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F. Richard Jones | |
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 F. Richard Jones ca. 1923 | |
| Born | Frank Richard Jones (1893-09-07)7 September 1893 |
| Died | 14 December 1930(1930-12-14) (aged 37) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Occupations | Film director, screenwriter, producer |
| Years active | 1909–1930 |
| Spouse(s) | Three, includingIrene Lentz |
Frank Richard Jones (September 7, 1893 – December 14, 1930) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer.
Born inSt. Louis, Missouri, Dick Jones was sixteen years old when he became involved in the fledglingfilm industry in his hometown with the Atlas film company. Atechnician, Jones worked in the film laboratory and other departments but his real interest lay behind the camera, creating the visual product. With the industry's shift toHollywood, in 1915 he joinedMack Sennett at hisKeystone Studios where he put together a few scripts and was given the opportunity to direct. Initially his directorial work was difficult but he dedicated himself to learning the job. Jones first came to prominence whenMabel Normand promoted him to co-direct the troubled featureMickey (released 1918). The film was a major success and Normand always credited Jones with having rescued the project. He gained a solid reputation among his peers after directingMabel Normand inMolly O' (1921). Unfortunately, the film came out after the murder ofWilliam Desmond Taylor and many movie-goersboycotted the film because of the negative publicity surrounding Normand's involvement in the matter.
While at Keystone, Dick Jones met and marriedIrene Lentz, a young actress who would go on to become one of Hollywood's leadingcostume designers. In 1923 Dick Jones began producing films but after directing and/or producing forty-five films for Keystone, including feature-length productions, in 1925 he was lured away byHal Roach Studios.[1] Although he directed films for Roach, Dick Jones worked mainly as an executive coordinator, serving as a production supervisor and a supervising director. In 1926, Jones was responsible for signing Mabel Normand to a contract with Roach Studios after health anddrug addiction problems had kept the star actress out of films for three years. He would direct or produce Normand in all five of her films made at Roach Studios until her permanent retirement in 1927. As well, during his time with Roach, Jones worked on nineteen different film projects withStan Laurel. In later years, Laurel would state that it was Dick Jones who taught him everything aboutcomedyfilmmaking.
Leaving Roach Studios at the end of 1927, Jones directedDouglas Fairbanks in the highly acclaimedadventureepicThe Gaucho. Now much in demand for his skills and filmmaking versatility, in 1928 Jones signed on withParamount Pictures where he directed three productions – includingThe Water Hole (1928) withNancy Carroll – before accepting an offer from producerSamuel Goldwyn in 1929 to directtalking films. Dick Jones' first talkie was a mystery/thriller starringRonald Colman andJoan Bennett titledBulldog Drummond (1929). At a time when a number of prominentsilent film directors could not make the transition to sound, Jones' first effort was heralded for its quality and his future looked bright.
However, Jones soon fell ill, possibly fromtuberculosis that ravagedLos Angeles in the early 1930s and that would claim the lives of stars such as Normand andRenée Adorée.
F. Richard Jones died in 1930 at the age of thirty-seven. He left behind a widow, designerIrene Lentz, two former wives, Carol and Josephine, and a daughter, Dickey. He is interred in the Great Mausoleum, Florentine Columbarium, atForest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery inGlendale, California. Following the 1962 suicide of his wife Irene, she was interred next to him.
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