25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures Permalink

Charley Chase

October 25, 2019

Charley Chase was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for his work in Hal Roach short film comedies. He was the older brother of comedian/director James Parrott.

Born Charles Joseph Parrott in Baltimore, Maryland, Chase began performing in vaudeville as a teenager and started his career in films by working at the Christie Film Company in 1912. He then moved to Keystone Studios, where he began appearing in bit parts in the Mack Sennett films, including those of Charlie Chaplin. By 1915 he was playing juvenile leads in the Keystones, and directing some of the films as Charles Parrott. His Keystone credentials were good enough to get him steady work as a comedy director with other companies; he directed many of Chaplin imitator Billy West's comedies, which featured a young Oliver Hardy as villain.

In 1920, Chase began working as a film director for Hal Roach Studios; among his notable early works for Roach was supervising the first entries in the Our Gang series, as well as directing several films starring Lloyd Hamilton; like many other silent comedians, Chase is reported to have regarded Hamilton's work as a major influence on that of his own. Chase became Director-General of the Hal Roach Studio in late 1921, supervising the production of all the Roach series with the exception of the Harold Lloyd comedies. He eventually moved back in front of the camera with his own series of shorts following Lloyd's departure from the studio in 1923, adopting the screen name Charley Chase.

Direction of the Chase series was soon taken over by Leo McCarey, who in collaboration with Chase formed the comic style of the series ? an emphasis on characterization and farce instead of knockabout slapstick. Chase was a master of the comedy of embarrassment, and he played either hapless young businessmen or befuddled husbands in dozens of situation comedies. His screen persona was that of a pleasant young man with a dapper mustache and ordinary street clothes; this set him apart from the clownish makeups and crazy costumes used by his contemporaries.

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures, Radio, Television Permalink

Charles Bickford

October 25, 2019

Charles Bickford was an American actor best known for his supporting roles. He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for The Song of Bernadette, The Farmer’s Daughter, and Johnny Belinda. Other notable roles include Whirlpool, A Star is Born and The Big Country. Bickford was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, during the first minute of 1891. The fifth of seven children, he was a very independent and unruly child who was tried and acquitted at nine years old of the attempted murder of a trolley motorman who had callously driven over and killed his dog. In his late teens he drifted aimlessly around the United States for a time. Before breaking into acting, worked as a lumberjack, investment promoter, and for a short time, ran a pest extermination business. He was a stoker and fireman in the United States Navy when a friend dared him to get a job in Burlesque. He did and remained on stage for the next sixteen years.

Bickford had intended to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to earn an engineering degree, but while wandering the country, he became friends with the manager of a burlesque show, who convinced Bickford to take a role in the show. He debuted in Oakland, California in 1911. Bickford enjoyed himself so much that he abandoned his plans to attend M.I.T. He made his legitimate stage debut with the John Craig Stock Company at the Castle Square Theatre in Boston in 1912. Bickford eventually joined a road company and traveled throughout the United States for more than a decade, appearing in various productions. In 1925, while working in a Broadway play called Outside Looking In, he and co-star James Cagney received rave reviews. He was offered a role in Herbert Brenon’s 1926 film of Beau Geste, but anxious not to give up his new-found Broadway stardom, turned it down. Following a succès d’estime in the Maxwell Anderson-Harold Hickerson drama about the Sacco and Vanzetti case, Gods of the Lightning, Bickford was contacted by legendary filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille and offered a contract with MGM studios to star in DeMille’s first talking picture, Dynamite. He soon began working with MGM head Louis B. Mayer on a number of projects.

He became a star after playing Greta Garbo’s lover in Anna Christie, but never developed into a romantic lead. Always of independent mind, strong-willed and quick with his fists, Bickford would frequently argue and nearly come to blows with Mayer. During the production of DeMille’s Dynamite, he punched out his director. He rejected numerous scripts and made no secret of his disdain for much of the material he was offered. His association with MGM was short-lived, and Bickford asked for and received a release from his contract, but found himself blacklisted at other studios. He became an independent actor for several years. Bickford was mauled by a lion and nearly died while filming East of Java in 1935. While he recovered, he lost his contract with Fox as well as his leading man status due to extensive neck scarring coupled with his advancing age. Much preferring the character roles that now became his forte, Bickford appeared in many notable films including The Farmer’s Daughter, Johnny Belinda, A Star is Born, and Not As a Stranger.

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures, Radio Permalink

Charles Boyer

October 25, 2019

Charles Boyer was a French actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in movies during the 1930s. His most famous role was opposite Ingrid Bergman in the 1944 mystery-thriller Gaslight. Other memorable performances were among the era’s highly praised romantic dramas, Algiers and Love Affair. He received four Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.

Born in Figeac, Lot, Midi-Pyrénées, France, to Maurice and Louise Boyer, Charles was a shy, small-town boy who discovered the movies and theater at the age of eleven. Boyer performed comic sketches for soldiers while working as a hospital orderly during World War I. He began studies briefly at the Sorbonne, and was waiting for a chance to study acting at the Paris Conservatory. He went to the capital city to finish his education, but spent most of his time pursuing a theatrical career. In 1920, his quick memory won him a chance to replace the leading man in a stage production, and he scored an immediate hit. In the 1920s, he not only played a suave and sophisticated ladies’ man on the stage but also appeared in several silent films.

MGM signed Boyer to a contract, and he loved life in the United States, but nothing much came of his first Hollywood stay from 1929 to 1931. At first, he performed film roles only for the money and found that supporting roles were unsatisfying. However, with the coming of sound, his deep voice made him a romantic star.

His first break came with a very small role in Jean Harlow’s Red-Headed Woman. After starring in a French adaptation of Liliom directed by Fritz Lang, he began to receive public favor; Boyer landed his first leading Hollywood role at the romantic musical Caravan with Loretta Young. French expatriate Claudette Colbert requested him in the psychiatric drama Private Worlds, which was a modest success.

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures, Recording Permalink

Charles Bronson

October 25, 2019

Charles Bronson was an American actor best known for his “tough guy” image, who starred in such classic films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Mr. Majestyk, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series. He was most often cast in the role of a police officer or gunfighter, often in revenge plot lines.

Bronson’s first film role was as a Polish sailor in You’re in the Navy Now in 1951, he also made several appearances on television in the 1950s and 1960s. Bronson was nominated for an Emmy Award for his supporting role in a TV episode with the title “Memory in White”. In the 1970s he became one of the top ten box-office stars. He made films in many genres including crime, western and others.

Bronson was born Charles Dennis Buchinski in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania in the Pittsburgh Tri-State area. During the McCarthy hearings he changed his last name to Bronson as all Slavic names were suspect.

He was one of 15 children born to a Lithuanian immigrant father of Lipka Tatar ancestry and a Lithuanian mother. His father was from the town of Druskininkai.

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures, Radio Permalink

Charles Butterworth

October 25, 2019

Charles Butterworth was an American actor specializing in comedy roles, often in musicals. In his obituary, he was described as “the man who could not make up his mind”. Butterworth’s distinct voice was the inspiration for the Cap’n Crunch commercials from the Jay Ward studio. Voice actor Daws Butler based Cap’n Crunch on the voice of Butterworth.

He once worked on a newspaper but was fired and then rehired when it was found out that he was courting the daughter of a big local advertiser. He also worked in the legal profession before going on stage and becoming a comedian in vaudeville in 1924.

Butterworth’s most memorable film role was in the Irving Berlin musical This is the Army as the bugle-playing Private Eddie Dibble. He generally was a supporting actor, e.g., to Mae West in Every Day’s a Holiday; to the Andrews Sisters in What’s Cookin’?, Give out, Sisters, and Always a Bridesmaid; to Jeanette MacDonald in The Cat and the Fiddle and Love Me Tonight; to Myrna Loy in Penthouse; to Lew Ayres in My Weakness; to Laurel and Hardy and Jimmy Durante in Hollywood Party; to Clark Gable, Robert Montgomery, and Joan Crawford in Forsaking All Others; to Irene Dunne and Robert Taylor in Magnificent Obsession; to Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray in Swing High, Swing Low; to Bob Hope in Thanks for the Memory; and to Fred Astaire, Paulette Goddard, and Burgess Meredith in Second Chorus. However, he had top billing in We Went to College, played the title role in Baby Face Harrington, and shared top billing with Ann Corio in The Sultan’s Daughter. He is credited with the quip “Why don’t you slip out of those wet clothes and into a dry martini?” from Every Day’s a Holiday. In Forsaking All Others, when Clark Gable, quoting Benjamin Franklin, said, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise,” Butterworth replied, “Ever take a good look at a milkman?”

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures, Television Permalink

Charles Champlin

October 25, 2019

Charles Davenport Champlin is an American film critic and writer.

Champlin's family has been active in the wine industry in upstate New York since 1855. He served in the infantry in Europe in World War II and was awarded the Purple Heart and battle stars. He graduated from Harvard University in 1948 and joined LIFE Magazine.

Champlin was a writer and correspondent for LIFE and TIME Magazine for seventeen years, and was a member of the Overseas Press Club. He joined the Los Angeles Times as entertainment editor and columnist in 1965, principal film critic, and book reviewer. He is a founder of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and has been a board member of the American Cinematheque.

Champlin's television career began in 1971 when he hosted "Film Odyssey" on PBS, introducing classic films and interviewing major directors. That same year, he hosted an arts series, ?Homewood,? also for PBS. For six years he co-hosted a public affairs program, ?Citywatchers,? on KCET in Los Angeles. He has interviewed hundreds of film personalities, first on the Z Channel?s ?On the Film Scene? in Los Angeles, then with ?Champlin on Film? on Bravo Cable.

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures Permalink

Charles Christie

October 25, 2019

Charles H. V. Christie was a motion picture studio owner.

Born in London, Ontario, Canada, Charles and his brother Al left home to pursue a career in the fledgling motion picture industry. In Hollywood, California, they made enough money working in films to purchase a property at 6724 Hollywood Boulevard and set up their own Christie Film Company to make comedy movies.

Charles was primarily the business administrator, while brother Al made films. Before long, the Christie brothers were two of Hollywood’s most powerful movie moguls. By 1922, the brothers were so successful that they built the Christie Hotel, Hollywood’s first luxury hotel featuring such extravagances as private baths. However, the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression devastated business and in January 1933, the Christie brothers companies went into receivership, the studio assets being acquired by another large film making company.

While his brother remained with the new owners, producing comedy films, Charles went into the selling of real estate.

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures, Recording Permalink

Charles Coburn

October 25, 2019

Charles Douville Coburn was an American film and theater actor.

Coburn was born in Savannah, Georgia, the son of Scots-Irish Americans Emma Louise Sprigman and Moses Douville Coburn. He started out doing odd jobs at the local theater, handing out programs, ushering, or being the doorman. By the age of 17 or 18, he was the theater manager. He later became an actor, making his debut on Broadway in 1901. Coburn formed an acting company with Ivah Wills in 1905. They married in 1906. In addition to managing the company, the couple performed frequently on Broadway.

After his wife’s death in 1937, Coburn relocated to Los Angeles, California and began film work. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a retired millionaire playing Cupid in The More the Merrier in 1943. He was also nominated for The Devil and Miss Jones in 1941 and The Green Years in 1946. Other notable film credits include Of Human Hearts, The Lady Eve, Kings Row, The Constant Nymph, Heaven Can Wait, Wilson, Impact, The Paradine Case, Everybody Does It, Has Anybody Seen My Gal?, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and John Paul Jones. He usually played comedic parts, but Kings Row and Wilson were dramatic parts, showing his versatility.

For his contributions to motion pictures, Coburn has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6240 Hollywood Boulevard.

25 Oct 2019
Radio Permalink

Charles Correll

October 25, 2019

Charles James Correll was an American radio comedian, best known for his work on the Amos ‘n’ Andy show with Freeman S. Gosden. Correll voiced the central character of Andy Brown, along with various supporting characters. Before teaming up with Gosden, Correll worked as a stenographer and a bricklayer. The two men met in Durham, North Carolina while working for the Joe Bren Producing Company. Both Correll and Freeman vacationed at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in the 1930s and would broadcast Amos ‘n’ Andy from there. From 1928 to 1934, the team never took a vacation away from their radio show. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Amos ‘n’ Andy on the air, the broadcast of March 19, 1958 was done by Correll and Gosden using their real voices and calling each other by their real names; this had never been done on the show before.

Correll’s first marriage to Marie Janes headed for divorce court on May 26, 1937; the couple had been married for ten years. On September 11, 1937 in Glendale, California, he married Alyce McLaughlin, a former dancer; they had five children, Dorothy, Charles, Barbara, John, and Richard. On July 5, 1954, John Correll, his seven year old son, died of what appeared to be an accidental poisoning. An autopsy determined the young boy died of an acute kidney infection.

Correll died in a Chicago hospital following a heart attack; at the time of his death he was retired and living in Beverly Hills, California, just a few blocks away from his radio partner, Freeman Gosden.

His son, Charles Correll Jr. also went on to become an actor and a director.

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures Permalink

Charles Durning

October 25, 2019

In memory of legendary actor Charles Durning, flowers were placed on his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday, December 26, 2012. The star in Motion Pictures category is located at 6504 Hollywood Blvd. “Rest in Peace, Mr. Durning!” the card was signed on behalf of the Hollywood Historic Trust and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

Legendary actor Charles Durning was honored with the 2,366th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Leron Gubler, President and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, presided over the ceremony. Guests included Joe Mantegna, Gary Sinise, Ed Begley Jr., Angie Dickinson, Elliot Gould, Robert Loggia, Doris Roberts, Jon Voight, and many others. In honor of Durning's role on "Rescue Me," Los Angeles Fire Fighters from Hollywood's Station 27 participated in the festivities.

6504 Hollywood Boulevard on July 31, 2008.

BIOGRAPHY

All his life, Charles Durning has beaten the odds. As a World War II hero, he has been honored by being the recipient of three Purples Hearts and one Silver Star for his bravery. He was the only member of his unit to survive the Omaha Beach "D-Day" siege on June 6th, 1944. He was taken prisoner a few months later at the Battle of the Bulge, the war's bloodiest battle, and survived a mass execution of prisoners. Even though his legs had been strafed by machine gun fire, he went on to become a professional dancer and received his first Academy Award nomination for the film "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" where he sang and danced his way through the movie.

Not only did Charles Durning become a good actor as well, he became one of the most critically lauded, steadily working character actors of our generation, appearing in over 200 films and television shows! And this year… he was honored with the prestigious SAG Life Achievement Award.

One of the most versatile actors of our time, Durning has received two Academy Award nominations for his comedic turns in "To Be or Not To Be" and "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas". He won a Tony Award for his interpretation of Big Daddy in the 1990 Broadway revival hit of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and also won a Golden Globe Award for "The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys". Charles Durning has been nominated for nine Emmy Awards including one for his current work in the FX Network show "Rescue Me." Pretty good for a guy who once had a stutter and has been quoted as saying he lacks confidence at times.

Yes, all his life, Charles Durning has beaten the odds.

Despite his busy schedule, this World War II hero has never forgotten his fellow veterans. Every year for the past 15 years, Charles Durning goes to Washington DC to dedicate his time to perform in a Memorial Day Concert dedicated to all the veterans, past, present, and future.

SELECTED CREDITS

Queen of the Stardust Ballroom
The Hudsucker Proxy
Dick Tracy
Rescue Me
O Brother, Where Are Thou?
Death of a Salesman
(Emmy Award nomination)
Spy Hard
The Sting
Dog Day Afternoon
(Golden Globe nomination)
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
(Academy Award nomination)
To Be or Not To Be
(Academy Award nomination)
The Hindenburg
Tootsie
The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys
(Golden Globe Award)