking to Zukor, which then became a new industry standard.
Many titles followed: president at Preferred Pictures, sales manager and president at United Artists, after which he reorganized MGM, serving as vice president and executive producer of films like "The Wizard of Oz" and "Gone With The Wind". Eventually, he joined 20th Century Fox and became head of distribution, during which time he played a crucial role in developing CinemaScope. He retired from Fox in 1957. Lichtman later served as President of Preferred Pictures and executive produced the film "The Young Lions" with Marlon Brando and Montgomery Cliff.- Richard Mealand was born on 2 September 1904 in Greenfield, Massachusetts, USA. He was a writer, known for Always Leave Them Laughing (1949) and Studio One (1948). He died on 20 February 1958 in New London, Connecticut, USA.
- Else Heims was born on 3 October 1878 in Berlin, Germany. She was an actress, known for Lady Hamilton (1921), My Wife, the Adventuress (1931) and Die Rothausgasse (1928). She was married to Max Reinhardt. She died on 20 February 1958 in Santa Monica, California, USA.
- Producer
- Writer
- Director
John E. Blakeley was born on 1 October 1888 in Ardwick, Manchester, England, UK. He was a producer and writer, known for Off the Dole (1935), Home Sweet Home (1945) and Holiday's with Pay (1948). He was married to Martha Isabella Moorby. He died on 20 February 1958 in Stockport, Cheshire, England, UK.- Harishchandra Sakharam Bhatavdekar was born on 15 March 1868 in Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was a director, known for Atash Behram (1901), The Wrestlers (1899) and Sr. Wrangler Mr. R.P. Paranjpe (1902). He died on 20 February 1958.
- Owe Husáhr was born on 21 July 1921 in Mora, Kopparbergs län, Sweden. He was a writer, known for Männen i mörker (1955). He died on 20 February 1958 in Stockholm, Sweden.
- Dwight Green was born on 9 January 1897 in Ligonier, Indiana, USA. He was married to Mabel Victoria Kingston. He died on 20 February 1958 in the USA.