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
1-50 of 362
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Sam McDaniel was born on 28 January 1886 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Great Lie (1941), I Was Framed (1942) and Captains Courageous (1937). He died on 24 September 1962 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
- Additional Crew
James B. Shackelford was born on 20 September 1886 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He was a cinematographer, known for Jacaré (1942), Trade Winds (1938) and Never the Twain Shall Meet (1925). He died on 5 August 1969 in California, USA.- Jay Herbert Peairs was born on 25 June 1887 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for Little Miss Bluebonnet (1922). He was married to Mae Louise Bilger and Adele Pearce. He died on 11 April 1976 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
- Actor
- Art Department
- Stunts
Ernie Alexander was born on 11 February 1890 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for Campus Crushes (1930), Find the Witness (1937) and Here Comes Trouble (1936). He died on 12 December 1961 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Etta McDaniel was born on 1 December 1890 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for The Great Man's Lady (1941), What a Man! (1944) and The Pittsburgh Kid (1941). She died on 13 January 1946 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Earl Browder was born on 20 May 1891 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He died on 27 June 1973 in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
After working as early as the 1910s as a band vocalist, Hattie McDaniel debuted as a maid in The Golden West (1932). Her maid-mammy characters became steadily more assertive, showing up first in Judge Priest (1934) and becoming pronounced in Alice Adams (1935). In this one, directed by George Stevens and aided and abetted by star Katharine Hepburn, she makes it clear she has little use for her employers' pretentious status seeking. By The Mad Miss Manton (1938) she actually tells off her socialite employer Barbara Stanwyck and her snooty friends. This path extends into the greatest role of her career, Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939). Here she is, in a number of ways, superior to most of the white folk surrounding her. From that point her roles unfortunately descended, with her characters becoming more and more menial. She played on the "Amos and Andy" and Eddie Cantor radio shows in the 1930s and 1940s; the title in her own radio show "Beulah" (1947-51), and the same part on TV (Beulah (1950)). Her part in Gone with the Wind (1939) won her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, the first African American actress to win an Academy Award, it was presented to her by Fay Bainter at a segregated ceremony, she had to sit at the back away from the rest of the cast.- Actor
Frank Bull was born on 27 May 1897 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He was an actor. He died on 16 June 1975 in Palm Desert, California, USA.- Morris McNeil Musselman was born in Wichita, Kansas on February 19, 1899. He was for the majority of his youth an only child until his sister Alva arrived sometime around 1914. His parents were Alvin J. and Gertrude M. Musselman, natives of Quincy, Illinois and Lafayette, Indiana, respectively. Alvin J. Musselman (1873-1950) was a bicycle repairman who would go on to invent a number of important devices, including improved brakes for bicycles, super balloon bicycle tires and the braking system for the B-29 bomber. Morris M. Musselman later chronicled his father's accomplishments in his book "Wheels in His Head: Father and His Inventions" (1945). Morris Musselman was a Hollywood screenwriter and the author of a number of humorous books. Among his most popular were "Get a Horse", (1950), "I Married a Redhead" (1951) and with Adolphe Menjou, the actor's autobiography, "It Took Nine Tailors" (1948). Morris McNeil Musselman passed away after battling cancer on April 22, 1952 in Santa Barbara, California. He was survived by his wife Mildred, whom he'd married sometime in the 1920s.
- Actor
- Production Manager
Charles Cruz was born on 25 December 1899 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He was an actor and production manager, known for Collegiate (1926), You Can't Get Away with It (1924) and His New York Wife (1926). He died on 31 August 1958 in New York City, New York, USA.- Ruby Dandridge was born on 3 March 1900 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for Beulah (1950), Cabin in the Sky (1943) and Gallant Lady (1942). She was married to Cyril Dandridge. She died on 17 October 1987 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Additional Crew
A professor at UCLA from 1930-1967, John Caughey was one of the foremost historians of California of his time. His books include Gold is the Cornerstone, California Heritage, and Their Majesties the Mob (about vigilantism). In 1949 he defied the Regents of the University of California by refusing to sign a loyalty oath he considered unconstitutional. He was fired but eventually vindicated in court and reinstated. That experience started him on a new career as a civil rights activist. Together with his wife LaRee Caughey he worked to oppose the death penalty, nuclear testing, and especially racial discrimination. In the 1960s the couple wrote a fourth-grade textbook (California's Own History) and an 8th-grade US history textbook (Land of the Free, in collaboration with Ernest R. May and John Hope Franklin), both designed to address the need to teach children the truth about some of the less glorious aspects of our history, such as internment of Japanese-Americans and Jim Crow, as well as about the labor movement, the women's movement, and other grassroots efforts for change. Conservative organizations like the John Birch Society fought hard against these texts, but they were eventually adopted for use in the California schools.- Actress
Sophania Whitney was born on 11 October 1903 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was an actress. She died on 6 November 1970 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Ruthelma Stevens was born on 23 October 1903 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for The Scarlet Empress (1934), Apache Drums (1951) and No More Orchids (1932). She was married to Waldo H. Logan. She died in June 1984 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Actor
- Production Manager
- Additional Crew
Halley Harding was born on 13 November 1904 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He was an actor and production manager, known for Life Goes On (1938), Mystery in Swing (1940) and The Duke Is Tops (1938). He died on 1 April 1967 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.- Leona Maricle was born on 23 December 1905 in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for My Reputation (1946), Theodora Goes Wild (1936) and Beauty for the Asking (1939). She was married to Louis Jean Heydt. She died on 25 March 1988 in New York City, New York, USA.
- John Cameron Swayze was born on 4 April 1906 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Boston Strangler (1968), Inside Detroit (1956) and Producers' Showcase (1954). He was married to Beulah Mae ?. He died on 15 August 1995 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.
- Editor
- Editorial Department
- Additional Crew
Maurice Wright was born on 6 June 1908 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He was an editor, known for Yellowstone (1936), Soldiers of the Storm (1933) and Terry and the Pirates (1952). He was married to Denise Sawyer and Denise Sawyer. He died on 18 September 1996 in Gresham, Oregon, USA.- Anne Sheridan was born on 27 September 1908 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for Casey at the Bat (1927), Casey Jones (1927) and The Galloping Jinx (1925). She died on 29 September 2008 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Hal Jon Norman was born on 27 August 1911 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Loners (1972), Escape to Passion (1971) and MacGyver (1985). He died on 14 July 2011 in Wichita, Kansas, USA.
- Music Department
- Actor
- Composer
Stan Kenton is regarded in the history of jazz as one of the pioneers of progressive jazz, with his orchestra and arranger Pete Rugolo. He started leading his own bands in the late 1930s and become famous in the mid-'40s with songs like "Painted Rhytmm", "Intermission Riff" and "Eager Beaver". He was leading his band until his death in 1979. In the 1970s he started his own record company, Creative Sounds, after finishing his contract with Capitol Records in the late 1960s.- Ruth Harrison was born on 12 April 1912 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for The Arthur Murray Party (1950). She was married to Alexander Fisher. She died on 12 August 1974 in New York, New York, USA.
- Rachel Maddux was born on 12 December 1912 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was a writer, known for A Walk in the Spring Rain (1970), The Ford Television Theatre (1952) and Who'll Save Our Children? (1978). She was married to King Baker. She died on 19 November 1983 in Erin, Tennessee, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
John James was born on 7 August 1913 in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Flying Tigers (1942), Murder by Invitation (1941) and Thundering Trails (1943). He was married to Jacqueline James. He died on 20 May 1960 in New York City, New York, USA.- Born in Wichita Falls, Texas, and was raised in Berkeley, California, she attended/graduated at The Pasadena Community Playhouse where her major was acting, and she pursued her career immediately. The Emmy Award nominee who has played Alice Horton for the entire 37 years that Days of Our Lives has been on the air, is daytime's television's most beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. As one of the two remaining original cast members, she is indisputably one of the most revered veterans in soap opera history. She has won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Actress/Mature Role in 1978, 1979, 1984 and 1985, and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1986-87, and for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1978-79. It should come as a surprise that many longtime fans that watched Days who knew her as Alice that Frances had an accomplished acting career prior to her debut on November 8, 1965. Her Broadway appearances include Hamlet with Maurice Evans, Cyrano de Bergerac with Jose Ferrer, Twelfth Night and a Theater Hill production of The Rivals with Mary Boland. Her first radio job was at NBC as Ann Rutledge in Prologue To Glory, which was followed by her role of Mrs. Moonlight in Mrs. Moonlight and Charlotte Corday in Charlotte Corday. Little did she know at that time how the name Corday was to play an important role in her life. Her television credits include "The Eleventh Hour," "Little Mister," "Wagon Train," and the movie-of-the-week, "Mercy Or Murder?"
- Wilbur S. Peacock was born on 27 June 1915 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Wilbur S. was a writer, known for Screen Directors Playhouse (1955), The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse (1953) and Fireside Theatre (1949). Wilbur S. died on 7 July 1979 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Kathleen Hite began her long and successful career in radio and television following her graduation from the University of Wichita (later Wichita State University) in 1938; she worked at Wichita radio station KANS from 1943-1950. She then moved to California and was hired as a secretary at CBS. She was eventually hired as the network's first female staff writer. She won several awards in her career, including the 1964 Women in Communications Headliner Award; the 1969 Heritage Cowboy Hall of Fame Award; and a Humanitas Award.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Martha Davis was born on 14 December 1917 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for Smart Politics (1948), Miracle Beach (1992) and The Blues (2003). She was married to Calvin Ponder and Paul Wilson Davis. She died on 6 April 1960 in Mount Vernon, New York, USA.- Writer
- Camera and Electrical Department
W. Eugene Smith was born on 30 December 1918 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He was a writer, known for Minamata (2020), Camera Three (1955) and Objective Camera, Subjective Truth (1975). He was married to Aileen Sprague and Carmen. He died on 15 October 1978 in Tucson, Arizona, USA.- Fred Bailes was born on 22 June 1919 in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Judge Roy Bean (1955). He died on 9 February 1985 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
- Billie Reaves was born on 18 June 1920 in Wichita Falls, Texas. She was an actress, known for Squidbillies (2005) and Aqua Teen Hunger Force (2000). She died on 26 May 2011 in Conyers, Georgia.
- Mike Greenstein was born on 6 December 1920 in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. He died on 16 February 2016 in Jupiter, Florida, USA.
- Dale Rickards was born on 29 June 1921 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Outsider (1994). He was married to Carrie Dee. He died on 29 December 2009 in Malibu, California, USA.
- Charlie Butts was born on 30 June 1921 in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. He died on 23 July 2015 in San Antonio, Texas, USA.
- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Marcy Tigner was born on 21 August 1921 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was an actress and director, known for Little Marcy: Learning to Do God's Work (1988), Teenage Diary (1960) and The Saddest Boy in the World (2006). She was married to Malcolm "Everett" Tigner. She died on 17 May 2012 in Redmond, Oregon, USA.- Marijane Maricle was born on 13 January 1922 in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for The Jackie Gleason Show (1966), Our Time (1974) and The Philco Television Playhouse (1948). She died on 30 July 2002 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Mary McChesney was born on 20 October 1922 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was married to Robert McChesney. She died on 4 May 2022 in Petaluma, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Tall, regal, sultry, flame-haired (later blonde) Lynn Baggett is better remembered for her turbulent, unhappy private life than for her "B" level acting roles. Born Ruth Baggett in Wichita Falls, Texas, on May 10, 1923, her father, David L., was in the oil business and her mother, the former Ruth Simmons, was a stenographer. While in Dallas following her high school graduation, the pretty teenager was discovered by a Warner Bros. agent and signed. As a girl with no experience, Lynn (sometimes billed as Lynne) was promoted by the studio as a beauty queen and titleholder ("The Cobra Girl," "The Triple A Girl," etc.) while paying her dues in a slew of unbilled sexy starlet bits as chorines, nurses, waitresses, singers and party-girl types. For five long years she toiled obscurely in such WWII-era films as Manpower (1941), Air Force (1943), The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944), Roughly Speaking (1945), Mildred Pierce (1945) and Night and Day (1946).
The studio did little to increase her stature in Hollywood, and she eventually was released from her contract in 1946. After signing with Universal, she finally received her first role of substance in The Time of Their Lives (1946), an above-average Abbott and Costello haunted-house comedy. Following her marriage to the Austro-Hungarian producer Sam Spiegel ("On the Waterfront") in 1948, she acted less frequently, showing up in a few secondary roles, that of a shady lady of mystery in the classic film noir D.O.A. (1949)) probably being her best-remembered one and those in The Flame and the Arrow (1950) and The Mob (1951) being her most prominent.
The Spiegel-Baggett marriage was quite stormy, marred by adultery and nasty fighting, and they separated in 1952. Three years later, she finally received a divorce. With her career now in shambles, Lynn found work as an Arthur Murray dance teacher. In 1954, she was the direct cause of a fatal two-car accident in which a 9-year-old boy, on his way home from a summer camping excursion, was killed. Another young boy in the same car was seriously injured. Overcome by fear and acute anguish, she "blacked out" and was later charged with leaving the scene of an accident and was convicted of felony hit-and-run.
A failed comeback attempt at acting led to severe depression, mental problems and acute substance abuse. She attempted suicide by pills in 1959 before succeeding a year later on March 22, 1960, dying of acute barbiturate intoxication. She had been released from a private sanitarium several weeks earlier. She was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Never close to showing her true potential, Lynn(e) Baggett became one of Hollywood's sadder statistics.- Steve Drake was born on 12 December 1923 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for Black Hills (1947), The Gallant Legion (1948) and The Westward Trail (1948). He died on 19 December 1948 in Burbank, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Don Cherry was born on 11 January 1924 in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Will Penny (1967), Atlanta (2016) and Lipstick on Your Collar (1993). He was married to Francine Smith, Joy Blaine and Sharon Ritchie. He died on 4 April 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.- Actress
Marion Sherman was born on 7 October 1924 in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. She was an actress. She was married to Michael J Weaver. She died on 16 June 1998 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Montana Smoyer was born on 27 November 1924 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for Sixpack Annie (1975), Quincy M.E. (1976) and Sledge Hammer! (1986). She was married to Dale Smoyer. She died on 16 December 2004 in Kern Valley Healthcare District, Lake Isabella, California, USA.
- Soundtrack
Marvin Rainwater was born on 2 July 1925 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He was married to Sheree Kay Christensen, Charlene Ruepke and Barbara ?. He died on 17 September 2013 in Aitkin, Minnesota, USA.- Martha Lee Sparks was born on 10 July 1925 in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for Happy Days (1929) and So This Is London (1930). She died on 14 June 2017 in Roswell, New Mexico, USA.
- Lyn Osborn was born on 23 January 1926 in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Space Patrol (1950), Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957) and The Amazing Colossal Man (1957). He died on 30 August 1958 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Morgan Justin was born on 16 July 1926 in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Sarge (1971) and The Lucy Show (1962). He was married to Karen Friberg. He died on 7 July 1974 in Tarzana, California, USA.
- Morgan Lin Justice was born on 16 July 1926 in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. He died on 7 July 1974 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Born in Wichita Falls, Texas, Phyllis Coates moved to Hollywood as a teenager with intentions of enrolling at UCLA. A chance encounter with Ken Murray in a Hollywood & Vine restaurant landed her in the comedian's vaudeville show. She started out as a chorus girl and worked her way up to doing skits before moving on to work for veteran showman Earl Carroll and later touring with the USO. Coates got some of her first motion picture experience in comedy short subjects at Warner Brothers and then graduated to roles in early '50s films. After a one-season stint with the Man of Steel (George Reeves on Adventures of Superman (1952)), she began to divide her time among TV, B-movie assignments and serials at Republic.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Gloria Fisher was born on 21 February 1927 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for As the Earth Turns (1934) and The Beloved Brat (1938). She was married to Stephen Vizinczey and Donald Harron. She died on 18 October 2020.- Actress
Regan Callais was born on 7 March 1927 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was an actress. She died on 22 January 1988 in Orange County, California, USA.