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1-11 of 11
- Actress
- Soundtrack
A vastly talented musical performer, Peggy Ryan found stardom dancing alongside partner Donald O'Connor as Universal's answer to Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. Paired up in many a low-budget WWII-era musical, she was best known for her dancing feet, but she was no slouch in the singing department and her buoyant personality added plenty of zest to the escapist fare she appeared in.
Christened Margaret O'Rene Ryan, Peggy was, as they say, born in a trunk in 1924 to a pair of vaudeville dancers ("The Merry Dancing Ryans") and, by age two, the pint-sized scene-stealer was already selling her heart out on stage alongside her parents. No glamour girl, Peggy had a very plaintive face, prominent nose and gangly figure, similar to a Virginia Weidler, so she was wise enough to play it up for laughs. Discovered by George Murphy, the young girl earned a part in Universal's enjoyable tune fest Top of the Town (1937), where the little Irish charmer managed to steal a dance alongside Murphy. Other movies beckoned, sometimes in teary dramas such as The Women Men Marry (1937) and The Grapes of Wrath (1940). With the movie What's Cookin' (1942), she teamed with O'Connor for the first time. The two were a sensation and sparked many musical programmers with their clowning, mugging, intricate dance steps, and indefatigable style. The jitterbugging twosome romped through Private Buckaroo (1942), Give Out, Sisters (1942), Get Hep to Love (1942), Top Man (1943), The Merry Monahans (1944), Chip Off the Old Block (1944) and Bowery to Broadway (1944) during their peak. During this period she married Jimmy Cross and had a son, James Michael Cross, who later died in a 1987 car accident.
Peggy began to freelance in post-war years and found employment with other studios. She was paired up with dancer Ray McDonald for the films Shamrock Hill (1949) and All Ashore (1953) and began seeing him off screen as well. They eventually married, had a child named Kerry, and toured together across the U.S. in a nightclub act for a few years until their marriage folded. She decided to retire from films following her third marriage to Hawaiian announcer/emcee/columnist Eddie Sherman. She choreographed book shows here and there ("The Music Man", "Funny Girl"), but basically settled down in Hawaii. In later years, she came out of semi-retirement to appear in a small recurring part as the Governor of Hawaii's secretary, Jenny, on TV's popular Hawaii Five-O (1968) in 1968. She remained a sporadic presence throughout the run of the show. After teaching tap dancing for decades on the sly, Peggy moved to Las Vegas with her family. A trouper to the end, she formed a group of middle-aged dancers called "The TNT's" and performed in and about town. In 2003, she suffered her first mini-stroke, dying a year later in what was reported to be complications from multiple strokes on October 30, 2004.- Born outside of Philadelphia, as a kid he spent sometime in the Midwest where his father died of a heart attack during the depression when Ed was 9 years old. His single mother, Betsy Stoddard, then moved west Los Angeles where she somehow finagled a studio contract as a bit player in movies, some of which include, Bannerline (1951), Three Wise Fools (1946), The Sailor Takes a Wife (1945). Ed never married, but he enjoyed drinking Scotch. For thirty years he was the overnight classical radio D.J. on KFAC. The writer Charles Bukowski wrote a poem called KFAC, which refers to Ed. Ed, lived in a house in Laurel Canyon in the 1960's, but lost the house to relationship gone bad. He was the voice of the commercial for the introduction of the 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang. Also, he lent his voice to numerous scientific and educational films and filmstrips. Ed lived his remaining years in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, California. He his survived by his cat Angel who happily lives with a friend.
- Tom Stevenson was born on 22 February 1910 in Pasadena, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Gaslight (1944), Across the Pacific (1942) and The Lone Wolf in London (1947). He died on 30 October 2004 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Graduated in the Tokyo Imperial University, debuted in 1951 with a novel awarded by the Weekly Asahi, confirmed in 1953 with another award for his work "Lord Protector of Child". From 1958 his novels have been converted into films, beginning with "Nagareboshi Jûshi Uchihishigareru" ("Battered Crossed Star"). His most adapted novels were jidai-geki, being the most outstanding in 1963 "Daisan no Kagemusha" ("The Third Shadow"), "Bushidô Zankoku Monogatari" ("Bushido Cruel Story") and above all "Murasaki Ukyonosuke", a film in two parts starring Hashizo Okawa playing moustached Murasaki. In 1975 another of his novels, "Genroku Taiheiki", was also transformed in a TV Series.
- Sante Maria Romitelli was a composer, known for Isabella, Duchess of the Devils (1969), This Time I'll Make You Rich (1974) and Sotto a chi tocca! (1972). Sante Maria died on 30 October 2004 in Perugia, Umbria, Italy.
- Additional Crew
Eddie Straiton was born on 27 March 1917 in Clydebank, Renfrewshire, Scotland, UK. He is known for All Creatures Great and Small (1978) and That's My Dog (1984). He died on 30 October 2004 in Stone, Staffordshire, England, UK.- Mercedes Barry was born on 8 June 1948 in Merasheen, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, Canada. She was an actress, known for Gullage's (1996). She died on 30 October 2004.
- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David José Kohon was born on 18 October 1919 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was a director and writer, known for Tres veces Ana (1961), Breve cielo (1969) and Con alma y vida (1970). He died on 30 October 2004 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Danica Obrenic was born on 21 October 1920 in Mladenovac, Serbia, Yugoslavia. She was an actress, known for The Magic Sword (1950), Siluete (1984) and Selo bez seljaka (1970). She died on 30 October 2004 in Belgrade, Serbia.
- Fernando Chueca Goitia was born on 29 May 1911 in Madrid, Spain. He died on 30 October 2004 in Madrid, Spain.
- Gail S. Erbeck was born on 9 March 1932 in Mason, Ohio, USA. He was married to Annette Ballweg. He died on 30 October 2004.