25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures, Radio, Television Permalink

Van Heflin

October 25, 2019

Emmett Evan “Van” Heflin, Jr. was an American film and theatre actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Johnny Eager. Heflin was born in Walters, Oklahoma, the son of Fannie B. and Dr. Emmett E. Heflin, a dentist. He was of Irish and French ancestry. Heflin’s sister was Daytime Emmy-nominated actress Frances Heflin. Heflin attended the University of Oklahoma, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

Heflin began his acting career on Broadway in the early 1930s before being signed to a contract by RKO Radio Pictures. He made his film debut in A Woman Rebels, opposite Katharine Hepburn. He was signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and was initially cast in supporting roles in films such as Santa Fe Trail, and Johnny Eager, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the latter performance.

MGM began to groom him as a leading man in B movies, and provided him with supporting roles in more prestigious productions. Heflin continued to hone his acting skills throughout the early 1940s. He provided a compelling characterization of the embattled President Andrew Johnson in Tennessee Johnson, playing opposite Lionel Barrymore who, in the role of Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, failed to have Johnson convicted in an impeachment trial by the slimmest of margins. According to the IMDB, Heflin served during World War II as a combat cameraman in the Ninth Air Force in Europe and with the First Motion Picture Unit.

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures, Television Permalink

Virginia Field

October 25, 2019

Virginia Field was a British-born film actress.

Born Margaret Cynthia Field in London, her father was the judge of England’s Leicester County Court Circuit. Her mother was a cousin of Robert E. Lee.

She appeared in over 40 films including Ladies in Love, Waterloo Bridge, Repeat Performance, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and Dial 1119. She started her film career in England then was brought to the U.S. to appear in David O. Selznick’s Little Lord Fauntleroy. In the late 1930s she appeared in various parts in 20th Century Fox’s Mr. Moto movie series.

25 Oct 2019
Recording, Television Permalink

Virginia Mayo

October 25, 2019

Virginia Mayo was an American film actress. After a short career in vaudeville, Mayo progressed to films and during the 1940s established herself as a supporting player in such films as The Best Years of Our Lives and White Heat. She worked extensively during the 1950s, but after this her appearances were fewer. She worked occasionally until her final performance in 1997.

Born Virginia Clara Jones in St. Louis, Missouri. Tutored by a series of dancing instructors engaged by her aunt, she appeared in the St. Louis Municipal Opera chorus and then appeared with six other girls at an act at the Jefferson Hotel. There she was recruited by vaudeville performer Andy Mayo to appear in his act, taking his surname as her stage name. She appeared in vaudeville for three years in the act, appearing with Eddie Cantor on Broadway in 1941’s Banjo Eyes.

Mayo continued her career as a dancer, then signed a contract with Samuel Goldwyn and appeared in several of Goldwyn’s movies. With Danny Kaye she played the dream-girl heroine in comedies including Wonder Man, The Kid from Brooklyn and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In her Hollywood heyday, Mayo was known as the quintessential voluptuous beauty. It was said that she “looked like a pinup painting come to life,” and she played just such a role in the 1949 film comedy, The Girl from Jones Beach. According to widely published reports from the late 1940s, the Sultan of Morocco declared her beauty to be proof of the existence of God.

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures, Television Permalink

Virginia Cherrill

October 25, 2019

Virginia Cherrill was an American actress best known for her role as the blind flower girl in Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights. Due to marrying an English earl in the 1940s, she is also known as Virginia Child-Villiers, Countess of Jersey.

Virginia Cherrill was born on a farm in rural Carthage, Illinois, to James E. and Blanche Cherrill. She was a Chicago society girl with no thoughts of a film career when she went to Hollywood for a visit and met Charlie Chaplin when he sat next to her at a boxing match. He had failed to find the girl he wanted for his film but decided she would do and cast her in City Lights in which she gave the performance for which she is remembered, although her working relationship with Chaplin on the film was often strained. As indicated in the documentary Unknown Chaplin, Cherrill was in fact fired from the film at one point and Chaplin planned to refilm all her scenes with Georgia Hale, but ultimately realized too much money had already been spent on the picture; as Cherrill recalls in the documentary, close friend Marion Davies suggested Cherrill hold out for more money when Chaplin asked her to return to the film, and she did.

She appeared in a few other films subsequently, including the 1931 Gershwin musical Delicious with Janet Gaynor, but gave up her movie career in 1936 after Troubled Waters.

Cherrill married four times; her second husband was actor Cary Grant, and her third was George Child-Villiers, 9th Earl of Jersey .

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures, Recording, Television Permalink

Vanessa Brown

October 25, 2019

Vanessa Brown was an Austrian-American actress who was successful in radio, film, theater, and television. Born Smylla Brynd in Vienna, Austria to Jewish parents, Brown and her family fled to Paris, France in 1937 to escape persecution with the rise of the Nazi Party.

Within a few years the family had settled in America and Brown auditioned for Lillian Hellman for a role in Watch on the Rhine. Fluent in several languages, the youngster impressed Hellman with her presence and authentic Teutonic accent, and she was signed as understudy to Ann Blyth, eventually doing the role of Babette on Broadway and in the touring production. In high school she wrote and directed school plays.

Her IQ of 165 led to two years of work as one of the young panelists on the radio series Quiz Kids, and she was also a junior member of the National Board of Review, the critical panel serving the motion picture industry. RKO Radio Pictures brought her family to Los Angeles, and Brown made her film debut in Youth Runs Wild. RKO changed her screen name to Vanessa Brown and assigned her to a series of ingenue roles over the next few years. In the late 1940s she was featured in The Late George Apley, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and The Heiress and other films. She was the eighth actress to play the role of Jane, appearing in Tarzan and the Slave Girl opposite Lex Barker, followed by a role in Vincente Minnelli's acclaimed The Bad and the Beautiful. Brown acted in live television dramas of the early 1950s, including Robert Montgomery Presents and The Philco Television Playhouse, and appeared on Pantomime Quiz and Leave It to the Girls. Back on Broadway, she originated the role of "The Girl" in The Seven Year Itch, the character portrayed by Marilyn Monroe in the 1955 film version. She continued to do much television through the 1950s, and was one of the narrators of the United World Federalists documentary Eight Steps to Peace, along with Vincent Price and Robert Ryan.

25 Oct 2019
Recording Permalink

Vanessa Williams

October 25, 2019

Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American singer and actress. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal caused her to relinquish her title early. Williams rebounded by launching a career as an entertainer, earning Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award nominations.

Williams was born in Millwood, New York, the daughter of music teachers Helen and Milton Augustine Williams Jr. Williams and her younger brother Chris, who is also an actor, grew up in Millwood, a predominantly white middle-class suburban area. Prophetically, her parents put “Here she is: Miss America” on her birth announcement.

Williams studied piano and French horn growing up, but was most interested in singing and songwriting. She received a scholarship and attended Syracuse University as a Theatre Arts major from 1981 to 1983. She discontinued her education at Syracuse during her sophomore year to fulfill her duties as Miss America, and then subsequently left the university to focus on her entertainment career. Twenty-five years later she graduated from Syracuse by earning her remaining college credits through her life experience with two long running Broadway shows and a Tony Award nomination under her belt. Williams delivered the convocation address on May 10, 2008, with 480 other students in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. She stated:

Williams competed in the Miss Syracuse beauty pageant when a campus musical she was in was cancelled in 1983. After she won, Williams won Miss New York in 1983, and went to the Miss America national pageant in Atlantic City. She was crowned Miss America 1984 on September 17, 1983, becoming the first African American to win the title. Prior to the final night of competition, Williams won both the Preliminary Talent and Swimsuit Competitions from earlier in the week. Williams’ reign as Miss America was not without its challenges and controversies. For the first time in pageant history, a reigning Miss America was the target of death threats and hate mail.

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures, Television Permalink

Van Johnson

October 25, 2019

Van Johnson was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II.

Johnson was the embodiment of the "boy next door", playing "the red-haired, freckle-faced soldier, sailor or bomber pilot who used to live down the street" in MGM movies during the war years. At the time of his death in December 2008, he was one of the last surviving matinee idols of Hollywood's "golden age."

Johnson was born Charles Van Dell Johnson in Newport, Rhode Island; the only child of Loretta, a homemaker and Charles E. Johnson, a plumber and later real-estate salesman. His father was an immigrant from Sweden and his mother had German-American Pennsylvania Dutch ethnicity. His mother, an alcoholic, left the family when her son was a child; Johnson's relationship with his father was chilly.

Johnson performed at social clubs in Newport while in high school. He moved to New York City after graduating from high school in 1935 and joined an off-Broadway revue, Entre Nous .

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures, Television Permalink

Vanna White

October 25, 2019

Wheel of Fortune co-host Vanna White was honored with the 2,309th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Johnny Grant, Honorary Mayor of Hollywood, presided over the ceremony. Guests included Merv Griffin, creator of Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak, Executive Producer Harry Friedman, Sony Pictures Television President Steve Mosko, King World Chairman Roger King and Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek.

7018 Hollywood Boulevard on April 20, 2006

Biography

Since she made her debut on Wheel of Fortune in 1982, Vanna White has built a phenomenal following worldwide. Her “Vannafans” continue to grow – with her weekly fan mail continuing to number in the thousands.

Becoming a household name globally was not something Vanna expected while growing up in the small resort town of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. After attending the Atlanta School of Fashion Design and becoming one of the area’s top models, she moved to Los Angeles with the goal of an acting career. Just two years later, while competing against more than 200 other hopefuls, her intelligence, All-American beauty, grace and exuberant personality won her the coveted spot as Co-Host of America’s favorite game show.

But no one, especially Vanna herself, anticipated the kind of audience response she has received virtually from her first appearance. Surveys have shown that her presence has contributed greatly to Wheel of Fortune’s phenomenal ratings. And, although she has been called its silent star, Vanna does indeed talk – and quite well. A much sought-after guest for television’s talk show couches, Vanna’s autobiography, Vanna Speaks, was a nationwide bestseller when published in 1987. She also has been featured on numerous magazine covers.

In 1992, Vanna was recognized in The Guinness Book of World Records as “Television’s Most Frequent Clapper.” Averaging 720 claps per episode, she puts her hands together more than 28,000 times per season! And, as Wheel of Fortune enters its 23rd season in syndication in Fall 2005, she will have worn over 5,000 different designer outfits at the puzzleboard.

Beyond her work with the series, Vanna’s calendar is full: commercial endorsements, a nutritional video, several knitting and crochet books, interviews, photo layouts and more. As a result of fans interested in her fashions, Vanna launched her official “Vanna Style” Web site (www.vannastyle.com), where Vanna’s latest high-fashion wardrobe is displayed and showcased for viewers. The site features clothing that Vanna wears on the show from some of the world’s most exclusive designers, including Halston, Luca Luca, Versace, Christian LaCroix, Georgio Armani and Escada.

Through it all, one aspect of Vanna’s life remains unchanged: her down-to-earth appreciation of the work done by her off-camera colleagues that keeps the series consistently on top of the ratings charts.

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures Permalink

Virginia Valli

October 25, 2019

Virginia Valli was an American stage and film actress whose motion picture career started in the silent film era and lasted until the beginning of the sound film era of the 1930s.

Born Virginia McSweeney in Chicago, Illinois, she got her acting start in Milwaukee with a stock company. She also did some film work with Essanay Studios in her hometown of Chicago, starting in 1916.

Valli would continue to appear in films throughout the 1920s. She also would be an established star at the Universal studio by the mid-1920s. The bulk of her films would be between 1924 and 1927.

In 1925 Valli performed in The Man Who Found Himself with Thomas Meighan. The production was made at a Long Island, New York studio.

25 Oct 2019
Motion Pictures, Radio Permalink

Una Merkel

October 25, 2019

Una Merkel was an American film actress. Merkel resembled the popular actress Lillian Gish, and her resemblance allowed her to begin her career as a stand-in for Gish in 1920’s Way Down East. She appeared in a few films during the silent era, including the two-reel Love’s Old Sweet Song filmed by Lee DeForest in his Phonofilm sound-on-film process, and co-starring Louis Wolheim and Donald Gallaher. However, she spent most of her time in New York City working on Broadway. Merkel returned to Hollywood and achieved her greatest success with the advent of “talkies”.

She played Ann Rutledge in the film Abraham Lincoln directed by D. W. Griffith. During the 1930s, Merkel became a popular second lead in a number of films, usually playing the wisecracking best friend of the heroine, supporting actresses such as Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard, Loretta Young, and Dorothy Lamour. With her kewpie doll looks, combined with a strong Southern accent and wry line delivery, she enlivened scores of films of the era and worked with most of the stars of the period.

Merkel was an MGM contract player from 1932 to 1938, appearing in as many as twelve films in a year, often on loan-out to other studios. She was also often cast as leading lady to a number of comedians in their starring pictures, including Jack Benny, Harold Lloyd, and Charles Butterworth.

One of her most famous roles was in the Western Destry Rides Again in which her character, Lillibelle, gets into a famous “cat-fight” with Frenchie over the possession of her husband’s trousers, won by Frenchie in a crooked card game. She played the elder daughter to the W. C. Fields character, Egbert Sousé in the 1940 film The Bank Dick.