Monty Woolley

Edgar Montillion Woolley, popularly known as Monty Woolley (August 17, 1888 – May 6, 1963) was an American radio, theater, film and television actor. At the age of 50 he achieved stardom for his role in the play The Man Who Came to Dinner, as well as in its later film adaptation in 1942. His most personal characteristic was his white beard.

He was born in New York City into a wealthy family (his father owned the Bristol Hotel), which is why he grew up as part of the highest social circles. Woolley received his bachelor's degree from Yale University, where Cole Porter was a classmate and close friend, and his master's degree from the same university and from Harvard University. He eventually became an assistant professor of English and dramatic studies at Yale University, having Thornton Wilder and Stephen Vincent Benét among his students.

In another area, with the beginning of World War I Woolley served in the United States Army as a lieutenant, being assigned to the General Staff in Paris.

Woolley began directing theater on the Broadway circuit in 1929 and began as an actor in 1936, after leaving his academic life. In 1939 he appeared in the George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart comedy The Man Who Came to Dinner, making a total of 783 performances. It was for this role, well received by critics, that he was typecast in roles of sharp-tongued, sophisticated and arrogant characters.

Like Clifton Webb, Woolley signed a contract with 20th Century Fox in the 1940s and appeared in numerous films until the mid-1950s. His most famous film role was his first on Broadway, in the version filmed in 1942 from The Man Who Came to Dinner, a caricature by legendary theater critic Alexander Woollcott. The film received good reviews from The New York Times.

In 1946 Woolley played himself in the 1946 Warner Bros. biography of Cole Porter, Night and Day (1946).

Woolley also worked frequently on radio as a guest artist, starting in the medium as a counterpart to Al Jolson. Woolley became a household name appearing on shows such as The Fred Allen Show, Duffy's Tavern, The Big Show, The Chase and Sanborn Hour, with Edgar Bergen and his doll Charlie McCarthy, and others.

In 1950 Woolley landed the starring role in the NBC series The Magnificent Montague. His role was that of an old Shakespearean actor who is forced to swallow his pride and work at a radio station, becoming an unlikely star while also having to battle with his wife, Lily (Anne Seymour), and with the wisecracking maid Agnes (Pert Kelton). The show was aired between November 1950 and September 1951.

At first Woolley acted on television making cameos, until he finally had his own drama series, On Stage with Monty Woolley. He also appeared in a 1954 CBS television adaptation of the play The Man Who Came to Dinner, which some critics criticized, in addition to working on other televised dramas within the Best of Broadway series.

After finishing his last film, Kismet (1955), Woolley returned to radio, where he worked for about a year, after which he was forced to retire as a result of his poor health.

Woolley was nominated twice for an Oscar, once for the Oscar for Best Actor in 1943 for The Pied Piper, and once for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1945 for Since You Went Away. In 1942 he won the Best Actor Award from the National Board of Review for his role in The Pied Piper.

Woolley was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, officially for his film work, although his star bears the television emblem.

Monty Woolley, affectionately known as "The Beard," died of kidney and heart ailments on May 6, 1963 in Albany, New York, at the age of 74. He was buried at Greenridge Cemetery in Saratoga Springs ( NY).

Lux Radio Theater

 

 

The Lux Radio Theater show debuted in 1934, dramatizing Broadway plays from New York. In an effort to improve ratings, the show moved West in June 1936 to capitalize on Hollywood talent and popular movie fare.

Lux’s extravagant productions were a huge success. Renowned director Cecil B. DeMille—whose films were synonymous with spectacle—was brought in to host the show. Stars were routinely paid up to $5,000 to appear and over 50 actors, musicians and technicians were on hand every week for productions which ranged from "The Thin Man" to "The Jazz Singer" to "The African Queen."

Before the show left the air in 1955, DeMille—and subsequent hosts William Keighley and Irving Cummings—welcomed nearly every major movie and radio star to the Lux microphone, including Cary Grant, Claudette Colbert, Bing Crosby, Katherine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Judy Garland, Roy Rogers and Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. 

The series became the most popular dramatic anthology series on radio, broadcast for more than 20 years and continued on television as the Lux Video Theatre through the 1950s.

Magnificent Montague

The Magnificent Montague was a radio comedy series aired on NBC from 1950 to 1951. 
The show was set in Montague's New York apartment and followed his attempts to make it in radio, as well as his interactions with his family and friends. 

The Magnificent Montague was a popular show that was praised for its humor and its sharp wit. Woolley was perfect in the role of Montague, and he brought the character to life with his trademark wit and charm. The show also featured a talented supporting cast, including Anne Seymour, Pert Kelton, and Hans Conried. 

The show starred Monty Woolley as Edwin Montague, a former Shakespearean actor who was forced to turn to radio to make a living. Montague was a pompous and arrogant man who was convinced that he was the greatest actor in the world, even though he was no longer able to get work on the stage. 

The Magnificent Montague is still enjoyed by audiences today. It is a witty and insightful look at the world of show business, and it features one of the most memorable characters in the history of radio.

Broadway is my Beat

Broadway is my Beat is a love affair during the 1940's. The golden age of radio had found a new following in the crime drama genre, and managed to churn out several note-worthy serializations. One of the more popular old time radio shows of the period was Broadway is my Beat which featured the talented Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. Clover truly loved his beat on the colorful and gritty streets of Broadway and it shined through in his passion and dedication to his job. He tirelessly patrolled the city streets and instilled fear into the hoodlums and villains that threatened the peace. Remarkably enough, the program enjoyed a lengthy run from 1949-1954, unlike its other contemporaries who only lasted for a season. This old radio show was first produced in New York City, however, it was later moved to Hollywood under the directorship of Elliot Lewis. As a resident New Yorker himself, Lewis infused the show with an amazing mix of sounds and effects that effortlessly brought the vibrant and lively world of Broadway is my Beat to life on the radio.

Danny Clover made his living as a superb police officer who truly loved his beat on Broadway and the colorful people who called it home. It was his development on the hard streets of Broadway as a youngster that made him such a threat to the villains, who were bogged down in their shabby homes during the day, scheming of ways to disturb the tranquility of the law-abiders.

Broadway is My Beat was first produced in New York City itself but later moved to Hollywood under the direction of Elliot Lewis. Having been a resident of NYC, Elliot Lewis stressed using the the sound of the city in the radio show from honking horns to loud mouth pedestrians to dribbling rain drops. Broadway is My Beat was known to utilize multiple sound effect artists to recreate the big city's noisy atmosphere.

Broadway is My Beat used gritty dialogue typical of hardboiled detective radio dramas of the era. The show is full of tough talk and descriptive monologues.

Gracie Allen

Born in San Francisco (California), her parents were George Allen and Margaret Darragh. She studied at the Star of the Sea Convent School, and during that time became a talented dancer. She soon began performing Irish dances with her three sisters, calling themselves "The Four Colleens." In 1909, Allen joined her sister Bessie in performing in vaudeville. In a performance in 1922 Allen met George Burns and the two worked together in a comedy. The couple married on January 7, 1926 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Depending on the source, Gracie Allen could have been born on July 26, 1895, 1897, 1902, or 1906. The records of the City and County of San Francisco were destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Her husband, George Burns also claimed not to know Allen's exact age, although he considered 1902, which appears on his death certificate. However, the most reliable information is that of the US census, which states that she was born in July 1895.

Burns and Allen began acting as a comedy duo. The audience laughed more at Allen's performance. Both traveled across the country performing in vaudeville venues. Many of their shows were recorded in short films shot while the couple performed on stage.

In the early 1930s, like many other vaudeville stars of the era, Burns and Allen began performing on radio. His show was a modest success, as it was originally a continuation of his original vaudeville shows. Burns decided to change the format of the show by creating a sitcom in which they played a married couple solving the problems caused by Allen's "illogical logic", usually with the help of neighbors Harry and Blanche Morton and announcer Bill Goodwin ( later replaced by Harry von Zell in the couple's television series).

Around 1948 Burns and Allen joined CBS. Their good friend Jack Benny convinced them to join. Burns and Allen's radio show entered the CBS programming, and a year later their television program appeared, in which they continued with the formula used by them on the radio. Allen retired in 1958, and Burns attempted to continue the show without her, renaming it The George Burns Show, with the same cast, but without his wife. The new program lasted just one year. Allen and George Burns participated in the Blondie radio show.

In the early 1930s Burns and Allen made short films, preserving several of their classic vaudeville shows. They also made two films under the direction of W.C. Fields (International House (1933) and Six of a Kind (1934)), and starred alongside Fred Astaire in A Damsel in Distress, a musical with an original score by George Gershwin, in which the song "A Foggy Day" was heard. It was Astaire's first film without Ginger Rogers. This was the most famous film played by Gracie Allen.

In the 1930s, Burns and Allen adopted two children, Sandra Jean and Ronald John, after discovering that they could not have children. Ronnie ended up working on his parents' television show, playing their son. Sandy, by contrast, only did the occasional small performance on the show, abandoning acting to devote herself to teaching.

The reason for his retirement in 1958 was poor health. Gracie Allen suffered from heart disease and died of an acute myocardial infarction in Hollywood, California, in 1964. She was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. Her husband survived her by more than 30 years.

George Burns

George Burns was born on January 20, 1896 in New York City.

He began in vaudeville, a minor theater genre that was very successful in the 1920s and 1930s in the United States.

He formed, together with his future wife Gracie Allen, one of the best-known comedy duos in the United States, moving from theater to film in the 1930s. They also had a radio show and their own television series in the fifties.

When Gracie died in 1964, Burns continued his solo career with a number of films.
In 1975, he was awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his excellent role in The Nutty Couple, based on a play by Neil Simon, alongside Walter Matthau. He also participated in some radio shows like Blondie.

He was married to Gracie Allen from 1926 to 1964, and was the father of Ronnie and Sandra Burns.

George Burns died in Beverly Hills on March 9, 1996.