Lou Rusoff (August 3, 1911 – June 29, 1963) was a Canadian-born screenwriter and producer best known for his work with

American International Pictures American International Pictures, LLC (AIP or American International Productions) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution c ...

(AIP). He was brother-in-law to

Sam Arkoff Samuel Zachary Arkoff (June 12, 1918 – September 16, 2001) was an American film producer, known as the co-founder of American International Pictures. Life and career Arkoff was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to Russian Jewish parents. He was the ...

and was the screenwriter for many of

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

's first films. He was the father of Ted Rusoff.

Career

Rusoff worked as a social worker and wrote for Canadian radio and television before moving to Hollywood in 1950. He wrote for a number of TV programs, then started working for AIP and became their most prolific screenwriter, usually writing scripts to match a concept and poster that AIP had come up with. Arkoff later said:

Often, he was working on five or six scripts simultaneously – not only his own but rewriting other people's screenplays when emergencies occurred and the original writers were unavailable. He also eventually produced some of the AIP movies he wrote... More than any other writer, Lou had a real appreciation for what we were trying to do. He understood how to keep costs down by limiting the number of sets and locations. He framed his scripts beautifully into our titles and artwork. And he always kept a sense of humour, which was a real virtue under hectic circumstances.

Writer Mark McGee said, "Rusoff's scripts were usually hackneyed and dull but they generally made sense." ''Filmink'' called him "competent, unremarkable" as a writer. He worked his way up to vice-president in charge of production. Rusoff died of brain cancer during the editing of his final film, ''

Beach Party ''Beach Party'' is a 1963 American film and the first of seven beach party films from American International Pictures (AIP) aimed at a teen audience.Smith, Gary A. Smith (2009) ''The American International Pictures Video Guide'', McFarland ...

'' (1963). He was survived by his wife, two sons, a brother and six sisters.

Select credits

*''

Terry and the Pirates ''Terry and the Pirates'' is an action-adventure comic strip created by cartoonist Milton Caniff, which originally ran from October 22, 1934, to February 25, 1973. Captain Joseph Patterson, editor for the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndica ...

'' (1953) (TV series) *''

Four Star Playhouse ''Four Star Playhouse'' (syndicated as Star Performance) is an American anthology series that ran from September 25, 1952, through September 27, 1956. Overview Four Star Playhouse was owned by Four Star International. Its episodes ranged an ...

'' (TV series) – writer, director *''

The Star and the Story ''The Star and the Story'' (full title ''Henry Fonda Presents The Star and the Story'') is an American television anthology series which aired 1955–1956 in first-run syndication. A filmed half-hour series, episodes were approximately 25 minute ...

'' (TV series) (1955) – writer *'' Apache Woman'' (1955) – writer *'' The Day the World Ended'' (1955) – writer *''

The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues ''The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues'' is a 1955 independent film, independently made American black-and-white science fiction film, science-fiction monster film produced by Jack Milner and Dan Milner (who also directed), that stars Kent Taylor an ...

'' (1955) – writer *''

The Oklahoma Woman ''The Oklahoma Woman'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Roger Corman. Plot The film involves the return of Steve Ward, a former gunslinger recently released from federal prison, to his hometown to claim a ranch he has inherited. Upo ...

'' (1955) – writer *'' It Conquered the World'' (1956) – writer *'' Girls in Prison'' (1956) – writer *''

The She-Creature ''The She-Creature'', or ''The She Creature'', is a 1956 American black-and-white science fiction horror film, released by American International Pictures from a script by Lou Rusoff (brother-in-law of AIP executive Samuel Z. Arkoff). It wa ...

'' (1956) – writer *'' Runaway Daughters'' (1956) – writer *'' Shake, Rattle & Rock!'' (1956) – writer *''

Flesh and the Spur ''Flesh and the Spur'' is a 1956 American western film directed by Edward L. Cahn. The film stars John Agar as Lucius Random, Marla English as Wild Willow and Mike Connors (billed here as Touch Connors) as Stacy Tanner. The film was released ...

'' (1957) – additional dialogue *'' Dragstrip Girl'' (1957) – writer *'' Cat Girl'' (1957) – writer, producer *''

Motorcycle Gang An outlaw motorcycle club, known colloquially as a biker club or club (in Australia), is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purpo ...

'' (1958) – writer *'' Suicide Battalion'' (1958) – writer, producer *''

Hot Rod Gang ''Hot Rod Gang'' is a 1958 American teen drama film directed by Lew Landers and starring John Ashley. The working title was ''Hot Rod Rock'' with the film also released under the title ''Fury Unleashed''. American International Pictures released ...

'' (1958) – writer, producer *'' Submarine Seahawk'' (1958) – writer, executive producer *''

Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow ''Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow'' is a 1959 AIP horror comedy film. It was a sequel to their film '' Hot Rod Gang''. American International Pictures released the film in July 1959 as a double feature with '' Diary of a High School Bride''. The film ...

'' (1959) – writer, producer *'' Black Sunday'' (1961) – producer of US version *''

Alakazam the Great ''Alakazam the Great'', known in Japan as , is a 1960 Japanese anime musical film, heavily based on the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West''. It was one of the earliest anime films to be released in the United States. Osamu Tezuka ...

'' (1961) – producer of US version *'' Panic in the Year Zero'' (1962) – producer *''Marco Polo'' (1962) – English version supervisor *''

'' (1963) – writer, producer *''

Operation Bikini ''Operation Bikini'', also titled ''The Seafighter'', is a war film released in 1963 by American International Pictures. It was directed by Anthony Carras and starred Tab Hunter, Frankie Avalon and Scott Brady. The casting was aimed to capture ...

'' (1963) – producer

References

*Arkoff, Samuel Z & Richard Turbo, ''Flying Through Hollywood By the Seat of My Pants'', Birch Lane Press, 1992

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rusoff, Lou 1911 births 1963 deaths American film producers American male screenwriters American television writers Deaths from brain cancer in California American male television writers 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters Canadian emigrants to the United States