Birthday:
06-30-1899
Deathday:
12-15-1962 (63 years)
Birthplace:
Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was an English-American stage and film actor, director, producer and screenwriter. Laughton was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future wife Elsa Lanchester, with whom he lived and worked until his death.
He played a wide range of classical and modern parts, making an impact in Shakespeare at the Old Vic. His film career took him to Broadway and then Hollywood, but he also collaborated with Alexander Korda on notable British films of the era, including The Private Life of Henry VIII, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the title character. He portrayed everything from monsters and misfits to kings. Among Laughton's biggest film hits were The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Mutiny on the Bounty, Ruggles of Red Gap, Jamaica Inn, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Big Clock. In his later career, he took up stage directing, notably in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, and George Bernard Shaw's Don Juan in Hell, in which he also starred. He directed one film, the thriller The Night of the Hunter.
Daniel Day-Lewis cited Laughton as one of his inspirations, saying: "He was probably the greatest film actor who came from that period of time. He had something quite remarkable. His generosity as an actor, he fed himself into that work. As an actor, you cannot take your eyes off him."
Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was an English-American stage and film actor, director, producer and screenwriter. Laughton was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future wife Elsa Lanchester, with whom he lived and worked until his death.
He played a wide range of classical and modern parts, making an impact in Shakespeare at the Old Vic. His film career took him to Broadway and then Hollywood, but he also collaborated with Alexander Korda on notable British films of the era, including The Private Life of Henry VIII, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the title character. He portrayed everything from monsters and misfits to kings. Among Laughton's biggest film hits were The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Mutiny on the Bounty, Ruggles of Red Gap, Jamaica Inn, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Big Clock. In his later career, he took up stage directing, notably in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, and George Bernard Shaw's Don Juan in Hell, in which he also starred. He directed one film, the thriller The Night of the Hunter.
Daniel Day-Lewis cited Laughton as one of his inspirations, saying: "He was probably the greatest film actor who came from that period of time. He had something quite remarkable. His generosity as an actor, he fed himself into that work. As an actor, you cannot take your eyes off him."
Read morearrow_drop_down
Their works
- Release swap_vert
- Title swap_vert
- Ratings swap_vert
close
Spartacus
Act like Sempronius Gracchus
event1960 star_border 7.5
top_panel_open
The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they will cross the sea and return to their homes.
Island of Lost Souls
Act like Dr. Moreau
event1932 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
An obsessed scientist conducts profane experiments in evolution, eventually establishing himself as the self-styled demigod to a race of mutated, half-human abominations.
O. Henry's Full House
Act like Soapy (segment "The Cop and the Anthem")
event1952 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
Five O. Henry stories, each separate. The primary one from the critics' acclaim was "The Cop and the Anthem". Soapy tells fellow bum Horace that he is going to get arrested so he can spend the winter in a nice jail cell. He fails. He can't even accost a woman; she turns out to be a streetwalker. The other stories are "The Clarion Call", "The Last Leaf", "The Ransom of Red Chief", and "The Gift of the Magi".
The Old Dark House
Act like Sir William Porterhouse
event1932 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
In a remote region of Wales, five travelers beset by a relentless storm find shelter in an old mansion.
The Paradine Case
Act like Judge Lord Thomas Horfield
event1947 star_border 6.2
top_panel_open
Attorney Anthony Keane agrees to represent Londonite Mrs. Paradine, who has been fingered in her husband's murder. From the start, the married lawyer is drawn to the enigmatic beauty, and he begins to cast about for a way to exonerate his client. Keane puts the Paradine household servant on the stand, suggesting he is the killer. But Keane soon loses his way in the courtroom, and his half-baked plan sets off a stunning chain of events.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Act like The Hunchback Quasimodo
event1939 star_border 7.3
top_panel_open
Paris, France, 1482. Frollo, Chief Justice of benevolent King Louis XI, gets infatuated by the beauty of Esmeralda, a young Romani girl. The hunchback Quasimodo, Frollo's protege and bell-ringer of Notre Dame, lives in peace among the bells in the heights of the immense cathedral until he is involved by the twisted magistrate in his malicious plans to free himself from Esmeralda's alleged spell, which he believes to be the devil's work.
Jamaica Inn
Act like Sir Humphrey Pengallan
event1939 star_border 6.1
top_panel_open
In coastal Cornwall, England, during the early 19th Century, a young woman who's come there to visit her aunt, discovers that she's married an innkeeper who's a member of a gang of criminals who arrange shipwrecking and murder for profit.
The Suspect
Act like Philip Marshall
event1945 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
Genial shopkeeper Philip has to endure the constant nagging of a shrewish wife while he secretly yearns for a pretty young stenographer. When the henpecking gets to be too much, Philip murders his wife and manages to make her death look like an accident. A ruthless blackmailer and a low-key detective both discover Philip's secret, and he has to decide which of them poses the more dangerous threat.
The Bribe
Act like J.J. Bealer
event1949 star_border 6.3
top_panel_open
United States Federal agent Rigby travels to the Central American island Carlotta to investigate a stolen aircraft engines smuggling racket.
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Act like (in "The Bribe") (archive footage)
event1982 star_border 6.6
top_panel_open
Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are 'The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta'.
It Started with Eve
Act like Jonathan Reynolds
event1941 star_border 7.1
top_panel_open
A young man asks a hat check girl to pose as his fiancée in order to make his dying father's last moments happy. However, the old man's health takes a turn for the better and now his son doesn't know how to break the news that he's engaged to someone else, especially since his father is so taken with the impostor.
Mutiny on the Bounty
Act like Captaine Bligh
event1935 star_border 7.4
top_panel_open
Fletcher Christian successfully leads a revolt against the ruthless Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty. However, Bligh returns one year later, hell bent on revenge.
Tales of Manhattan
Act like Charles Smith
event1942 star_border 6.2
top_panel_open
Ten screenwriters collaborated on this series of tales concerning the effect a tailcoat cursed by its tailor has on those who wear it. The video release features a W.C. Fields segment not included in the original theatrical release.
The Horror Show
Act like (archive footage)
event1979 star_border 6
top_panel_open
A history of horror movies.
Salome
Act like King Herod
event1953 star_border 5.8
top_panel_open
In the reign of emperor Tiberius, Gallilean prophet John the Baptist preaches against King Herod and Queen Herodias. The latter wants John dead, but Herod fears to harm him due to a prophecy. Enter beautiful Princess Salome, Herod's long-absent stepdaughter. Herodias sees the king's dawning lust for Salome as her means of bending the king to her will. But Salome and her lover Claudius are (contrary to Scripture) nearing conversion to the new religion. And the famous climactic dance turns out to have unexpected implications...
Arch of Triumph
Act like Ivon Haake
event1948 star_border 6
top_panel_open
In the winter of 1938, Paris is crowded with refugees from the Nazis, who live in the black shadows of night, trying to evade deportation. One such is Dr. Ravic, who practices medicine illegally and stalks his old Nazi enemy Haake with murder in mind. One rainy night, Ravic meets Joan Madou, a kept woman cast adrift by her lover's sudden death. Against Ravic's better judgment, they become involved in a doomed affair.
Payment Deferred
Act like William Marble
event1932 star_border 5.9
top_panel_open
Bank clerk William Marble is desperate for money to pay his family's bills. When his wealthy nephew visits, Marble asks him for a loan, but the young man refuses. Marble decides to kill his nephew. It is a twisted path to justice after Marble is transformed by the crime he committed and the wealth he gains.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Act like Marmaduke Ruggles
event1935 star_border 7.1
top_panel_open
In this comedy of an Englishman stranded in a sea of barbaric Americans, Marmaduke Ruggles, a gentleman's gentleman and butler to an Earl is lost in a poker game to an uncouth American cattle baron. Ruggles' life is turned upside down as he's taken to the USA, is gradually assimilated into American life, accidentally becomes a local celebrity, and falls in love along the way.
Witness for the Prosecution
Act like Sir Wilfrid
event1957 star_border 8.2
top_panel_open
An ailing famous barrister agrees to defend a man in a sensational murder trial where his self-possessed wife's unconvincing testimony confuses him.
The Private Life of Henry VIII
Act like Henry VIII
event1933 star_border 6.3
top_panel_open
Renowned for his excess, King Henry VIII goes through a series of wives during his rule. With Anne Boleyn, his second wife, executed on charges of treason, King Henry weds maid Jane Seymour, but that marriage also ends in tragedy. Not one to be single for long, the king picks German-born Anne of Cleves as his bride, but their union lasts only months before an annulment is granted, and King Henry continues his string of spouses.
Forever and a Day
Act like Bellamy
event1943 star_border 7.4
top_panel_open
In World War II, American Gates Trimble Pomfret is in London during the Blitz to sell the ancestral family house. The current tenant, Leslie Trimble, tries to dissuade him from selling by telling him the 140-year history of the place and the connections between the Trimble and Pomfret families.
Captain Kidd
Act like Captain Kidd
event1945 star_border 6
top_panel_open
Cutthroat pirate William Kidd captures Admiral Blayne's treasure ship and hides the bounty in a cave. Three years later, Kidd, posing as a respectable merchant captain, offers his services to the King of England. Seeking a social position, Kidd also negotiates for Blayne's title and lands, provided he can prove Blayne was associated with piracy. Launched upon his royal mission, Kidd is unaware that Blayne's son Adam is among the crew, determined to clear his father's name.
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Act like Edward Moulton-Barrett
event1934 star_border 6
top_panel_open
Remarkable poet Elizabeth Barrett is slowly recovering from a crippling illness with the help of her siblings, especially her youngest sister, Henrietta, but feels stifled by the domestic tyranny of her wealthy widowed father. When she meets fellow poet Robert Browning in a romantic first encounter, her heart belongs to him. However, her controlling father has no intention of allowing her out of his sight.
Les Misérables
Act like Inspector Emile Javert
event1935 star_border 7.2
top_panel_open
In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.
Young Bess
Act like King Henry VIII
event1953 star_border 5.8
top_panel_open
The mother died under the executioner's axe; the daughter rose to become England's greatest monarch -- the brilliant and cunning Queen Elizabeth I. Jean Simmons portrays young Bess in this rich tapestry of a film that traces the tumultuous, danger-fraught years from Elizabeth's birth to her unexpected ascension to the throne at a mere 25. Charles Laughton reprises his Academy Award®-winning* role as her formidable father Henry VIII. Deborah Kerr plays her last stepmother (and Henry's last of six wives), gentle Catherine Parr. And Simmons' then real-life husband, Stewart Granger, adds heroics as Lord Admiral Thomas Seymour. In a resplendent world of adventure, romance and court intrigue, Young Bess reigns.
This Land Is Mine
Act like Albert Lory
event1943 star_border 7.1
top_panel_open
Somewhere in Europe, in a city occupied by the Nazis, a gentle school teacher finds himself torn between collaboration and resistance, cowardice and courage.
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
Act like Capt. William Kidd
event1952 star_border 5.9
top_panel_open
Two hapless waiters in a tavern on the Spanish Main play cupid between aristocratic Lady Jane and tavern co-worker Bruce Martindale, but the two bumpkins mix-up a love letter with Captain Kidd's treasure map of Skull Island, leading to them being kidnapped and taken off to the notorious pirate's island.
Because of Him
Act like John Sheridan
event1946 star_border 6.2
top_panel_open
A young woman who wants to break into the theater schemes to become the protege of a famous Broadway star.
Hobson's Choice
Act like Henry Horatio Hobson
event1954 star_border 7.4
top_panel_open
Henry Hobson owns and tyrannically runs a successful Victorian boot maker’s shop in Salford, England. A stingy widower with a weakness for overindulging in the local Moonraker Public House, he exploits his three daughters as cheap labour. When he declares that there will be ‘no marriages’ to avoid the expense of marriage settlements at £500 each, his eldest daughter Maggie rebels.
The Man on the Eiffel Tower
Act like Inspector Jules Maigret
event1949 star_border 5.3
top_panel_open
A down-and-out student is hired to kill a wealthy woman. When someone else is suspected of the crime, the student taunts police until they realize that they may have to wrong man.
Advise & Consent
Act like Senator Seabright Cooley
event1962 star_border 7.2
top_panel_open
Proposed by the President of the United States to fill the post of Secretary of State, Robert Leffingwell appears before a Senate committee, chaired by the idealistic Senator Brig Anderson, which must decide whether he is the right person for the job.
The Strange Door
Act like Sire Alain de Maletroit
event1951 star_border 6.2
top_panel_open
The wicked Alain plots an elaborate revenge against his younger brother Edmund, leading to a deadly confrontation in his dungeon deathtrap.
The Canterville Ghost
Act like Sir Simon de Canterville / The Ghost
event1944 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
The descendent of a ghost imprisoned for cowardice hopes to free the spirit by displaying courage when under duress.
Rembrandt
Act like Rembrandt van Rijn
event1936 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
A character study depicting the life of Rembrandt Van Rijn at the height of his fame in the mid 1600s. Beginning with the death of his wife, Rembrandt's work takes a dark turn, which offends many of his patrons.
The Sign of the Cross
Act like Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar
event1932 star_border 6.2
top_panel_open
After burning Rome, Emperor Nero decides to blame the Christians, and issues the edict that they are all to be caught and sent to the arena. Two old Christians are caught, and about to be hauled off, when Marcus, the highest military official in Rome, comes upon them. When he sees their stepdaughter Mercia, he instantly falls in love with her and frees them. Marcus pursues Mercia, which gets him into trouble with Emperor (for being easy on Christians) and with the Empress, who loves him and is jealous.
Piccadilly
Act like A Continental Visitor
event1929 star_border 6.4
top_panel_open
A young Chinese woman, working in the kitchen at a London dance club, is given the chance to become the club's main act.
The Big Clock
Act like Earl Janoth
event1948 star_border 7.3
top_panel_open
Stroud, a crime magazine's crusading editor has to post-pone a vacation with his wife, again, when a glamorous blonde is murdered and he is assigned by his publishing boss Janoth to find the killer. As the investigation proceeds to its conclusion, Stroud must try to disrupt his ordinarily brilliant investigative team as they increasingly build evidence (albeit wrong) that he is the killer.
Devil and the Deep
Act like Cmdr. Charles Sturm
event1932 star_border 5
top_panel_open
Naval commander Charles Sturm has made life miserable for his wife Diana due to his insane jealousy over every man she speaks to. His obsessive behavior soon drives her to the arms of a handsome lieutenant. When Charles learns of their affair, he plots revenge.
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Act like Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
event1983 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
Out-takes (mostly from Warner Bros.), promotional shorts, movie premieres, public service pleas, wardrobe tests, documentary material, and archival footage make up this star-studded voyeuristic look at the Golden age of Hollywood during the 30s, 40, and 50.
They Knew What They Wanted
Act like Tony Patucci
event1940 star_border 5.5
top_panel_open
While courting a young woman by mail, a rich farmer sends a photograph of his foreman instead of his own, which leads to complications when she accepts his marriage proposal.
Stand by for Action
Act like Rear Admiral Stephen Thomas
event1942 star_border 7
top_panel_open
U. S. Navy Lieutenant Gregg Masterman, of The Harvard and Boston Back Bay Mastermans, learned about the sea while winning silver cups sailing his yacht. He climbs swiftly in rank, and is now Junior Aide to Rear Admiral Stephen Thomas.
If I Had a Million
Act like Phineas V. Lambert
event1932 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
An elderly business tycoon, believed to be dying, decides to give a million dollars each to eight strangers chosen at random from the phone directory.
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Act like Self (archive footage)
event1972 star_border 6
top_panel_open
A documentary about the glorious history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its decline leading to the sale of its back lot and props. By extension this provides a general history of Hollywood's Golden Age and the legendary studio system.
St. Martin's Lane
Act like Charles Staggers
event1938 star_border 7.1
top_panel_open
On the sidewalks of the London theater district the buskers (street performers) earn enough coins for a cheap room. Charles, who recites dramatic monologues, sees that a young pickpocket, Libby, also has a talent for dancing and adds her to his act. Harley, the theater patron who never knew Libby took his gold cigarette case, is impressed by Libby's dancing and invites her to bring Charles and the other buskers in his group to an after-the-play party. Libby comes alone. A theatrical career is launched.
The Blue Veil
Act like Fred K. Begley
event1951 star_border 6.6
top_panel_open
A World War I widow loses her only child and spends the rest of her life as a children's nurse.
Under Ten Flags
Act like Admiral Russell
event1960 star_border 5.4
top_panel_open
"Under Ten Flags" is a WWII movie loosely based on the true story of the German navy commerce raider Atlantis, a converted Auxilliary Cruiser, and her Captain Bernhard Rogge. Atlantis, camouflaged as a merchant ship, cruised the South Seas ( Atlantic, Indian & Pacific) and sank or captured 22 merchant ships from May 1940 through November 22, 1941 when she was sunk by the British Cruiser HMS Devonshire. Rogge was one of the few German officers of flag rank who were not arrested by the Allies after the war ended. This was due to the very proper and ethical way he exercised his command of Atlantis. After the war he advanced to Rear Admiral in the West German Navy and became a high-ranking NATO commander.
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
Act like Self (archive footage)
event2014 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
The story of the insane scandals related to the remake of “Island of Dr. Moreau” —originally a novel by H. G. Wells—, which was brought to the big screen in 1996. How director Richard Stanley spent four years developing the project just to find an abrupt end to his work while leading actor Marlon Brando pulled the strings in the shadows. Now for the first time, the living key players recount what really happened and why it all went so spectacularly wrong.
The Tuttles of Tahiti
Act like Jonas
event1942 star_border 5.5
top_panel_open
After a long absense from the island, Chester Tuttle returns to Tahiti to find that little has changed. His large family, particularly his scheming Uncle Jonas, would rather dance and romance than earn a living. When Jonas loses the family plantation in a cockfight, Chester saves the day by towing in a large ship abandoned at sea and claiming the salvage. But opening a joint bank account in the name of the Tuttle clan may not have been a wise decision.
The Girl from Manhattan
Act like The Bishop
event1948 star_border 5
top_panel_open
A small-town girl who's made it big in New York as a fashion model returns home, only to find that her somewhat dotty uncle has mortgaged his boarding house to the hilt. In her efforts to help him keep his boarding house, she becomes involved with a handsome young minister and his superior, an older bishop.
Vessel of Wrath
Act like Ginger Ted
event1938 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
Ginger Ted, AKA Edward Claude Wilson, a drunkard and womanizer, and Miss Jones, a missionary, live in the Alas Islands. During a cholera epidemic, Ginger Ted and Miss Jones are sent to an outlying part of the islands to run a hospital; on their return, their motorboat breaks down, and they are marooned overnight on a small island.
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
Act like Self (archive footage)
event1982 star_border 6
top_panel_open
A collection of bloopers and outtakes from an enormous selection of Hollywood classic productions spanning from the 1930s through the 1980s.
The Epic That Never Was
Act like Tiberius Claudius (archive footage)
event1969 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
The story of the aborted 1937 filming of "I, Claudius", starring Charles Laughton, with all of its surviving footage.
White Woman
Act like Horace H. Prin
event1933 star_border 5.7
top_panel_open
A nightclub singer marries the rich owner of a rubber plantation. When she returns with him to his estate in Malaysia, she finds out that he is cruel, vicious and insanely jealous. She and the plantation's overseer develop a mutual attraction, but are terrified at what will happen if her husband finds out.
The Man from Down Under
Act like Jocko Wilson
event1943 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
An Australian blowhard raises two orphaned children as his own in the years leading up to WWII.
Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film
Act like Dr. Moreau (archive footage)
event2014 star_border 7.5
top_panel_open
Join foremost experts discussing true Horror Classics - Frankenstein, Dracula, The Black Cat, Wolfman, King Kong, Bride of Frankenstein, and more. Grab the popcorn and take a deep breath as we conjure up the thrills, chills and magic of Monster Madness!
Blue Bottles
Act like Burglar
event1928 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
As criminals assemble for a convention, a policeman investigates and is abducted. A young woman finds his whistle and blows it. The full forces of the law assemble. The confrontation between order and disorder ensues, with our heroine caught up in it.
Charles Laughton Directs 'The Night of the Hunter'
Act like Self (archive footage)
event2002 star_border 5.7
top_panel_open
An assembled compilation of footage from rushes, outtakes, and behind-the-scenes moments featuring Charles Laughton directing The Night of the Hunter, the seminal 1955 work considered one of the greatest movies of all time.
Daydreams
Act like Lecherous Boarder / Ram Das in Dream Sequence
event1928
top_panel_open
A young cleaning woman in a boarding-house relieves the drudgery of her job by daydreaming that a foreign student at the house, who she believes is interested in her, is actually a wealthy nobleman who sweeps her off on a romantic journey.
The Tonic
Act like Father of the Family
event1928
top_panel_open
The family of the very wealthy but infirm Great Aunt Louisa await her untimely demise in the hopes of inheriting her great fortune.
Comets
Act like Himself
event1930
top_panel_open
A Musical Revue featuring a number of prominent vaudeville and theatrical British artists of the day in songs, dances, dramatic and musical sketches.
Wolves
Act like Captain Job
event1930
top_panel_open
An outlaw leader fakes a draw for a sick girl so he can help her escape
Down River
Act like Captain Grossman
event1931
top_panel_open
A murderous skipper involved in dope trafficking.
Leben des Galilei
Act like Galileo Galilei
event1947
top_panel_open
Galileo, an eminent professor and scientist in the 17th century Venetian Republic, is short of money. A prospective student tells him about a novel invention, the telescope, that is being sold in Amsterdam.
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Act like Self
event1940 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
This 1940 presentation features highlights of earlier (1928 onward) Oscar ceremonies including Shirley Temple and Walt Disney, plus acceptance speeches for films released in 1939 with recipients and presenters including Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, Hattie McDaniel, Fay Bainter, Mickey Rooney, Thomas Mitchell, Sinclair Lewis, and more, with host Bob Hope.
The Clerk
Act like Phineas V. Lambert
event1933 star_border 5
top_panel_open
When clerk Phineas V. Lambert receives his check in the mail, he shows little emotion. (Originally appeared as a segment of the film "If I Had a Million", but was later presented separately as a short film.)
The Art Director
Act like Self - from 'The Big Clock' (archive footage) (uncredited)
event1949
top_panel_open
A film's art director is in charge of the set, from conception to construction to furnishing. This short film walks the viewer through art directors' responsibilities and the demands on their talents. They read a script carefully and design a set to capture the time and place, the social strata, and the mood. They must be scholars of the history of architecture, furnishings, and fashion. They choose the colors on a set in anticipation of the lighting and the mood. Their work also sets styles, from Art Deco in the 20's to 30s modernism. Then it's on to the next project. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Act like actor 'Advise and 'Consent' (archive footage) (uncredited)
event1991 star_border 7.7
top_panel_open
This documentary, hosted by actor Burgess Meredith, explores the life and career of movie director Otto Preminger, whose body of work includes such memorable films as Anatomy of a Murder, Exodus, Laura, Forever Amber, Advise and Consent, In Harm's Way, The Moon Is Blue, The Man with the Golden Arm, and many other movies made from the '30s through the '70s. Interviews with actors Frank Sinatra, Vincent Price, James Stewart, Michael Caine, and others who worked with the flamboyant and sometimes control-obsessed director add information and insight to the story.
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Act like Self (archive footage)
event2009 star_border 7.5
top_panel_open
This documentary focuses on 1939, considered to be Hollywood's greatest year, with film clips and insight into what made the year so special.
On Our Merry Way
Act like Reverend
event1948 star_border 5.5
top_panel_open
Oliver Pease gets a dose of courage from his wife Martha and tricks the editor of the paper (where he writes lost pet notices) into assigning him the day's roving question. Martha suggests, "Has a little child ever changed your life?" Oliver gets answers from two slow-talking musicians, an actress whose roles usually feature a sarong, and an itinerant cardsharp. In each case the "little child" is hardly innocent: in the first, a local auto mechanic's "baby" turns out to be fully developed as a woman and a musician; in the second, a spoiled child star learns kindness; in the third, the family of a lost brat doesn't want him returned. And Oliver, what becomes of him?
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
Act like Self (archive footage)
event1999 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Starting with "The Wolf Man" (in 1941), Universal Studios made five movies featuring The Wolf Man, a character portrayed by Lon Chaney, Jr. Monster by Moonlight! explores these movies. Rick Baker explains how the make-up was done on Chaney's character. Screenwriter Curtis Siodmak took very little from earlier werewolf legends, providing his own story for some of the films. This documentary displays clips from several other movies, including "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) and "House of Dracula" (1945).
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Act like Self (1 ep.)
event1950 star_border 7
top_panel_open
The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show starred many notable comedians and entertainers of the era, including Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Donald O'Connor, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante, Ray Bolger, Gordon MacRae, Ben Blue, Robert Paige, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Broadway dancer Wayne Lamb and Spike Jones and His City Slickers.
The Ed Sullivan Show
Act like Self (5 ep.)
event1948 star_border 6.6
top_panel_open
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows.
In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
General Electric Theater
Act like Edwin Kensington (1 ep.)
event1953 star_border 6
top_panel_open
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Act like Self (2 ep.)
event1956 star_border 5.3
top_panel_open
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show is an American variety series hosted by Dinah Shore, and broadcast on NBC from October 1956 to June 1963. The series was sponsored by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors and its theme song, sung by Shore, was "See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet", which continued to be used in Chevrolet advertising for several more years after the cancellation of the show.
Star Time
Act like Self (1 ep.)
event1950
top_panel_open
Star Time is an American variety series which aired on the DuMont Television Network from September 5, 1950 to February 27, 1951, and starred singer-actress Frances Langford.
The Jimmy Durante Show
Act like Self (1 ep.)
event1954
top_panel_open
The Jimmy Durante Show is a 51-episode half-hour comedy/variety television program presented live on NBC from October 2, 1954 to June 23, 1956.
Startime
(1 ep.)
event1959 star_border 6
top_panel_open
Startime is an anthology show of drama, comedy, and variety, and was one of the first American television shows broadcast in color. The program was aired Tuesday nights in the United States on the NBC Television network in the 1959-60 television season.
Brecht
Act like Galileo (voice) (1 ep.)
event2019 star_border 6
top_panel_open
East Berlin, 1956. Bertolt Brecht, revolutionary of the theater and poet of the state, looks back: his exploits as a teenager during the World War I; his romantic adventures during the twenties; the escape of the Nazi regime; the return from exile. The life of a timeless classic, a class fighter, an indefatigable free spirit, a committed artist.
What's My Line?
Act like Self - Mystery Guest (2 ep.)
event1950 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions.
Show more expand_more
keyboard_double_arrow_down