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1-7 of 7
- Actress
- Composer
The wonderfully eccentric, snaggle-toothed Edith Massey was born in New York City and raised in an orphanage in Denver, Colorado before running away to Hollywood as a teenager. She met director John Waters while working as a barmaid and running her own thrift shop, Edith's Shopping Bag at Fells Point, Baltimore, Maryland in the late 1960s. Captivated by her effervescent charm, Waters cast her in Multiple Maniacs (1970) as Jesus's mother. Her next role was as Mama Edie in Pink Flamingos (1972). She appeared in many of Waters' earlier films, leading up to Polyester (1981), as well as being the subject of a biographical short film, Love Letter to Edie (1975).
After her role as Queen Carlotta in Desperate Living (1977), Massey embarked on a singing career which led to a nationwide tour, usually performing cover songs including "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Punks, Get Off the Grass" Fellow Dreamlander Cookie Mueller occasionally performed as a backup singer. Edith Massey passed away in October 1984.- Actor
- Soundtrack
The son of a whiskey peddler, tall, dark and handsome baritone Walter Woolf King was born in San Francisco on November 2, 1899, and began singing for his supper at quite a young age, primarily in churches. Following high school graduation, he decided to pursue a professional singing career and partnered in a vaudeville musical act with pianist Charles Le Maire.
At the age of 19, Walter made his Broadway debut with a lead role in the musical "Floradora." A strong, dapper, often heroic presence in glossy musical comedies and operettas, he billed himself as either Walter Woolf or Walter King at the time and developed a resilient name for himself throughout the decade in such musical fare as "The Last Waltz" (1921), "The Lady in Ermine" (1922), "The Dream Girl" (1924), "Artists and Models" (1925) and "Princess Flavia" (1925).
Following a Broadway performance in the play "The Red Robe" (1929)," Walter turned to films and made an inauspicious debut starring with Vivienne Segal in the turgid, infamous colonial operetta Golden Dawn (1930). Deemed one of Hollywood's biggest musical flops and labeled a "golden turkey," it earned critical derision for its blatant racist themes and absurd plotting. His leading status in musical films was unequivocally damaged as a result of this and the scathing reviews prompted the light baritone to retreat quickly back to Broadway. There he appeared in such plays as "Ladies All" (1930), "The Great Man" (1931) and "Experience Unnecessary" (1932) as well as the musicals "Melody" (1933) and "May Wine" (1935).
Walter returned to films as a featured player in an airy Charles Farrell comedy Girl Without a Room (1933) while managing a song in it. He then went on to act and/or musically support other actors such as Chester Morris in the lightweight Embarrassing Moments (1934); Lew Ayres in Lottery Lover (1935); Janet Gaynor and The Counterfeit Killer (1968) in the comedy-drama One More Spring (1935); little Jane Withers in Ginger (1935); and Ayres once again in Spring Tonic (1935).
Nominally playing third party romancers or swank villains, Woolf King is ironically best remembered today for his participation in classic slapstick comedies -- as sadistic opera singer Rudolfo Lassparri in the classic The Marx Brothers farce A Night at the Opera (1935), in which he sings Verdi's "Il Trovatore: Di quella pira," and as composer Victor Albert who must contend with a diva singer/wife in the Stan Laurel/Oliver Hardy comedy feature Swiss Miss (1938).
The handsome actor continued in a supporting, non-singing vein, while moving further down the credits line, in such films as Call It a Day (1937), Walking Down Broadway (1938), Big Town Czar (1939), The House of Fear (1939), a second Marx. Bros. farce Go West (1940), the East Side Kids comedy Smart Alecks (1942), Between Us Girls (1942) and Yanks Ahoy (1943). Woolf King did manage to sing briefly once again ("At the Balalaika") in the operetta Balalaika (1939) starring Nelson Eddy and starred in two "Poverty Row" features -- the crime mystery Today I Hang (1942) and the war drama A Yank in Libya (1942).
Although he found steady offers on radio (starred on the late 1930's CBS radio show ''The Flying Red Horse Tavern''), Woolf King grew tired of his flagging career and settled in as an actor's agent. He would return from time to time in minor gruff roles as a (now) bulkier, gray-haired corporate, judge, dignitary or aristocrat on film (Taxi (1953), Tonight We Sing (1953), The Bottom of the Bottle (1956), The Helen Morgan Story (1957) (as Florenz Ziegfeld), Kathy O' (1958), Rosie! (1967), Airport (1970)) and on TV ("Burns and Allen" (several episodes), "Blondie," "The Millionaire," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "The Loretta Young Show," "Hazel," "The Fugitive," "Wagon Train," "The Wild Wild West," "I Dream of Jeannie," "Batman," "Laredo," "The Munsters," "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," "The Virginian," "The Beverly Hillbillies," "The Rookies").
Having completely retired by the early 1970's, save for an isolated appearance in 1978, the father of two died at age 84 of a heart attack on October 24, 1984, in Beverly Hills.- Inés Murray was born on 12 March 1900 in Italy. She was an actress, known for La virgencita de Pompeya (1935), Galleguita (1940) and En retirada (1984). She died on 24 October 1984 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Script and Continuity Department
- Writer
Winifred Leah Laurance was born on 23 August 1903 in Nagasaki, Japan. Winifred Leah was a writer, known for Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), The Strange One (1957) and Tallahassee 7000 (1961). Winifred Leah died on 24 October 1984 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Anatoli Lepin was born on 30 December 1907 in Moscow, Russian Empire [now Russia]. Anatoli was a composer, known for Carnival Night (1956), Girl Without an Address (1958) and Private Ivan (1955). Anatoli died on 24 October 1984 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Abel Pina was born on 30 July 1920 in Sonora, Mexico. He was an actor, known for Hollywood Varieties (1950). He died on 24 October 1984 in Monterey Park, California, USA.
- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gonzalo Delgrás was born on 3 October 1897 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. He was a director and writer, known for Un marido a precio fijo (1942), La tonta del bote (1939) and La doncella de la duquesa (1941). He was married to Margarita Robles. He died on 24 October 1984 in Madrid, Madrid, Spain.