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1-16 of 16
- Frances Belle O'Connor was born on September 8, 1914 in Granite Falls, Reville County, Minnesota. She was born without arms, but learned to use her feet in incredibly dexterous ways. Combining her physical beauty and an outgoing personality, it made her a natural for the sideshow circuit. Billed as "The Living Venus de Milo," and with her mother as manager, she worked with various circuses such as Al G. Barnes, Cole Brothers and Sells-Floto before she settled at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, where she worked for over 20 years until the mid-1940s.
Frances was remarkably agile with her feet, and during her act she would smoke a cigarette, drink coffee, use a knife and fork to cut her food, dab the corners of her mouth with a napkin, all with a ballerina-like grace. The most startling part of her act was when she would demonstrate her talent with firearms, and she would close her show by signing autographs. Because her legs functioned as her arms, Frances was obviously able to show her legs a great deal, and the innocent sexual undertones of her act actually benefited her in the particularly prudish era of the 1930's. Her beauty attracted scores of men and eligible suitors, and she reputedly turned down hundreds of marriage proposals during her career.
O'Connor appeared with numerous other human oddities in Freaks (1932), and performed various daily tasks which were complete normal to her. During the sequence at the wedding feast, she wears a pretty costume that had no sleeves at all, leaving her shoulders entirely bare and revealing the smooth skin where her arms would be. Unfortunately, this was Frances' only screen appearance.
Shortly after her mother passed away, Frances lost interest in the rigours of traveling and performing, and decided to completely retire from show business, disappeared into obscurity almost overnight. She spent the remainder of her days with her favorite hobby, knitting and sewing, and despite having many suitors in her lifetime, she never married and had no children. She passed away on January 30, 1982 in Long Beach, California at the age of 67. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Winifred Freedman was born on 23 July 1957 in Granite City, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for Evolution (2001), The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) and The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988). She is married to Scott Harlan.- Stunts
- Actress
Alicia Skirball was born in Granite City, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for Wanted (2008), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Divergent (2014). She has been married to Alex Tosspon since 6 July 2007.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
He was obviously handed one of those unique stage names, like Lash La Rue, in order for audiences (especially the kiddies) to immediately associate him with western heroics and the trademark he would be remembered for in films. Not one of the better remembered sagebrush heroes in today's world, Whip Wilson came along at the tail end of the huge western craze of the late 40s and early 50s and managed a three-year career at Monogram Pictures that encompassed about two dozen oaters.
Born with the more proper name of Roland Charles Meyers on June 16, 1911, in Granite, Illinois, he was one of eight children. A talented singer before going to Hollywood, he supposedly sang in a few pictures but was not considered or ever promoted as a "singing cowboy" per se. It was Scott R. Dunlap, a Monogram Pictures studio executive, who handed Whip his career on a silver platter. A close friend and business partner of the late western star Buck Jones, Dunlap had been searching for a replacement ever since Buck perished in the Boston Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire in 1942. He was caught off guard when he met Whip, who happened to bear a strong resemblance to Jones. Dunlop excitedly signed him up despite having no prior experience. Cowboy star Lash La Rue had already displayed cowboy heroics cracking a bull whip so Dunlap decided to capitalize on the popular gimmick and handed Wilson a whip as well, grooming him into a combination of LaRue and Buck Jones.
To whip up (sorry) a bit of experience in front of the camera, Dunlap gave the movie tenderfoot a part in the Jimmy Wakely oater Silver Trails (1948). By the next year Whip was starring in his own tailor-made vehicles, the first being Crashing Thru (1949) as a white-hatted, white steed-mounting hero, accompanied by his very own sidekick in the form of veteran comic actor Andy Clyde. After about a dozen pictures, Clyde left the series and was replaced by Fuzzy Knight and/or Jim Bannon. Both blonde bombshell Reno Browne and dark-haired beauty Phyllis Coates served as frequent "prairie flower" co-stars in Whip's films. Browne was once married to cowboy actor LaRue and Coates was better known for playing Lois Lane on film and TV's Adventures of Superman (1952).
After only three years as a movie cowboy Whip rode off into the sunset after starring in the western programmer Wyoming Roundup (1952). He worked only one more time in the industry when he was hired to provide whip-wielding instructions to Burt Lancaster in a couple of scenes and also appeared unbilled in the western The Kentuckian (1955). He managed a Los Angeles apartment complex in later years. Whip died of a heart attack on October 22, 1964 at the relatively young age of 53, and was survived by third wife Monica. He had no children and was buried in his native state of Illinois.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Julie Conway was born on 20 August 1919 in Granite City, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Swing Fever (1943), Around the World (1943) and Stage Door Canteen (1943). She died on 12 January 1988 in Monterey, California, USA.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Brayden Patterson is an Actor, American Film Director, and producer.
He is signed with Azalea Agency to represent him for his local St. Louis, Missouri market.
Brayden has performed many smaller roles in large productions and has performed lead roles in small productions. He is looking for his chance to play a larger role in a big production!- Janet Koth was born on 18 November 1955 in Granite City, Illinois, USA. She is married to Kurt Koth. They have two children.
- Robert Wells was born on 31 August 1979 in Granite City, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for The Riddle of the Spider's Web (2019), Black Mamba (2019) and Broken Faith (2012).
- Dustin Wilkinson was born on 18 August 1975 in Granite City, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Limitless Potential (2015), Eli Stone (2008) and Entourage (2004).
- Writer
- Composer
- Music Department
Jim Eiler was born on 6 April 1927 in Granite City, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and composer, known for Aladdin (1990), Pinocchio (1965) and Jack and the Beanstalk (1965). He died on 20 July 2010 in Boca Raton, Florida, USA.- Andrew Goodpaster is an American Army General. He served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe from July 1, 1969, and Commander in Chief of the United States European Command from May 5, 1969, until his retirement December 17, 1974. As such, he was the commander of all NATO and United States military forces stationed in Europe and the surrounding regions.
General Goodpaster returned to service in June 1977 as the 51st Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, until he retired again in July 1981. - Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
Ray Myint was born on 11 April 1980 in Granite City, Illinois, USA. Ray is a cinematographer, known for Geitzler's Asylum (2014), Sound of Nothing (2013) and A Flag Day Story (2013).- Randy Fasani was born on 18 September 1978 in Granite City, California, USA.
- Camera and Electrical Department
Craig Kelly was born on 1 April 1966 in Granite City, Illinois, USA. He is known for Let It Ride (2006), Ride (2000) and Freeriders (1998). He died on 20 January 2003 in Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada.- Dal Maxvill was born on 18 February 1939 in Granite City, Illinois, USA.
- George Becker was born on 20 October 1928 in Granite City, Illinois, USA. He was married to Jane Goforth. He died on 3 February 2007 in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, USA.