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1-13 of 13
- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Playwright and author of sophisticated screenplays, a graduate of Bard College and Columbia University Law School. Howard Koch started out as a practicing lawyer in Hartsdale, New Jersey, but soon found himself dissatisfied with his career choice and began to write plays on the side. His first two efforts flopped on Broadway (respectively in 1929 and 1933). Nonetheless, Koch continued, undaunted, and had his first critical success with "The Lonely Man", produced at the Blackstone Theater in Chicago in 1937. On the strength of this work he was engaged by John Houseman to write dramatic material for Orson Welles' "Mercury Theater on the Air" radio program (his starting salary was $75 for roughly sixty pages of script). Koch re-wrote H.G. Wells sci-fi story "War of the Worlds" as "Invasion from Mars" for the famous Halloween broadcast that "panicked America". It had such an effect on the public that the "New York Times" ran the headline "Many Flee Homes to Escape 'Gas Raid From Mars'".
The following year Koch moved to Hollywood and was signed to a screenwriting contract by Warner Brothers (1939-1945). He achieved lasting fame through his felicitous collaboration with brothers Philip Epstein and Julius J. Epstein in adapting Murray Burnett's adaptation of the obscure play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" to the now classic Casablanca (1942). The Epsteins concentrated on the dialogue while Koch worked out the dramatic continuity. The three subsequently shared the 1943 Academy Award for Best Screenplay (Koch sold his Oscar at auction in 1994 for $184,000 in order to fund a granddaughter's school tuition). Before and after "Casablanca", Koch worked on a variety of other subjects, turning out polished screenplays for Errol Flynn's hugely entertaining swashbuckler The Sea Hawk (1940), an adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's steamy melodrama The Letter (1940), the patriotic flag-waver Sergeant York (1941) and the George Gershwin biopic Rhapsody in Blue (1945). His own personal favorite was his script for Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), a tender story of unrequited love set in Vienna.
Koch's reputation was sadly tarnished as a result of his work on Mission to Moscow (1943), the account of Joseph E. Davies, a former US ambassador to Russia. Although he was not particularly happy with this assignment, Koch was coerced into it by studio boss Jack L. Warner, who, in turn, was under pressure from the U.S. government to produce a picture that showcased the efforts of the Soviet Union in the fight against Nazi Germany. However, in 1947, at the height of the Red-baiting hysteria stirred up by senator Joseph McCarthy, Warner testified as a "friendly" witness before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), charged with "rooting out" Communist influence in the motion picture industry. Warner named Koch and other "liberals" as being Communist sympathizers, using the pro-Russian content of "Mission to Moscow" as "proof". This resulted in Koch becoming one of the so-called "Hollywood Nineteen" and finding himself being blacklisted by the industry in 1951. Unable to earn a living, he had little choice but to leave the country. Like other writers and directors in the same position, he moved to England where he continued to write screenplays under a pseudonym ("Peter Howard"). Returning to the US five years later, he bought a property near Woodstock, NY, and resumed writing plays for regional productions (as well as occasional film scripts).
In his memoirs, "As Time Goes By", Koch recalled how, early in the casting process, the stars of "Casablanca" were slated to be Dennis Morgan (!), Ann Sheridan and Ronald Reagan (in the Paul Henreid role of Victor Laszlo). Our appreciation of the classic film would have been rather different . . .- Helen Christie was born on 22 October 1914 in India. She was an actress, known for The Beggar's Opera (1953), Melissa (1964) and The Queen of Spades (1949). She was married to John Barron, Mark Dignam and Patrick Crean. She died on 17 August 1995 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
David Warrilow was born on 28 December 1934 in Stone, Staffordshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Barton Fink (1991), Radio Days (1987) and Simon (1980). He died on 17 August 1995 in Paris, France.- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Jaroslav Papousek was born on 12 April 1929 in Velkij Bockov, Czechoslovakia. He was a writer and director, known for Cesta kolem mé hlavy (1985), Ecce homo Homolka (1970) and Zena pro tri muze (1979). He died on 17 August 1995 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Mikhail Dadyko was born on 6 December 1926. He was an actor, known for Ballad of a Soldier (1959), Gorod na zare (1959) and The Immortal Garrison (1956). He died on 17 August 1995 in Moscow, Russia.
- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Member of an important family in the entertainment sector in Barcelona Spain, Pere Balañà i Bonvehí was an industrial engineer who towards a diploma in filmmaking in Madrid (1963) ad was the promoter of Kinesa studios (1964) and the film producer Pro Filme SA. He also was a television producer and directed several short films and just and only feature-length film, 'The Last Saturday' (1966).- Music Department
- Actor
Wild Bill Davis was born on 24 November 1918 in Glasgow, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Beware (1946), Framed (1990) and All Star Summer Revue (1952). He died on 17 August 1995 in Moorestown, New Jersey, USA.- Actor
Carl Samuelson was born on 11 April 1923 in Grand Island, Nebraska, USA. He was an actor. He died on 17 August 1995 in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Mike Condello was born on 6 May 1946 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Kiss of Death (1997), The Wallace and Ladmo Show (1954) and Ladmo Remembered: A Wallace & Ladmo Special (1994). He died on 17 August 1995 in Santa Monica, California, USA.- Actor
Elio Gigante was born on 27 June 1907 in Pozzuolo del Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. He was an actor. He died on 17 August 1995.- Additional Crew
David Lemos was born on 14 October 1956 in Los Angeles, California, USA. David is known for Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989). David died on 17 August 1995 in Santa Clara, California, USA.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Per Gunvall was born on 19 June 1913 in Gothenburg, Sweden. He was a director and writer, known for Sjösalavår (1949), Love, Sunshine and Songs (1948) and Flygplan saknas (1965). He died on 17 August 1995 in Stockholm, Sweden.- Helen Singer Kaplan was born on 6 February 1929 in Vienna, Austria. She was married to Charles Lazarus and Kaplan, Harold. She died on 17 August 1995 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.