Category Archives: 1950’s Hollywood

1950's Hollywood

William Frawley Signed Photo

William Frawley
William Frawley

Biography for
William Frawley More at IMDb Pro »
advertisementDate of Birth
26 February 1887, Burlington, Iowa, USA
Date of Death
3 March 1966, Hollywood, California, USA (heart attack)
Birth Name
William Clement Frawley
Nickname
Bill
Height
5′ 7″ (1.70 m)

Mini Biography
William Frawley was born in Burlington, Iowa. As a boy he sang at St. Paul’s Catholic Church and played at the Burlington Opera House. His first job was as a stenographer for the Union Pacific Railroad. He did vaudeville with his brother Paul, then joined pianist Franz Rath in an act they took to San Francisco in 1910. Four years later he formed a light comedy act with his new wife Edna Louise Broedt, “Frawley and Louise”, touring the Orpheum and Keith circuits until they divorced in 1927. He next moved to Broadway and then, in 1932, to Hollywood with Paramount. By 1951, when he contacted Lucille Ball about a part in her TV show “I Love Lucy” (1951), he had performed in over 100 films. His Fred Mertz role lasted until the show ended in 1960, after which he did a five-year stint on “My Three Sons” (1960). Poor health forced his retirement. He collapsed of a heart attack on March 3, 1966, aged 79, walking along Hollywood Boulevard after seeing a movie. He is buried in San Fernando Mission Cemetery.

1950's Hollywood

Joan Crawford Signed Photo

Joan Crawford Signed Photo
Joan Crawford Signed Photo

Date of Birth
23 March 1905, San Antonio, Texas, USA

Date of Death
10 May 1977, New York, New York, USA (pancreatic cancer)

Birth Name
Lucille Fay LeSueur

Nickname
Billie Cassin
Cranberry
Billie

Height
5′ 5″ (1.65 m)

Mini Biography
Lucille LeSueur’s parents separated before she was born. By age 16 she had known three fathers, one of whom (a vaudeville theater manager) had given her the name Billie Cassin. By 1915 she and her mother lived in Kansas City and Billie worked in a laundry and also as a menial to pay school tuition. Winning an amateur dance contest in 1923 led to chorus work in Chicago, Detroit and New York. On New Year’s Day of 1925 she left for Hollywood. Before her second picture, a “Photoplay” contest led to the name “Joan Crawford”. Continue Reading………….

1950's Hollywood

Audrey Hepburn Signed 4 x 5 Photo

Audrey Hepburn Autographed 4 x 5 Photo
Audrey Hepburn Autographed 4 x 5 Photo

This photo is available exclusively from www.trishautographs.com
Mini Biography
Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. She really was blue-blood from the beginning with her father, a wealthy English banker, and her mother, a Dutch baroness. After her parents divorced, Audrey went to London with her mother where she went to a private girls school. Later, when her mother moved back to the Netherlands, she attended private schools as well. While vacationing with her mother in Arnhem, Holland, Hitler’s army took over the town. It was here that she fell on hard times during the Nazi occupation. Audrey suffered from depression and malnutrition. After the liberation, Audrey went to a ballet school in London on a scholarship and later began a modeling career. As a model, she was graceful and, it seemed, she had found her niche in life – until the film producers came calling. After being spotted modeling by a producer, she was signed to a bit part in the European film Nederlands in 7 lessen (1948) in 1948. Later, she had a speaking role in the 1951 film, Young Wives’ Tale (1951) as Eve Lester. The part still wasn’t much, so she headed to America to try her luck there. Audrey gained immediate prominence in the US with her role in Roman Holiday (1953) in 1953. This film turned out to be a smashing success as she won an Oscar as Best Actress. This gained her enormous popularity and more plum roles. One of the reasons for her popularity was the fact that she was so elf-like and had class, unlike the sex-goddesses of the time. Read more at the source

1950's Hollywood

Dean Martin Autograph

Dean Martin Autograph

Though best known for the 51 films he made, Dean Martin was a prizefighter, steel mill laborer, gas station attendant and card shark before seeing the first glimmer of fame. It came when he teamed up with comedian Jerry Lewis in 1946. The duo were to become one of Hollywood’s truly great teams. They lasted 11 years together, and starred in 16 movies. They were unstoppable, but personality conflicts broke up the team. Even without Lewis, Martin was a true superstar.

 

One of his best remembered films is in Ocean’s Eleven 1960 in which he played Sam Harmon alongside the other members of the legendary Rat Pack: Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford!