Robert Riskin: The Life and Times of a Hollywood Screenwriter

by Ian Scott

Overview

Because screenwriter Robert Riskin (1897–1955) spent most of his career collaborating with legendary Hollywood director Frank Capra, his own unique contributions to film have been largely overshadowed. With five Academy Award nominations to his credit for the monumental films Lady for a Day, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, You Can't Take It with You, Here Comes the Groom, and It Happened One Night (for which he won an Oscar), Riskin is often imitated but rarely equaled.

Robert Riskin: The Life and Times of a Hollywood Screenwriter is the first detailed critical examination of the Hollywood pioneer's life and work. In addition to being one of the great screenwriters of the classic Hollywood era, Riskin was also a producer and director, founding his own film company and playing a crucial role in the foundation of the Screen Writers Guild. During World War II, Riskin was one of the major forces behind propaganda filmmaking. He worked in the Office of War Information and oversaw the distribution—and later, production—of films and documentaries in foreign theaters. He was interested in showing the rest of the world more than just an idealized version of America; he looked for films that emphasized the spiritual and cultural vibrancy within the United States, making charity, faith, and generosity of spirit his propaganda tools. His efforts also laid the groundwork for a system of distribution channels that would result in the dominance of American cinema in Europe in the postwar years.

Author Ian Scott provides a unique perspective on Riskin and the ways in which his brilliant, pithy style was realized in Capra's enduring films. Riskin's impact on cinema extended far beyond these films as he articulated his vision of a changing America and helped spread Hollywood cinema abroad.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813180526
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	12/07/2021
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Ian Scott is professor of American film and history at the University of Manchester. He is the author of numerous books on American film including, American Politics in Hollywood Film, From Pinewood to Hollywood: British Filmmakers in American Cinema, 1910–1969, and coauthor of The Cinema of Oliver Stone: Art, Authorship and Activism. His work on Riskin was the subject of the award-winning documentary Projections of America.

Table of Contents

Prologue: The Three Act Play
The Miracle Man
The Big Timer
The Partnership
The Idealist
The Liberator
The Producer
The Writer
Epilogue
Filmography

Editorial Reviews

Scott's book is important, valuable, readable, and short. Like Riskin's, Scott's writing is sharp, brief, and very much to the point.

Creative Screenwriting

Ian Scott, like Robert Riskin, knows exactly how much to say and how much to write.

Bernard F. Dick

"Scott makes a strong case for remembering Riskin as a talented man of strong social conscience. This detailed yet highly readable study is recommended for all cinema collections." — Library Journal

"Scott's book is important, valuable, readable, and short. Like Riskin's, Scott's writing is sharp, brief, and very much to the point." — Creative Screenwriting

"Ian Scott, like Robert Riskin, knows exactly how much to say and how much to write." — Bernard F. Dick, author of Hal Wallis: Producer to the Stars

From the Publisher