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1-7 of 7
- Jill Dennett was born Edyth Kramer on May 26, 1913 in New York City. Her father was Dave Kramer, a popular vaudeville entertainer. Jill started her career singing and dancing with him. In 1928 she made her film debut in the comedy short Hotter Than Hot with Harry Langdon. Jill signed a contract with Warner Brothers and was given the lead in The Tinsel Girl. She was nicknamed "The Girl With The Million Dollar Eyes". As a publicity stunt her eyes were insured by Lloyd's Of London for one hundred thousand dollars.
Jill dated screenwriter Jesse Lasky Jr. and was engaged to singer Geoffrey Gill in 1933. After leaving Warner Brothers she had bits parts in The Merry Widow and Dramatic School. Although she appeared in more than twenty films she never became an A-list star. She continued to perform in variety shows across the country. Then she was cast in the drama Hold Back the Dawn. Unfortunately she was replaced before filming began. She divorced her husband and married Evan Barnes. Jill died on March 14, 1969 at the age of fifty-six. She was buried Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California. - Sound Department
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Additional Crew
Roger Heman, born in the hills of Kentucky in 1898, made his way west to LA at a very early age, arriving in 1915. Since he knew how to drive he got a job delivering furniture. One of these deliveries was to the Metro Studios in Boyle Heights. Impressed with his appearance and the fact he could read and write they gave him a job as a prop boy and gopher. He worked for director John H. Collins and his wife actress Viola Dana and even appeared in The Winding Trail (1918) as a cowboy. He worked with 'Jack Gilbert' the following year on Should a Woman Tell? (1919) and with 'Rex Ingram' and Rudolph Valentino in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) of which he appeared in a bit part as a gaucho. With the formation of the new United Artists Studio, Roger left Metro and worked on many of the Pickford films of both Mary and Jack. He did much travel and acted as location manager too. In 1925 with Goldwyn becoming the dominant force on the lot he became an Asst. Director starting with Stella Dallas (1925) where he befriended a younger Douglas Fairbanks Jr., who he would take to the movies while the rest of the crew went south of the border to party and continue with The Bat (1926) as well as working under Lubitch on Eternal Love (1929) with John Barrymore and with Brenon on The Rescue (1929) which was Goldwyn's last silent picture. United Artists was the last studio to convert to sound but when they did they chose Roger to lead the way by sending him to the new AMPAS School of Sound Recording where he graduated in Class 2 on December 16, 1929.It was the end of an era for Roger as well as the silent period and the 54 films he worked on during it. During the beginning of the sound period at UA, he distinguished himself with Vidor's Street Scene (1931) and Milestone's Rain (1932) with Joan Crawford. At this same time a new company, 20th Century, not having a lot of its own, having been founded by a young Daryl Zanuck, newly fired from WB, was using the UA Sound Department for some of its first motion pictures The House of Rothschild (1934) and _Misérables, Les (1935)_ and Roger was recruited. He spent the rest of his working life with 20th Century Fox, becoming the head of their Sound Re-Recording Department and a trusted Zanuck confidant often working directly with Zanuck from rushes as well as in post production. He was put in charge of the studio's 'A' pictures and handled special effects with Fred Sersen, dubbing and re-recording and musical scoring with Al Newman and Cyril J. Mockridge. He shared the first Special Effects Oscar, given for The Rains Came (1939) and winning again for Crash Dive (1943). He was nominated individually numerous times and won for the studio Sound Oscars for Twelve O'Clock High (1949) and All About Eve (1950). He was credited by Zanuck for his help in developing Cinemascope ("you were a mountain of strength...") as well as for his efforts in using surround sound like effects for The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) for scenes where the spaceship comes and goes and for Gort's death ray. He married the love of his life, Jesse, a prominent banker's daughter he courted for five years and had a son Roger Heman Jr., who, having been brought into the business by his father at a young age, spent 37 years with Universal and spent many years with Spielberg as he was starting out (he won an Academy Award for Jaws (1975)). Roger worked until the 1960's when he had a devastating stroke. He passed away in the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, begun by his two close friends Mary Pickford and Jean Hersholt, in 1969.- Set Decorator
- Art Department
Joseph Kish was born on 14 June 1899 in Sombor, Austria-Hungary [now Serbia]. He was a set decorator, known for Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) and Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959). He died on 14 March 1969 in North Hollywood, California, USA.- Art Department
- Additional Crew
Ben Shahn was born on 12 September 1898 in Kaunas, Russian Empire. He is known for Lincoln Center/Stage 5 (1967), American Experience (1987) and Critic at Large (1948). He was married to Bernarda Bryson and Tillie Goldstein. He died on 14 March 1969 in New York City, New York, USA.- Peter Howard was born on 26 June 1878 in Knocklong, Ireland. He was an actor, known for Souls in Bondage (1923). He died on 14 March 1969 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Additional Crew
Chester Seay was born on 9 October 1878 in Virginia, Minnesota, USA. He is known for The Warrior's Husband (1933). He died on 14 March 1969 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Faith Bennett was born on 12 May 1903 in East Dulwich, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Shall We Join the Ladies? (1939), Seeing Is Believing (1934) and The Officers' Mess (1931). She was married to Herbert Henry Newmark and Charles Bennett. She died on 14 March 1969 in Westminster, London, England, UK.