"Guest wrote screenplays for the rest of the decade. His credits included ""All In"" (1936) for Varnel; ""Public Nuisance No. 1"" (1936); ""A Star Fell from Heaven"" (1936); ""O-Kay for Sound"" (1937) for Varnel with The Crazy Gang; ""Alf's Button Afloat"" (1938) with Flanagan and Allen. He also wrote the Will Hay comedies ""Oh, Mr Porter!"" (1937) and ""Ask a Policeman"" (1939). He wrote ""Hi Gang!"" (1941) for Ben Lyon and Bebe Daniels. Guest became a fully-fledged director in the early 1940s (he had been responsible for some second-unit work previously). His first film was an Arthur Askey short, ""The"
"film star in Britain and was ranked the third highest grossing star at the British Box Office in 1938, behind George Formby and Gracie Fields. He is widely regarded as one of the most prolific and influential British comedians of all-time. Hay worked with Gainsborough Pictures from 1935 to 1940, during which time he developed a partnership with Graham Moffatt, playing an insolent overweight schoolboy, and Moore Marriott as a toothless old man. Hay's 1937 film, with Moffatt and Marriott, ""Oh, Mr. Porter!"" was credited by ""The Times"" as being ""a comic masterpiece of the British cinema"", while the writer"
"1981, including ""Who Done It?"" (1956) and the soap opera ""Crossroads"". Blaney died in 1983 at the age of 90. Norah Blaney Norah Blaney (16 July 18937 December 1983), born Norah Mignon Cordwell, was a music hall performer. She sang the Music Hall song ""Oh! Mr Porter"", although the song was made famous by Marie Lloyd. She began a partnership with Gwen Farrar (1899-1944) when they met during World War I; Blaney played the piano and Farrar played the cello. In 1927, she appeared in a short film made in the Phonofilm sound-on-film process, singing ""How About Me?"" and ""He's"
"The trio appeared in six films together between 1936 and 1940, ""Windbag the Sailor"", ""Oh, Mr. Porter!"", ""Convict 99"", ""Old Bones of the River"", ""Ask a Policeman"" and ""Where's That Fire?"". Hay's 1937 film alongside Moffatt and Marriott, ""Oh, Mr. Porter!"" is often considered to be one of the greatest British comedy films of all-time. The British Film Institute included the film in its 360 Classic Feature Films list; ""Variety"" magazine described the movie as ""amusing, if over-long"", noting that there was ""<nowiki>[n]</nowiki>o love interest to mar the comedy""; and the cult website TV Cream listed it at number 41"
"designer, securing several patents for still cameras and projector devices. During the 1930s he was employed by an appliance corporation. Aged 71, he died in 1941 at the Hotel Taft in New York City and was buried in Husband Cemetery, Somerset, Pennsylvania. He was survived by his wife, Caroline Ridinger, whom he had married on June 5, 1893; they had no children. Porter remains an enigmatic figure in motion picture history. Though his significance as director of ""The Great Train Robbery"" and other innovative early films is undeniable, he rarely repeated an innovation after he had used it successfully, never"
"Norah Blaney Norah Blaney (16 July 18937 December 1983), born Norah Mignon Cordwell, was a music hall performer. She sang the Music Hall song ""Oh! Mr Porter"", although the song was made famous by Marie Lloyd. She began a partnership with Gwen Farrar (1899-1944) when they met during World War I; Blaney played the piano and Farrar played the cello. In 1927, she appeared in a short film made in the Phonofilm sound-on-film process, singing ""How About Me?"" and ""He's Funny That Way"". In her later career, Blaney appeared in a number of films and television programmes from 1956 to"
"such popular films as ""Oh, Mr Porter!"" (1937) and Hitchcock's ""The Lady Vanishes"" (1938). By 1937, Gaumont-British were in financial crisis, and closed their Lime Grove studios, moving all production to the Islington Poole Street studio. However, the tall factory chimney on the site was considered dangerous in the event of bombing during World War II, and thus Gainsborough Studios were evacuated to Lime Grove for the duration of hostilities. From 1942 to 1946, a series of morally ambivalent studio bound costume melodramas was produced by Gainsborough for the domestic market. They were mostly based on recent popular books by"
"Edwin S. Porter Edwin Stanton Porter (April 21, 1870 – April 30, 1941) was an American film pioneer, most famous as a producer, director, studio manager and cinematographer with the Edison Manufacturing Company and the Famous Players Film Company. Of over 250 films created by Porter, his most important include ""Jack and the Beanstalk"" (1902), ""Life of an American Fireman"" (1903), ""The Great Train Robbery"" (1903), ""The Kleptomaniac"" (1905), ""Life of a Cowboy"" (1906), ""Rescued from an Eagle's Nest"" (1908), and ""The Prisoner of Zenda"" (1913) . Porter was born and raised in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, to Thomas Richard Porter, a"
"Oh, Men! Oh, Women! Oh, Men! Oh, Women! is a 1957 American comedy film written and directed by Nunnally Johnson, based on the play of the same name by Edward Chodorov. It stars Ginger Rogers, Dan Dailey and David Niven. Mildred Turner is a patient of a New York psychiatrist, Dr. Alan Coles. She is bored and frustrated in her marriage to a movie star, Arthur Turner. Coles is about to marry Myra Hagerman but is perplexed when neurotic new patient Grant Cobbler claims he is sleepless and heartsick over ""Myra,"" the woman he loves. Coles is then completely bewildered"
"she will show up. When she does, Cobbler turns up as well. Coles tosses him down the gangplank. While still arguing about their situation, Coles and Myra fail to notice that the ship has sailed. Oh, Men! Oh, Women! Oh, Men! Oh, Women! is a 1957 American comedy film written and directed by Nunnally Johnson, based on the play of the same name by Edward Chodorov. It stars Ginger Rogers, Dan Dailey and David Niven. Mildred Turner is a patient of a New York psychiatrist, Dr. Alan Coles. She is bored and frustrated in her marriage to a movie star,"
"in its list of cinema's Top 100 Films. The director Marcel Varnel considered the film as among his best work, and it was described in 2006, by ""The Times"" in its obituary for writer Val Guest, as ""a comic masterpiece of the British cinema"". Jimmy Perry, in his autobiography, wrote that the triumvirate of Captain Mainwaring, Corporal Jones and Private Pike in ""Dad's Army"" was inspired by watching ""Oh, Mr Porter"". Both Moffatt and Marriott were absent from Hay's 1938 film, ""Hey! Hey! USA"" with American comedy actor Edgar Kennedy being cast as Hay's sidekick instead, the film was a"
"DVD RELEASES OF CLASSIC FILMS: ""The Call of the Wild"" (1935), starring Clark Gable and Loretta Young; ""Deadline U.S.A."" (1952), starring Humphrey Bogart and Ethel Barrymore; ""The Rains of Ranchipur"" (1955), starring Lana Turner and Richard Burton Darwin Porter Darwin Porter (born September 13, 1937, in Greensboro, North Carolina) is America's leading travel writer, producing numerous titles, mostly for the Frommer Guidebook series, over a 50-year career span. In the 21st century, he became a pop culture journalist-historian, the leading celebrity biographer in America in terms of volume of works produced. Porter was the son of Hazel Lee Phillips, a"
"old and Porter claims it is good for another ninety, the engine explodes after its hectic journey, and Porter, Harbottle and Albert lower their hats in respect. Despite the majority of the film being set in Northern Ireland, none of the filming took place there; the railway station at Buggleskelly was the disused Cliddesden railway station on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway, which had closed to goods in 1936. ""Oh, Mr.Porter!"" was filmed at Cliddesden between May and July 1937. All the interior shots were made at Gainsborough Studios, Shepherds Bush, during the August. The windmill in which Porter"
"Oh Doctor! Oh Doctor! is a 1917 American two-reel silent comedy film directed by and starring Roscoe ""Fatty"" Arbuckle and featuring Buster Keaton. As described in Exhibitors Herald, a film magazine, Dr. Fatty Holepoke (Arbuckle) bets all of his money on a horse and loses it. He becomes entangled in the meshes of a vampire (Mann), but when he hears the voice of ""his master"" (his wife), he finds himself in a serious predicament. With the assistance of a uniform stolen from a policeman, he manages to get away. He tries his luck again with the horses and wins lots"
"World War II, but lists of his film credit indicate he began in Hollywood in 1939 and acted throughout the war years. Besides his work in film and television, Porter was active on stage, as he acted in more than 200 plays. His Broadway credits include ""The Front Page"" (1968), ""Plaza Suite"" (1967), and ""Any Wednesday"" (1963). He appeared in various films in the 1940s before landing the role of Peter Sands, the boss of Susan Camille MacNamara (Ann Sothern) on the 1950s sitcom ""Private Secretary"". A retooled version of the series appeared later, titled ""The Ann Sothern Show"". It"
"Oh, God! (film) Oh, God! is a 1977 American comedy film starring George Burns and John Denver. Based on a novel of the same name by Avery Corman, the film was directed by Carl Reiner from a screenplay written by Larry Gelbart. The story centers on unassuming supermarket manager Jerry Landers (Denver), chosen by God (Burns) to spread his message despite the skepticism of the media, religious authorities, and Landers' own wife (Teri Garr). The film inspired two sequels, ""Oh, God! Book II"" (1980) and ""Oh, God! You Devil"" (1984), both of which featured Burns reprising his role, but with"
"top of the bill for six weeks in major theatre markets. The film was also nominated at the 1939 Academy Awards for Best Original Score. Pacific Liner Pacific Liner is a 1939 American action/adventure film directed by Lew Landers. The film stars Victor McLaglen, Chester Morris and Wendy Barrie. ""Pacific Liner"" depicts the ill-fated voyage of a disease-ridden passenger liner. In 1932, aboard the passenger ship, the S.S. ""Arcturus"", engineer ""Crusher"" McKay (Victor McLaglen) runs a ""tight ship"", both beloved and feared by his men. The ship's doctor, ""Doc"" Tony Craig (Chester Morris), has signed on in Shanghai to be"
"of artificial teeth which he would put in to play his 'old man' characters. He had no teeth in real life and took four different sets of false teeth with him to achieve variety in his characters. Although he made 131 film appearances from 1912, today he is probably best known as old ""Harbottle"" in a number of comedy films he made with Will Hay and Graham Moffatt, including ""Oh, Mr Porter!"" (1937) and ""Ask a Policeman"" (1939). During the filming of Hay's film ""Dandy Dick"" (1935), Marriott played an uncredited stableboy. During the filming of ""Dandy Dick"", Marriott said"
"""Oh, God!"" was also awarded two Saturn Awards for Best Fantasy Film and Best Actor for George Burns. It received an additional nomination for Carl Reiner's direction. Oh, God! (film) Oh, God! is a 1977 American comedy film starring George Burns and John Denver. Based on a novel of the same name by Avery Corman, the film was directed by Carl Reiner from a screenplay written by Larry Gelbart. The story centers on unassuming supermarket manager Jerry Landers (Denver), chosen by God (Burns) to spread his message despite the skepticism of the media, religious authorities, and Landers' own wife (Teri"
"Harry Morgan Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsberg; April 10, 1915 – December 7, 2011) was an American actor and director whose television and film career spanned six decades. Morgan's major roles included Pete Porter in both ""December Bride"" (1954–1959) and ""Pete and Gladys"" (1960–1962); Officer Bill Gannon on ""Dragnet"" (1967–1970); Amos Coogan on ""Hec Ramsey"" (1972–1974); and his starring role as Colonel Sherman T. Potter in ""M*A*S*H"" (1975–1983) and ""AfterMASH"" (1983–1984). Morgan appeared in more than 100 films. Morgan was born Harry Bratsberg in Detroit, the son of Hannah and Henry Bratsberg. His parents were of Swedish and Norwegian ancestry."
"Don Porter Donald ""Don"" Porter (September 24, 1912 – February 11, 1997) was an American actor who appeared in a number of films in the 1940s, including ""Top Sergeant"" and ""Eagle Squadron"", but is perhaps best known for his television roles as Peter Sands, the boss of Ann Sothern's character on ""Private Secretary"", and as Russell Lawrence, the widowed father of 15-year-old Frances ""Gidget"" Lawrence (Sally Field), in the 1965 ABC sitcom ""Gidget"". He was born in Miami, Oklahoma, Porter's obituary in the ""Deseret News"" reported that his career in show business began in Portland, Oregon, after he served in"
"film. The judge, despite all his talk of being a Confederate veteran, finds his best friend to be the black Jeff Poindexter, portrayed by Stepin Fetchit. Judge Priest has pride in his tolerance for others. Will Rogers portrays Judge Priest. The film played a major role in earning Will Rogers' recognition as the number one box office star of 1934. Rogers received critical praise for his role, some noting that Rogers simply fell right into the role with his heart-warming personality. Rogers managed a balance of comedic one-liners with serious dramatics. The Tulsa Daily World summed up Rogers’ performance: “The"
"Any Old Port! Any Old Port! is an American 1932 Pre Code short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by James W.Horne and produced by Hal Roach. Sailors Laurel and Hardy disembark and book in a sleazy hotel. The owner Mugsie Long intends to marry a young girl against her wishes, but Stan and Ollie come to her rescue. After fleeing the hotel, the boys find out they've left their money in their room, but an old pal of Ollie's offers $50 if Ollie will fight in a boxing ring that night. Ollie agrees but predictably makes Stan the fighter"
"at the Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans. She was survived by her sister Maud. Cora Witherspoon Cora Witherspoon (January 5, 1890 – November 17, 1957) was an American stage and film character actress whose career spanned nearly half a century. She began in theatre where she would remain rooted even after entering motion pictures in the early 1930s. As Witherspoon’s career progressed she carved out a niche playing haughty society women or harridan housewives such as Princess Lina in Ferenc Molnár's 1928 play, ""Olympia,"" or Agatha Sousè, W. C. Fields’ domineering spouse in the 1940 film, ""The Bank Dick"". John Springer"
"Frank Launder Frank Launder (28 January 1906 – 23 February 1997) was a British writer, film director and producer, who made more than 40 films, many of them in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. He was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England and worked briefly as a clerk before becoming an actor and then a playwright. He began working as a screenwriter on British films in the 1930s, contributing the original story for the classic Will Hay comedy ""Oh, Mr Porter!"" (1937). After writing a number of screenplays with Gilliat, including ""The Lady Vanishes"" (1938) for Alfred Hitchcock, and ""Night Train to"
"Topper (film) Topper is a 1937 American supernatural comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Constance Bennett and Cary Grant and featuring Roland Young, which tells the story of a stuffy, stuck-in-his-ways man, Cosmo Topper (Roland Young) who is haunted by the ghosts of a fun-loving married couple. The film was adapted by Eric Hatch, Jack Jevne and Eddie Moran from the novel by Thorne Smith. It was produced by Hal Roach and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The supporting cast includes Billie Burke and Eugene Pallette. ""Topper"" was a huge hit with film audiences in the summer of 1937;"
"major stage role as Mr Sowerberry, and future rock stars Steve Marriott (later the lead singer of the Small Faces and Humble Pie), Davy Jones (pre-Monkees), and Phil Collins (of Genesis fame) as The Artful Dodger. The music for ""Oliver!"" was transcribed by Eric Rogers, who wrote and composed 21 scores for the ""Carry On"" films. Bart hummed the melodies and Rogers wrote the notes on his behalf as Bart could not read or write music. In 1968 ""Oliver!"" was made into a film starring Ron Moody, Oliver Reed and Shani Wallis that won several Oscars, including best film. It"
"Eric Portman Eric Harold Portman (13 July 1901 – 7 December 1969) was an English stage and film actor. He is probably best remembered for his roles in several films for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger during the 1940s. He started work in 1922 as a salesman in the menswear department at the Marshall & Snelgrove department store in Leeds and acted in the amateur Halifax Light Opera Society. He made his professional stage debut in 1924 with Henry Baynton's company. In 1924, Robert Courtneidge's Shakespearian company arrived in Halifax. Portman joined the company as a 'passenger' and appeared in"
"Hurrah! I'm a Father Hurrah! I'm a Father or Hurrah! I'm a Papa (German: Hurra, ich bin Papa) is a 1939 German comedy film directed by Kurt Hoffmann and starring Heinz Rühmann, Albert Florath and Walter Schuller. Peter, a dissolute student, ignores his wealthy farmer father's attempts to get him to reform. However, when he finds a small child left in a room with a note attached explaining that he is the child's father he is forced to become a changed man. He hires a young woman to act as the child's nurse not realizing that she is really the"
"and Graham Moffatt as Albert who also appears under that name in the comedy films of both Will Hay and Arthur Askey. The ""Radio Times"" gave the film two out of five stars, and wrote, ""not even the hard-working Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch plus Will Hay old boys Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt can warm up this tepid ""upstairs-downstairs"" charade""; whereas ""Sky Movies"" rated the film three out of five stars, describing it as a ""cheerful, long-unseen British wartime romp...It's all directed by that master of comic organisation, Frenchman Marcel (""Oh, Mr Porter!"") Varnel. It's not one of his"
"of money. However, when he walks down the street his wife relieves him of all of it and leads him home, even though she is half his size. Like many American films of the time, ""Oh Doctor!"" was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. The Chicago Board of Censors required a cut of the scene where a man is pulling a women's skirt up to her knees. Oh Doctor! Oh Doctor! is a 1917 American two-reel silent comedy film directed by and starring Roscoe ""Fatty"" Arbuckle and featuring Buster Keaton. As described in Exhibitors Herald, a"
"Oh, You Women! Oh, You Women! is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by John Emerson and written by John Emerson and Anita Loos. The film stars Ernest Truex, Joseph Burke, Bernard Randall, Gaston Glass, Louise Huff, and Betty Wales. The film was released on May 4, 1919, by Paramount Pictures. It is not known whether the film currently survives. As described in a film magazine, boy orator Abraham Lincoln Jones (Truex) works in the mayor's office and emulates his namesake, believing that he had a sure accession to the boss's chair. But the war took him away, mussed"
"1937, Porter was left disabled and in constant pain, but he continued to work. His shows of the early 1940s did not contain the lasting hits of his best work of the 1920s and '30s, but in 1948 he made a triumphant comeback with his most successful musical, ""Kiss Me, Kate"". It won the first Tony Award for Best Musical. Porter's other musicals include ""Fifty Million Frenchmen"", ""DuBarry Was a Lady"", ""Anything Goes"", ""Can-Can"" and ""Silk Stockings"". His numerous hit songs include ""Night and Day"", ""Begin the Beguine"", ""I Get a Kick Out of You"", ""Well, Did You Evah!"", ""I've"