Sid Caesar

Sid Caesar

Born: September 8, 1922
Died: February 12, 2014
in Yonkers, New York, USA
Sid Caesar (1922—2014) was an American comic actor and writer known as the leading man on the 1950s television series Your Show of Shows and as Coach Calhoun in Grease and Grease 2.

Movies for Sid Caesar...

It's a Zabriskie, Zabriskie, Zabriskie, Zabriskie Point
Title: It's a Zabriskie, Zabriskie, Zabriskie, Zabriskie Point
Character: Melville Crump (archive footage)
Released: October 8, 2023
Type: Movie
Worlds collide in this unconventional essay film, when filmmaker, film historian, and archivist Daniel Kremer seamlessly edits Michelangelo Antonioni's legendary but controversial counterculture art film Zabriskie Point (1970) into the same narrative universe as Stanley Kramer's madcap epic comedy extravaganza It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). In creating these new sequences, Kremer comes to recognize that the exercise effortlessly draws cultural and historical parallels in twentieth-century American life that echo in present-day America. The editorial mashups weave a tangled web of social and cinematic history that root our notions of Americana in the mythology of the desert. As Kremer expounds in his narration on these often astonishing and sometimes shocking associations, his very personal ties to the subject matter become manifest.
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The Grease Story
Title: The Grease Story
Character: Coach Calhoun
Released: November 5, 2017
Type: Movie
The story behind the classic movie musical. The programme examines the original stage musical in the early 1970s, which starred a young Richard Gere, and the changes that occurred between stage and screen, including the addition of several new songs and toning down the original show's darker elements. Plus, a look at some of the actors who could have played the roles made famous by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
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Mel Brooks: Make a Noise
Title: Mel Brooks: Make a Noise
Character: Self
Released: May 20, 2013
Type: Movie
Mel Brooks: Make a Noise journeys through Brooks’ early years in the creative beginnings of live television — with Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows — to the film genres he so successfully satirized in Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, and Spaceballs — to the groundbreaking Broadway musical version of his first film, The Producers. The documentary also delves into his professional and personal ups and downs — his childhood, his first wife and subsequent 41-year marriage to Anne Bancroft — capturing a never-before-heard sense of reflection and confession.
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In the Beginning: The Caesar Years
Title: In the Beginning: The Caesar Years
Character: Self
Released: November 13, 2012
Type: Movie
New interviews with Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner, footage from the reunion of Caesar's Writers (1996), and sketches from Your Show of Shows (1950) and Caesar's Hour (1954).
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Lunch
Title: Lunch
Character: Himself
Released: November 9, 2012
Type: Movie
For the past 40 years, a group of comedy writers and directors has gathered every other Wednesday for lunch - and other nourishment. These are the fabled guys that made America funny.
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Making History: Mel Brooks on Creating the World
Title: Making History: Mel Brooks on Creating the World
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: December 15, 2009
Type: Movie
Documentary on the making of Mel Brooks' classic comedy "History of the World, Part 1."
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Sid Caesar Collection: Buried Treasures - The Legend of Sid Caesar
Title: Sid Caesar Collection: Buried Treasures - The Legend of Sid Caesar
Character: Himself
Released: January 1, 2003
Type: Movie
A collection of Ceasar's finest comedy moments.
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NBC 75th Anniversary Special
Title: NBC 75th Anniversary Special
Character: Self
Released: May 5, 2002
Type: Movie
A celebration of NBC's 75 year history, featuring clips of special moments.
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The Sid Caesar Collection:  Inside the Writer's Room
Title: The Sid Caesar Collection: Inside the Writer's Room
Character: Himself
Released: June 20, 2000
Type: Movie
The Big Daddy of televised comedy sketches, Sid Caesar had millions of Americans holding their sides and howling at his uproarious antics and those of his inspired sidekicks--Imogene Coca, Nanette Fabray, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris. These are compilations of fan favorites--digitally remastered to be as crisp as they were in the 1950s. "The Fan Favorites" includes gems from the heyday of live TV, as well as interviews with writers and actors, including Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, and Neil Simon. 3-3/4 hours on 3 cassettes or 3 DVDs. Set 1 features live gut-busters from "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour", including 18 of Caesar's own favorite sketches, plus revealing interviews with contemporaries, including Mel Brooks and Neil Simon. Three digitally remastered volumes: "The Magic of Live TV, Inside the Writer's Room," and "Creating the Comedy". Almost 4 hours on 3 cassettes or 3 DVDs.
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The Sid Caesar Collection:  Creating the Comedy
Title: The Sid Caesar Collection: Creating the Comedy
Character: Himself
Released: June 20, 2000
Type: Movie
The Big Daddy of televised comedy sketches, Sid Caesar had millions of Americans holding their sides and howling at his uproarious antics and those of his inspired sidekicks--Imogene Coca, Nanette Fabray, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris. These are compilations of fan favorites--digitally remastered to be as crisp as they were in the 1950s. "The Fan Favorites" includes gems from the heyday of live TV, as well as interviews with writers and actors, including Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, and Neil Simon. 3-3/4 hours on 3 cassettes or 3 DVDs. Set 1 features live gut-busters from "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour", including 18 of Caesar's own favorite sketches, plus revealing interviews with contemporaries, including Mel Brooks and Neil Simon.
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The Sid Caesar Collection: The Magic of Live TV
Title: The Sid Caesar Collection: The Magic of Live TV
Character: Self
Released: June 20, 2000
Type: Movie
One of the greatest comedians of early television, Sid Caesar hasn't had his work shown in perennial reruns, so it's especially gratifying to see a collection of his classic sketches released on video, with Caesar himself introducing the material. Besides being a truly gifted comic, Caesar benefited from having some brilliant supporting players, including Carl Reiner, Imogene Coca, and Nanette Fabray. Some of his illustrious writers, including Neil Simon, Woody Allen, and Mel Brooks, appear in interviews setting up the sketches. The sketches themselves include some all-time classics such as Caesar and company playing the figurines populating a medieval town clock (a brilliant bit partly written by Neil Simon and his brother, Danny, who reminisce after the sketch).
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Globehunters: An Around the World in 80 Days Adventure
Title: Globehunters: An Around the World in 80 Days Adventure
Character: Jacob (voice)
Released: January 1, 2000
Type: Movie
In search of fun and freedom, a trio of animal friends -- a bold monkey with a temper, a timid, bespectacled parrot and a lightning-fast cheetah -- escape from captivity. Their adventures take them around the world and, ultimately, straight into our hearts. Willem Dafoe and Chaka Khan lend their vocal talents to this perky animated musical that the family can enjoy together.
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Let Me In, I Hear Laughter: A Salute to the Friars Club
Title: Let Me In, I Hear Laughter: A Salute to the Friars Club
Character: Self
Released: October 26, 1999
Type: Movie
Nostalgic history of the Friars Club. Aired on Cinemax Reel Life
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Television: The First Fifty Years
Title: Television: The First Fifty Years
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: January 1, 1999
Type: Movie
Trace the history of television and its impact on American culture with clips, newsreels, and exclusive interviews from television greats like Walter Cronkite, Carol Burnett, and Jay Leno.
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Title: Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Character: Himself
Released: August 5, 1998
Type: TV
The show where everything's made up and the points don't matter. Not a talk show, not a sitcom, not a game show, Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a completely unique concept to network television. Four talented actors perform completely unrehearsed skits and games in front of a studio audience. Host Drew Carey sets the scene, with contributions from the audience, but the actors rely completely on their quick wit and improvisational skills. It's genuinely improvised, so anything can happen - and often does.
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The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
Title: The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
Character: Sid Zellman
Released: January 23, 1998
Type: Movie
Gomez is a middle-aged man who dreams of buying a gorgeous white suit in a nearby store, but doesn't have enough cash. He finds 4 more people of same size, who each give $20 and get to wear the suit for an hour each in return. But the suit is not just a suit - it makes wishes of the one wearing it come true.
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Vegas Vacation
Title: Vegas Vacation
Character: Mr Ellis
Released: February 13, 1997
Type: Movie
The Griswold family hits the road again for a typically ill-fated vacation, this time to the glitzy mecca of slots and showgirls—Las Vegas.
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Caesar's Writers
Title: Caesar's Writers
Character: Self
Released: August 19, 1996
Type: Movie
On January 24, 1996, at the Writers Guild Theater in Los Angeles, CA, legendary comic Sid Caesar was reunited with nine of his writers from Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour. The event was taped for release on PBS and BBC in a 1-hour cut, and later on VHS and DVD in its full 2-hour length. Be prepared to laugh non-stop as the panel, made up of head writer Mel Tolkin, Caesar, Carl Reiner, Aaron Ruben, Larry Gelbart, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Danny Simon, Sheldon Keller, and Gary Belkin share stories about their time working on Caesar's shows and offer their insights about writing comedy.
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The Great Mom Swap
Title: The Great Mom Swap
Character: Papa Tognetti
Released: September 23, 1995
Type: Movie
When two girls think the other has it better, they swap places to see who's right!
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Title: Love & War
Released: September 21, 1992
Type: TV
A woman running a bar in New York City while trying to maintain a romance with an egotistical opinion columnist.
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Something a Little Less Serious: A Tribute to 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World'
Title: Something a Little Less Serious: A Tribute to 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World'
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1991
Type: Movie
A star-studded documentary and tribute to the classic comedy, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.
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Side by Side
Title: Side by Side
Character: Louis Hammerstein
Released: March 6, 1988
Type: Movie
Three men who have just been forced to retire convince their bank to finance their dream: To produce a line of clothing for senior citizens.
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Wall of Tyranny
Title: Wall of Tyranny
Released: January 11, 1988
Type: Movie
A U.S. soldier sees the Berlin Wall go up in 1961 and helps a group of East Germans escape to the West.
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The Emperor's New Clothes
Title: The Emperor's New Clothes
Character: The Emperor
Released: May 15, 1987
Type: Movie
In Europe several several centuries ago, a group of prisoners about to be executed are freed as part of the celebration of the upcoming marriage of the emperor's daughter, Princess Gilda, to a very rich prince from another country. Sid Caesar composed the song "Clothes Make the Man". Ran 93 minutes on German TV.
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Christmas Snow
Title: Christmas Snow
Character: Mr. Snyder
Released: December 20, 1986
Type: Movie
A shop owner who is being evicted at Christmas rescues her Scrooge-like landlord from an accident.
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Stoogemania
Title: Stoogemania
Character: Doctor Fixyer Mindyer
Released: January 1, 1986
Type: Movie
The film centers on Howard F. Howard, an overweight everyman. Engaged to Beverly, the woman of his dreams, Howard has one problem - an overactive fixation with The Three Stooges. Everywhere Howard goes, he sees Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard intruding on his life. Determined to overcome his fixation, Howard and Beverly prepare for their wedding. But on his way to the ceremony, Howard descends into Stoogemania and finds himself walking into the city streets with other Stoogemaniacs. His only hope is commitment to the Stooge Hills sanitarium, under the care of a renowned psychologist, until the inmates take over the asylum on graduation day.
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Title: Alice in Wonderland
Character: Gryphon
Released: December 9, 1985
Type: TV
Sometimes she's too big. Or much too small. Sometimes things are backwards. And there's always too much pepper in the soup! Nothing is quite right since Alice chased a very unusual White Rabbit and stumbled into an adventure that grows curiouser and curiouser. One of the greatest childhood fantasies is captured in Irwin Allen's colorful production adapted from Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Originally aired over two nights in 1985 on CBS.
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Love Is Never Silent
Title: Love Is Never Silent
Character: Mr. Petrakis
Released: December 9, 1985
Type: Movie
A young woman struggles with her own need for independence and the obligation she feels for her deaf parents in this depression-era drama. A friend sees her turmoil and tells her she must find happiness on her own. However, the initial joy she finds in marriage starts to strain under the guilt she feels for deserting her parents and the bitterness they express towards her.
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Title: Amazing Stories
Character: Lou Bundles
Released: September 29, 1985
Type: TV
A truly amazing, fantastical, science fiction, funny and odd, and sometimes scary, sad and endearing anthology series presented by Steven Spielberg with guest appearances by many famous actors, actresses, and directors.
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All Star Party for Lucille Ball
Title: All Star Party for Lucille Ball
Character: Self
Released: December 9, 1984
Type: Movie
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Cannonball Run II
Title: Cannonball Run II
Character: Fisherman #2
Released: June 29, 1984
Type: Movie
When a wealthy sheikh puts up $1 million in prize money for a cross-country car race, there is one person crazy enough to hit the road hard with wheels spinning fast. Legendary driver J.J. McClure enters the competition along with his friend Victor and together they set off across the American landscape in a madcap action-adventure destined to test their wits and automobile skills.
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Over the Brooklyn Bridge
Title: Over the Brooklyn Bridge
Character: Uncle Benjamin
Released: March 2, 1984
Type: Movie
A put-upon Jewish deli owner in Brooklyn dreams of getting out from underneath the thumb of his domineering father and his haughty fashion-model girlfriend by buying his own restaurant in midtown Manhattan.
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Found Money
Title: Found Money
Character: Sam Green
Released: December 19, 1983
Type: Movie
Two former bank employees, executive Dick Van Dyke, forced into early retirement by a computer, and guard Sid Caesar, unceremoniously dismissed before his pension comes due, concoct a computerized scheme to steal from the rich (i.e. the bank) and give to the poor with anonymous checks (money accessed from inactive accounts) to average do-gooders.
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Title: Matt Houston
Released: September 26, 1982
Type: TV
Matt Houston is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1982 to 1985. Created by Lawrence Gordon, the series was produced by Aaron Spelling.
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Grease 2
Title: Grease 2
Character: Coach Vince Calhoun
Released: June 11, 1982
Type: Movie
It's 1961, two years after the original Grease gang graduated, and there's a new crop of seniors and new members of the coolest cliques on campus, the Pink Ladies and T-Birds. Michael Carrington is the new kid in school - but he's been branded a brainiac. Can he fix up an old motorcycle, don a leather jacket, avoid a rumble with the leader of the T-Birds, and win the heart of Pink Lady Stephanie?
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History of the World: Part I
Title: History of the World: Part I
Character: Chief Caveman
Released: June 12, 1981
Type: Movie
An uproarious version of history that proves nothing is sacred – not even the Roman Empire, the French Revolution and the Spanish Inquisition.
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The Munsters' Revenge
Title: The Munsters' Revenge
Character: Dr. Dustin Diablo
Released: February 27, 1981
Type: Movie
The lovable Munster family finds their placid world turned into turmoil by the diabolical Dr. Diablo, the mastermind of an art heist using monster robots, including clones of Herman and Grandpa.
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Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz
Title: Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz
Character: Wizard / Mince Pie U.N. Krust / Narrator (voice)
Released: November 25, 1980
Type: Movie
Dorothy is carried back to Oz by a green turkey balloon on the final Thanksgiving she is to spend with her aunt and uncle, who are moving to a retirement community. She meets Jack Pumpkinhead, The Hungry Tiger, and Tic Toc (sic), and must stop the evil Tyrone the Terrible Toy Tinkerer (looking suspiciously like John R. Neil's depiction of the Nome King), who brings the balloon to life.
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The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu
Title: The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu
Character: Joe Capone
Released: August 8, 1980
Type: Movie
Fu Manchu's 168th birthday celebration is dampened when a hapless flunky spills Fu's age-regressing elixir vitae. Fu sends his lackeys to round up ingredients for a new batch of elixir, starting with the Star of Leningrad diamond, nabbed from a Soviet exhibition in Washington. The FBI sends agents Capone and Williams to England to confer with Nayland Smith, an expert on Fu.
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Title: The Big Show
Character: Self
Released: March 4, 1980
Type: TV
The Big Show is an American comedy-variety-musical television series produced and broadcast by NBC for several months in 1980. The series aimed to revitalize the moribund variety television genre, which had been in a downward spiral since the cancellations of The Ed Sullivan Show and The Carol Burnett Show a few years earlier. The Big Show took its title seriously, using a huge stage set and filling a 90-minute time-slot, with at least one two-hour installment broadcast. Although the first broadcast received high ratings, poor reviews and low ratings of succeeding episodes resulted in the program being cancelled after only a few months. The series nonetheless was nominated for six Emmy Awards, winning for Outstanding Costume Design. Regular performers included Joe Baker, Graham Chapman, Mimi Kennedy, Shabba-Doo and Pamela Myers. Guest hosts included Steve Allen, Nell Carter, David Copperfield, Geoffrey Holder, Gary Coleman, and Sid Caesar. Skaters who performed in the show included Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, John Curry, and Toller Cranston.
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Title: Pink Lady
Character: Sid Caesar
Released: March 1, 1980
Type: TV
Pink Lady is an American variety show that aired for five weeks on NBC in 1980, starring the Japanese musical duo of the same name. The show is most commonly referred to by the title Pink Lady and Jeff, which refers to co-star Jeff Altman. The series ranked #35 on TV Guide's 50 Worst TV Shows of All Time list.
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Intergalactic Thanksgiving, or Please Don't Eat the Planet
Title: Intergalactic Thanksgiving, or Please Don't Eat the Planet
Character: King Goochi (voice)
Released: November 1, 1979
Type: Movie
With a new twist on an old holiday, Intergalatic Thanksgiving or Please Don't Eat the Planet is a delightful animated special combining space age fantasy with the old and revered traditions that make Thanksgiving a great festive holiday.
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America 2100
Title: America 2100
Character: MAX (voice)
Released: July 24, 1979
Type: Movie
Two everyday schlubs are inadvertently frozen for 120 years, awakening to a wacky future run by a robot named MAX. Pilot episode for unproduced series.
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Title: Vega$
Released: September 20, 1978
Type: TV
Vega$ is an American detective television drama series that aired on ABC between 1978 and 1981. It was produced by Aaron Spelling. The series was filmed in its entirety in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is believed to be the first television series produced entirely in Las Vegas. The show stars Robert Urich as private detective Dan Tanna, who drove around the streets of Las Vegas in a red 1957 Ford Thunderbird solving crimes and making Las Vegas a better place for residents and tourists alike.
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Title: W.E.B.
Released: September 13, 1978
Type: TV
W.E.B. is an American TV series that aired for less than a month on NBC in 1978.
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Grease
Title: Grease
Character: Coach Calhoun
Released: July 7, 1978
Type: Movie
Australian good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance despite their eccentric friends?
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The Cheap Detective
Title: The Cheap Detective
Character: Ezra Dezire
Released: June 23, 1978
Type: Movie
A spoof of the entire 1940s detective genre. San Francisco private detective, Lou Pekinpaugh is accused of murdering his partner at the instigation of his mistress—his partner's wife.
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Title: The Love Boat
Character: Michael Harmon
Released: September 24, 1977
Type: TV
Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation aboard the "Love Boat", where Gopher, Dr. Bricker, Isaac, Julie, and Captain Stubing try their best to please them, and sometimes help them fall in love. Things are not always so easy, but in the end, love wins.
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Curse of the Black Widow
Title: Curse of the Black Widow
Character: Lazlo Cozart
Released: September 16, 1977
Type: Movie
Tony Franciosa plays a detective who's on the trail of a murderer whose mutilated and predominantly male victims are found encased in silken cocoons...
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Barnaby and Me
Title: Barnaby and Me
Character: Leo Fisk
Released: August 8, 1977
Type: Movie
Barnaby and Me is a 1978 Australian TV movie about a girl and her talking koala who are pursued by criminals.
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Fire Sale
Title: Fire Sale
Character: Sherman
Released: June 9, 1977
Type: Movie
Benny and his wife Ruthie are getting set to drive down to Florida, but Benny needs someone to look after his department store while he's gone. Though he doesn't think much of him, Benny hands the responsibility over to his son, Russell. While Russell doesn't get much respect from his parents, he's better off than his brother, Ezra, whom Benny has gone so far as to disown. Ezra is currently battling with his work (coach of a high school basketball team that hasn't won in ages) and his wife (who keeps nagging him that she wants to have a baby as soon as possible) at the same time.
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Flight to Holocaust
Title: Flight to Holocaust
Character: George Beam
Released: March 26, 1977
Type: Movie
A team of troubleshooters is called to a skyscraper where a plane has crashed into the 20th floor and is stuck in the side of the building.
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Silent Movie
Title: Silent Movie
Character: Studio Chief
Released: June 17, 1976
Type: Movie
Aspiring filmmakers Mel Funn, Marty Eggs and Dom Bell go to a financially troubled studio with an idea for a silent movie. In an effort to make the movie more marketable, they attempt to recruit a number of big name stars to appear, while the studio's creditors attempt to thwart them.
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Title: Good Heavens
Released: February 29, 1976
Type: TV
Good Heavens was an ABC comedy anthology series produced by Columbia Pictures Television that aired between February 29 to June 26, 1976. It ranked #17 in the Nielsen ratings during the 1975-76 television season. The main character was Mr. Angel, who was an Emissary of Heaven that came down to Earth to grant wishes to those who had performed a good deed. Episodes featured actors such as Don Ameche, Susan Dey, Sandy Duncan, Pat Harrington Jr., Florence Henderson, Alex Karras, Penny Marshall, Hugh O'Brian, Loretta Swit, Brenda Vaccaro, and Fred Willard.
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Ann-Margret Smith
Title: Ann-Margret Smith
Character: Himself
Released: November 20, 1975
Type: Movie
Book-ending the year 1975 with two big budget TV Specials, Ann -Margret also earned her second Oscar nomination that year, for Tommy. In January, "Ann-Margret Olssen" premiered and was titled with the star's maiden name. This second special premiered late in the year and was titled with the star's married name. Her husband Roger Smith also appears in the opening sequences. Presented by the Bell System's Family Theatre, the program was filmed at the ATV Studios at BBC Elstree Centre, Borehamwood, England.
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Title: Saturday Night Live
Character: Self - Host
Released: October 11, 1975
Type: TV
A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.
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Title: Tony Orlando and Dawn
Character: Self
Released: December 4, 1974
Type: TV
CBS gave the group a television variety show (entitled Tony Orlando and Dawn) from the summer of 1974, after The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour ended its run, until December 1976. The show was in the same vein as its predecessor (with sketches featuring sarcastic back-and-forth banter between Orlando, Hopkins and Vincent, similar to the sarcastic dialogue between Sonny and Cher) and became a Top 20 hit. They are most famous for "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" &  "Knock Three Times"!
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Airport 1975
Title: Airport 1975
Character: Barney
Released: October 18, 1974
Type: Movie
When an in-flight collision incapacitates the pilots of an airplane bound for Los Angeles, stewardess Nancy Pryor is forced to take over the controls. From the ground, her boyfriend Alan Murdock, a retired test pilot, tries to talk her through piloting and landing the 747 aircraft. Worse yet, the anxious passengers — among which are a noisy nun and a cranky man — are aggravating the already tense atmosphere.
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Hamburgers
Title: Hamburgers
Character: self
Released: April 2, 1974
Type: Movie
Comedy special starring Charlie Callas, Charles Nelson Reilly, Bobby Vinton, and many other young comedians.
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Title: The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
Character: Self
Released: September 14, 1973
Type: TV
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts is a NBC television special show hosted by entertainer Dean Martin from 1974 to 1984. For a series of 54 specials and shows, Martin would periodically "roast" a celebrity. These roasts were patterned after the roasts held at the New York Friars' Club in New York City. The format would have the celebrity guest seated at a banquet table, and one by one the guest of honor was affectionately chided or insulted about his career by his fellow celebrity friends. In 1973, The Dean Martin Show was declining in popularity. The final season of his variety show would be retooled into one of celebrity roasts, requiring less of Martin's involvement. For the 1973–1974 season, a new feature called “Man of the Week Celebrity Roast" was added to try to pick up the ratings. The roasts seemed to be popular among television audiences and are often marketed in post-issues as part of the official Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts and not The Dean Martin Show. After The Dean Martin Show was cancelled in 1974, NBC drew up a contract with Martin to do several specials and do more roast specials. Starting with Bob Hope in 1974, the roast was taped in California and turned out to be a hit, leading to many other roasts to follow.
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Ten from Your Show of Shows
Title: Ten from Your Show of Shows
Released: February 23, 1973
Type: Movie
Ten comedy sketches compiled from the 1950s TV series, "Your Show of Shows."
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Title: The Julie Andrews Hour
Character: Self
Released: September 13, 1972
Type: TV
The Julie Andrews Hour is a television variety series starring Julie Andrews that was produced by ATV and distributed by ITC Entertainment. It aired on the ABC network in the United States. In order to secure Andrews for the series, Sir Lew Grade and ABC offered her an extremely lucrative contract. In 1963, when another major star, Judy Garland was signed to a weekly television variety series, it failed to catch on with the public. One of the main reasons for its demise was its constant change of format and the fact that critics and audiences felt that Garland was not shown off to her best advantage. In order to avoid that error, Andrews asked producer Nick Vanoff what the premise of the show would be about. Vanoff immediately answered her by saying "Julie Andrews...without Julie Andrews there is no 'Julie Andrews Hour'". The show premiered on ABC Wednesday, September 13, 1972 at 10:00 P.M. ET to rave reviews. Unfortunately, its time slot proved to be daunting because it was up against the popular CBS detective series, Cannon. Another reason for the low ratings was that the lateness of the hour was not conducive to family viewing since children were in bed by that time. On Thanksgiving Eve, November 22, 1972, "The Julie Andrews Hour" devoted an entire episode saluting Walt Disney. To make it more of a "family special", ABC switched the time slot of "The Julie Andrews Hour" that night to 8:30 P.M. and The ABC Wednesday Movie Of The Week to 9:30 P.M. The ratings improved a little so ABC then made a decision to alternate Andrews' time period each week This continued until January, 1973 when the series was moved to Saturday nights at 9:00 P.M. The ratings went from bad to worse as Andrews' chief competition was The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show on CBS. "The Julie Andrews Hour" was finally canceled by ABC after its 24th episode in April, 1973.
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Title: The Flip Wilson Show
Character: Self
Released: September 17, 1970
Type: TV
The Flip Wilson Show is an hour long variety show that aired in the U.S. on NBC from September 17, 1970 to June 27, 1974. The show starred American comedian Flip Wilson; the program was one of the first American television programs starring a black person in the title role to become highly successful with a white audience. Specifically, it was the first successful network variety series starring an African American. During its first two seasons, its Nielsen ratings made it the nation's second most watched show. The show consisted of many skits over an hour. It also broke new ground in American television by using a 'Theatre-in-the-Round' stage format, with the audience seated on all sides of a circular performance area. Wilson was most famous for creating the role of Geraldine Jones, a sassy, modern woman who had a boyfriend named Killer. Flip also created the role of Reverend Leroy, who was the minister of the Church of What's Happening Now!. New parishioners were wary of coming to the church as it was hinted that Reverend Leroy was a con artist. Wilson popularized such catchphrases as "What you see is what you get", and "The devil made me do it!".
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Title: The Don Knotts Show
Character: Self
Released: September 15, 1970
Type: TV
The Don Knotts Show was a variety program aired by NBC as part of its 1970-71 lineup. Long relegated to the role of sidekick, which he had portrayed for many years in several television series and films, Don Knotts was the headliner here. Each week, he and his guests put on standard TV variety fare of the era. Two recurring features were a skit about the effort involved in putting a weekly television series on the air, much in the spirit of The Jack Benny Show, and The Front Porch, in which Don and a guest would sit in rocking chairs and quietly discuss their philosophies of life. Notable regulars in his cast included Elaine Joyce and Gary Burghoff, who had previously portrayed "Radar O'Reilly" in the film version of M*A*S*H and was about to achieve his greatest fame in reprising that role for the television version of it.
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Title: The Dick Cavett Show
Character: Self - Guest
Released: June 6, 1968
Type: TV
The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.
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Title: The Carol Burnett Show
Character: Self - Guest
Released: September 11, 1967
Type: TV
The Carol Burnett Show is an American variety/sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 278 episodes and originated from CBS Television City's Studio 33. The series won 25 prime time Emmy Awards, was ranked No. 16 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time in 2002 and in 2007 was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All Time."
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Title: Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Character: Self
Released: September 9, 1967
Type: TV
An American sketch comedy television program hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin.
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The Spirit Is Willing
Title: The Spirit Is Willing
Character: Ben Powell
Released: July 7, 1967
Type: Movie
When Ben and Kate Powell rent a haunted New England house by the sea, their son Steve gets blamed for the destruction caused by three unruly ghosts.
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A Guide for the Married Man
Title: A Guide for the Married Man
Character: Technical Adviser (at Romanoff's)
Released: May 25, 1967
Type: Movie
A man gives his friend a series of lessons on how to cheat on one's wife without being caught.
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The Busy Body
Title: The Busy Body
Character: George Norton
Released: March 12, 1967
Type: Movie
Sid Caesar is a bumbling gopher to a mob boss who must recover a fortune in cash stowed in the suit of a corpse.
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Title: That Girl
Released: September 8, 1966
Type: TV
That Girl is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971. It stars Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring actress, who moves from her hometown of Brewster, New York to try to make it big in New York City. Ann has to take a number of offbeat "temp" jobs to support herself in between her various auditions and bit parts. Ted Bessell played her boyfriend Donald Hollinger, a writer for Newsview Magazine; Lew Parker and Rosemary DeCamp played Lew Marie and Helen Marie, her concerned parents. Bernie Kopell, Ruth Buzzi and Reva Rose played Ann and Donald's friends. That Girl was developed by writers Bill Persky and Sam Denoff, who had served as head writers on The Dick Van Dyke Show earlier in the 1960s.
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Title: The Dean Martin Show
Released: September 16, 1965
Type: TV
The Dean Martin Show, also known as The Dean Martin Variety Show, is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by entertainer Dean Martin. The theme song to the series was his 1964 hit "Everybody Loves Somebody."
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Title: The Hollywood Palace
Character: Self
Released: January 4, 1964
Type: TV
The Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly on ABC from January 4, 1964 to February 7, 1970. Originally titled The Saturday Night Hollywood Palace, it began as a mid-season replacement for The Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show which had lasted only three months. It was staged in Hollywood at the former Hollywood Playhouse on Vine Street, which was renamed The Hollywood Palace during the show's duration and is today known as Avalon Hollywood. A little-known starlet named Raquel Welch was cast during the first season as the "Billboard Girl", who placed the names of the acts on a placard.
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It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Title: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Character: Melville Crump
Released: November 7, 1963
Type: Movie
A group of strangers come across a man dying after a car crash who proceeds to tell them about the $350,000 he buried in California. What follows is the madcap adventures of those strangers as each attempts to claim the prize for himself.
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Title: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Character: Self
Released: October 1, 1962
Type: TV
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first ten years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, the show moved permanently to Burbank, California. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked #12 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
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Title: The Lucy Show
Character: Sid Caesar
Released: October 1, 1962
Type: TV
The Lucy Show is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962–68. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to I Love Lucy. A significant change in cast and premise for the 1965–66 season divides the program into two distinct eras; aside from Ball, only Gale Gordon, who joined the program for its second season, remained. For the first three seasons, Vivian Vance was the co-star. The earliest scripts were entitled The Lucille Ball Show, but when this title was declined, producers thought of calling the show This Is Lucy or The New Adventures of Lucy, before deciding on the title The Lucy Show. Ball won consecutive Emmy Awards as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the series' final two seasons, 1966–67 and 1967–68.
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Title: The Mike Douglas Show
Character: Self
Released: December 11, 1961
Type: TV
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.
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Title: Checkmate
Character: Johnny Wilder
Released: September 17, 1960
Type: TV
Checkmate is an American detective television series starring Anthony George, Sebastian Cabot, and Doug McClure. The show aired on CBS Television from 1960 to 1962 for a total of 70 episodes and was produced by Jack Benny's production company, "JaMco Productions" in co-operation with Revue Studios. Guest stars included Charles Laughton, Peter Lorre, and Lee Marvin, among many other commensurately prominent performers.
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Some of Manie's Friends
Title: Some of Manie's Friends
Released: March 10, 1959
Type: Movie
A multitude of entertainment's biggest stars come together to celebrate the life of the late Manie Sacks, recording executive for Columbia Records, and vice president of both NBC and RCA.
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Title: The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Character: Self
Released: October 5, 1956
Type: TV
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show is an American variety series hosted by Dinah Shore, and broadcast on NBC from October 1956 to June 1963. The series was sponsored by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors and its theme song, sung by Shore, was "See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet", which continued to be used in Chevrolet advertising for several more years after the cancellation of the show.
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Title: Caesar's Hour
Character: Self - Host
Released: September 27, 1954
Type: TV
Caesar's Hour is a live, hour-long American sketch comedy television program that aired on NBC from 1954 until 1957. The program starred, among others, Sid Caesar, Nanette Fabray, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris, Janet Blair and Milt Kamen, and featured a number of cameo roles by famous entertainers such as Joan Crawford and Peggy Lee. Widely considered a continuation of Caesar's earlier program, Your Show of Shows, Caesar's Hour included most of the same writers and actors, with the notable addition of Larry Gelbart in the latter show. Nanette Fabray replaced Imogene Coca, who opted to star in her own TV series in 1954, The Imogene Coca Show. The writing staff of the show was reunited in 1996 for an event at the Writers Guild Theater in Los Angeles called Caesar's Hour Revisited, excerpts of which were broadcast on PBS under the title Caesar's Writers. The full two-hour special was available on VHS as a pledge premium from PBS. It was released on DVD for the first time on December 12, 2011. The reunion featured Caesar with Mel Tolkin, Neil Simon, Danny Simon, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Larry Gelbart, Sheldon Keller, Aaron Ruben, and Gary Belkin. The moderator and researcher was Bob Claster.
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Title: General Electric Theater
Character: Nick Lucifer
Released: February 1, 1953
Type: TV
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.
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Title: Hallmark Hall of Fame
Character: Mr. Petrakis
Released: December 24, 1951
Type: TV
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The longest-running primetime series in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning during 1951 and continuing into 2013. From 1954 onward, all of its productions have been shown in color, although color television video productions were extremely rare in 1954. Many television movies have been shown on the program since its debut, though the program began with live telecasts of dramas and then changed to videotaped productions before finally changing to filmed ones. The series has received eighty Emmy Awards, twenty-four Christopher Awards, eleven Peabody Awards, nine Golden Globes, and four Humanitas Prizes. Once a common practice in American television, it is the last remaining television program such that the title includes the name of the sponsor. Unlike other long-running TV series still on the air, it differs in that it broadcasts only occasionally and not on a weekly broadcast programming schedule.
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Title: The Colgate Comedy Hour
Character: Self
Released: September 10, 1950
Type: TV
The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show starred many notable comedians and entertainers of the era, including Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Donald O'Connor, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante, Ray Bolger, Gordon MacRae, Ben Blue, Robert Paige, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Broadway dancer Wayne Lamb and Spike Jones and His City Slickers.
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Title: Your Show of Shows
Character: Himself
Released: February 25, 1950
Type: TV
Your Show of Shows was a live 90-minute variety show that was broadcast weekly in the United States on NBC, from February 25, 1950, until June 5, 1954, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. Other featured performers were Carl Reiner, Howard Morris, Bill Hayes, Judy Johnson, The Hamilton Trio and the soprano Marguerite Piazza. José Ferrer made several guest appearances on the series. The series was telecast from the now-demolished International Theatre at 5 Columbus Circle and the Century Theater, now demolished, in New York. During 2002, Your Show of Shows was ranked #30 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
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Title: What's My Line?
Character: Self - Mystery Guest
Released: February 2, 1950
Type: TV
Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions.
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Title: The Admiral Broadway Revue
Released: January 28, 1949
Type: TV
The Admiral Broadway Revue is an American variety show that ran from January 28 to June 3, 1949. The show was broadcast live on Fridays, 8-9 pm Eastern Time. and was broadcast simultaneously on both NBC and the DuMont networks.
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Title: The Ed Sullivan Show
Character: Max - scene from 'Four on a Garden'
Released: June 20, 1948
Type: TV
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
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Title: The Ed Sullivan Show
Character: Self
Released: June 20, 1948
Type: TV
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
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The Guilt of Janet Ames
Title: The Guilt of Janet Ames
Character: Sammy Weaver
Released: March 6, 1947
Type: Movie
A hard-drinking reporter tries to help the embittered widow of the soldier who had saved his life during the war.
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Tars and Spars
Title: Tars and Spars
Character: Chuck Enders
Released: January 10, 1946
Type: Movie
Howard Young is a coast guardsman who has been on shore duty for three years despite his efforts to be sent into action. His nearest approach to sea duty was on a harbor-moored life raft for 21 days as part of an experiment with a new type of vitamin gum for the government. He meets Christine Bradley, a SPAR, sent to take over his communications job and, by things he leaves unsaid, she thinks his life-raft experience was the result of a ship-wreck at sea.