Gypsy Wildcat is a 1944 Technicolor adventure film directed by Roy William Neil starring Maria Montez , Jon Hall and Peter Coe. It was co-written by James M. Cain .
85-492: A king's messenger ( Jon Hall ) protects a Gypsy dancer ( Maria Montez ) from a wicked baron who knows her secret. After the success of Arabian Nights Universal requested a series of films starring Montez, Hall and Sabu. It was followed by White Savage and Cobra Woman . The studio then requested three more, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves , a gypsy tale, Zorya , and a tale of the modernisation of Turkey. James Hogan
170-524: A pilot for an unsold series, Knight of the South Seas for his own company, Lovina Productions. It was not picked up for series but the pilot was edited into a film, Hell Ship Mutiny (1957). He returned to feature films with Forbidden Island (1959), made at Columbia by Charles B. Griffith . He said he wished to follow it with three more movies, two set in the Orient and one a Western. However
255-407: A semi-arid climate ( Köppen climate classification BSh , bordering BSk ), with cool, mild winters and long, hot, dry summers. December and January are the coldest months, averaging 47.5 °F (8.6 °C) and 48.0 °F (8.9 °C), respectively; mornings see temperatures at or below freezing, with the coldest night of the year typically bottoming out around 29 °F (−1.7 °C). July
340-627: A Western, and On the Isle of Samoa (1950), a South Seas tale. He was meant to appear in Last of the Buccaneers for Katzman, but Paul Henreid played the role. In June 1950, he signed a new three-picture contract with Katzman and Hall's wife, Frances Langford , signed a two-picture contract. They both starred in Hurricane Island (1951), and Katzman scheduled Thief of Damascus for
425-525: A bona fide classic from a master director, appeared in a string of beloved cult pictures (covering camp, horror and “I can’t believe they made that”), formed one-third of a legendary on-screen team, had an exotic love life and tragic death, got involved in a Hollywood scandal and was a genuine renaissance man IRL, reinventing himself several times. Born in Fresno, California , and raised in Tahiti by his father,
510-473: A comedy with Nancy Kelly that was developed by Goldwyn and sold to 20th Century Fox; South of Pago Pago (1940), a South Seas adventure for producer Edward Small ; and Kit Carson (1940), in the title role, again for Edward Small. Dorothy Lamour had gone to Paramount, and they reunited her with Hall in the South Seas tale, Aloma of the South Seas (1941). He stayed in that genre for The Tuttles of Tahiti (1942) with Charles Laughton at RKO , from
595-593: A lake, three small ponds, seven picnic areas, and five miles (8 km) of multipurpose trails that are part of the San Joaquin River Parkway's Lewis S. Eaton Trail. When complete, the Lewis S. Eaton trail system will cover 22 miles (35 km) between Highway 99 and Friant Dam. The park's amphitheatre was renovated in 2010, and has hosted performances by acts such as Deftones , Tech N9ne , and Sevendust as well as numerous others. Woodward Park hosts
680-626: A novel by Nordhoff and Hall. Goldwyn agreed to share Hall's contract with Universal Pictures , which put him in a supporting role in Eagle Squadron (1942), produced by Walter Wanger and directed by Arthur Lubin . It was a huge hit. They gave him the lead in Invisible Agent (1942), the fourth in their "Invisible Man" series. Wanger called upon Hall for another movie at Universal, a big budget "exotic" spectacular co-starring Maria Montez and Sabu , Arabian Nights (1942). It
765-594: A predecessor of the Fresno Irrigation District. In 1872, the Central Pacific Railroad established a station near Easterby's—by now a hugely productive wheat farm—for its new Southern Pacific line. Soon there was a store near the station and the store grew into the town of Fresno Station, later called Fresno. At that time, Mariposa street was the main artery, a rough dusty or muddy depression. Many Millerton residents, drawn by
850-409: A result of the sting. In the early 2000s, Fresno's two major venues were built, Chukchansi Park (2002) and Save Mart Center (2003). The 2017 Fresno shootings resulted in the death of 4 people. Fresno has a total area of 116 square miles (300 km ) with 98.96% land covering 114.79 square miles (297.3 km ), and 1.04% water, 1.21 square miles (3.1 km ). Fresno's location, very near
935-786: A role in Charlie Chan Goes To Egypt . He did not appear in that movie, but he did have an uncredited bit in Here's to Romance and he played the romantic male lead in Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935). After that, the studio released him from his contract. Hall recalled, "for the next three years I took whatever jobs in pictures they'd give me." He had supporting roles in Westerns: The Mysterious Avenger (1936), at Columbia; Winds of
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#17328022523891020-572: A set-up at Columbia Pictures . Their association began with Last of the Redmen (1947), an adaptation of Last of the Mohicans , for which he had been borrowed from Sam Goldwyn. He followed it with The Prince of Thieves (1948), playing Robin Hood , and The Mutineers (1949). Hall was in three films for director William Berke ; Zamba (1949), an adventure tale; Deputy Marshall (1949),
1105-550: A small wooden depot in 1872. In 1889, the Southern Pacific Railroad, which had acquired Central Pacific, constructed a new depot on the original depot site. The brick Queen Anne style depot was a jewel for the city and is one of Fresno's oldest standing buildings. In 1971, 99 years after it first opened for business on its current site, the Depot closed its rail operations due to the decline in business. Between
1190-433: A troubled gestation during which its creator resigned, BankAmericard went on to become the world's first successful credit card . This financial instrument was usable across a large number of merchants and also allowed cardholders to revolve a balance (earlier financial products could do one or the other but not both). In 1970, BankAmericard was spun off into a separate company, and in 1976, that company became Visa Inc. In
1275-678: A week, which eventually rose to $ 200 a week. Hall spent the next two and a half years idle under his contract while Goldwyn—who made only a few movies each year—contemplated what to do with him. There was some talk of a sequel to The Hurricane; of playing the lead in Golden Boy ; of Black Gold , a film about firefighters in Oklahoma; of The Fleet's In ; of Tahiti , based on a book by Somerset Maugham . Alexander Korda wanted Hall for The Thief of Bagdad . These films were either not made at all or were made without Hall. Discussing
1360-409: Is 75 mi (121 km). The city is located near several Sierra Nevada lakes including Bass Lake , Shaver Lake , and Huntington Lake . Fresno is also only two and a half hours from Monterey , Carmel , Big Sur and the central coast. Because Fresno sits at the junction of Highways 41 and 99 (SR 41 is Yosemite National Park's southern access road, and SR 99 bypasses Interstate 5 to serve
1445-493: Is a National Historic Landmark as well as a Superfund site. Before World War II, Fresno had many ethnic neighborhoods, including Little Armenia, German Town, Little Italy, and Chinatown . In 1940, the Census Bureau reported Fresno's population as 94.0% white, 3.3% black and 2.7% Asian. Chinatown was primarily a Japanese neighborhood and today few Japanese-American businesses remain. During 1942, Pinedale , in what
1530-549: Is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California , United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about 115 square miles (300 km ) and had a population of 542,107 as of the 2020 census , making it the fifth-most populous city in California , the most populous inland city in California, and the 34th-most populous city in
1615-425: Is an increased presence of southeastern wind directions in the wind rose statistics. Fresno meteorology was selected in a national U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study for analysis of equilibrium temperature for use of ten-year meteorological data to represent a warm, dry western United States locale. The official record high temperature for Fresno is 115 °F (46.1 °C), set on July 8, 1905, while
1700-521: Is known as the center of Fresno's LGBT and hipster communities. The area is also known for its early twentieth century homes, many of which have been restored in recent decades. The area includes many California Bungalow and American Craftsman style homes, Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture , Mediterranean Revival Style architecture , Mission Revival Style architecture , and many Storybook houses designed by Fresno architects, Hilliard, Taylor & Wheeler. The residential architecture of
1785-499: Is more golden bantam. I'm tired of being a fairy tale princess all the time. In every picture I have royal blood. I told the studio I wanted to do something else. I thought everything was fixed when they put me in Gypsy Wildcat . But do you know what happens at the end of that picture? I turn out to be a countess." Jon Hall (actor) Jon Hall (born Charles Felix Locher , February 23, 1915 – December 13, 1979)
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#17328022523891870-420: Is near the geographic center of California, approximately 220 miles (350 km) north of Los Angeles , 170 miles (270 km) south of the state capital, Sacramento , and 185 miles (300 km) southeast of San Francisco . Yosemite National Park is about 60 miles (100 km) to the north, Kings Canyon National Park 60 miles (100 km) to the east, and Sequoia National Park 75 miles (120 km) to
1955-487: Is now North Fresno, was the site of the Pinedale Assembly Center , an interim facility for the relocation of Fresno area Japanese Americans to internment camps . The Fresno Fairgrounds were also utilized as an assembly center. Row crops and orchards gave way to urban development particularly in the period after World War II; this transition was particularly vividly demonstrated in locations such as
2040-560: Is the lowest with only 42 percent of the daylight time in sunlight because of tule fog . However, the year averages 81% of possible sunshine, for a total of 3550 hours. Average annual precipitation is around 11 inches (279 mm). Most of the wind rose direction occurrences derive from the northwest, as winds are driven downward along the axis of the California Central Valley ; in December, January and February there
2125-415: Is the warmest month, averaging 83.5 °F (28.6 °C); normally, there are 38 days of 100 °F (37.8 °C)+ highs and 113 days of 90 °F (32.2 °C)+ highs, and between July and August, there are only 3.6 days where the high does not reach 90 °F (32.2 °C). Summers provide considerable sunshine, with July exceeding 96 percent of the total possible sunlight hours; conversely, December
2210-480: The Armenian and Hmong communities. In 1920, Armenians comprised 9% of the population of the city of Fresno, with 4,000 Armenian residents at the time. Old Armenian Town was the old Armenian neighborhood in the center of Fresno. The Hmong community of Fresno , along with that of Minneapolis–Saint Paul , is one of the largest two urban U.S. ethnic Hmong communities, with just over 24,000 people, or about 5% of
2295-520: The Blackstone Avenue corridor. Fresno's geographical remoteness also made it an early pioneer in the field now known as fintech , long before the term was invented. In September 1958, Bank of America launched a new product called BankAmericard in Fresno. The city was specifically selected in part for its remoteness, to limit damage to the bank's image in case the project failed. After
2380-536: The Federal Bureau of Investigation 's Operation Rezone sting resulted in several prominent Fresno and Clovis politicians being charged in connection with taking bribes in return for rezoning farmland for housing developments. Before the sting brought a halt to it, housing developers could buy farmland cheaply, pay off council members to have it rezoned, and make a large profit building and selling inexpensive housing. Sixteen people were eventually convicted as
2465-683: The Shinzen Japanese Gardens , boasts numerous picnic areas and several miles of trails. It is in North Fresno and is adjacent to the San Joaquin River Parkway . Roeding Park , near Downtown Fresno, is home to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo , and Rotary Storyland and Playland . Kearney Park is the largest of the Fresno region's park system and is home to historic Kearney Mansion and plays host to
2550-455: The "rain year" from July 1982 to June 1983 down to 4.43 inches (112.5 mm) from July 1933 to June 1934. The most rainfall in one month was 9.54 inches (242.3 mm) in November 1885 and the most rainfall in 24 hours was 3.55 inches (90.2 mm) on November 18, 1885. Measurable precipitation falls on an average of 46.5 days annually. Snow is a rarity; the heaviest snowfall at the airport
2635-775: The 1880s and World War II, Downtown Fresno flourished, filled with electric streetcars, and contained a number of "lavish" and "opulent" buildings. Among them, the original Fresno County Courthouse (demolished), the Fresno Carnegie Public Library (demolished), the Old Fresno Water Tower , the Bank of Italy Building , the Pacific Southwest Building , the San Joaquin Light and Power Building (currently known as
Gypsy Wildcat - Misplaced Pages Continue
2720-483: The 1960s, Fresno suffered numerous demolitions of historic buildings, including the old Fresno County Courthouse and the original buildings of Edison High School . This was the result of car-centric urban planning focused on making more room for cars and parking lots, a commonplace approach in the United States at that time. The dance style commonly known as popping evolved in Fresno in the 1970s. In 1995,
2805-405: The 1990 census, it moved up to 47th place with 354,000, and in the census of 2000, it achieved 37th place with 428,000. The Fresno Municipal Sanitary Landfill was the first modern landfill in the United States, and incorporated several important innovations to waste disposal, including trenching, compacting, and the daily covering of trash with dirt. It was opened in 1937 and closed in 1987. It
2890-489: The Fig Garden Christmas Tree Lane, which is a nationally recognized event. There is also an upscale swim and racquet club located in northwestern Fig garden, which has multiple amenities including a heated lap pool, massage therapy, daycare, etc. Towards the northern boundary there is a shopping center called Fig Garden Village which hosts a plethora of upscale shopping opportunities. Fresno has
2975-713: The Grand 1401), and the Hughes Hotel (burned down), to name a few. Fulton Street in Downtown Fresno was Fresno's main financial and commercial district before being converted into one of the nation's first pedestrian malls in 1964. Renamed the Fulton Mall , the area contains the densest collection of historic buildings in Fresno. While the Fulton Mall corridor has suffered a sharp decline from its heyday,
3060-522: The Hispanic population, 42.7% of the total population are Mexican , 0.4% Salvadoran , and 0.4% Puerto Rican . Non-Hispanic Whites were 30.0% of the population in 2010, down from 72.6% in 1970. The Census reported that 485,798 people (98.2% of the population) lived in households, 4,315 (0.9%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 4,552 (0.9%) were institutionalized. There were 158,349 households, of which 68,511 (43.3%) had children under
3145-473: The Invisible Man series with The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944), making him the only actor to have portrayed an Invisible Man more than once in the original Universal series. Hall was meant to be reunited with Montez and Sabu for three more technicolor films. However Sabu was drafted into the army and was replaced by Turhan Bey for Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944), directed by Lubin. Bey
3230-681: The Mall includes some of the finest public art pieces in the country, including a casting of Pierre-Auguste Renoir 's bronze "The Washer Woman", reportedly the only one of the six castings that one can walk up to and touch. In October 2017, the City of Fresno finished and opened Fulton Mall to traffic, becoming Fulton Street. This change was celebrated with a large public parade featuring current mayor Lee Brand and former mayor Ashley Swearengin. The public art pieces will be restored and placed near their current locations and will feature wide sidewalks (up to 28' on
3315-525: The Monster ( 1965 ) and The Navy vs. the Night Monsters (1966). One critical appraisal described Hall as follows: Handsome, well-built, slightly awkward and not terribly charismatic, he nonetheless managed to persevere in leading roles for two decades, half that time in “A” pictures, which isn’t too shabby by any measure, especially for someone who couldn’t really act. He had the lead role in
3400-714: The San Joaquin Valley was Pedro Fages in 1772. The county of Fresno was formed in 1856 after the California Gold Rush and was named for the abundant ash trees (Spanish: fresno) lining the San Joaquin River . The San Joaquin River flooded on December 24, 1867, inundating Millerton . Some residents rebuilt, others moved. Flooding also destroyed the town of Scottsburg on the nearby Kings River that winter. Rebuilt on higher ground, Scottsburg
3485-607: The Swiss-born actor Felix Maurice Locher , Hall was a nephew of writer James Norman Hall , co-author (with Charles Nordhoff ) of the novel Mutiny on the Bounty (1932). Hall originally intended to go into the diplomatic service and was educated in England and Switzerland. A friend from Tahiti, writer Gouvernor Morris, suggested that he try acting. Hall began his career using the name "Charles Locher". His first performance
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3570-741: The Tower District contrasts with the newer areas of tract homes urban sprawl in north and east areas of Fresno. In the northeastern part of Fresno, Woodward Park was founded by the late Ralph Woodward, a long-time Fresno resident. He bequeathed a major portion of his estate in 1968 to provide a regional park and bird sanctuary in Northeast Fresno. The park lies on the southern bank of the San Joaquin River between Highway 41 and Friant Road. The initial 235 acres (0.95 km ), combined with additional acres acquired later by
3655-537: The Tower, the Farmers' market opened on the northwest corner of Olive and Van Ness and LitHop, an annual literary festival, featuring mostly local writers. The neighborhood features restaurants, live theater and nightclubs, as well as several independent shops and bookstores on or near Olive Avenue. Since renewal, the Tower District has become an attractive area for restaurant and other local businesses. The Tower District
3740-493: The Upward Extension Act of 1907 to offer lower-division college-level coursework to local high school graduates who wanted to attend college but were reluctant to move hundreds of miles away to do so. The high school's Collegiate Department evolved into Fresno City College , the oldest community college in California and the second oldest in the United States. In the 1920s and 1930s, Fresno State Teachers College
3825-834: The Wasteland (1936), with John Wayne at Republic Pictures , and in the serial The Clutching Hand (1936). He had the lead in a low-budget adventure movie, The Lion Man (1936), based on a novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs . He was rejected for the lead of the Flash Gordon serial. He changed his screen name to "Lloyd Crane" and in 1936 signed a contract with Major Pictures, a company run by producer Emmanuel Cohen , who distributed through Paramount . Other actors who had deals with Cohen included Bing Crosby , Mae West , and Gary Cooper . He made two pictures for Cohen, Mind Your Own Business (1936) and The Girl from Scotland Yard (1937). Then Cohen dropped him. Samuel Goldwyn
3910-448: The age of 18 living in them, 69,284 (43.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 30,547 (19.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 11,698 (7.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 12,843 (8.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 1,388 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships . 35,064 households (22.1%) were made up of individuals, and 12,344 (7.8%) had someone living alone who
3995-604: The annual California Interscholastic Federation State Championship cross country meet. It is the home of the Woodward Shakespeare Festival which began performances in the park in 2005. Located in the western portion of Fresno, Old Fig Garden is an unincorporated community that, over time, has been completely encircled by the city of Fresno. Fig Garden was created in 1947, as the then-known Fig Garden Men's club achieved nonprofit corporate status, allowing itself to have much more governance. In 1979,
4080-637: The annual Civil War Revisited, the largest reenactment of the Civil War in the west coast of the U.S. In its 2023 ParkScore ranking, The Trust for Public Land , a national land conservation organization, reported that Fresno had one of the worst park systems among the 100 most populous U.S. cities, with only 5% of city land being used for parks and recreation. The survey measures median park size, park acres as percent of city area, residents' access to parks, spending on parks per resident, and playgrounds per 10,000 residents. The Central Pacific Railroad built
4165-492: The army. He was out of the Army by April 1946 and made a pair of Westerns, The Michigan Kid (1947) and The Vigilantes Return (1947). After this, he made no further films for Universal, although he was still under contract to Goldwyn. In August 1946, he cancelled his contracts with Goldwyn and Universal and signed a one-picture deal with Sam Katzman . Hall went on to make a number of films for producer Sam Katzman , who had
4250-762: The balcony," a fight between Hall and big band leader Tommy Dorsey . Hall was diagnosed with incurable bladder cancer which caused him extreme pain. He died by suicide on December 13, 1979, and was buried at the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. Hall has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , for Motion Pictures at 1724 Vine Street and for television at 6933 Hollywood Boulevard. Features: Short Subjects: Fresno, California Fresno ( / ˈ f r ɛ z n oʊ / ; Spanish for ' Ash tree ')
4335-440: The city was 50.2% White , 8.4% Black or African American , 1.6% Native American , 11.2% Asian (about a third of which is Hmong ), 0.1% Pacific Islander , 23.4% from other races , and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 39.9% of the population. There were 140,079 households, of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 17.6% had
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#17328022523894420-698: The city's population, being of Hmong descent. The 2010 United States Census reported that Fresno had a population of 494,665. The population density was 4,404.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,700.6/km ). The racial makeup of Fresno was 245,306 (49.6%) White , 40,960 (8.3%) African American , 8,525 (1.7%) Native American , 62,528 (12.6%) Asian (3.6% Hmong , 1.7% Indian , 1.2% Filipino , 1.2% Laotian , 1.0% Thai , 0.8% Cambodian , 0.7% Chinese , 0.5% Japanese , 0.4% Vietnamese , 0.2% Korean ), 849 (0.2%) Pacific Islander , 111,984 (22.6%) from other races , and 24,513 (5.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 232,055 persons (46.9%). Among
4505-467: The city, brings the park to a sizable 300 acres (1.2 km ). Now packed with amenities, Woodward Park is the only Regional Park of its size in the Central Valley. The park has a multi-use amphitheatre that seats up to 2,500 people, an authentic Japanese Garden, fenced dog park, bike park, two playgrounds, two-mile (3 km) equestrian trail, exercise par course, three children's playgrounds,
4590-478: The city. Another devastating blaze struck in 1883. In 1909, Fresno's first and oldest synagogue , Temple Beth Israel , was founded. As a result of its remoteness from the great universities of the San Francisco Bay Area and Greater Los Angeles , Fresno became a statewide leader in educational innovation. In 1910, Fresno High School was the first California high school to take advantage of
4675-552: The college moved to what is now the site of Fresno City College one-half mile north of the Tower District. After decades of neglect and suburban flight, the neighborhood revival followed the re-opening of the Tower Theatre in the late 1970s, which at that time showed second- and third-run movies, along with classic films. Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater & Good Company Players also opened nearby in 1978, at Olive and Wishon Avenues. Fresno native Audra McDonald performed in
4760-811: The convenience of the railroad and worried about flooding, moved to the new community. Fresno became an incorporated city in 1885. In 1903, the faltering San Joaquin Power Company was renamed the San Joaquin Light and Power Corporation and included the Fresno City Water Company and the Fresno City Railway. By 1931 the railway, now known as the Fresno Traction Company , operated 47 streetcars over 49 miles (79 km) of track. Two years after
4845-631: The design of the hulls of PT boats for the US Navy. He shot some additional footage for The Navy vs. the Night Monsters (1966). With his father, he developed the Locher-Hall Telecurve map, a revolutionary cartographic device. During the 1970s he ran a camera lens firm, Optivision Co. of Santa Monica. Hall was married to singer Frances Langford from 1934 until 1955, and also later twice married and divorced actress Raquel Torres (m 1959). In 1944, he took part in "the battle of
4930-504: The east side of the street) to continue with the pedestrian-friendly environment of the district. The historic Tower Theatre , which is included on the National Register of Historic Places, is the center of the Tower District. The theater was built in 1939 at the corner of Olive and Wishon Avenues. The Tower District neighborhood is just north of downtown Fresno proper, and one-half mile south of Fresno City College. Although
5015-629: The film was not successful, and it was a number of years before Hall appeared in another movie. Hall made his final two television appearances on Perry Mason ; in 1963, he played Max Randall in "The Case of the Festive Felon", and in 1965, he played Lt. Kia in "The Case of the Feather Cloak." He directed and starred in the 1965 cult horror film The Beach Girls and the Monster . Hall was an inventor and highly skilled aviator. He held patents on an underwater camera, optivision lenses and
5100-401: The geographical center of California, places the city a comfortable distance from many of the major recreation areas and urban centers in the state. Just 60 mi (97 km) south of Yosemite National Park , it is the nearest major city to the park. Likewise, Sierra National Forest is 40 mi (64 km), Kings Canyon National Park is 60 mi (97 km) and Sequoia National Park
5185-450: The hiatus, Hall said "At first it's alright because you tell [people]... what you believe to be true, that the studio is trying to find you a right script. But after a year, after a year and a half, after two years, you start to go nuts. You find yourself ducking across the street to avoid people who will ask you what you are doing." After two and a half years of inactivity, Hall made three films in quick succession: Sailor's Lady (1940),
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#17328022523895270-430: The kind of baby talk she can handle... I'm pinching myself for the wonderful thing you've done with this bad dream I threw at you. Now I can put this thing in front of a camera." Cain said the script "was the beginning of a new phase of my picture career. After that I was a professional at the business; after that, I did all right" even though he did not have many credits. Filming started October 1943. The role of Tonio
5355-565: The leading roles of Evita and The Wiz at the theater while she was a high school student. McDonald subsequently became a leading performer on Broadway in New York City and a Tony award -winning actress. Also in the Tower District is Good Company Players' 2nd Space Theatre. The Tower District is a hub for community events such as Jamaica My Weekend, Mardi Gras in February, Gay Pride Parade , car shows, A Taste of The Tower, Halloween in
5440-418: The name was changed to Fig Garden Home Owners Association. Fig Garden is unique to the rest of Fresno, as it features largely no sidewalks and is lined with various large trees. The homes are well-maintained and landscaped due to strict regulations from the homeowners association. Due to a tax Fig Garden residences voted for, there is nearly round-the-clock sheriff service within the district. The district hosts
5525-489: The nation. Named for the abundant ash trees lining the San Joaquin River , Fresno was founded in 1872 as a railway station of the Central Pacific Railroad before it was incorporated in 1885. It has since become an economic hub of Fresno County and the San Joaquin Valley, with much of the surrounding areas in the Metropolitan Fresno region predominantly tied to large-scale agricultural production. Fresno
5610-451: The neighborhood was known as a residential area, the early commercial establishments of the Tower District began with small shops and services that flocked to the area shortly after World War II. The character of small local businesses largely remains today. To some extent, the businesses of the Tower District were developed due to the proximity of the original Fresno Normal School (later renamed California State University at Fresno ). In 1916,
5695-454: The official record low is 17 °F (−8 °C), set on January 6, 1913. The average windows for temperatures of 100 °F (37.8 °C)+ are June 2 through September 15; for temperatures of 90 °F (32.2 °C)+, April 25 through October 10; and for freezing temperatures, December 14 through January 24, although no freeze occurred during the 1983–84 or 2020–21 winter seasons. Annual rainfall has ranged from 23.57 inches (598.7 mm) in
5780-684: The southeast. Fresno is also the third-largest majority-Hispanic city in the United States with 50.5% of its population being Hispanic in 2020. The original inhabitants of the San Joaquin Valley region were the Yokuts people and Miwok people , who engaged in trading with other Californian tribes of Native Americans including coastal peoples such as the Chumash of the Central California coast, with whom they are thought to have traded plant and animal products. The first European to enter
5865-573: The station was established, county residents voted to move the county seat from Millerton to Fresno. When the Friant Dam was completed in 1944, the site of Millerton became inundated by the waters of Millerton Lake . In extreme droughts, when the reservoir shrinks, ruins of the original county seat can still be observed. In the nineteenth century, with so much wooden construction and in the absence of sophisticated firefighting resources, fires often ravaged American frontier towns. The greatest of Fresno's early-day fires, in 1882, destroyed an entire block of
5950-415: The story and simplified it. I turned in the script and thought, "I've done something that makes sense"." When he left the studio, he walked past the office of producer George Waggner to say thanks and saw him rewriting the script. Cain said he was sorry the producer did not like it. Waggner said he was "delighted with what" Cain had done but said Montez "couldn't play your dialogue. It has to be translated into
6035-423: The two of them. Henreid wound up starring in that instead; Hall made two Westerns, When the Redskins Rode (1951), and Brave Warrior (1952). He also made China Corsair (1951) for Columbia. It was back to Katzman for Last Train from Bombay (1952). Jon Hall is perhaps best remembered by later audiences as the star of the television series Ramar of the Jungle , which ran from 1952 to 1954. He made
6120-472: The urban centers of the San Joaquin Valley), the city is a major gateway for Yosemite visitors coming from Los Angeles . The city also serves as an entrance into Sierra National Forest via Highway 168 , and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks via Highway 180 . Fresno has three large public parks, two in the city limits and one in county land to the southwest. Woodward Park , which features
6205-478: Was 2.2 inches (5.6 cm) on January 21–22, 1962. See or edit raw graph data . Fresno is the larger principal city of the Fresno-Madera CSA , a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Fresno (Fresno County) and Madera (Madera County) metropolitan areas, which had a combined population of 922,516 at the 2000 census . Fresno is home to numerous ethnic minority communities, such as
6290-403: Was 29.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males. There were 171,288 housing units at an average density of 1,525.2 per square mile (588.9/km ), of which 158,349 were occupied, of which 77,757 (49.1%) were owner-occupied, and 80,592 (50.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6%; the rental vacancy rate
6375-436: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07. There were 111,529 families (70.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.62. The age distribution of the population shows 148,823 people (30.1%) under the age of 18, 62,601 people (12.7%) aged 18 to 24, 135,076 people (27.3%) aged 25 to 44, 102,064 people (20.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 46,101 people (9.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
6460-460: Was 7.6%. 235,430 people (47.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 250,368 people (50.6%) lived in rental housing units. As of the census of 2000, there were 427,652 people, 140,079 households, and 97,915 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,097.9 inhabitants per square mile (1,582.2/km ). There were 149,025 housing units at an average density of 1,427.9 square miles (3,698 km ). The racial makeup of
6545-467: Was Universal's first color film in years and was a massive hit. Universal promptly reunited Montez, Hall and Sabu in two more films: White Savage (1943), directed by Lubin, and Cobra Woman (1944), directed by Robert Siodmak . Paramount borrowed Hall for the musical Lady in the Dark (1944), in which he played the role originated on Broadway by Victor Mature . Back at Universal he returned to
6630-599: Was an American film actor known for playing a variety of adventurous roles, as in 1937's The Hurricane , and later when contracted to Universal Pictures , including Invisible Agent and The Invisible Man's Revenge and six films he made with Maria Montez . He was also known to 1950s fans as the creator and star of the Ramar of the Jungle television series which ran from 1952 to 1954. Hall directed and starred in two 1960s sci-fi films in his later years, The Beach Girls and
6715-483: Was at the forefront of the evolution of the state teachers colleges into state colleges offering a broad liberal arts education . The state colleges later became the California State University and Fresno State became California State University, Fresno . Fresno entered the ranks of the 100 most populous cities in the United States in 1960 with a population of 134,000. Thirty years later, in
6800-625: Was going to reteam with Hall and Montez in Gypsy Wildcat (1944), but he was needed for another film, and was replaced by Peter Coe. Hall appeared in a comedy, San Diego, I Love You (1945), and then was reunited with Montez and Bey in Sudan (1945) – although this was the one Hall-Montez film where she wound up with someone else at the end: Bey. Hall appeared in a comedy, Men in Her Diary (1945), filmed in early 1945, and then went into
6885-872: Was in a local theatre production of M'Lord the Duke , replacing Robert Taylor ; Taylor had just signed with MGM . His appearance on stage in Murder on a Mountain at the Bliss Hayden Little Theatre in Beverly Hills earned him a contract at Warner Bros . He followed it with What? No Yacht? at the Bliss Hayden. Nothing seems to have happened with the Warners contract: His first film was Women Must Dress (1935) at Monogram Pictures . In April 1935, he signed with 20th Century Fox for
6970-477: Was meant to be played by Turhan Bey . However he was loaned at the last minute to MGM to play a role in Dragon Seed and was replaced by Peter Coe. Coe was a former swimming champion, Acquacade performer and stage actor. He later claimed that he and Montez had an affair. Neill reportedly was one of Maria Montez's few directors to not fight with her. "My other pictures were just corn", said Montez. "This one
7055-411: Was preparing a big budget spectacular, The Hurricane (1937), based on a novel by Nordhoff and Hall and directed by John Ford . They were having trouble finding someone to play the native whose wrongful imprisonment is the focus of the drama. Then Ford introduced Hall to Goldwyn: Goldwyn signed Hall to a long-term contract and cast him as Terangi: Hurricane was a big success. Goldwyn paid Hall $ 150
7140-531: Was renamed Centerville. In 1867, Anthony Easterby purchased land bounded by the present Chestnut, Belmont, Clovis and California avenues, that today is called the Sunnyside district . Unable to grow wheat for lack of water, he hired sheep man Moses Church in 1870 to create an irrigation system. Building new canals and purchasing existing ditches, Church then formed the Fresno Canal and Irrigation Company,
7225-782: Was signed to write and direct Zorya which became Gypsy Girl then Gypsy Wildcat . He fell ill so he was replaced by Roy William Neill . James M Cain was hired to work on the dialogue. He later said he agreed to do it because Universal guaranteed him two weeks work. They showed him a Maria Montez film "so I would know what kind of a creature I was writing for," he said years later. "Well, when she came on screen, I suddenly realized that I knew this girl personally. Her voice and every gesture were completely familiar to me. But I have yet to figure out where I met this girl. I think she must have checked hats some place in Hollywood." Cain said he took and script "worked on it day and night, got order into
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