Biography Robert Rossen

1 biography

1.1 life , career
1.2 marriage
1.3 work in hollywood
1.4 examinations huac
1.5 return filmmaking

biography
early life , career

robert rosen born on march 16, 1908, , raised on lower east side of new york city. parents russian-jewish immigrants , father rabbi. youth rossen attended new york university, hustled pool , fought prizefights. - latter 2 providing crucial background 2 greatest films, body , soul , hustler, respectively.

he started theatrical career stage manager , director in stock , off-broadway productions, in social , radical theaters flourished in new york in , mid-1930s, did john huston, elia kazan , joseph losey. in 1932 rossen directed john wexley s steel, labor agitation, , richard maibaum s tree, lynching. year later rossen directed birthright, in maibaum attacked nazism, had triumphed in germany dictatorship of adolf hitler in 1933.

in 1935 rossen wrote , directed first play,the body beautiful, comedy naive burlesque dancer. although play closed after 4 performances, warner bros. director mervyn leroy impressed in 1936 signed rossen personal screenwriting contract.

marriage

in 1936 rossen married susan siegal; couple had 3 children.

work in hollywood

for first credit in hollywood, in 1937 rossen co-wrote abem finkel script based on prosecution of crime lord lucky luciano , titled marked woman. although of warner bros. management saw rossen unknown quantity, result won praise both jack l. warner , daily worker. rossen s first solo script won t forget (1937), fictionalized account of lynching of leo frank, featuring lana turner in debut performance.

dust destiny, co-written in 1939 rossen, story of fugitive justice acquitted attorney , journalist, latter arguing million boys on country in similar plight. warner bros. ordered producer lou edelman cut script, adding story of 2 people – not group. individual problem – not national one. rossen 1 of 3 writers on gangster melodrama roaring twenties, released in 1939. remake of 1932 play , film life begins written in 1939 rossen , released in 1940 child born. plot recounted experiences of 6 expectant mothers, , there little scope modify original.

the sea wolf, released in 1941, based on jack london s novel. although film had strong cast , production, rossen s re-draft of script may greatest influence on film. while character of captain larsen remained both victim , oppressed in capitalist hierarchy, became symbol of fascism. split novel s idealist hero intellectual bosun , rebellious seaman. warner bros. cut many political points during production.

blues in night, written rossen , 2 colleagues , released in 1941, shows group of jazz musicians traveling in depression. informal methods represent working-class culture rather commercialized music of big bands. however, new york times reviewer thought sound track film has offer , , warner disappointed sales.

after attack on pearl harbor on december 7, 1941, screen writers guild set on december 8, 1941, hollywood writers mobilization, body organize writers war effort. rossen served body s chairman until 1944 , advocated opening of second front support west european resistance against nazis. earnings greater in 1937. however, work hollywood writers mobilization , communist party forced him abandon partly developed film projects, including treasure of sierra madre, john huston directed in 1948.

in 1945 rossen joined picket line against warner bros, making enemy of jack warner. rossen signed contract independent production company formed hal wallis, had been warner bros. head of production. rossen wrote 2 full scripts company, strange love of martha ivers in 1946 , desert fury in 1947. in strange love of martha ivers rossen used short story john patrick introduce main plot, set fifteen years later , rossen wrote himself. relationship between rossen , wallis broke down when rossen received offers other production companies.

dick powell had been crooner making new career dramatic actor. when columbia pictures agreed make johnny o clock him in 1947, powell campaigned rossen direct, , became rossen s debut in directing. crime melodrama proved modest success, roberts productions signed rossen direct abraham polonsky s script of body , soul, described bob thomas possibly best prizefight film ever made. rossen preferred ending in hero wins boxing match , killed gangster, polonsky insisted on own ending, in hero escapes obscurity before fight. following success of body , soul, rossen formed own production company , signed columbia pictures contract gave him wide autonomy on every second film made @ studio.

all king s men (1949) based on novel of same name robert penn warren, in turn based on career of louisiana politician huey long. rossen introduced new concept, defenders of ordinary people can in turn become new exploiters. requirement participation in film, rossen had write columbia s harry cohn saying no longer communist party member. cohn s critiques of draft of rossen s script included scrapping framing structure difficult audiences follow , several improvements in relationships , motivations of characters. meeting of communist party in los angeles severely criticized film, , rossen severed relations party. king s men won academy award best picture, broderick crawford won award best actor , mercedes mccambridge honored best supporting actress. rossen nominated academy award best director lost joseph l. mankiewicz letter 3 wives. rossen won golden globe best director , film won golden globe best picture. next film, brave bulls, directed in 1950 , released in 1951. rossen s last work before studios blacklisted him. new york times critic bosley crowther called best film on bull-fighting yet.

examinations huac

after end of world war ii in 1945, rightwing elements had resisted entry world war ii because of pro-fascist isolationism, continued attempts control , punish left-leaning entertainment professionals fought spread of fascism in europe during 1930s while united states technically neutral. in 1946, republicans gained overwhelming majority in congressional elections. , used power re-invigorate committees there had failed stop anti-fascist artists before war. communist victory of china in 1949 , start of korean war in 1950 reinforced anti-communist hysteria being whipped @ time.

during hearings in 1947, jack warner included rossen among many openly leftist writers whom studio, warner bros., had hired earliest , openly anti-nazi studios in hollywood (warner bros had made confessions of nazi spy (1939) , attacked republicans @ time). warner reportedly accused rossen of incorporating communist propaganda in scripts , claimed why had fired him, though in fact real reason warner s enmity rossen writer s union activities.

rossen 1 of 19 unfriendly witnesses subpoenaed in october 1947 house un-american activities committee (huac) during second red scare 1 of 8 not called testify. in 1951, rossen named communist several huac witnesses , appeared before huac first time in june 1951. exercised rights under fifth amendment against self-incrimination, taking came known augmented fifth . testified not member of communist party , disagreed aims of party, when asked state whether had ever been member of party, rossen refused answer. placed on unofficial blacklist hollywood studios, , columbia broke production contract him.

in unconstitutional though widespread practice during communist witchhunts, u.s. state department refused renew rossen s passport. this, , inability find work, brought rossen, friend, ex-communist elia kazan, committee in may 1953, named 57 people communists. explained committee why chose testify: don t think, after 2 years of thinking, 1 individual can indulge himself in luxury of personal morality or pit against feel today security , safety of nation. stephen rossen later shed light on father s decision:

killed him not work. torn between desire work , desire not talk, , didn t know do. think wanted know was, think of him if talked? didn t in way, though. explained me politics of it—how studios in on it, , there never chance of working. under pressure, sick, diabetes bad, , drinking. time understood had refused talk before , had done time, point of view. kid @ point? say, love , m behind you.  

like elia kazan s testimony, rossen s huac testimony destroyed many lifelong friendships, along dozens of careers; however, unlike kazan, rossen s career never recovered, while kazan s flourished rest of life.

return filmmaking

from 1952 1953, rossen wrote mambo, trying repair finances after 2 years without work following 1951 huac hearing. had produce film in italy, , premiered in italy in 1954 , usa in 1955. rossen later said mambo fun only, took seriously, , didn t come off. critics dismissed film. however, in 2001, dorothea fischer-hornung concluded film achieved more rossen , contemporary critics realized. female lead resolves own conflicts devoting herself dance. katherine dunham s choreography highlights process; , innovative cinematography intensifies dance scenes.

rossen hoped alexander great (1956) blockbuster, majority of reviews criticized film failing keep audience s interest. however, review new york times wrote moments of boredom rare ... overlong thoughtful , spectacular entertainment.

the gravesite of robert rossen

in 1961, rossen co-wrote, produced , directed hustler. drawing upon own experiences pool hustler, teamed sidney carroll adapt novel of same name screen. hustler nominated 9 academy awards , won two. rossen nominated best director , carroll best adapted screenplay did not win either award. named best director new york film critics circle , shared carroll writers guild of america award best written drama. hustler enormous popular success , credited sparking resurgence in popularity of pool in united states, had been on decline decades. rossen ill when started on final film, lilith (1964), , poorly received in united states. after rossen lost interest in directing, reportedly because of conflicts film s star, warren beatty. filmmaker said, isn t worth kind of grief. won t take more. have nothing on screen right now. if never make picture, ve got hustler on record. m content let 1 stand me. however, @ time of death rossen planning cocoa beach, script conceived in 1962, showing hopes , struggles of transients in local community , contrasting nearby cape canaveral, neve described symbol of america s imperial reach .