Robert L. Richards (March 3, 1909 - June 1984) was a film
screenwriter. He attended Horace Mann School (high school) and graduated from Harvard in 1932. He worked for ''Time'' magazine and the ''March of Time'' radio program and newsreel for 7 years.
Richards worked on a number of notable films of the 1940s and 1950s including ''
Winchester '73
''Winchester '73'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea and Stephen McNally. Written by Borden Chase and Robert L. Richards, the film is about the journey of a pr ...
'', ''
Johnny Stool Pigeon'', and ''
Act of Violence
''Act of Violence'' is a 1949 American film noir starring Van Heflin, Robert Ryan and featuring Janet Leigh, Mary Astor and Phyllis Thaxter.
Directed by Fred Zinnemann and adapted for the screen by Robert L. Richards from a story by Collier Yo ...
''. His radio work included writing for the ''
Suspense'' series which aired on the CBS network from 1942 until 1962. Among Richards' numerous ''Suspense'' offerings was his critically acclaimed neogothic horror thriller entitled "
The House in Cypress Canyon" broadcast on December 5, 1946. Considered one of the tautest, most chilling dramas in the ''Suspense'' canon, the now classic show featured
Robert Taylor,
Cathy Lewis
Catherine Lee Lewis (December 27, 1916 – November 20, 1968) was an American actress on radio, film, and television. She is remembered best for numerous radio appearances but also noted for making a number of film and television appearances in ...
,
Hans Conried
Hans Georg Conried Jr. (April 15, 1917 – January 5, 1982) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for providing the voices of George Darling and Captain Hook in Walt Disney's ''Peter Pan'' (1953), Snidely Whiplash in Jay Ward's '' Dud ...
, and
Howard Duff in starring roles.
Richards testified before the House Unamerican Activities Committee on September 20, 1951. He was asked about his membership in the Communist Party, and took the Fifth Amendment. His testimony was followed by that of Ann Roth Morgan Richards, his wife, who said she and Robert were married in 1949. She also took the Fifth Amendment.
[HUAC HEARINGS, Sept. 20, 21, 24, and 25, 1951. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Hearings/V9UJAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=robert+loring+richards&pg=PA1641&printsec=frontcover]
Filmography
Films
Television
References
External links
*
American male screenwriters
1909 births
1984 deaths
20th-century American screenwriters
Harvard College alumni
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