Reginald Rose (December 10, 1920 – April 19, 2002) was an American screenwriter. He wrote about controversial social and political issues. His
realistic approach was particularly influential in the anthology programs of the 1950s.
Rose was born and raised in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
. He was best known for his courtroom drama ''
Twelve Angry Men'', exploring the members of a jury in a murder trial. It was adapted for a
film of the same name, directed by
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York City, New York dramas w ...
and released in 1957.
Early years
Reginald Rose was born in Manhattan on December 10, 1920,
the son of Alice (née Obendorfer) and William Rose, a lawyer.
Rose attended Townsend Harris High School and briefly attended
City College (now part of the
City University of New York
The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...
). He served in the
U.S. Army during World War II, from 1942–46, where he was promoted to first lieutenant.
Rose began trying to write when he was 15 years old and living in
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
, but he said, "I didn't make it until I was 30."
In the interim, he worked as an ad agency's copywriter, a publicist for Warner Bros,
[ a window washer, a clerk, and a counselor at a camp.]
Television
He sold ''Bus to Nowhere'', his first teleplay, in 1951 to the live dramatic anthology program '' Studio One''. They bought his play, '' Twelve Angry Men'', four years later. This latter drama, set entirely in a room where a jury is deliberating the fate of a teenage boy accused of murder, was inspired by Rose's service on a similar trial. The play later was adapted as the 1957 film of the same name, directed by Sidney Lumet
Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York City, New York dramas w ...
.
Rose said about his own jury service: "It was such an impressive, solemn setting in a great big wood-paneled courtroom, with a silver-haired judge, it knocked me out. I was overwhelmed. I was on a jury for a manslaughter case, and we got into this terrific, furious, eight-hour argument in the jury room. I was writing one-hour dramas for ''Studio One'' then, and I thought, wow, what a setting for a drama."
Rose received an Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
for his teleplay ''Twelve Angry Men'' and an Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People and fictional and mythical characters
* Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar
* Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
nomination for its 1957 feature-length film adaptation. From 1950 to 1960, Rose wrote for all three of the major broadcast networks. In 1961 he created and wrote for '' The Defenders''. The weekly courtroom drama was spun off from one of Rose's episodes of ''Studio One''. ''The Defenders'' won two Emmy awards for his dramatic writing.
Rose co-wrote the 1986 TV movie '' My Two Loves'', starring Mariette Hartley
Mary Loretta Hartley (born June 21, 1940) is an American film and television actress. She is possibly best known for her roles in film as Elsa Knudsen in Sam Peckinpah's '' Ride the High Country'' (1962), Susan Clabon in Alfred Hitchcock's '' M ...
and Lynn Redgrave.
''Twilight Zone''
His teleplay "The Incredible World of Horace Ford
"The Incredible World of Horace Ford" is an episode in season four of the American television
Television is one of the Mass media in the United States, major mass media outlets in the United States. In 2011, 96.7% of households owned tele ...
" was the basis for a 1963 episode of the television series ''The Twilight Zone
''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...
''. It starred Pat Hingle, Nan Martin, and Ruth White. The episode was broadcast on CBS on April 18, 1963, as Episode 15 of Season Four. The theme was how individuals glorify the past by repressing and exercising censorship of the negative aspects: we remember the good while we forget the bad. The teleplay had originally been produced in 1955 as a ''Studio One'' episode.
Films
Rose wrote screenplays for many dramas, beginning with '' Crime in the Streets'' (1956), an adaptation of his 1955 teleplay for ''The Elgin Hour''. He made four movies with British producer Euan Lloyd: '' The Wild Geese'', '' The Sea Wolves'', '' Who Dares Wins'' and '' Wild Geese II''.
Personal life and death
Rose married Barbara Langbart in 1943, with whom he had four children. After they divorced, he married Ellen McLaughlin (not the playwright and actress) in 1963, with whom he had two children.
Rose died on April 19, 2002, in a Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...
, hospital, aged 81. The cause of death was complications of heart failure.
Papers
Rose's papers are housed in the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of ...
Archives at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research
The Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research (WCFTR) is a major archive of motion picture, television, radio, and theater research materials. Located in the headquarters building of the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin, th ...
. The collection includes "variant drafts of scripts, correspondence, clippings, and production information". Films and tape recordings are included in addition to printed documents.[ ]Columbia University Libraries
Columbia University Libraries is the library system of Columbia University and one of the largest academic library systems in North America. With 15.0 million volumes and over 160,000 journals and serials, as well as extensive electronic resources ...
also have scripts, "cast lists, shooting schedules, and allied notes and papers" related to ''The Defenders''. The material is housed in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
Plays
*''The Porcelain Year'' (1950)
*'' Twelve Angry Men'' (1954)
*'' Sacco-Vanzetti Story'' (1960)
*''Black Monday'' (1962)
*''Dear Friends'' (1968)
*''This Agony, This Triumph'' (1972)
References
External links
Reginald Rose
at the Museum of Broadcast Communications
The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) is an American museum that showcases historic and contemporary radio and television content. It is headquartered in Chicago.
Museum locations (1987–present)
The Museum of Broadcast Communications wa ...
Reginald Rose Papers
at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research
The Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research (WCFTR) is a major archive of motion picture, television, radio, and theater research materials. Located in the headquarters building of the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin, th ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Reginald
American male screenwriters
1920 births
2002 deaths
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American screenwriters
Screenwriters from New York (state)
20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
American male dramatists and playwrights