Robert Youngson (November 27, 1917 – April 8, 1974) was a film producer, director, and screenwriter, specializing in reviving antique silent films.Obituary ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', April 17, 1974, page 95.Obituary
''

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'', April 10, 1974.

Biography

Robert George Youngson, born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York, graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

with a master's degree in business administration. He entered the film business in 1941, writing newsreel scripts.

Scott MacGillivray Scott MacGillivray (born June 29, 1957) is an American non-fiction author specializing in motion picture history. His book '' Laurel & Hardy: From the Forties Forward,'' revised and expanded in 2009, chronicles the later films of Stan Laurel and ...

. ''Laurel & Hardy: From the Forties Forward'', Second Edition, Revised and Expanded. New York: iUniverse, 2009; First edition Lanham, Maryland: Vestal Press, 1998. In 1948

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

hired him to produce a series of short subjects about sports. Most of these were straight roundups of current sporting events, but in some of them Youngson indulged his fascination with antique newsreels of the 1920s, and included vintage sports footage in the new productions. This led to Youngson writing and producing a long series of historical short subjects for Warners, two of which won him

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

. Most of these films took an affectionate look back at the fads and lifestyles of the 1920s. Youngson's narration was nostalgic in tone, unlike the facetious commentaries that usually accompanied silent-film revivals like ''Gaslight Follies'' (1945) and Warners' compilations of

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American producer, director, actor, and studio head who was known as the "King of Comedy" during his career. Born in Danville, Quebec, he started acting i ...

comedies. Youngson also produced a feature-length documentary for Warners, ''Fifty Years Before Your Eyes'' (1950). Warners discontinued live-action short subjects in 1956 and released Youngson, forcing him to work as an independent producer. He assembled a full-length feature of silent-comedy highlights, ''

The Golden Age of Comedy ''The Golden Age of Comedy'' (1957) is a compilation of silent comedy films from the Mack Sennett and Hal Roach studios, written and produced by Robert Youngson. Youngson had previously produced several award-winning short documentaries beforehan ...

'' (1958). This was a triumphant success, earning rave reviews from national columnists and receiving network exposure on TV talk shows. He followed this with ''When Comedy Was King'' (1960) and six more vintage-comedy anthologies, the last being released in 1970.

Academy Awards and nominations

He was nominated six times for the

Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under numerous names, since 1957. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, ''Best Short Subject, On ...

(one reel).

Full list of short films

All produced by

and narrators included Dan Donaldson,

Jackson Beck Jackson Beck (July 23, 1912 – July 28, 2004) was an American actor best known as the announcer on radio's '' The Adventures of Superman'' and the voice of Bluto in the Famous era Popeye theatrical shorts. Early years Beck was born on July 23, ...

, Clem McCarthy, Dwight Weist, Ward Wilson and Jay Jackson. Walton C. Ament produced the earliest shorts. Those not part of a series were marketed as “varieties” and “novelties”. *''Football Magic'' (two reel “Classic of the Screen”) – September 4, 1948 *''Roaring Wheels'' (Sports News Review) – October 2, 1948 *''Ski Devils'' (Sports News Review) – December 4, 1948 *''Swim Parade'' (Sports News Review) – February 5, 1949 *''Batter Up'' (Sports News Review) – April 9, 1949 *''They're Off'' (Sports News Review) – June 18, 1949 *''Spills and Chills'' (Sports News Review) – August 13, 1949 (DVD release: ''

It's a Great Feeling ''It's a Great Feeling'' is a 1949 American Technicolor musical comedy film starring Doris Day, Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan in a parody of what goes on behind the scenes in Hollywood movie making. The screenplay by Jack Rose and Mel Sh ...

'': TCM Doris Day Collection) *''Pigskin Passes'' (two reel “Classic of the Screen”) – September 23, 1949 *''A-Speed on the Deep'' – December 24, 1949 *''Shoot the Basket'' (two reel “Classic of the Screen”) – April 29, 1950 *''A Cavalcade of Girls'' – August 12, 1950 *''Blaze Busters'' – December 30, 1950 *''Horsehide Heroes'' – March 10, 1951 *''World of Kids'' – June 23, 1951 *''Disaster Fighters'' – August 11, 1951 *''Lighter than Air'' – October 20, 1951 *''Animals Have All the Fun'' – April 19, 1952 *''Daredevil Days'' – August 9, 1952 *''Too Much Speed'' – January 3, 1953 *''No Adults Allowed'' – April 11, 1953 *''Head Over Heels'' – June 20, 1953 *''Looking At Life'' (two reel “Classic of the Screen”) – July 18, 1953 *''Say It with Spills'' – October 24, 1953 *''Magic Movie Moments'' – December 26, 1953 *''They Were Champions'' (two reel “Classic of the Screen”) – January 23, 1954 *''I Remember When'' – March 19, 1954 *''This Wonderful World'' (two reel “Classic of the Screen”) – March 27, 1954 *''Thrills from the Past'' – May 8, 1954 *''When Sports Were King'' – June 19, 1954 *''This Was Yesterday'' (two reel “Classic of the Screen”) – July 31, 1954 *''This Mechanical Age'' – August 28, 1954 *''Camera Hunting'' (two reel “Classic of the Screen”) – November 20, 1954 *''A Bit of the Best'' – December 25, 1954 *''Those Exciting Days'' – March 12, 1955 *''When the Talkies Were Young'' (two reel “Classic of the Screen”) – March 26, 1955 (DVD releases: ''

The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American part-talkie musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland and produced by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music and lip-synchronous ...

'' & '' Lucky Me'') *''Fire, Wind and Flood'' – April 30, 1955 *''Some of the Greatest'' – June 18, 1955 *''The Glory Around Us'' (two reel “Classic of the Screen”) – July 2, 1955 *''Gadgets Galore'' – July 30, 1955 (DVD release: '' Pete Kelly's Blues'') *''An Adventure to Remember'' – October 1, 1955 *''It Happened to You'' (two reel “Classic of the Screen”) – December 31, 1955 *''Faster and Faster'' – January 21, 1956 *''The Picture Parade'' (two reel “Classic of the Screen”) – March 31, 1956 *''I Never Forget a Face'' – April 28, 1956 *''Through the Camera's Eyes'' (two reel “Classic of the Screen”) – August 11, 1956 *''Animals and Kids'' – August 18, 1956

Feature-film compilations

Youngson also produced the following feature-length compilations: *''Fifty Years Before Your Eyes'' (1950) *''

'' (1957) *''When Comedy Was King'' (1960) *''Days of Thrills and Laughter'' (1961) *''30 Years of Fun'' (1963) *''M-G-M's Big Parade of Comedy'' (1964) *''Laurel and Hardy's Laughing 20's'' (1965) *''The Further Perils of Laurel and Hardy'' (1967) *'' 4 Clowns'' (1970)

Private life and death

He died at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City on April 8, 1974 at age 56, survived by his wife Jeanne Keyes.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Youngson, Robert Filmmakers from Brooklyn 1917 births 1974 deaths Producers who won the Live Action Short Film Academy Award Film producers from New York (state) 20th-century American businesspeople Film directors from New York City Harvard Business School alumni