Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-10 of 10
- Jocelyn Brando, the older sister of Marlon Brando, was born Nov. 18, 1919, in San Francisco, California, to Marlon Brando Sr. and his wife, the former Dorothy Pennebaker. Jocelyn and Marlon and their sister Frances grew up mostly on a farm near Evanston, Illinois, though the family moved around during their childhoods. The bane of the children's existence was the alcoholism of both parents, which was particularly acute with their mother. Her brother's friend Karl Malden believed that Jocelyn's promising career was derailed by alcohol. Despite not living up to her promise, she managed a career that spanned five decades in the theater, film and television.
Jocelyn Brando came to the stage naturally, first appearing in a theatrical production under the direction of her mother, who was a principal in an Omaha community theater group that included Henry Fonda. She made her Broadway debut soon after her 22rd birthday, appearing in "The First Crocus" at the Longacre Theatre on January 2, 1942. The play was a resounding flop and closed after five performances. Her next appearance on Broadway came two months after her kid brother Marlon made theatrical history as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire." On February 18, 1948, Jocelyn opened as Navy nurse Lt. Ann Girard in support of family friend Henry Fonda as the eponymous "Mister Roberts." The play was a smash hit, running just shy of three years for a total of 1,157 performances. Jocelyn did not complete the run of the play, appearing in the comedy "The Golden State" in the 1950-51 season, a flop that lasted but 25 performances. She rebounded in a succès d'estime in Eugene O'Neill's "Desire Under the Elms" in 1952, though the play only lasted 46 performances. One of her co-stars was Colleen Dewhurst, who would go on to rank as the greatest interpreter of O'Neill's female characters. Jocelyn would later appear in support of Dewhurst in a Broadway revival of O'Neil's "Mourning Becomes Electra", Back in uniform as a military officer, Jocelyn made her film debut in Don Siegel's war drama China Venture (1953). When she first arrived in Hollywood, she gave an interview with "The New York Times" in which she commented on her brother's advice--or lack of it--to the tyro film actress: "Marlon is a sweet fellow, and he works very hard. I asked him for a tip about pictures, and he answered, 'Oh, I just say the words. That's all I know about picture acting'. He probably was smart at that to let me find my own way." It was her second film that was her best-known movie role: detective Glenn Ford's doomed wife in Fritz Lang's classic gangster movie The Big Heat (1953). Jocelyn's character was blown to cinematic kingdom come in an off-camera explosion when she starts the family automobile and detonates a bomb intended for screen hubby Ford. It remains one of the most famous moments in cinema. She eventually appeared in supporting roles in two of her brother's films, The Ugly American (1963) and The Chase (1966).
While her career in films never flourished, she had a healthy career in television from the 1940s through the 1980s, appearing in guest roles on scores of television shows, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955), Wagon Train (1957) and Little House on the Prairie (1974). In the early 1970s she appeared as Mrs. Krakauer on the daytime TV soap opera Love of Life (1951). She also had a recurring role as Mrs. Reeves on the prime-time potboiler Dallas (1978) for several years. Her last major film was "Mommie Dearest" (1981) , the Joan Crawford roman a clef.
Jocelyn vociferously defended her superstar brother in the press throughout his half-century of celebrity, stressing his strong family ties. She was with the great actor when he died at age 80 of lung failure at his Los Angeles home on July 1, 2004 (the same disease had earlier claimed their sister Frances, who was a painter).
Karl Malden, in his 1997 autobiography "When Do I Start?", recounts how circa 1979 he cautioned his friend Marlon about his own intake of alcohol. Malden reminded his younger friend, whom he had known at that point for 35 years, that alcohol had destroyed his mother's life, had compromised that of his father and likely was the reason that Jocelyn never became a major actress. Jocelyn Brando, who was twice married and had two sons, died of natural causes at her Santa Monica, California, home on November 20, 2005, two days after her 86th birthday. If we take Karl Malden's word for it--who knew her and her work and her promise--but for the fatal flaw that ran through the Brando-Pennebaker family, she might have had a career that would have taken her out of the shadows and elevated her to more than just a footnote in her brother's career. - Actor
- Director
- Writer
American character actor who specialized in underworld types, despite a far greater range. A native of the Bronx, he participated in plays in school, then attended City College of New York. In 1930, he was accepted into Eva Le Gallienne's company, where he became friendly with another young actor, one day to be known as John Garfield. The two appeared in a number of plays, both with Le Gallienne's company and with the highly-politicized Group Theatre, before Lawrence was given a film contract with Columbia Pictures. His scarred complexion and brooding appearance made him a natural for heavies, and he played scores of gangsters and mob bosses over the next six decades. Nevertheless, he could turn in fine performances in very different kinds of roles as well, such as his bewildered mountain boy in The Shepherd of the Hills (1941).
Following the Second World War, as anti-Communist fervor gripped America, Lawrence found himself under scrutiny for his political leanings. When called before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), he admitted he had once been a member of the Communist Party. The Committee broke down his resolve and he "named names" (including Sterling Hayden, Lionel Stander, Anne Revere, Larry Parks, Karen Morley and Jeff Corey). Nonetheless, he was blacklisted and departed for Europe, where he continued to make films, often in leading roles. Following the demise of the blacklist, he returned to America and resumed his position as a familiar and talented purveyor of gangland types. He was also a writer and director.- Rodney Bell was born in Sydney, Australia. He attended the prestigious NIDA (National Institute for Dramatic Arts) and followed an acting course for people who were already active in the business. He graduated in 1988. His debut on stage was in a Shakespeare play when he was eight years old. Rodney's television debut was in the children's television series "The lost Islands" in 1976. His international breakthrough was his role as the arrogant Frank Blackwood in the television series "Snowy River: The McGregor Saga".
- New Orleans-born and -bred Joe Jones studied music at New York's prestigious Juilliard School of Music, paid for by the GI Bill after his stint in the US Navy during World War II. Returning to New Orleans, he got his foot in the music scene as a personal assistant and "gofer" for blues legend B.B. King, and eventually became King's arranger and pianist. He later formed his own R&B band and spent several years making the rounds of the music scene in the French Quarter. He released a single, "Will Call", for Capitol Records in 1954, but it never went anywhere, and signing a contract with Herald Records didn't do a whole lot for his career, either. However, in 1957 he signed with New York's Roulette Records and cut "You Talk Too Much", a novelty song written by the brother-in-law of Fats Domino for Domino himself, who turned it down. Roulette for some reason didn't even release it, but Jones liked the song and re-recorded it three years later for Ric Records, a small New Orleans label. Oddly enough, the song first became a hit in New York City, which was Roulette Records' home, and the company took legal steps to stop its release by Ric and transfer it to Roulette, which is just what happened. The record was a major hit, shooting to #3 on the charts. Jones, however, because of various legal maneuvering--for which Roulette Records was notorious--earned virtually nothing for his troubles.
Disgusted with the business, he moved to New York to get involved in the production end of the industry rather than the recording end of it. In that capacity he helped start the careers of several recording stars, among them The Dixie Cups ("Chapel of Love"). In the 1970s he moved to Los Angeles and started up his own music publishing company. In addition, he became involved in the effort to help black performers recoup the rights and royalties from their performances and/or songwriting efforts which they had either unwittingly signed away or were tricked into signing away by unscrupulous record companies and publishers in the beginning of the rock/R&B era in the early and mid-'50s.
Joe Jones died on November 27, 2005, in Los Angeles of complications following quadruple bypass surgery. - Jacques Gallo was born on 31 July 1924 in Paris, France. He was an actor, known for Suspicion (1957), The Magic Sword (1962) and Men Into Space (1959). He was married to Georgene Landman and Nicole Maurey. He died on 27 November 2005 in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Vaucluse, France.
- Director
- Writer
Franz Schönhuber was born on 10 January 1923 in Trostberg, Bavaria, Germany. He was a director and writer, known for Die neue Partnerschaft (1964), Der Bayerische Landtag: Der Landtag hat beschlossen ... (1965) and Valentins Erben? - Die Münchner Volkssängerbühne und ihre Akteure (1968). He was married to Ingrid Schönhuber. He died on 27 November 2005 in München, Germany.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Norman Borine was born on 28 November 1917 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was an actor, known for The Faith of Our Children (1953). He died on 27 November 2005 in Palm Desert, California, USA.- Jean-Pierre Moutier was born on 6 December 1929 in Moutier, France. He was an actor, known for The Great Spy Chase (1964), Six chevaux bleus (1968) and The Wonderful Crook (1975). He died on 27 November 2005 in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Clarence Fleiger was born on 16 June 1930 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. He was an actor, known for Folio (1955). He died on 27 November 2005 in New Brunswick, Canada.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Pat Putnam was born on 27 April 1930 in Schenectady, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for She Came to the Valley (1979), HBO Boxing (1973) and ESPN SportsCentury (1999). He died on 27 November 2005 in Schenectady, New York, USA.