Edward Fulton Brylawski was born in Washington, D. C., on July 29, 1925, the son of copyright attorney Fulton M. Brylawski and his wife, Celeste Weil. He followed in his father's footsteps, earning his law degree from Yale University and joining his father's law firm. Specializing in copyright law, most of Brylawski's efforts surrounded his work with major motion picture studios and individuals involved in film. He retired in the 1990s and died on June 6, 2017.
Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell was a film actor, producer, director, and singer, born in 1904 to Ewing Powell and Sallie Thompson. He began his career as a singer and band leader in the early 1920s; in 1932 Warner Brothers offered him a contract and his first film role. In 1940, after appearing in many romantic comedies, Powell signed with Paramount Pictures. In 1944, he was cast as the detective Philip Marlowe in the first of a series of film noir productions that cemented his reputation as a dramatic actor.
Harold Brooks Franklin was born in New York City, New York in 1889. In 1914 he entered the theatre management business, moving to Los Angeles, California in 1927. After serving as president of Fox West Coast Theatres, he formed a partnership with Howard Hughes in 1931 with the Hughes-Franklin Midwest Theatre Corporation, Incorporated. In 1933, Franklin resigned, moved back to New York, and formed an independent theatre production company. He died in Mexico City, Mexico in 1941.