Back to 1895 was when a star was born a man that loved to act and dance, but his life was over way to soon. On May 6, 1895 Rudolph Valentino was born in Castellaneta, Italy (Rudolph Valentino Encyclopedia par.1). Rudolph Valentino was born to a French mother and an Italian father but, his father died when Rudolph Valentino was at a young age (Biography par.2). Valentino was spoiled, even kicked out of different school, but in the end he got a diploma farming (Rudolph par. 1). Since Valentino’s father died at an early age he did not have much discipline (Walker 11). Rudolph Valentino started off as a dancer, then from that he moved to silent movies as an actor to make that the start of his acting career; all the ladies loved him because how he acted in his movies, Rudolph Valentino was a big hit in the 1920’s during his silent movie career until he suddenly died at an early age. (Rudolph Valentino).
Rudolph Valentino dropped out of the Navy and then began to beg on the streets in Paris in 1912 (Rudolph par. 2). Then Valentino traveled to New York and then got arrested for theft and blackmail (Rudolph par.2). Rudolph met his godfather in New York City and he helped Rudolph get a job and also a place to stay (Biography par. 3). Then Valentino found work as a dancer performing in nightclubs and that brought him to Hollywood (Rudolph par. 2). Then Valentino had a dance tour in 1915 and 1916 with Bonnie Glass and Joan Sawyer (Leider 246).
At the age of 24 is when Rudolph Valentino started to love acting (Laurence par. 8). In 1917 Rudolph just started out as a dress extra. (Walker 17). “I am very dark in complexion an’the sun it burn me too black for pictures.” (Leider 162). Rudolph Valentino was encouraged by a friend to try Hollywo...
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...od and held a funeral for him on September 14th (Valentino par. 5).
“The death of silent-screen idol Rudolph Valentino at age 31 sends his fans into a hysterical state of mass mourning.” (Valentino par. 1). When he died people were breaking windows and overturning cars at the chapel that Valentinos body was held at (Four par. 10). Jean Acker cancelled her plans that she made to go to Europe just to stay close to Valentino in his hours of need (Leider 382). Valentino loved California and that is where he became a legend so that shall be his final resting place (Leider 396).
This came to show how Rudolph Valentino started off as a dancer, then moved to acting in silent movies, how that started off him career, how all the ladies loved the way he acted in the moves, and also how Valentino was a big hit in the 1920’s until his sudden death at an early age ended it all.
At age eighteen, Bob had started a dance act with his girl friend Millie Rosequest, but it did not last long. Bob soon teamed up with another dancer named George Burd. They took their act to New York and worked at a lot of vaudeville show houses. It was at one of these places where Bob was asked to do the announcing in between acts. Bob's comedic talent and acts took hold and lead to the beginning of his solo career. In less than five years Bob had become the most sought after talent and the # 1 hit in the vaudeville circuit.
Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder in 1950 is based on how Norma Desmond, a huge Hollywood star, deals with her fall from fame. The film explores the fantasy world in which Norma is living in and the complex relationship between her and small time writer Joe Gillis, which leads to his death. Sunset Boulevard is seen as lifting the ‘face’ of the Hollywood Studio System to reveal the truth behind the organisation. During the time the film was released in the 1950s and 60s, audiences started to see the demise of Hollywood as cinema going began to decline and the fierce competition of television almost proved too much for the well established system. Throughout this essay I will discuss how Sunset Boulevard represents the Hollywood Studio System, as well as exploring post war literature giving reasons as to why the system began to crumble.
Famous choreographer George Balanchine once said, “He is the most interesting, the most inventive, the most elegant dancer of our times” and noted dancer Rudolph Nureyev also said, “He was not just the best ballroom dancer, or tap dancer, he was simply the greatest, most imaginative, dancer of our time.” These famous dancers were referring to Fred Astaire, who has been known as one of the greatest dancers of all time. His light, artistic joyful style of dancing has impacted dance in an extremely unique way. Astaire used techniques in films as well as in dance that have shaped society. Astaire was mostly prominent throughout the 1930s during the Great Depression. Everywhere, Americans were looking for some joy in their lives, and Astaire was able to give them hope in a period of history that lacked optimism. Fred Astaire’s carefree dance movement style and techniques, specifically in the films Swing Time and The Gay Divorcee, help America through the Great Depression and signifies the importance of art in this time period.
For this project, two films were viewed. The first one is Annie, a film made in the early 80s about a girl in an orphanage. She is then brought to live in a mansion for a week with one of the richest men in this world. He doesn’t like her at first, but he learns to love the little girl, and adopt her. The second film, Cinderella Man, is about a boxer who loses his job after he breaks his hand during a match.
In Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, he is telling the story of a Dominican family but mainly about the son, Oscar de Leon. The book opens with the story of Oscar as a child and him having two girlfriends at the same time. The older people in town see him as a ladies man and encourage him. The boy and the two girls all break up and his life seemed to be on a steady decline since then. He grows up to become a nerdy, fat, and awkward adolescence with few friends and even less interest from girls. This phase persists throughout his life and he never develops out of the nerdy boy he was as a child. The Dominican Republic was a hostile and poor place during the time of the novel. The dictator Trujillo controls the lives of the people in the country. This influenced the de Leon family’s present and future. Diaz develops the story by using the superstition, the cane field, and male dominance of the Dominican men
8.Fred Astaire started his performance when his father was fired and the whole family moved to New York. Astaire tried to demonstrate his vitality in his dancing. He received the Academy Honorary Award for his contributions to the performance industry. In his works, Astaire showed his vitality and happiness. For photographing skills, full shot was his usual method of
Clara’s experience with the motion picture industry gives us a picture of what it was like in the 1920’s. It was new and intriguing, enticing and corrupt. The motion picture industry underpaid Bow, which is almost inconceivable today. The environment of Hollywood now pays actors and actresses corpulent amounts of money...but that may be the only change. The “star-maker” environment is still as enticing and corrupt as yesterday’s.
The silent era in film occurred between 1895 through 1929. It had a a major impact on film history, cinematically and musically. In silent films, the dialogue was seen through muted gestures, mime, and title cards from the beginning of the film to the end. The pioneers of the silent era were directors such as, D. W. Griffith, Robert Wiene and Edwin S. Porter. These groundbreaking directors brought films like first horror movie and the first action and western movie. Due to lack of color, the silent films were either black and white or dyed by various shades and hues to signal a mood or represent a time of day. Now, we begin to enter towards the sound era and opposed to the silent era, synchronized sounds were introduced to movies. The classic movie, The Jazz Singer, which was directed by Alan Crosland, was the first feature length film to have synchronized dialogue. This was not only another major impact in film history, but it also played a major part in film technology and where film is right now.
Watching a movie in the 1920s was a cheap and easy way to be transported into a world of glitz and glamour, a world of crime, or a world of magic and mystery. Some of these worlds included aspects of current events, like war, crime, and advances in technology; while others were completely fictional mysteries, romances, and comedies. Heartbreakers, heartthrobs, comedians and beautiful women dominated movie screens across the country in theaters, called Nickelodeons. Nickelodeons were very basic and small theaters which later transformed into opulent and monumental palaces. When sound was introduced into film by Warner Bros. Pictures, “talkies” took top rank over silent films. “Movies were an art form that had universal appeal. Their essence was entertainment; their success, financial and otherwise, was huge” (1920-30, 3/19/11). Films offered an escape from the troubles of everyday life in the 20s, and moviegoers across the country all shared a universal language: watching movies.
And finally the entertainment changed with a man named Harry Houdini. Harry Houdini was around for a while but from 1919-1926 he did silent movies like "the master mystery". Then from 1920-1926 he did magic and fortune telling. He got his stardom from shameless self-promotion & sincere commitment to the public good. Houdini finally died in 1926 October 31st.
One of the major strong points of The Fifties is the author's ostensible need to include every detail that could have impacted the formation of any aspects that pertain to the developments that shaped the fifties. This is most notable in the characterization of major figures of the time such as Marlon Brando and Elvis Presley. For example, in reference to Brando, Halberstam (1993)
Marilyn Monroe is an icon that is idolized by many and had a great impact on pop culture. She didn’t have the best childhood and had a lot of up and downs in her life. Marilyn Monroe was born in California in 1926. She was named Norma Jeane Mortenson after a popular actress at the time. Her mother Gladys Baker was mentally ill, so she had to put Monroe in foster care. She lived in a foster home until she was seven years old. She had two other siblings from her mother’s first marriage. She never met them because her mom’s first husband took them to live with him in Kentucky.
Shirley Temple was born on April 23, 1928, in Santa Monica, California, and was a leading child film actress during the Great Depression. (Shirley Temple n. pag.) Shirley Temple was easily the most popular and famous child star of all time. (Biography for Shirley Temple n. pag.) Shirley Jane Temple was born to a banker and a housewife with two older children, on April 23, 1928, in Santa Monica, California. (Shirley Temple n. pag.) Shirley could do it all: act, sing and dance and all at the age of five! (Biography for Shirley Temple n. pag.) Temple's mother capitalized on the toddler's natural flair for dancing by enrolling her in dance classes at the age of 3 1/2.(Shirley Temple n. pag.) When Temple was just 3 years old, she landed a contract with Educational Pictures and made her acting debut in a string of low-budget movies dubbed "Baby Burlesques." (Shirley Temple n. pag.) Her father became her agent and financial adviser.(Shirley Temple n. pag.) Her first contract was with Educational Pictures Inc., for whom she worked in 1932 and 1933. (Shirley Temple Black n. pag.) She got her start in the movies at the age of three and soon progressed to super stardom. (Biography for Shirley Temple n. pag.) Fans loved her as she was bright, bouncy and cheerful in her films and they ultimately bought millions of dollars worth of products that had her likene...
Arthur Miller was born on October 17, 1915, in Harlem, New York. The early years of Miller’s life did not go smoothly. Miller did not e...
Charlie was born in April 16th 1889 in England. Even though his early life wasn’t the happiest compared to other children, he found his unknown talent at the age of five making people laugh. His mother and father were also entertainers but became obstructed with problems and troubles in their lives. From that point, Charlies career of becoming an actor was getting closer and closer but his parents were getting worse. At the time he moved to America from London to perform with his half brother, and Charlie got picked up by a studio. His career skyrocketed to success; making many films, achieve many awards, enjoying live. He became one of the highest pay weekly for an actor at the time. While he became an actor, people, especially girls, became attracted to him which led to Charlie having relationships with many other girls. He achieved everything he could have dreamed for, fame, fortune and the ability to do what he wished with his life. He even started his own studio and produced his own films to gain all the profit he could, but that led to problems making him flee from the country because of accusations of helping communism. He left the country to save not just his life but also his wifes’. He lived the rest of his life; traveling, enjoying his life with his loyal wife; and writing books until his death in 1977 (age 88). Charlie Chaplin was a great comedian actor of the 20th century bringing smiles to peoples faces and making people laugh all over the world.