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Arthur Rosson

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Arthur Rosson
Rosson in 1921
Born(1886-08-24)24 August 1886
London, England
Died17 June 1960(1960-06-17) (aged 73)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Film director, second unit director
Years active1912–1960
Spouse(s)Louise Irana Niedermeyer (divorced)
Odetta M Bray (m.1940)
Children3
RelativesRichard Rosson (brother)
Harold Rosson (brother)
Helene Rosson (sister)

Arthur Henry Rosson (24 August 1886 – 17 June 1960) was an English film director. From 1917 to 1948, Rosson directed 61 feature films (including co-direction of Red River). [1] He also worked on many major films as a second unit director until 1960, particularly for Cecil B. DeMille.

Biography

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Arthur Rosson was born on 24 August 1886 in London, England.[2][3] He was the first child born of a jockey horse trainer, Arthur Richard Rosson, and a French woman, Hellen Rochefort Rosson.[4] Rosson came from a film-making family. His brother, Harold Rosson, was an Academy Award-nominated cinematographer and several other family members were involved in the early film industry.[5] He was also the brother of silent film actress Helene Rosson and actor and director Richard Rosson.[6][7]

Rosson graduated from Rogers High School in Newport, Rhode Island in 1902.[8] Rosson was a stock-exchange clerk, who wanted to make a career for himself in film. He married Louise (Lucille) Irana Niedermeyer on 2 June 1912. At the time of their marriage, Louise was three months pregnant. After their first child was born, they moved to California. The couple later divorced.[4]

Rosson began his career in film in 1917 as an assistant director and screenwriter.[9] In 1920, Rosson collaborated with his brother Hal on the film Polly of the Storm Country. The film was shot on location at the Selig Zoo.[5] He also worked with his brother again in 1922 on the film Garrison's Finish.[7]

Throughout the 1920s, Rosson worked with Allan Dwan on his silent films throughout his career. Rosson wrote the scripts for Dwan's films Bloodhounds of the North and The Honor of the Mounted. While shooting them on Mt. Lowe in 1913, Rosson got lost in a canyon with Lon Chaney. Rosson also write The Picket Guard. He and his brother Dick were actors in the 1913 film Criminals.[10]: 30–31  Rosson was the actual director of Cheating Cheaters, while Dwan oversaw the production; however, most reviews mentioned Dwan as the director[10]: 98  Rosson also helped with staging Dwan's production of Soldiers of Fortune in 1919.[10]: 102  Rosson again handles the duties of director for Dwan's film A Splendid Hazard that was produced in 1920.[10]: 109 

Rosson later went to Britain to direct Ebb Tide and Women Who Pay in 1932. The films were produced by Paramount-British productions. Shortly after, in 1934 he directed Forbidden Territory[3] He also worked as the second unit director of all of Cecil B. DeMille's films[9] beginning in the 1930s.[11] He died in 1960 and is buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery with other members of his family.[12]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "Arthur Rosson Video: Clips from Films Directed and Interviews". Ov Guide. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  2. ^ "Arthur Rosson". Film Directors. Regilexikon. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  3. ^ a b Slide, Anthony (June 2015). A Special Relationship: Britain Comes to Hollywood and Hollywood Comes to Britain. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781628460872. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  4. ^ a b Sragow, Michael (December 2008). Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master. Pantheon. ISBN 9780375407482. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  5. ^ a b Maltin, Leonard (1978). The Art of the Cinematographer: A Survey and Interviews with Five Masters. Courier Dover Publications. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-486-23686-5.
  6. ^ "Arthur Rosson". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Harold Rosson". Great Cinematographers. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  8. ^ Annual Report of the Public School Department of the City of Newport, Rhode Island. Newport, Rhode Island: Public School Department. 1904. p. 98. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Arthur Rosson Biography". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d e Lombardi, Frederic (March 2013). Allan Dwan and the Rise and Decline of the Hollywood Studios. Jefferson. North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 9780786434855. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  11. ^ "Associate Producers". Cecil B. DeMille. Decil B. DeMille Foundation. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  12. ^ "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California". Interment.net. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  13. ^ a b c d e Birchard, Robert S. (June 2004). Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813123240. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
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