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1-12 of 12
- Actress
- Soundtrack
The daughter of a retired sea captain and his much-younger wife, actress Norma Varden was born and raised in turn-of-the-century London. A piano prodigy, she studied in Paris and appeared in concert in England during her teenage years. Acting, however, became her career of choice, studying at the Guildhall School of Music. She took her very first stage bow in a production of Peter Pan. In the adult role of Mrs. Darling, she was actually younger than the actors playing her children. In years to come, Norma would play a number of mature, lady-like roles that were much older than she was.
She performed Shakespeare in repertory and was at first cast in dramatic plays such as The Wandering Jew (1920-her West End debut) and Hamlet (1925) as the Player Queen. In various acting companies, she eventually found a flair for comedy and became the resident character comedienne for the famous Aldwych Theatre farce-ers from 1929 to 1933 à la Marx Bros. foil Margaret Dumont. Finding success there in the comedies A Night Like This and Turkey Time, she later recreated both roles on British film a couple of years later. She went on to prove herself a minor but avid scene-stealer in such movies as Evergreen (1934), The Iron Duke (1934), Stormy Weather (1935) and East Meets West (1936), quickly finding an amusing niche as a haughty society maven. She played both benevolent and supercilious with equal ease -- her height (5'7-1/2"), elongated oval face, vacant manner, plummy voice and slightly drowsy eyes adding immensely to the look and amusement of her characters.
In the early 1940s, the veteran actress visited California, accompanied by her ailing, widowed mother, for a take on the warmer climate and decided to permanently settle. Again, she found herself in demand as a now silvery-haired duchess, queen or Lady something, albeit in less meaty, sometimes even unbilled parts. Although she could dress down when called upon as a bar maid, nurse and landlady, she usually was asked to provide the requisite atmosphere for glossy, opulent settings. Her more noticeable roles came as lecherous Robert Benchley's wealthy, put-upon wife in The Major and the Minor (1942); the vile Lady Abbott in Forever Amber (1947); the giddy socialite nearly strangled by Robert Walker in Hitchcock's classic Strangers on a Train (1951); the impressively bejeweled wife of Charles Coburn, whom Marilyn Monroe fawns over in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953); and the Von Trapp housekeeper Frau Schmidt in The Sound of Music (1965).
Norma became a steadfast radio and TV comedy foil during the 40s, 50s and 60s, often at the mercy of a Lucille Ball or Jack Benny. Her longest radio part was as Basil Rathbone's housekeeper on his Sherlock Holmes radio series. On TV, she appeared in such shows as Mister Ed (1961), The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), Bewitched (1964) and Batman (1966) She had recurring roles as Betty Hutton's aunt on The Betty Hutton Show (1959) and as Shirley Booth's neighbor on Hazel (1961). Never married, Norma's mother passed away in 1969, and the actress retired shortly after. She died of heart failure in 1989, a day before her 91st birthday.- Frank Ronzio was born on 26 June 1920 in Rhode Island, USA. He was an actor, known for Escape from Alcatraz (1979), Deadly Force (1983) and Knight Rider (1982). He died on 19 January 1989 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Viva Tattersall was born in London, England, as Vera Tattersall, the second child of Hugh Herbert Tattersall, a British master mariner, and his wife, the former Lilian Elizabeth Webb. Among her siblings were Kathryn; Cecil; Honor; Marjorie (the wife of the Australian economist Colin Clarke); and Emma Lilian (later Lady Henderson), who, as Emmy Nikis, was a French Resistance heroine.
As a young movie actress, Vera "Viva" Tattersall moved to the United States in 1920, settling in New York City, and writing several plays with a co-star, actor Sidney Toler, her future husband.
She died in Cannes, South of France in 1989.- Martin Blaine was born on 18 October 1913 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for The Satan Bug (1965), The Fortune Cookie (1966) and The Lively Set (1964). He died on 19 January 1989 in Cambria, California, USA.
- Writer
- Composer
- Additional Crew
Jerry Blatt was born on 8 September 1941 in New York City, New York, USA. Jerry was a writer and composer, known for Beaches (1988), Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back (1977) and Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers (1972). Jerry died on 19 January 1989 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands.- Actor
- Stunts
Red Knight was born on 4 March 1916 in Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Blonde Comet (1941) and Duke of the Navy (1942). He was married to Patricia Harrison, Patricia Elaise Brilhante and Dortha Alice Archer. He died on 19 January 1989 in San Bernardino, California, USA.- Camera and Electrical Department
- Production Manager
- Producer
Kurt Kodal was born on 17 September 1924 in Vienna, Austria. He was a production manager and producer, known for Außer Rand und Band am Wolfgangsee (1972), ...und ewig knallen die Räuber (1962) and Die ganze Welt ist himmelblau (1964). He died on 19 January 1989 in Vienna, Austria.- Additional Crew
- Producer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Freddie Carpenter was born on 15 February 1908 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was a producer, known for The Love Lottery (1954), Tarbuck's Luck (1970) and Floor Show at the Regency Room (1950). He died on 19 January 1989 in London, England, UK.- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Pascal Auriat was born on 7 February 1948 in Paris, France. He was a composer, known for The Brand New Testament (2015), The Gilded Cage (2013) and Mina Tannenbaum (1994). He died on 19 January 1989 in Suresnes, Hauts-de-Seine, France.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jamblan was born on 3 May 1900 in Bressuire, Deux-Sèvres, France. He was an actor, known for The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954), Junior Prom (1946) and Young Widow (1946). He died on 19 January 1989 in Paris, France.- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Aleksandr Grishin was born in 1953. He was a director and actor, known for Poyezd vne raspisaniya (1986), Vsego odin povorot (1986) and Shchenok (1988). He died on 19 January 1989.- Actress
Nondas Wayne was born on 14 June 1902 in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA. She was an actress. She died on 19 January 1989 in Los Angeles, California, USA.