Richard Cromwell | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Autographed photo of Cromwell, c. 1933 | |
| Born | LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh (1910-01-08)January 8, 1910 Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Died | October 11, 1960(1960-10-11) (aged 50) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Fairhaven Memorial Park,Santa Ana, California |
| Other names | Roy Radabaugh |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1930–1948 |
| Spouse | |
Richard Cromwell (bornLeRoy Melvin Radabaugh;[citation needed] January 8, 1910 – October 11, 1960) also known asRoy Radabaugh, was an American actor. His career was at its pinnacle with his work inJezebel (1938) withBette Davis andHenry Fonda and again with Fonda inJohn Ford'sYoung Mr. Lincoln (1939). Cromwell's fame was perhaps first assured inThe Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935), withGary Cooper andFranchot Tone.
That film was the first major effort directed byHenry Hathaway and it was based upon the popular novel byFrancis Yeats-Brown.The Lives of a Bengal Lancer earnedParamount Studios a nomination forBest Picture in 1935,[1] thoughMutiny on the Bounty instead took the top award at theAcademy Awards that year.[2]
Leslie Halliwell inThe Filmgoer's Companion, summed up Cromwell's enduring appeal when he described him as "a leading man, [the] gentle hero of early sound films."
Radabaugh enrolled as a teenager in theChouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles on a scholarship. He ran a shop inHollywood where he sold pictures, made lampshades, and designed colour schemes for houses, including "decorating a bathroom forColleen Moore and designing a house that he rented toCole Porter."[3]
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Radabaugh can be seen inKing of Jazz (1930), along with the film's star,Paul Whiteman and his orchestra. On a whim, friends encouraged him to audition in 1930 for the remake of theRichard Barthelmess silent:Tol'able David (1930). Radabaugh won the role over thousands of hopefuls. In storybook fashion,Harry Cohn gave him his screen name and launched his career. Cromwell earned $75 per week for his work onTol'able David.Noah Beery Sr. andJohn Carradine co-starred in the film. Later, Cohn signed Cromwell to a multi-year contract based on the strength of his performance and success in his first venture at the box-office. Amidst the flurry of publicity during this period, Cromwell toured the country, even meeting PresidentHerbert Hoover in Washington, D.C.[citation needed]
Cromwell by then had maintained a deep friendship withMarie Dressler, which continued until her death from cancer in 1934. Dressler was nominated for a secondBest Actress award for her 1932 portrayal of the title role inEmma.[4] With that film, Dressler personally insisted that her studio bosses cast Cromwell on a loan-out in the lead opposite her. This was another break that helped sustain his rising status inHollywood.Emma also starredMyrna Loy in one of her earlier screen performances.[citation needed]
Cromwell's next role in 1932 was as Mike inGregory La Cava's,The Age of Consent, co-starring Eric Linden and Dorothy Wilson. Cromwell is also remembered during this period inHoop-La (1933), where he is seduced byClara Bow. Next, the much in demand Cromwell starred inTom Brown of Culver.
Next up was an early standout performance by Cromwell as the leader of the youth gang inCecil B. DeMille's now cult-favorite,This Day and Age (1933). To ensure that Cromwell's character used current slang, DeMille asked high school studentHorace Hahn to read the script and comment.[5] He starred with Jean Arthur in 1934, in "The Most Precious Thing in Life."
Cromwell's many early pictures were made atColumbia Pictures and elsewhere. Cromwell starred withWill Rogers inLife Begins at 40 forFox Film Corporation in 1935 and appeared inPoppy in 1936 as the suitor ofW.C. Fields' daughter,Rochelle Hudson. In 1937, he portrayed the young bank-robber in love withHelen Mack and on the lam fromLionel Atwill inThe Wrong Road.
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In the early 1940s,Universal Pictures releasedEnemy Agent starring Cromwell as a draftsman who thwarts theNazis. In 1942, he went on to appear in marginal but still watchable fare such asBaby Face Morgan, which co-starredMary Carlisle.[citation needed]
Cromwell enjoyed a career boost, if not a critically acclaimed performance, in the film adaptation of the hit radio serial:Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher (1943), oppositeGale Storm. Next up atMonogram Pictures, he was cast as a doctor working covertly for a police department to catch mobsters in the forgettable though endearingRiot Squad, wherein his "fiancée", Rita Quigley, breaks their engagement.
Back inCalifornia for good, Cromwell was married once, briefly (1945–1946), to actressAngela Lansbury, when she was 19 and Cromwell was 35.[6]
Cromwell made just one statement to the press regarding his wife of nine months and one of her habits: "All over the house, tea bags. In the middle of the night she'd get up and start drinking tea. It nearly drove me crazy."[7]
According to the biography:Angela Lansbury, A Life on Stage and Screen, Lansbury stated in a 1966 interview that her first marriage, "was a mistake" and that she learned from it. She stated, "I wouldn't havenot done it", and, "I was too young at 19. [The marriage] shouldn't have happened." Articles based on interviews with Lansbury have stated that Cromwell wasgay.[8][9][10] Cromwell and Lansbury remained friends until his death in 1960.[citation needed]
In July 1960, Cromwell signed with producer Maury Dexter for20th Century Fox's planned production ofThe Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, co-starringJimmie Rodgers, Bob Dix (son ofRichard Dix), andNeil Hamilton who replaced Cromwell in the film. Cromwell became ill and died on October 11, 1960, in Hollywood ofliver cancer, at the age of 50.[3] He is interred atFairhaven Memorial Park inSanta Ana, California.[11]
Cromwell's legacy is preserved today by his nephew Dan Putnam, and his cousin Bill Keane IV, both of theConejo Valley inSouthern California, as well as the family of his late niece, Joan Radabaugh, of the Central Coast. In 2005, Keane donated materials relating to Cromwell's radio performances to theThousand Oaks Library's Special Collection, "The American Radio Archive". In 2007, Keane donated memorabilia relating to Cromwell's film career and ceramics work to theAMPAS Margaret Herrick Library inBeverly Hills.[citation needed]
Cromwell was mentioned inGore Vidal's satirical novelMyra Breckinridge (1968) as "the late Richard Cromwell, so satisfyingly tortured inLives of a Bengal Lancer".[citation needed]
| Year | Movie | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | King of Jazz | cowboy (walk-on) | Cromwell can be seen in theSong of the Dawn number. |
| 1930 | Tol'able David | David | Directed by John Blystone, starred oppositeNoah Beery Sr. Silent starRichard Barthelmess, who gave his blessing to Cromwell's portrayal, was the original David in the 1921 classic directed byHenry King.Gary Cooper was also originally offered this role and very interested butAdolph Zukor atParamount Pictures refused to loan out his top star to Columbia, then perceived as a "lower-class" studio (according to Larry Swindell's bio of Cooper,The Last Hero, Doubleday, 1980). |
| 1931 | Fifty Fathoms Deep | Pinky Caldwell | First of several pairings withJack Holt forColumbia. |
| 1931 | Shanghaied Love | The Boy | Third feature for Columbia, co-starredSally Blane and again, Noah Beery Sr. |
| 1931 | Maker of Men | Bob Dudley | Jack Holt co-starred and a very young Marion Morrison akaJohn Wayne appeared with his Trojan Football teammates; Gridiron scenes filmed atUSC. |
| 1932 | The Age of Consent | Mike | Cromwell's first loanout toRKO; this film was directed byGregory LaCava and was the screen debut, in an uncredited role, forMildred Shay. |
| 1932 | Emma | Ronnie | Cromwell was on loan out toMGM for directorClarence Brown; this production's cast also includedJean Hersholt. |
| 1932 | Tom Brown of Culver | Robert Randolph III | Universal'sWilliam Wyler directed Cromwell here along withH.B. Warner,Slim Summerville,Tom Brown,Ben Alexander, andSidney Toler. Also,Tyrone Power's first onscreen appearance is as a bit player in a scene opposite Cromwell in this film. |
| 1932 | The Strange Love of Molly Louvain | James "Jimmy" Cook, the bellhop | Director:Michael Curtiz forWarner Bros., withAnn Dvorak,Lee Tracy,Guy Kibbee, andCharles Middleton. |
| 1932 | That's My Boy | Tommy Jefferson Scott | Another football flick wherein Cromwell plays oppositeMae Marsh, Dorothy Jordan, andDouglass Dumbrille. |
| 1933 | This Day and Age | Steve Smith | For DeMille atParamount Pictures, Cromwell stars withCharles Bickford andJudith Allen. |
| 1933 | Hoop-La | Chris Miller | Directed byFrank Lloyd for Fox pictures. Final major starring role forClara Bow. Cromwell co-starred withPreston Foster andJames Gleason. |
| 1933 | Above the Clouds | Dick Robinson | |
| 1934 | Carolina | drugstore clerk | OppositeJanet Gaynor, originally entitled: "The House of Connelly". |
| 1934 | Most Precious Thing in Life | Chris Kelsey | |
| 1934 | Name the Woman | Clem Rogers | |
| 1934 | Among the Missing | Tommy aka The Kid | |
| 1934 | When Strangers Meet | Paul Tarman | |
| 1935 | Life Begins at 40 | Lee Austin | OppositeWill Rogers andRochelle Hudson, this was one of Rogers' last films. |
| 1935 | Lives of a Bengal Lancer | Lt. Stone | Cromwell's favorite role. |
| 1935 | McFadden's Flats | Sandy MacTavish | |
| 1935 | Men of the Hour | Dave Durkin | |
| 1935 | Unknown Woman | Larry Condon | |
| 1935 | Annapolis Farwell | Boyce Avery | |
| 1935 | Star Night at The Cocoanut Grove | as himself | MGM Technicolor Short showing celebs at play in Hollywood. Cromwell is seated at a table withGary Cooper. |
| 1936 | Poppy | Billy Farnsworth | One of many pairings for Cromwell oppositeRochelle Hudson. |
| 1937 | Torpedoed | Lt. Bill Armstrong | |
| 1937 | The Road Back | Ludwig | Very large cast includingNoah Beery Jr.—Cromwell was one of the few actors to work with both Beery Sr. and Jr. Fine camera work was done here by cinematographerJohn J. Mescall. |
| 1937 | The Wrong Road | Jimmy | Cromwell's director here wasJames Cruze. Other members of the cast wereMarjorie Main, Joseph Crehan, Arthur Horst, and Rex Evans. Costumes were byEloise. |
| 1938 | Jezebel | Ted Dillard | Cromwell's second role in aWilliam Wyler-directed film. |
| 1938 | Come on, Lethernecks! | Jimmy Butler | |
| 1938 | Storm Over Bengal | Neil Allison | |
| 1939 | Young Mr. Lincoln | Matt Clay | Henry Fonda, who played Lincoln, was quoted in an interview that he had a professional admiration for the "always dependable Richard Cromwell." |
| 1940 | Village Barn Dance | Dan Martin | |
| 1940 | Enemy Agent | Jimmy Saunders | Exactly one hour in length, this film has Cromwell in the role of a draftsman who is wrongly accused of crimes perpetrated byNazi spies.Jack Carson stands out in an early role as aG-Man feigning drunkenness to help thwart the crooks who've stolen aircraft factory blueprints. |
| 1940 | The Villain Still Pursued Her | Edward Middleton | Co-starringBuster Keaton, this take-off of the long-running Los Angeles stage hitThe Drunkard, also co-starredMargaret Hamilton. It was recently re-released on DVD. |
| 1941 | Parachute Battalion | Spence | |
| 1941 | Riot Squad | Doctor Tom Brandon | |
| 1942 | Baby Face Morgan | Edward "Baby Face" Morgan | This is the best of the several of Cromwell's "B" efforts forPRC. Cromwell's co-star here wasRobert Armstrong, ofKing Kong fame. Cromwell and Armstrong had also worked together inEnemy Agent. |
| 1943 | The Crime Smasher | Police Sergeant Pat Flanagan | |
| 1948 | Bungalow 13 | Patrick Macy | Cromwell's comeback that never was. |
