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Henry Koster (birth Name Hermann Kosterlitz; 1 May 1905, Berlin, Germany - 21 September 1988, Camarillo, California, USA) was an film director.

Henry Koster was born Herman Kosterlitz in Berlin, Germany, on May 1, 1905. His maternal grandfather was a famous operatic tenor, Julius Salomon (who died of tuberculosis in the 1880s). His father was a salesman of ladies unmentionables who left the family while Henry was at a young age, leaving him to support the family. He still managed to finish gymnasium (high school) in Berlin while working as a short-story writer and cartoonist. He was introduced to movies in 1910 when his Uncle Richard opened a movie theater in Berlin and his mother went there every day to play the piano to accompany the films. Henry went with her, day care being nonexistent then, and he had to sit for a couple of hours a day staring at the movie screen. He achieved success as a short-story writer at age 17, resulting in his being hired by a Berlin movie company as a scenarist. He became an assistant to director Curtis Bernhardt. Bernhardt became sick one day and asked Henry to direct (this was around 1931 or 1932). He had directed two films in Berlin for UFA when Adolf Hitler came to power. He was in the midst of directing a film, Das Hässliche Mädchen, at that point, and having already been the victim of anti-Semitism, he knew he had to leave Germany, and soon. Any hesitation he may have had about leaving the country was erased when, at a bank on his lunch hour one day, a Nazi SA officer insulted him, and Henry hit the Nazi so hard he knocked him out. He proceeded to go directly to the railroad station and took a train for France. Upon arriving in France he was rehired by Bernhardt (who had left earlier). Eventually Henry went to Budapest and met and married Kato Kiraly (1934). It was there he met producer Joe Pasternak, who represented Universal Pictures in Europe, and directed four films for him.

In 1936 he was signed to a contract with Universal and brought to Hollywood with Pasternak, several other refugees and his wife. At first he had some troubles at the studio (he didn't speak English), but eventually convinced Universal to let him make Three Smart Girls (1936) with Deanna Durbin and coached Durbin, who was 14 years old. The picture was a huge success and pulled Universal from the verge of bankruptcy. His second film, One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937) with Durbin and Leopold Stokowski, put Universal, Durbin, Pasternak and himself on top. He went on to do numerous musicals and family comedies during the late 1930s and early 1940s, many with Betty Grable, Durbin and other musical stars of the era. He stayed at Universal until 1941 or so, then worked for MGM and around 1948 moved over to 20th Century-Fox. He was nominated for an Academy Award for The Bishop's Wife (1947).

In 1950 he directed what was his biggest success to date, the James Stewart comedy Harvey (1950), but, although many in the industry thought it would be nominated for Best Picture, it wasn't. He directed the first American film in which Richard Burton appeared, My Cousin Rachel (1952), then was assigned by 20th Century-Fox to direct its first CinemaScope picture, The Robe (1953), also with Burton, which was a tremendous success. He directed a few more costume dramas, such as Desirée (1954) with Marlon Brando, then went back to family comedies and musicals, such as Flower Drum Song (1961) for Universal. After he finished The Singing Nun (1966) he retired from the film business to Leisure Village, Camarillo, California, to indulge his lifelong interest in painting. He did a series of portraits of the movie stars with whom he worked.

О Леопольде Стоковском см. например http://raritetclassic.com/load/4-1-0-218

Дина Дурбин (англ. Deanna Durbin; настоящее имя — Эдна Мэй Дурбин; род. 4 декабря 1921, Виннипег, Канада) — американская киноактриса, звезда Голливуда 40-х годов XX века. На фотографии - стоит рядом с сидящей за роялем Джуди Гарланд.

Дина Дурбин родилась 4 декабря 1921 года в Канаде в городе Виннипег (провинция Манитоба) в семье иммигрантов из Англии.

С детских лет её отличало пристрастие к музыке и прекрасный голос. В четырнадцатилетнем возрасте она заключила контракт с киностудией MGM на съёмки в короткометражных фильмах соместно с Джуди Гарленд. Первый успех пришёл к ней после съёмок в мюзикле «Каждое воскресенье». Однако руководство студии не захотело продлевать контракт с Диной Дурбин и она перешла сниматься в киностудию Universal Pictures. Первый же фильм «Три милых девушки» вновь стал для неё успешным. В 1938 году она получила престижную кинопремию «Оскар» в номинации «Оскар-младший». В 1940 году она была самой высокооплачиваемой актрисой в США, получая за съёмки в одном фильме 400 000 долларов.

Основным амплуа Дины Дурбин были роли маленьких Золушек. Такой её видели режиссёры и зрители. В середине 40-х годов она попыталась сняться в более сложных ролях в фильмах «Рождество» и «Леди в поезде», но публика не приняла эти роли: зрители предпочли видеть её в ролях тех девушек-подростков, в которых она появлялась на экране.

В 1948 году руководство киностудии расторгло контракт с Диной Дурбин, заявив, что она слишком стара, чтобы играть роли молоденьких девушек, а для более сложных ролей она не слишком талантлива. При этом руководство студии забыло, что именно фильм «Три милые девушки» в своё время спас киностудию от банкротства.

1948 и 1949 годы стали самой чёрной полосой в жизни Дины Дурбин: прекратились съёмки в кинофильмах, развод с мужем. Её в этот сложное время поддержали 2 человека: сценарист Джо Пастернак и французский кинорежиссёр Шарль Давид. Первый предложил ей вернуться работать на киностудию MGM, но она отказалась, а за второго она вышла замуж и уехала в Париж. В брачном контракте было записано, что она имеет право жить в безвестности. Этот пункт был включён по её настоянию. С тех пор она практически никому не даёт интервью, делая исключения в самых редких случаях. А добивающимся интервью журналистам, она отвечает по телефону, что может сказать только одно: «Я ненавижу Голливуд!»

Деньги, которые она заработала на съёмках, вложенные в бизнес, позволили ей вести вполне обеспеченный образ жизни.

В 1999 году её муж Шарль Давид скончался и с тех пор Дина Дурбин проживает в городке Нофль-ле-Шато около Парижа.

Adolphe Jean Menjou (February 18, 1890 – October 29, 1963) was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies, appearing in such films as The Sheik, A Woman of Paris, Morroco, and A Star is Born. He was nominated for an Academy Award for The Front Page in 1931.

Menjou was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to a French father and an Irish mother from Galway. He was raised Roman Catholic and attended the Culver Military Academy, graduating from Cornell University with a degree in engineering. Attracted to the vaudeville stage, he made his movie debut in 1916 in The Blue Envelope Mystery. During World War I, he served as a captain in the ambulance service.

Returning from the war, he became a star in such films as The Sheik and The Three Musketeers. When he starred in 1923's A Woman of Paris, he solidified the image of a well-dressed man-about-town. Menjou was famous for wearing fine clothing in many of his films. His career stalled with the coming of talkies, but in 1930, he starred in Morocco, with Marlene Dietrich. He was nominated for an Academy Award for The Front Page (1931).

In 1947, Menjou cooperated with the House Committee on Un-American Activities in its hunt for Communists in Hollywood. Menjou was a leading member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, a self-styled patriotic group formed to oppose Communist influence in Hollywood. Other members included Barbara Stanwyck (with whom he co-starred in Golden Boy in 1939) and her husband, actor Robert Taylor.

Because of his political sympathies, Menjou came into conflict with actress Katharine Hepburn. Menjou appeared with her in the films Stage Door and State of the Union, which also starred Spencer Tracy. Having been mistakenly suspected of Communist sympathies herself, Hepburn was strongly opposed to Americans informing on their fellow citizens. It was reported by William Mann in his biography Kate that during the filming of State of the Union, she and Menjou only spoke to each other when required to in the film script.

Menjou ended his film career with such roles as French General George Broulard in 1957's Paths of Glory, and as the town curmudgeon in Pollyanna in 1960.

He guest starred as Fitch, with Orson Bean and Sue Randall as John and Ellen Monroe, in the 1961 episode, "The Secret Life of James Thurber", based on the works of the American humorist James Thurber, in the CBS anthology series The DuPont Show with June Allyson.

In 1948, he published his autobiography, It Took Nine Tailors. He died on October 29, 1963 of hepatitis. He is interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Menjou has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6822 Hollywood Blvd.

Об остальных актерах и прочих участниках фильма см. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029347/

Henry Koster.

"One Hundred Men and a Girl” (1937), DVDRip.

Благодарю за эту запись человека, который именует себя Misha_K.