Tag Archives: Entertainment industry

David Brown and Steven Spielberg: Through Thick and Thin

Film producer David Brown (1916-2010) began his career in 1951 heading the story department at Twentieth Century Fox. His success began early through his involvement with The Robe, an American Biblical epic film that received an Oscar nomination for Best … Continue reading

Posted in Film History, found in the archive, motion picture history, Pop Culture, popular culture, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Carl Stalling, Music Animator

A chance meeting in the early 1920s at a Missouri movie theater led to some of the most beloved cartoons ever created. Carl Stalling was improvising on the organ while accompanying a silent film. A young Walt Disney was in … Continue reading

Posted in cartoons, Composers, Film Music, motion picture history, music, Pop Culture, popular culture, television history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary O’Hara: “My Heart is in Wyoming”

Could successful screenwriter and socialite Mary O’Hara exchange her glitzy lifestyle for that of a Wyoming ranch wife? Her friends didn’t think so. But by 1930 Mary had hit her mid-forties and was fed up with her gilded life. She … Continue reading

Posted in Authors and literature, Biography and profiles, Children's literature, Local history, motion picture history, popular culture, Uncategorized, Western history, women's history, writers and poets, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Terror in the Theater – Fifties Fears

Science fiction films of the 1950s commonly expressed several themes: fear of technology leading to unintended consequences; invasion of the planet by aliens; and the effects of atomic radiation. Because science fiction movies were not constrained by reality, more imaginative … Continue reading

Posted in Cold War, Fantasy, Horror, motion picture history, Politics, Pop Culture, popular culture, science fiction, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Documenting Women’s Roles in Hollywood

Film and television entertains us all and are significant to American culture.  Whether through comedy, drama, or music, perspectives of our culture can be studied by observing what entertained us in the past.  The American Heritage Center’s vast entertainment collections … Continue reading

Posted in Entertainment history, Film History, television history, Uncategorized, Women in History, Women in Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Living the Reel Life: The Journey of Child Actor Dick Moore

Born John Richard Moore, Jr., “Dickie” made his silver screen debut at eleven months old when he portrayed the infant Francois Villon (fifteenth-century poet and scoundrel) in the silent film The Beloved Rogue (1927). Cast for his resemblance to the … Continue reading

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Television Magic: Exploring the Work of Robert Wynn

Robert (a.k.a. Bob) Wynn produced and directed more than 60 television shows and specials from the 1960s to the 1990s. Born in 1932 in St. Louis, Missouri, Wynn began his career as a radio broadcaster in the 1950s. He was … Continue reading

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Rapid Rewind: Three Quick Picks from The Art Linkletter Show

Step into the TV time machine with us as we uncover a few fun scripts and sketches from The Art Linkletter Show. You know, the one with the sneaky candid camera moments and the panel of judges making wild guesses. … Continue reading

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June Knight: A Tale of Resilience and Success

Actress, singer and dancer June Knight was born Margaret Rose Vallikett, January 22, 1913 in Los Angeles, California. An only child to parents Holley and Beryl Vallikett, Margaret Rose turned an early handicap into a very successful career. Due to … Continue reading

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Behind the Laughter: Unraveling the Genius of Jack Benny Through His Archived Papers

Another Depression era collection has been processed thanks to the NHPRC grant! 130 cubic feet of Jack Benny papers have been re-processed, and the finding aid is now available online. An inexpensive escape from the challenges of daily life was … Continue reading

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