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1-16 of 16
- Actor
- Soundtrack
The Academy Award-nominated film actor Chester Morris, who will forever be associated with the character Boston Blackie, was born John Chester Brooks Morris on February 16 1901 in New York City, the son of actor William Morris and comedienne Etta Hawkins.
Chester Morris made his Broadway debut as a teenager in 1918 in the play "The Copperhead," in support of the great Lionel Barrymore, who coincidentally would play Boston Blackie in a silent picture (The Face in the Fog (1922)) a generation before Morris would make that role his own. A year earlier, Chester Morris had made his movie debut in Van Dyke Brooke's An Amateur Orphan (1917), but he didn't really become a movie actor until the sound era. Instead, Morris made his acting bones on the boards, appearing on Broadway in the plays "Thunder" and "The Mountain Man" in 1919. He returned to the Great White Way in 1922 in the comedy "The Exciters" following it up with the comedy-drama "Extra" in 1923. Now established, Chester Morris began billing himself as "the youngest leading man in the country."
He appeared without credit in 'Cecil B. DeMille's The Road to Yesterday (1925), though his dark, good-looks and chiseled jaw made him a natural for movie stardom, it wasn't until the transition of the movies from silent pictures to the talkies that he became a movie actor. He was one of the first actors to be nominated for an Academy Award when in 1930 (the second year of the as-yet non-nicknamed Oscars) he was recognized with a nod as Best Actor for Alibi (1929), his first talking picture. But it was his appearance in The Big House (1930), the film for which he is best known (other than his portrayal of Boston Blackie in the eponymous detective series of the 1940s) that he broke through to stardom.
From 1930 through the middle of the decade, he was a star with good roles in first-rate pictures, usually assaying a tough guy. However, his star dimmed and by the end of the decade he was appearing in B-pictures, but beginning in 1941, the Boston Blackie series at Columbia Pictures revived his career. In all, he appeared in 14 pictures as the detective. He later segued to TV work in the 1950s and '60s, appearing in the occasional film such as his last, The Great White Hope (1970), which meant he had been a working movie actor for seven decades.
Although he was afflicted with cancer, it is unclear whether he took his own life as he was apparently in good spirits and left no note September 11, 1970.- Abbie Hoffman was born on 30 November 1936 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Steal This Movie (2000) and Brand X (1970). He was married to Anita Hoffman and Sheila Karklin. He died on 12 April 1989 in New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Jessica Savitch was born on February 1, 1947 in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Her father suddenly died when she was just 12 years old. It was he that encouraged her for a career in broadcast journalism. Jessica first considered a career in broadcasting while in high school. A friend then got her a job part-time reading the local news on the radio. When Jessica decided to major in communications at Ithaca College in New York, her faculty adviser bluntly told her that she was not part of broadcasting because she is a woman. His sexist words gave Jessica even more determination to prove him wrong. After graduation, Jessica became an all-around assistant for CBS-Radio in New York City. In 1971, she landed a job at KHOU-TV in Houston, Texas. Three months later, she enjoyed the distinction of becoming the first woman in the South to anchor a broadcast. In 1972, Jessica accepted a job to anchor the weekend newscast in Philadelphia. Over the next few years, Jessica slowly worked her way up and fought hard to be treated fairly in comparison to the other male anchors and correspondents. In 1977, Jessica signed a contract with New York's NBC station to anchor their Sunday evening broadcast, NBC Nightly News. She was then appointed co-anchor of Prime Time Sunday later that year. Jessica's rise to stardom inspired resentment among her colleagues who felt she hadn't paid her dues by first working as a network correspondent. However Jessica's rise to fame apparently came with a price as rumors about drug use and instability dogged her. Things came to a head on October 3, 1983 when, during a live news update, Jessica appeared incoherent in which her speech was slurred, she deviated from her copy and ad-libbed her report. She at first explained that her monitor had malfunctioned. But her agent inadvertently contradicted her alibi by saying that she was under medication from a head injury several weeks earlier. A short while later, Jessica seemed to get back on track for her contract at NBC was extended and she was ranked high on the list of replacements for Jane Pauley who was scheduled to take a maternity leave. But things came suddenly to an end when on Sunday, October 23, 1983, Jessica and her boyfriend, New York Post executive Martin Fischbein, drove to New Hope, Pennsylvania when they leisurely shopped for antiques. That evening, they ate dinner at the Chez Odette, a restaurant along the Delaware Canal. A fierce rainstorm set in and the couple became anxious to return to New York. Fischbein drove and Jessica sat in the back seat with her dog Chewy, a Siberian husky. The weather conditions made the driving difficult. Fischbein apparently mistook a dirt road for an exit and in a matter of seconds the car flipped off the road and plunged into the canal sinking almost instantly. Seven hours later, the bodies of 36-year-old Jessica Savitch and Martin Fischbein were pulled from the canal.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Joseph Krumgold was born on 9 April 1908 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Out of Evil (1950), Dream No More (1948) and Blackmailer (1936). He died on 10 July 1980 in Hope, New Jersey, USA.- Leon Liebgold was born on 31 July 1910 in Krakau, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland]. He was an actor, known for Tevya (1939), The Dybbuk (1937) and Yidl mitn fidl (1936). He was married to Lili Liliana. He died on 3 September 1993 in New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Grosvenor Glenn was born on 31 January 1925 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Macbeth (1946) and Julius Caesar (1950). He died on 6 July 1989 in New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Terry Hinz was born on 26 June 1945 in Fairmont, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for Two-Minute Warning (1976), McCloud (1970) and Black Sheep Squadron (1976). He died on 11 May 2019 in New Hope, Minnesota, USA.
- Art Department
- Actor
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kenny Sheehan was born on 11 December 1953 in Queens, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Wedding Crashers (2005), Red Dragon (2002) and Head of State (2003). He died on 20 November 2020 in New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA.- Reed Apaghian was born on 2 March 1949 in Media, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Gentle People and the Quiet Land (1972) and Touched (2003). He was married to Tom Boyer. He died on 20 September 2023 in New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Writer
- Producer
John D. Hess was born on 17 April 1918 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. John D. was a writer and producer, known for The Streets of San Francisco (1972), A Matter of Morals (1960) and The Secret Storm (1954). John D. was married to Mary Ann Van and Jane Vosper. John D. died on 15 April 2004 in New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA.- Jack Washburn was born on 4 December 1927 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Black Orchid (1958) and The Tonight Show (1953). He died on 15 March 1992 in New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Justin Herman was born on 29 April 1907 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Roller Derby Girl (1949), Three Kisses (1955) and Country Cop (1950). He died on 3 December 1983 in New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA.- Writer
- Actor
Laurie York Erskine was born on 23 June 1894 in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for Fighting Mad (1939), Sky Bandits (1940) and The Confidence Man (1924). He died on 30 November 1976 in New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA.- George Dyer was born on 12 April 1903 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He was a writer, known for Fog Over Frisco (1934) and Spy Ship (1942). He was married to Charlotte Leavitt. He died on 8 November 1978 in New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Hector Turnbull was born on 11 September 1884 in Arlington, New Jersey, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Casey at the Bat (1927), The Selfish Woman (1916) and Temptation (1915). He was married to Blanche Lasky Goldwyn. He died on 8 April 1934 in New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA.- Adam Pilon was born on 16 November 1971 in Athens, Georgia, USA. He was an actor, known for Benny the Bum (2012), Mythic Hero (2000) and 12:35 (2002). He died on 21 April 2020 in New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA.