F. Richard Jones
Frank Richard Jones , called Dick Jones , (born September 7, 1893 in St. Louis , Missouri , † December 14, 1930 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American film director , producer and screenwriter . In addition to comedies, he also shot romances and adventure films.
Life
Jones first encountered the film industry as a technician in his hometown of St. Louis when he was 16. In 1915 he came to Hollywood to work for Mack Sennett (Keystone), for whom he directed dozens of silent film comedies. His biggest success was Mickey in 1918 with Mabel Normand , who brought him on the set to save the film. In 1921 he shot with Mabel Normand Molly O , who came out at an inconvenient time (Mabel Normand was involved in the murder of William Desmond Taylor ). Jones was there also director of longer films and from 1923 producer. In total, he made 45 films for Keystone. In 1925 he was poached by Hal Roach . There he mainly had monitoring functions. In 1926 he brought Mabel Normand to Roach, who had had a three-year film break after health and drug problems. She made five films before finally retiring in 1927. Roach also worked with Stan Laurel , who later referred to Jones as the one who taught him the difference between comedy in the theater or vaudeville and the cinema. In 1927 he left Roach and directed the successful adventure film Douglas Fairbanks, the Gaucho , with Douglas Fairbanks senior . This boosted his reputation and got him a job with Paramount (1928) where he directed a Western The Water Hole with Nancy Carroll . In 1929 he even made the transition to sound film - now employed by Samuel Goldwyn - as his 1929 crime film Bulldog Drummond with Ronald Colman in the leading role was well received.
Jones died of tuberculosis in 1930 (as did Mabel Normand at the same time). During his time at Sennett, he married one of Sennett's most famous actresses, Irene Lentz . She later became a leading costume designer in Hollywood. She is buried next to him in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale .
Filmography (selection)
- 1918: Mickey
- 1919: Yankee Doodle in Berlin
- 1920: Love, Honor and Behave
- 1921: Molly O
- 1922: The Crossroads of New York
- 1922: The Country Flapper
- 1923: Suzanna
- 1924: The Extra Girl
- 1927: No Man's Law
- 1927: Douglas Fairbanks, the Gaucho (The Gaucho)
- 1928: The Water Hole
- 1929: Bulldog Drummond
Web links
- F. Richard Jones at the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Find a grave
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Jones, F. Richard |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Jones, Frank Richard (full name); Jones, Dick |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American film director, producer and screenwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 7, 1893 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | St. Louis , Missouri , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 14, 1930 |
| Place of death | Los Angeles , California , United States |