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1-14 of 14
- Renee Adoree was born Jeanne de la Fontein in Lille in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France, on September 30, 1898. She had what one could call a normal childhood. Her background is, perhaps, one of the most difficult to find information on any actress in existence. What we do know that her interest in acting surfaced during her teen years with minor stage productions in France. By 1920 she had attracted the attention of American producers and came to New York. Her first film before US audiences was The Strongest (1920) that same year. That was to be it until 1921,, when she appeared in Made in Heaven (1921). Renee wondered if she had made the right move by going into motion pictures because of two minor roles in as many films. Finally MGM saw fit to put her in more films in 1922. Movies such as West of Chicago (1922), Day Dreams (1922), Mixed Faces (1922) and Monte Cristo (1922) saw her with meatier roles than she had had previously. Renee was, finally, hitting her stride. Better roles to be sure, but still she was not of first-class caliber yet.
All that changed in 1925 when she starred as Melisande with John Gilbert in The Big Parade (1925). The picture made stars out of Renee, Gilbert and Karl Dane. Based on the film's success, Renee was put in another production, Excuse Me (1925). It lacked the drama the previous picture but was well-received. In a plot written by Elinor Glyn, Renee starred as Suzette in Man and Maid (1925). This was Renee's most provocative role yet and she was fast becoming one of the sexiest actresses on the screen. In 1927 Renee starred as Nang Ping in Mr. Wu (1927), along with her sister Mira Adoree. The film was a hit, with co-stars Ralph Forbes and Lon Chaney, but it was Renee's character that carried the film. After several more pictures, her career was slowing down. She appeared in a bit part in Show People (1928) later that year. The following year she had an uncredited bit role in His Glorious Night (1929). Re-discovered by First National Pictures after being released by MGM, she appeared in The Spieler (1928), in which she was a struggling carnival manager trying to overcome the dishonesty that went on in her organization.
Ill with tuberculosis, she retired in 1930. Less than a week after her 35th birthday, on Oct. 5, 1933, Renee Adoree died in Tujunga, CA. - Actor
- Soundtrack
A fairly well-known child actor who never made it to the ranks of a Jackie Cooper or Freddie Bartholomew, Jackie Searl nevertheless gained a film following in the 1930s. A bratty counterpart to Jane Withers, the blond, freckled, clean-cut Jackie was born in Anaheim, California in 1921 and started on L.A. radio in "The Children's Hour" at the age of three. By the end of the 1920s, film beckoned and Jackie hit it big playing mean little Sid Sawyer in the early Mark Twain film classic Tom Sawyer (1930). Paramount Pictures promptly signed the youngster up and he followed this with Finn and Hattie (1931), Huckleberry Finn (1931), Skippy (1931), Topaze (1933), and as Dormouse in Alice in Wonderland (1933). Infamous at playing sissified brats, obnoxious squealers, and sandbox bullies, he was a natural scene-stealer and aptly labeled on the Paramount sets as "The Kid Everybody Wants to Spank." He continued playing secondary parts into his teens with roles in Ginger (1935), Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936), That Certain Age (1938), and Small Town Deb (1941). He joined the service in WWII and tried to resurrect his career following his discharge, but had a tough time of it. In the 1960s he played character parts, nominally as minor heavies, in such films as The Couch (1962), and Shotgun Wedding (1963) and on TV dramas. He retired in the 1970s and died in 1991.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Steve Susskind was born on 3 October 1942 in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for Monsters, Inc. (2001), Friday the 13th: Part 3 (1982) and House (1985). He was married to Ann Patricia Walker. He died on 21 January 2005 in Tujunga, California, USA.- Frank M. Thomas was born on 13 July 1889 in St. Joseph, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Behind the Headlines (1937), Criminal Lawyer (1937) and The Philco Television Playhouse (1948). He was married to Mona Bruns. He died on 25 November 1989 in Tujunga, California, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Bill Scott was born on 2 August 1920 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Bullwinkle Show (1959), Hoppity Hooper (1964) and The Crazy World of Laurel and Hardy (1966). He was married to Dorothy Scott. He died on 29 November 1985 in Tujunga, California, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Vance Skarstedt was born on 22 June 1922 in San Luis Obispo County, California, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for No Place to Land (1958), The Slime People (1963) and Man or Gun (1958). He died on 13 December 1984 in Tujunga, California, USA.- Katherine Maya was an actress, known for Apart (2018), It's a Beach Thing (2018) and Mr. Roberts (2019). She died on 1 September 2021 in Tujunga, California, USA.
- Harry Watson was born on 31 August 1921 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), A Damsel in Distress (1937) and The Barber Shop (1933). He was married to Peggy. He died on 8 June 2001 in Tujunga, California, USA.
- Kay Lavelle was born on 9 May 1889 in Wyoming, USA. She was an actress, known for Two Dollar Bettor (1951), The Philco Television Playhouse (1948) and Fireside Theatre (1949). She died on 18 November 1965 in Tujunga, California, USA.
- Ralph Drischell was born on 26 November 1927 in Baldwin, Long Island, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), The Pink Panther (2006) and The Willies (1990). He died on 17 August 2013 in Tujunga, California, USA.
- Tom Grimes was born on 4 November 1887 in Marysville, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Secret of the Pueblo (1923), The Man from Painted Post (1917) and Liberty (1916). He was married to Della McClain. He died on 19 August 1934 in Tujunga, California, USA.
- Stunts
- Actor
- Art Department
Jim Connors was born on 17 May 1946. He was an actor, known for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Demolition Man (1993) and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). He died on 30 April 2003 in Tujunga, California, USA.- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bill Durant was born on 28 June 1894 in Kansas, USA. He died on 13 August 1946 in Tujunga, California, USA.- Allan Chinn was born on 23 July 1942. He was an actor, known for The China Syndrome (1979), Rabbit Test (1978) and Partners in Crime (1984). He died on 4 May 2004 in Tujunga, California, USA.