Alan Mowbray ... as Marlowe 

Born to a non-theatrical British family, Alan Mowbray was in his later years vague concerning the exact date that he took to the stage. In some accounts, he was touring the provinces before joining the British Navy in World War I; in others, he turned to acting after the war, purportedly because he was broke and had no discernible "practical" skills. No matter when he began, Mowbray climbed relatively quickly to Broadway and London stardom, spending several seasons on the road with the Theater Guild; his favorite stage parts were those conceived by Bernard Shaw and Noel Coward. Turning to films in the early talkie era, Mowbray received good notices for his portrayal of George Washington in 1931's Alexander Hamilton (a characterization he'd repeat along more comic lines for the 1945 musical Where Do We Go From Here?). He also had the distinction of appearing with three of the screen's Sherlock Holmeses: Clive Brook (Sherlock Holmes [1932]), Reginald Owen (A Study in Scarlet [1933], in which Mowbray played Lestrade), and Basil Rathbone (Terror by Night [1946]). John Ford fans will remember Mowbray's brace of appearances as alcoholic ham actors in My Darling Clementine (1946) and Wagonmaster (1950). Lovers of film comedies might recall Mowbray's turns as the long-suffering butler in the first two Topper films and as "the Devil Himself" (as he was billed) in the 1942 Hal Roach streamliner The Devil With Hitler. And there was one bona fide romantic lead (in Technicolor yet), opposite Miriam Hopkins in Becky Sharp (1935). Otherwise, Mowbray was shown to best advantage in his many "pompous blowhard" roles, and in his frequent appearances as the "surprise" killer in murder mysteries (Charlie Chan in London, The Case Against Mrs. Ames, Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer: Boris Karloff, and so many others). In his off hours, Mowbray was a member of several acting fraternities, and also of the Royal Geographic Society. One of Alan Mowbray's favorite roles was as the softhearted con man protagonist in the TV series Colonel Humphrey Flack, which ran on the Dumont network in 1953, then as a syndicated series in 1958. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide (photo from screwball family & friends)

Meg Myles ... as Miss B

Meg Myles is best known as a pin-up model of the 1950's and early 1960's, but she also enjoyed a film career, as a featured actress, star, and supporting player, and a respected career on the legitimate stage. She was born Billie Jean Jones in Seattle, Washington, in 1932 (or 1933 -- some sources disagree) and took dance lessons as a girl. She was determined to have a career in show business, majoring in dance and health ed at the College of the Pacific, and was discovered and signed by an agent before she graduated. Her extraordinary physique -- a reputed 42-24-36 -- led to walk-on parts on television shows with Bob Hope, among other stars. Although Myles' early appearances were limited to being a living set decoration, she was determined to develop her acting skills as well as her singing, which led to engagements at various West Coast nightclubs. Her physique made her a favorite of men's magazines of the era, but in 1954 she landed a small comic relief role -- involving singing and her physique -- in the feature film Dragnet, portraying a Cuban singer. The following year, she played a singer in Phil Karlson's feature The Phenix City Story (1955), in which she sang the title song -- Myles was also selected to perform on the national tour promoting the movie, and got a major label recording contract out of it. The late 50's saw her largely absent from the big screen, however, despite the fact that she was one of the top pin-up models in the world at the time. According to some accounts, she was blackballed from the industry because of her insistence on restricting the types of costumes and still photographs in which she would allow herself to appear, and reports of an alleged romance between her and Sammy Davis Jr. -- the United States was just entering the era of raised consciousness about its racial problems at the time, and even rumors of such a relationship would have made her too controversial for many producers. Myles' major screen appearance during this period was in Calypso Heat Wave, which also included Joel Grey, the Treniers, the Tarriers, the Hi-Lo's and Maya Angelou in its cast. Myles was mostly seen on television until 1961, when she got a major role in the movie Satan In High Heels. Considered a campy classic today, the movie was an outrageous piece of exploitation filmmaking in its time and one that did Myles little good in trying for a mainstream Hollywood career. She mostly worked on stage for the next few years, developing a following in New York City and honing her skills as an actress. She next surfaced in Don Siegel Coogan's Bluff (1968) and Sidney Lumet The Anderson Tapes (1971), by which time Myles was much better known for her theatrical work, including performances at the New York Shakespeare Festival. Her last film to date was the drama Touched (1981). ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

 Joseph Stein ... Writter

Joseph Stein is a musical theatre librettist and playwright living in New York City. He won the Tony Award and the NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical for writing FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. His other musical include ZORBA (Tony nomination, Drama Critics Circle Award), THE BAKER'S WIFE, (Oliver Award, Critic Circle Award), RAGS, (Tony nomination), IRENE, JUNO, TAKE ME ALONG, THE KING OF HEARTS, and SO LONG, 174th STREET. He also co-authored, with Alan Jay Lerner, the musical CARMELINA and, with Will Glickman, the show PLAIN AND FANCY and MR. WONDERFUL. His plays are ENTER LAUGHING, BEFORE THE DAWN, and , with Will Glickman, MRS. GIBBONS' BOYS. Mr. Stein began his careet in television and radio, writing "The Sid Caesar Show," "Your Show of Shows," "The Henry Morgan Show," and many others. He wrote the screenplays of ENTER THE LAUGHING and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, for which he won the Screen Writers Guild Award. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild Council and is married to Elisa Stein, a psychotherapist.