Richard Rosson (April 4, 1893 – May 31, 1953) was an American

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

. As an actor, he was known for the nearly 100 films he was in during the silent era. As a director, he directed the logging sequences in the 1936 film '' Come and Get It''.

Career

Rosson's first directorial effort was the 1926

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

silent

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

'' Fine Manners'', initially directed by

Lewis Milestone Lewis Milestone (born Leib Milstein (Russian: Лейб Мильштейн); September 30, 1895 – September 25, 1980) was a Moldovan-American film director. He is known for directing '' Two Arabian Knights'' (1927) and ''All Quiet on the Weste ...

for

Famous Players-Lasky Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and ...

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. After an argument with actress

Gloria Swanson Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most f ...

, Milestone walked off the set, leaving the film to be completed by Rosson, who had picked up directorial tricks while working as an

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan, wa ...

. The success of the film, being Rosson's first directorial effort since he co-directed ''

Her Father's Keeper ''Her Father's Keeper'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Arthur Rosson and Richard Rosson and starring Irene Howley, Jack Devereaux and Frank Currier.Lombardi p.76 Cast * Irene Howley as Claire Masters * Jack Devereaux as Ral ...

'' in 1917 with his brother Arthur Rosson, won him a long-term contract with Famous Players-Lasky.

Personal life

Rosson was the younger brother of director Arthur Rosson, his younger sister Helene became a movie actress, and his younger brother

Harold Harold may refer to: People * Harold (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Harold (surname), surname in the English language * András Arató, known in meme culture as "Hide the Pain Harold" Arts ...

became a well known director of photography who won the first

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for color cinematography. Richard Rosson died from suicide from

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as " flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large ...

at his home in Pacific Palisades, California at the age of 60. A year later, Rosson's wife,

Vera Sisson Vera Sisson (July 31, 1891 – August 6, 1954) was an American actress of the silent era. Biography Vera Sisson was born on July 31, 1891 in Salt Lake City. She received her education at Brownlee Collegiate School for Girls in Denver, Colo ...

, committed suicide by barbiturate overdose. On May 1, 1939, Rosson was arrested on a charge of espionage in

Vienna, Austria en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, with his wife and two other British nationals, by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

, allegedly for filming military hardware. They were held in solitary confinement for 34 days and released.

Selected director filmography

* ''

'' (1917) * '' Fine Manners'' (1926) * ''

Shootin' Irons ''Shootin' Irons'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Richard Rosson and starring Jack Luden, Sally Blane and Fred Kohler.Munden, p. 710 Cast * Jack Luden as Pan Smith * Sally Blane as Lucy Blake * Fred Kohler as Dick Hardman ...

'' (1927) * '' The Wizard'' (1927) * '' Road House'' (1928) * ''

Dead Man's Curve Dead Man's Curve is an American nickname for a curve in a road that has claimed lives because of numerous crashes. Examples * A curve on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles memorialized in the hit song " Dead Man's Curve" by Jan and Dean. The song ...

'' (1928) * '' Scarface'' ("co-director" of retakes) (1932) * ''

West Point of the Air ''West Point of the Air'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by Richard Rosson and starring Wallace Beery, Robert Young, Lewis Stone, Maureen O'Sullivan, Rosalind Russell, and Robert Taylor. The screenplay concerns pilot training in the U. ...

'' (1935) * '' Hideaway'' (1937) * '' Apache Trail'' (uncredited) (1942) * '' The Getaway'' (uncredited) (1942) * ''

Corvette K-225 ''Corvette K-225'' is a 1943 American war film starring Randolph Scott and James Brown, with Ella Raines making her feature film debut. Directed by Richard Rosson, the film was released in the UK as ''The Nelson Touch''. Robert Mitchum, credi ...

'' (1943)

Selected actor filmography

* ''

The Pretty Sister of Jose The Pretty Sister of Jose may refer to: * The Pretty Sister of José, an 1889 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett * The Pretty Sister of Jose (play), a 1903 American play, based on the novel * The Pretty Sister of Jose (film), a 1915 American silent ro ...

'' (1915) * ''

The Old Cobbler ''The Old Cobbler'' is a 1914 American silent drama film directed by Murdock MacQuarrie. The film features Murdock MacQuarrie, Richard Rosson, Agnes Vernon and Lon Chaney. ''The Old Cobbler'' was MacQuarrie's debut film as a director. The f ...

'' (1916) *'' Cassidy'' (1917) *''

A Case at Law ''A Case at Law'' is a 1917 American silent western drama film directed by Arthur Rosson and starring Richard Rosson, Pauline Curley and Riley Hatch.Langman p.74 The film's production was supervised by Allan Dwan. Cast * Richard Rosson as Jimmy B ...

'' (1917) * '' The Haunted House'' (1917) * ''

Madame Sphinx ''Madame Sphinx'' is a lost 1918 silent film mystery directed by Thomas N. Heffron and starring Alma Rubens. It was produced by the Triangle Film Corporation. Cast *Alma Rubens - Celeste *Wallace MacDonald - Andre Du Bois *Eugene Burr - Raoul La ...

'' (1918) * '' The Ghost Flower'' (1918) * '' Alias Mary Brown'' (1918) * '' Peggy Does Her Darndest'' (1919) * ''

The Poor Boob ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1919) * '' Playthings of Passion'' (1919) * ''

For Those We Love ''For Those We Love'' is a 1921 American silent romantic drama film produced by and starring Betty Compson, and featuring Lon Chaney and Richard Rosson. Written and directed by Arthur Rosson, the film was based on a story by Perley Poore Sheehan ...

'' (1921) * '' Beating the Game'' (1921) * ''

Her Face Value ''Her Face Value'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Thomas N. Heffron and written by Percy Heath based upon a story by Earl Derr Biggers. The film stars Wanda Hawley, Lincoln Plumer, Richard Rosson, T. Roy Barnes, Winifred Br ...

'' (1921) * ''

Always the Woman ''Always the Woman'' is a 1922 American silent romance drama film produced by and starring Betty Compson and directed by Arthur Rosson. The film is incomplete and preserved at the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Plot Celia Thaxter (Compson) i ...

'' (1922)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosson, Richard American male film actors 1893 births 1953 suicides American male silent film actors Film directors from Los Angeles Film directors from New York City Male actors from New York City Suicides by carbon monoxide poisoning Suicides in California 20th-century American male actors Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Prisoners and detainees of Germany