Ragtime is a 1981 American drama film directed by Miloš Forman, based on the 1975 historical novel Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow. The film is set in and around turn-of-the-century New York City, New Rochelle, and Atlantic City, and includes fictionalized references to actual people and events of the time. The film stars James Cagney, Mary Steenburgen, Howard Rollins, Brad Dourif, James Olson and Elizabeth McGovern, features the final film appearances of Cagney and Pat O'Brien, and features early appearances in small parts by Jeff Daniels, Fran Drescher, Samuel L. Jackson, Ethan Phillips and John Ratzenberger.
Stanford White was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the wealthy, in addition to numerous civic, institutional, and religious buildings. His temporary Washington Square Arch was so popular that he was commissioned to design a permanent one. His design principles embodied the "American Renaissance".
Harry Kendall Thaw was the son of American coal and railroad baron William Thaw Sr. Heir to a multimillion-dollar fortune, the younger Thaw is most notable for murdering the renowned architect Stanford White in front of hundreds of witnesses at the rooftop theatre of New York City's Madison Square Garden on June 25, 1906.
Evelyn Nesbit was an American artists' model, chorus girl, and actress. She is best known for her career in New York City, as well as the obsessive and abusive fixation of her husband, railroad scion Harry Kendall Thaw on both Nesbit and architect Stanford White, which resulted in White's murder by Thaw in 1906.
Russell William Thaw was an American airplane pilot. While working as the chief pilot for the Guggenheim family, he was sponsored for air races and excursions. He served during World War II in the United States Army Air Force, and later became a test pilot for the Douglas Aircraft Company in California. In 1948 he was the first person to fly the Douglas XF3D-1.
Thaw or THAW may refer to:
The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing is a 1955 American film directed by Richard Fleischer from a screenplay by Walter Reisch and Charles Brackett, and starring Joan Collins, Ray Milland, and Farley Granger. The CinemaScope film was released by Twentieth Century-Fox, which had originally planned to put Marilyn Monroe in the title role, and then suspended her when she refused to do the film.
Never Say Quit is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Edward Dillon. It was produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation.
Heart of the Wilds is a lost 1918 American silent drama film directed by Marshall Neilan and starring Elsie Ferguson. The story is from "Pierre and His People", by Gilbert Parker, which Edgar Selwyn also based his play Pierre of the Plains on. Ferguson had become a star in 1908 in Selwyn's Broadway play.
Wild, Wild Susan is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and starring popular Bebe Daniels. Famous Players–Lasky produced and Paramount Pictures distributed.
Broadway Jones is a lost 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Joseph Kaufman and starring George M. Cohan, in his film debut, in a motion picture based on his 1912 play, Broadway Jones.
The Hidden Woman is a lost 1922 American silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Evelyn Nesbit in her final full-length feature film. The film was claimed to be made in 1916 and not released until 1922, but this is impossible since Anne Shirley is a cast member and she was born in 1918. Nesbit's son, Russell Thaw, has a role in the film.
Redemption is a lost 1917 American silent drama film starring Evelyn Nesbit. It was co-directed by Joseph A. Golden and Julius Steiger. The story depicted in the film has strong similarities to Nesbit's own scandalous public life. Nesbit's young son Russell Thaw co-stars with her.
The Woman Who Gave is a lost 1918 American silent melodrama film directed by Kenean Buel and starring Evelyn Nesbit, a former Gibson Girl, "It girl" model and showgirl involved in a 1906 "trial of the century" that involved a killing and an allegation of rape – whose films often exploited the fame of her life story. The film was produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation. The film went into release the day before fighting in World War I ended.
A Fallen Idol is a lost 1919 American silent melodrama film starring Evelyn Nesbit, a famed former model and Broadway showgirl who had been at the center of two highly publicized court trials after her wealthy husband shot and killed a prominent architect in 1906 in front of hundreds of witnesses. The plot has some parallels with Nesbit's well-known life story, as do most of the films in which she appeared – exploiting her fame to attract audiences to her films. As in her life, the story centers around a beautiful woman pursued by two male rivals and a rape by a man of wealth and power. Other aspects of the story are quite different from those of her life. Nesbit plays a Hawaiian princess.
Joseph W. Smiley was an actor and director in the United States. His films include The Gray Horror (1915), The Other Sister (1915) and The Living Fear (1914), as well as many other films. He was married to the Scottish actress Lila Leslie. He died on December 2, 1945, in New York City, New York, USA.
My Little Sister is a lost 1919 silent film drama directed by Kenean Buel and starring Evelyn Nesbit. It was produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation.
The Price of Pride is a lost 1917 American silent Western film directed by Harley Knoles and starring Carlyle Blackwell, June Elvidge and Evelyn Greeley.
The Road to France is a 1918 American silent war drama film directed by Dell Henderson and starring Carlyle Blackwell, Evelyn Greeley and Jack Drumier.
Hitting the Trail is a 1918 American silent crime drama film directed by Dell Henderson and starring Carlyle Blackwell, Evelyn Greeley and George MacQuarrie.
