Mark Robson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1913-12-04)4 December 1913 |
| Died | 20 June 1978(1978-06-20) (aged 64) |
| Resting place | Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery,Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | UC Los Angeles Pacific Coast University |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, producer, editor |
| Years active | 1941–1978 |
| Spouse | [1] (1915–1982) |
| Children | 3 |
Mark Robson (4 December 1913 – 20 June 1978) was a Canadian-Americanfilm director,producer, andeditor. Robson began his 45-year career in Hollywood as a film editor. He later began working as a director and producer. He directed 34 films during his career, includingChampion (1949),Bright Victory (1951),The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954),Peyton Place (1957),The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958),Von Ryan's Express (1965),Valley of the Dolls (1967), andEarthquake (1974).
Robson was twice nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Director – forPeyton Place andThe Inn of the Sixth Happiness – as well as four nominations for theDirectors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing in Feature Films. Two of his films were nominated for theCannes Film Festival'sPalme d'Or. In 1960, he received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion picture industry.[2]
Born inMontreal, he attended Roslyn Elementary School andWestmount High School in Montreal.[3] He later studied at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles andPacific Coast University School of Law.[4] Robson then found work in the prop department at20th Century Fox studios. He eventually went to work atRKO Pictures where he began training as a film editor.[2]
In 1940, he worked as an assistant toRobert Wise on the editing ofCitizen Kane, the film debut ofOrson Welles. He and Wise also edited Welles' next movie,The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), and made drastic cuts to the ending of the film, which Welles disagreed with.[5]
Robson was promoted to editor forThe Falcon's Brother (1942), an RKO B picture. He then editedJourney into Fear (1943), made by Orson Welles' company. The editing was again done without Welles' involvement.[6]
Both Robson and Wise benefited from producer and screenwriterVal Lewton, who was supervising a series of low budget horror films at RKO that have since become legendary. The first wasCat People (1942), directed byJacques Tourneur. Robson edited Lewton's next two films, both directed by Tourneur,I Walked with a Zombie (1943) andThe Leopard Man (1943).
Lewton was so impressed with Robson's work that he promoted him to director forThe Seventh Victim (1943). Lewton liked the result, so Robson directedThe Ghost Ship (1943). Lewton also gave Robert Wise his first directing job, onThe Curse of the Cat People (1944).
Lewton wanted to make non-horror films and RKO allowed him to makeYouth Runs Wild (1944), a juvenile delinquency story; Robson directed, but the film was not a commercial success. More popular wasIsle of the Dead (1945) starringBoris Karloff. Lewton, Karloff and Robson reunited onBedlam (1946), which lost money at the box office and turned out to be the last horror movie produced by Lewton.[7]
Robson's success at RKO led to work on major film projects, and in 1949 he was nominated for theDirectors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for his work on thefilm noirChampion, produced byStanley Kramer. Robson directed another film for Kramer,Home of the Brave (1949), one of the first films to deal with the issue ofracism.
Next Robson directedRoughshod (1949), a Western, for RKO, andMy Foolish Heart (also 1949), a melodrama for producerSam Goldwyn. Goldwyn then used Robson forEdge of Doom (1950) andI Want You (1951). Robson later called his Goldwyn period "one of the worst periods of my career".[8]
At Universal Robson madeBright Victory (1951).
Robson briefly brought Val Lewton and Robert Wise into a partnership for film and television production, only to drop the ailing Lewton without explanation a few months later. Robson and Wise producedReturn to Paradise (1953), starring Gary Cooper. ForWarwick Films, Robson directedAlan Ladd inHell Below Zero (1954). He made a comedy at Columbia,Phffft (1954), then had one of the biggest hits in his career withThe Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954). This film won him another DGA nomination. Warwick Films used him again forA Prize of Gold (1955). He went to MGM to makeTrial (1955). His boxing film,The Harder They Fall (1956), was based on a novel byBudd Schulberg.
The Little Hut (1957), for MGM, was a huge hit. Even bigger wasPeyton Place (1957), for 20th Century Fox. Robson was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Director. He was nominated again the following year for directingIngrid Bergman inThe Inn of the Sixth Happiness.[9][10] For these films, he also received his third and fourth Directors Guild of America nominations.
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Robson produced and directedFrom the Terrace (1960) starringPaul Newman. He producedThe Inspector (1962)[11] andNine Hours to Rama (1963), the latter of which he also directed. After completing that film, Robson left Fox after a five-year association.[12]
Robson and Newman reunited onThe Prize (1963) for MGM. It was a hit, as wasVon Ryan's Express (1965), starringFrank Sinatra, back at Fox.
Robson produced and directedLost Command (1966), a tale of theFrench Foreign Legion, and directed 1967'sValley of the Dolls, a film panned by the critics, but a success at the box office.[13]
Robson made a series of films that were commercially disappointing:Daddy's Gone A-Hunting (1969),Happy Birthday, Wanda June (1971), andLimbo (1972). In 1974, he directedEarthquake, the film that introduced "Sensurround".[14]
Robson was married to Sarah Naomi Riskind from 1936 until his death on 20 June 1978, from aheart attack in London after completingAvalanche Express. The film was released a year after his death.[15] The couple had three children.
Robson is interred inMount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.[citation needed]
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, he has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 1722 Vine Street.[2]
