The Groundlings are an improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniques were used by Del Close and other members of the Second City, located in Chicago and later St. Louis. They used these techniques to produce sketches and improvised scenes. Its name is taken from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act III, Scene II: "...to split the ears of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumbshows and noise." In 1975 the troupe purchased and moved into its current location on Melrose Avenue.
Woodward Maurice "Tex" Ritter was a pioneer of American country music, a popular singer and actor from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter acting family. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Pee-wee Herman is a comic fictional character created and portrayed by American comedian Paul Reubens. He is best known for his films and television series during the 1980s. The childlike Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that quickly led to an HBO special in 1981. As the stage performance gained further popularity, Reubens took the character to motion picture with Pee-wee's Big Adventure in 1985, toning down the adult innuendo for the appeal of children. This paved the way for Pee-wee's Playhouse, an Emmy Award-winning children's series that ran on CBS from 1986 to 1991. Another film, Big Top Pee-wee, was released in 1988, and after a lengthy hiatus, a third film, Pee-wee's Big Holiday, was released by Netflix in 2016.
The Pee-wee Herman Show is a stage show developed by Paul Reubens in 1980. It marks the first significant appearance of his comedic fictional character, Pee-wee Herman, five years before Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and six years before Pee-wee's Playhouse. The show initially debuted as a midnight show in February 1981 at the Groundlings theater, and was later moved to Los Angeles' Roxy Theatre, where the HBO cable network taped one of the shows and aired it as a special that year. This TV special was released on DVD by Image Entertainment July 18, 2006. This nightclub show had more adult humor than the later children's television series.
"Deep in the Heart of Texas" is an American popular song about Texas.
Dixieland Droopy is a 1954 animated short subject in the Droopy series, directed by Tex Avery and produced by Fred Quimby for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Numa Smith "Pee Wee" Moore was an American jazz saxophonist.
Town Hall Party was an American country music program, firstly broadcast on radio and then television
Trouble in Texas is a 1937 American Western film directed by Robert N. Bradbury and starring Tex Ritter and White Flash.
The Mystery of the Hooded Horsemen is a 1937 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor. It was singing cowboy Tex Ritter's eighth film for Grand National Pictures.
The Utah Trail is a 1938 American Western film directed by Albert Herman. It was Tex Ritter's final film for Grand National Films.
Where the Buffalo Roam is a 1938 American Western film directed by Albert Herman and starring Tex Ritter.
Down the Wyoming Trail is a 1939 American Western film directed by Albert Herman and starring Tex Ritter.
Pee-wee's Big Holiday is a 2016 American adventure comedy film directed by John Lee and written by Paul Reubens and Paul Rust. The film stars Reubens as Pee-wee Herman and Joe Manganiello as himself. The film was released on March 18, 2016, on Netflix.
Tex Rides with the Boy Scouts is a 1937 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor and starring singing cowboy Tex Ritter and Troop 13 Los Angeles District Boy Scouts of America. The film was shot in Old Kernville, California and premiered on Broadway in November 1937.
Rollin' Home to Texas is a 1940 American Western film directed by Albert Herman and written by Robert Emmett Tansey. The film stars Tex Ritter, Cal Shrum, Slim Andrews, Virginia Carpenter, Eddie Dean and Jack Rutherford. The film was released on December 30, 1940, by Monogram Pictures.
Starlight Over Texas is a 1938 American Western film directed by Albert Herman and written by John Rathmell. The film stars Tex Ritter in his first film for Monogram Pictures, Carmen Laroux, Rosa Turich, Karl Hackett, Horace Murphy and Snub Pollard. The film was released on September 7, 1938, by Monogram Pictures.
Sundown on the Prairie is a 1939 American Western film directed by Albert Herman and written by William L. Nolte and Edmond Kelso. The film stars Tex Ritter, Dorothy Fay, Horace Murphy, Karl Hackett, Charles King and Hank Worden. The film was released on February 8, 1939, by Monogram Pictures.
Rollin' Westward is a 1939 American Western film directed by Albert Herman and written by Fred Myton. The film stars Tex Ritter, Dorothy Fay, Horace Murphy, Slim Whitaker, Herbert Corthell and Harry Harvey Sr. The film was released on March 1, 1939, by Monogram Pictures.
Riders of the Rockies is a 1937 American Western film directed by Robert North Bradbury and written by Robert Emmett Tansey and Norman Leslie. The film stars Tex Ritter, Louise Stanley, Horace Murphy, Snub Pollard, Earl Dwire and Charles King. The film was released on July 2, 1937, by Grand National Films Inc.
