Tom Ricketts | |
|---|---|
 Ricketts in 1914 | |
| Born | Thomas B. Ricketts (1853-01-15)15 January 1853 Greenwich, London, England |
| Died | 19 January 1939(1939-01-19) (aged 86) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1882–1939 |
| Spouse | Josephine Ditt |
Thomas B. Ricketts (15 January 1853 – 19 January 1939) was an English-born Americanstage andfilmactor anddirector who was a pioneer in the film industry. He portrayedEbenezer Scrooge in the first American film adaptation ofA Christmas Carol (1908), and directed one of the first motion pictures ever made in Hollywood. After directing scores of silent films, including the first film to be released byUniversal Pictures, Ricketts became a prominentcharacter actor.
Thomas B. Ricketts[1] was born in Greenwich, London 15 January 1853,[2] the son of Rosa (née Penniall) Robert Ricketts. His father was a painter and when Thomas was 17 years old he emigrated to the United States, and initially worked as a painter himself. However he soon moved into acting in the theatre and directed plays onBroadway forCharles Frohman.[3] He was a stage manager for theShubert family, sang baritone with the Carleton Opera Company, and starred in his own play,Henri Duvar.[4]
In 1906, after he had been with the Shuberts for four years, Ricketts was persuaded by a friend to joinEssanay Studios in Chicago.[5][3] He played Scrooge inA Christmas Carol (1908), the first American film adaption of the Dickensclassic,[6] then starred inThe Old Curiosity Shop (1909). When Ricketts said he had toured with a comedy he had written,A Cure for Gout, the company asked him to make a 600-foot film of it—the length limit for a comedy at that time.[5]
Ricketts became a director, taking over comedies and melodramas fromBroncho Billy Anderson, who in turn took overWesterns.Ethel Clayton,Jack Conway,J. Warren Kerrigan andBryant Washburn were among Ricketts's discoveries—along withJosephine Ditt, "the best-dressed woman on the screen", to whom Ricketts was married.[5] Chief dramatic and general producer for two years at Essanay,[7] he helped organize theAmerican Film Manufacturing Company in 1910. He made six films for the Flying "A"[5] before withdrawing and seeking another opportunity.[7]
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In 1911 Ricketts moved to California, together with Canadian film pioneerAl Christie, with thoughts of creating a new film company. "We arrived in Los Angeles with no idea of where to establish our studio," Ricketts remembered. "A real estate man who happened to overhear our discussion of a studio site suggestedHollywood. The next day we found our way out to Sunset and Gower, to a defunct roadhouse. The owner, a woman, wanted $60 a month rent for the entire block. We thought it was too much, but we signed a lease."[5] TheNestor Film Company opened its studio October 27, 1911.[8]
Ricketts directed one of the first Hollywood-made motion pictures,The Best Man Wins (1911), photographed byCharles Rosher.[a][4][10][11] Its stars were juvenile leading manHarold Lockwood, ingenueDorothy Davenport, vamp Josephine Ditt, juvenile ingenueVictoria Forde, male heavyGordon Sackville, and character actressesEugenie Forde andAlice Davenport.Allan Dwan was Ricketts's assistant.[5]
Nestor made between 50 and 60 films—half of them directed by Ricketts—over the next 18 months.[5] On May 20, 1912, the company merged with theUniversal Film Manufacturing Company,[12] Nestor's distributor beginning withThe Dawn of Netta (1912), directed by Ricketts.[13][14]: 11
In 1914, on an independent contract, Ricketts directedRichard Bennett inDamaged Goods back at American. When flower girls were needed for a wedding scene, Bennett's three daughters—Joan Bennett,Constance Bennett andBarbara Bennett—began their film careers.[4] "Its success made me a little egotistical," Ricketts recalled. "It cost about $25,000 to make and brought in a million and a half on its first run. I naturally thought it would put me in great demand as a director. But it didn't. I had to start all over again, this time going back to my old trade as an actor."[b][5] However, Ricketts did direct several more feature films for American through 1916, including some with their major romantic team ofMay Allison andHarold Lockwood such asThe Lure of the Mask (1915)[15] andThe Other Side of the Door (1916).[16]
Returning to acting in 1919, in his mid-60s, Ricketts was almost always in demand for character parts.[3] By 1935 he was described as "white-haired and bent with age … content with an occasional film role".[4] His later films includedTop Hat (1935),After the Thin Man (1936),Pennies from Heaven (1936),The Young in Heart (1938) andSon of Frankenstein (1939). He was regarded as the oldest working actor in Hollywood.[17]
Ricketts died at Hollywood Hospital 19 January 1939, aged 86,[3][18] of pneumonia, contracted the previous week when he went to work at Universal Studios despite a cold. "Mr. Ricketts left no funds," reportedThe New York Times, "and expenses of his funeral will be paid by theMotion Picture Relief Society."[5] Josephine Ricketts, hospitalized in Santa Monica[3] since suffering a stroke at Christmas, was not informed of her husband's death;[5] it was reported that she would be told sometime before his funeral.[19] Ricketts was buried in an unmarked grave atHollywood Forever Cemetery.[2]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1909 | A Cure for Gout | [5][20] |
| 1909 | The Game | [21] |
| 1909 | Gratitude | [21] |
| 1909 | Justified | [21] |
| 1909 | Maud Muller | [21] |
| 1909 | A Woman's Wit | [21] |
| 1910 | The Adventuress | [21] |
| 1910 | An Advertisement Answered | [21] |
| 1910 | A Fair Exchange | [21] |
| 1910 | The Hand of Uncle Sam | [21] |
| 1910 | His Only Child | [21] |
| 1910 | The Lure of the City | [21] |
| 1910 | The Stolen Fortune | [21] |
| 1910 | The Thief | [21] |
| 1910 | Vera, the Gypsy Girl | [21] |
| 1911 | The Best Man Wins | First motion picture made in Hollywood[5][11][10] |
| 1912 | The Dawn of Netta | First film distributed byUniversal Pictures[14]: 11 |
| 1914 | Damaged Goods | [21][22] |
| 1915 | The Buzzard's Shadow | [21][23] |
| 1915 | The House of a Thousand Scandals | [21][24] |
| 1915 | The End of the Road | [21][25] |
| 1915 | The Lure of the Mask | [21][26] |
| 1915 | Secretary of Frivolous Affairs | [21][27] |
| 1915 | The Wily Chaperon | [21] |
| 1916 | The Other Side of the Door | [21][28] |
| 1916 | The Single Code | [21][29] |
| 1916 | Secret Marriage | [21][30] |
| 1918 | The Crime of the Hour | [31] |
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