Roy Rowland (December 31, 1910 – June 29, 1995) was an American film director. He directed a number of films in the 1950s and 1960s including ''
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
''Our Vines Have Tender Grapes'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by Roy Rowland and starring Edward G. Robinson and Margaret O'Brien.
Plot
Martinius Jacobson is a Norwegian immigrant farmer in Wisconsin with his wife Bruna and their se ...
Louis B. Mayer
Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1884Mayer maintained that he was born in Minsk on July 4, 1885. According to Scott Eyman, the reasons may have been:
* Mayer's father gave different dates for his birthplace at different times, so ...
and sister of Jack Cummings (MGM producer/director). They had one son, Steve Rowland, born in 1932, who later became a music producer in the UK.
Biography
Early life
Roy Rowland was born in Brooklyn, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. The family moved to Edendale, California, when Roy was ten. He graduated from the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
with a law degree before beginning his career at
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
(MGM) as a script clerk. He then began working as a prop man, grip, and assistant cameraman. In 1927 he met Ruth Cummings at the Santa Monica Beach Club. She was the niece of
Louis B. Mayer
Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1884Mayer maintained that he was born in Minsk on July 4, 1885. According to Scott Eyman, the reasons may have been:
* Mayer's father gave different dates for his birthplace at different times, so ...
and the sister of producer Jack Cummings. Her family disapproved of Rowlands, so they eloped. This resulted in Rowland being blacklisted. But Ruth Cummings arranged a rapprochement with Mayer.
He was assistant director on most of the Tarzan films, starring Johnny Weissmuller in the 1930s.
Short films
Rowland made his reputation directing short films, particularly the "How to" series of shorts starring
Robert Benchley
Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist, newspaper columnist and actor. From his beginnings at ''The Harvard Lampoon'' while attending Harvard University, through his many years writing essays ...
Academy Award
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 ...
. He also worked with producer Pete Smith as the director of several of the short films in the ''Pete Smith Specialties'' series, and directed several of the short films in the '' Crime Does Not Pay'' series.
Features
Rowland's debut feature was '' A Stranger in Town'' (1943). He made three films with the child actress
Margaret O'Brien
Angela Maxine O'Brien (born January 15, 1937), known professionally as Margaret O'Brien, is an American actress. Beginning a career in feature films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at age four, O'Brien became a child star and received a Juvenile Acade ...
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
''Our Vines Have Tender Grapes'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by Roy Rowland and starring Edward G. Robinson and Margaret O'Brien.
Plot
Martinius Jacobson is a Norwegian immigrant farmer in Wisconsin with his wife Bruna and their se ...
Seven Hills of Rome
The seven hills of Rome (, ) east of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome, within the walls of the city.
Hills
The seven hills are:
* Aventine Hill (Latin: ''Collis Aventinus''; Italian: ''Aventino'')
* Caelian Hill (''Coll ...
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel ( ;"Seuss" '' Many Rivers to Cross
"Many Rivers to Cross" is a song written and recorded in 1969 by Jimmy Cliff. It has since been recorded by many musicians, most successfully by UB40, Cher and Annie Lennox and it was sung in the Caribbean by Alison Hinds and Tessanne Chin.
...
'' with Robert Taylor and '' Gun Glory'' (1957) with
Stewart Granger
Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...
and Rowland's son Steve.
Rowland was survived by his wife Ruth and their son.
Partial filmography
*'' Hollywood Party'' (1934) – co-director
*''Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs'' (1936) – short
*''Cinema Circus'' (1937) – short
*''Hollywood Party'' (1937) – short
*''Song of Revolt'' (1937) – short
*''How to Start the Day'' (1937) – short
*'' A Night at the Movies'' (1937) – short film with
Robert Benchley
Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist, newspaper columnist and actor. From his beginnings at ''The Harvard Lampoon'' while attending Harvard University, through his many years writing essays ...
*''Music Made Simple'' (1938) – short
*''An Evening Alone'' (1938) – short
*''How to Raise a Baby'' (1938) – short
*''The Courtship of the Newt'' (1938) – short
*''How to Read'' (1938) – short
*''How to Watch Football'' (1938) – short
*''Opening Day'' (1938) – short
*''Mental Poise'' (1938) – short
*''How to Sub-Let'' (1939) – short
*''An Hour for Lunch'' (1939) – short
*''Dark Magic'' (1939) – short
*''Home Early'' (1939) – short
*''How to Eat'' (1939) – short
*''Think First'' (1939) – short
*''Jack Pot'' (1940) – short
*''Please Answer'' (1940) – short (documentary)
*''You, the People'' (1940) – short
*''Sucker List'' (1941) – short
*''Changed Identity'' (1941) – short
*'' A Stranger in Town'' (1943)
*'' Lost Angel'' (1943)
*''
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
''Our Vines Have Tender Grapes'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by Roy Rowland and starring Edward G. Robinson and Margaret O'Brien.
Plot
Martinius Jacobson is a Norwegian immigrant farmer in Wisconsin with his wife Bruna and their se ...
The Romance of Rosy Ridge
''The Romance of Rosy Ridge'' is a 1947 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Roy Rowland (film director), Roy Rowland, about a rural community bitterly divided during the Reconstruction Era, aftermath of the American Civil War. It s ...
Two Weeks with Love
''Two Weeks with Love'' is a 1950 romantic musical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Roy Rowland and based on a story by John Larkin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Dorothy Kingsley.
Set in the early 20th century, the fil ...
Bugles in the Afternoon
''Bugles in the Afternoon'' is a 1952 American Western film produced by William Cagney, directed by Roy Rowland and starring Ray Milland, Helena Carter, Hugh Marlowe and Forrest Tucker, based on the 1943 novel by Ernest Haycox. The story ...
Many Rivers to Cross
"Many Rivers to Cross" is a song written and recorded in 1969 by Jimmy Cliff. It has since been recorded by many musicians, most successfully by UB40, Cher and Annie Lennox and it was sung in the Caribbean by Alison Hinds and Tessanne Chin.
...
These Wilder Years
''These Wilder Years'' is a 1956 American drama film directed by Roy Rowland and starring James Cagney, Barbara Stanwyck and Walter Pidgeon. It is the story of a businessman who tries to find the illegitimate son he gave up to an orphanage many y ...
'' (1956)
*''
Slander
Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making wikt:asserti ...
Seven Hills of Rome
The seven hills of Rome (, ) east of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome, within the walls of the city.
Hills
The seven hills are:
* Aventine Hill (Latin: ''Collis Aventinus''; Italian: ''Aventino'')
* Caelian Hill (''Coll ...
Man Called Gringo
''Man Called Gringo'' () is a 1965 German western film directed by Roy Rowland, written by Clarke Reynolds and Herbert Reinecker and starred by Götz George, Daniel Martín and Alexandra Stewart.
Cast
* Götz George as Mace Carson
* Alexandra ...
'' (1965)
*''
The Sea Pirate
''The Sea Pirate'' (, , , also known as ''The Fighting Corsair'') is a 1966 French-Italian-Spanish adventure film directed by Sergio Bergonzelli and Roy Rowland (film director), Roy Rowland.
Plot
Cast
* Gérard Barray as Robert Surcouf
* ...