John Chester Brooks Morris (February 16, 1901 - September 11, 1970) was an American actor. is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the state. ... is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... New Hope, formerly known as Coryells Ferry, is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 2,252 at the 2000 census. ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Chester Morris is most famous for his role in the Boston Blackie detective series of the 1940s. He was a dark, handsome, firm-jawed actor who appealed to both men and women for his confidence and good-natured humor. Boston Blackie was a character introduced by Jack Boyle who was featured in a series of mystery films during the silent movie era and in the 1940s. ... The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949. ...

Career

Born in New York City, the son of actor William Morris. He made his Broadway debut at 15 in Lionel Barrymore's The Copperhead. At 17 he billed himself as "the youngest leading man in the country". His film career began in 1917 in An Amateur Orphan. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe on April 28, 1878 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – November 15, 1954 in Van Nuys, California) was an American Academy Award Winning actor of stage, radio and film. ... See also: 1916 in film 1917 1918 in film years in film film Events Technicolor is introduced Top grossing films Cleopatra Movies released Movies released in 1917 include: The Adventurer, a Charlie Chaplin short. ...

Throughout the 1930s, he effortlessly switched between tough guy and slick debonair love interest roles. Morris was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for Alibi (1929) directed by Roland West. He also starred in The Bat Whispers (1930) and Corsair (1931), both directed by West. The Bat Whispers was notable as one of the first films to use the "Magna Screen" 70mm process. Sound films were just taking hold at the time, however theatres were not willing to pay for the added expense of 70mm projectors and larger, wider screens on top of the cost of sound equipment. The process was abandoned until the 1950s, when film studios used it to lure customers away from their TV sets. Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... For alibi used in the sense of a legal defense, see the Wiktionary entry Alibi. ... Roland West (20 February 1885 – 31 March 1952) was a Hollywood director known for his innovative film noir movies of the 1920s. ... 70 mm film (or 65 mm film) is a high-resolution motion picture film format. ... 1902 poster advertising Gaumonts sound films, depicting an optimistically vast auditorium A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. ...

Perhaps his finest role was in the early prison film The Big House (1930), which was a huge success and propelled his career. His career gradually declined in the late 1930s, with roles in B-movies such as Smashing the Rackets (1938) and Five Came Back (1939). His career was revived during the 1940s when from 1941 to 1949 he played the character Boston Blackie in 14 movies (all produced by Columbia Pictures) and one season of radio shows. The Big House is a 1930 film that was written by Joseph Farnham, Martin Flavin, Frances Marion and Lennox Robinson; it was directed by George W. Hill. ... See also: 1929 in film 1930 1931 in film 1930s in film 1920s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films The Indians Are Coming Madam Satan Der Blaue Engel Academy Awards Best Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front - Universal Studios Best Actress: Norma Shearer - The Divorcee... See also: 1929 in film 1930 1931 in film 1930s in film 1920s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films The Indians Are Coming Madam Satan Der Blaue Engel Academy Awards Best Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front - Universal Studios Best Actress: Norma Shearer - The Divorcee... The term B-movie originally referred to a film designed to be distributed as the lower half of a double feature, often a genre film featuring cowboys, gangsters or vampires. ... See also: 1937 in film 1937 1939 in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of Dorothy in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. ... Five Came Back is a 1939 disaster film, which predated many of the more famous air disaster films, such as Airport. ... The year 1939 in film involved some significant events. ... Boston Blackie was a character introduced by Jack Boyle who was featured in a series of mystery films during the silent movie era and in the 1940s. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ...

Through the 1950s and 1960s he worked mainly in TV with occasional forays into regional theatre. After his last Boston Blackie movie, he only performed in three more movies, including his final role in The Great White Hope (1970). The Great White Hope is a Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-winning play written by Howard Sackler and first produced by Arena Stage in Washington, DC in 1967 that was the basis for the 1970 film of the same name. ... // Events February 11 - The film The Magic Christian, starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr premieres in New York City. ...

Morris was dying of cancer when he committed suicide in room 202 at the Holiday Inn of New Hope by taking an overdose of barbiturates in 1970. At the time of his death, he was appearing in a stage production of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Barbiturates are drugs that acts as central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and by virtue of this they produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to anesthesia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... The Bucks County Playhouse is the State Theatre of Pennsylvania, and is located in New Hope, Pennsylvania. ... New Hope, formerly known as Coryells Ferry, is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 2,252 at the 2000 census. ...

Partial filmography

• Alibi (1929)
• She Couldn't Say No (1930)
• The Divorcee (1930)
• The Big House (1930)
• Red-Headed Woman (1932)
• The Gay Bride (1934)
• Three Godfathers (1936)
• Five Came Back (1939)
• Thunder Afloat (1939)
• Tornado (1943)
• The Chance of a Lifetime (1943)
• Gambler's Choice (1944)
• Double Exposure (1944)
• Unchained (1955)
• The She Creature (1957)
• The Great White Hope (1970)

For alibi used in the sense of a legal defense, see the Wiktionary entry Alibi. ... The Divorcee is a 1930 film that was written by Nick Grindé, John Meehan and Zelda Sears, from the novel Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott. ... The Big House is a 1930 film that was written by Joseph Farnham, Martin Flavin, Frances Marion and Lennox Robinson; it was directed by George W. Hill. ... Red-Headed Woman is a 1932 film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, based on a novel by Katherine Brush, and with a screenplay by Anita Loos. ... The Gay Bride is a 1934 black-and-white gangster film starring Carole Lombard as a wisecracking gold-digger and Chester Morris as the poor man she despises. ... Five Came Back is a 1939 disaster film, which predated many of the more famous air disaster films, such as Airport. ... Thunder Afloat is a 1939 World War II naval film starring Wallace Beery and Chester Morris. ... Tornado is a 1943 film starring Chester Morris and Nancy Kelly. ... The Chance of a Lifetime is a crime drama starring Chester Morris, Erik Rolf and Jeanne Bates made in 1943. ... Unchained is a 1955 prison film based on the non-fiction book Prisoners are People by Kenyon J. Scudder. ... The Great White Hope is a Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-winning play written by Howard Sackler and first produced by Arena Stage in Washington, DC in 1967 that was the basis for the 1970 film of the same name. ...

External links

• Chester Morris at the Internet Movie Database