Richard Smith (silent film director)
Encyclopedia
Richard Smith also known as Dick Smith, was a screenwriter
, actor
, and film director
. A comedian
active in the vaudeville
era, Smith met his wife Alice Howell
in 1910 and the two performed together as "Howell and Howell". After working under direction of Mack Sennett
at the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company
in New York
, Smith moved to Los Angeles
, California
. Smith and his wife starred in reels together produced by L-KO Kompany
.
While Howell was contracted at Universal Studios
, Smith directed her in films described in the book Clown Princes and Court Jesters as, "some of Universal's most memorable comedies of the twenties". With fellow colleague Vin Moore
, Smith directed actor Oliver Hardy
in the 1920 film Distilled Love
. Smith directed the Marx Brothers
in 1921 in their first film, titled Humor Risk
, which has since been lost. In 1925, Smith's directing work included films starring Bert Roach
, Neely Edwards
, and Charles Puffy. His contributions at Universal included a series of comedy films called "The Collegians".
, and participated in the vaudeville
scene. He met his wife Alice Howell
when she was a member of a production by DeWolf Hopper
, in 1910. The two utilized the title of a previously known vaudeville group, and performed together as "Howell and Howell". The Howell and Howell duo performed together for three years. Their performances included burlesque
and vaudeville. Mack Sennett
directed Smith at the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company
in New York
. Sennett offered Smith a chance to go with him when he started the company Keystone Studios
, but he declined the opportunity. Due to a medical condition, Smith decided to switch his residence from New York to Los Angeles
, California
, where his wife began to gain roles in the film industry under Sennett in 1914. The two starred together in reels including Dad's Dollars and Dirty Doings, a comedy by L-KO Kompany
. Under the production company Reelcraft Pictures, Smith wrote and directed several films which his wife starred in. In the book Clown Princes and Court Jesters, authors Kalton C. Lahue and Samuel Gill describe these films directed by Smith and starring Howell as "low-burlesque charades and as such were slanted toward the neighborhood and second-run houses, where they found receptive audiences."
After his wife became an actress in features at Universal Studios
in 1921, Smith directed her in multiple comedies. Lahue and Gill characterize these films as, "some of Universal's most memorable comedies of the twenties", and note, "Starting with the usual framework provided by the situation comedy format, directors William Watson and Richard Smith inserted a sufficient amount of subdued slapstick to flavor these single reels with laugh after laugh." Comedian Oliver Hardy
acted under the direction of Smith and associate Vin Moore
, in the 1920 film Distilled Love
; Smith also had an acting role in the film as an artist. He served as director in 1921 of Humor Risk
, the first film starring the Marx Brothers
. Smith directed actors including Bert Roach
and Neely Edwards
in the 1925 film A Nice Pickle, and Charles Puffy the same year in Muddled Up. After Howell retired from film in the 1926, Smith kept up with his contracted work at Universal and wrote a set of comedy films called "The Collegians". Smith died in 1937, at fifty years old.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. A comedian
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
active in the vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
era, Smith met his wife Alice Howell
Alice Howell
Alice Howell , was a silent film comedy actress from New York City.Early reviews of her movies describe her as the scream of the screen....
in 1910 and the two performed together as "Howell and Howell". After working under direction of Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett was a Canadian-born American director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy"...
at the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company
American Mutoscope and Biograph Company
The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1928. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition, and for two decades was one of the most prolific, releasing over three thousand short...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Smith moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Smith and his wife starred in reels together produced by L-KO Kompany
L-KO Kompany
The L-KO Kompany, or L-KO Komedies, was an American motion picture company founded by Henry Lehrman that produced silent one-, two- and very occasionally three-reel comedy shorts between 1914 and 1919...
.
While Howell was contracted at Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, Smith directed her in films described in the book Clown Princes and Court Jesters as, "some of Universal's most memorable comedies of the twenties". With fellow colleague Vin Moore
Vin Moore
Vin Moore was an American film director, actor and writer. He directed 83 films between 1915 and 1938.He was born in Mayville, New York, and died in Hollywood, California.-External links:...
, Smith directed actor Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.-Early life:...
in the 1920 film Distilled Love
Distilled Love
Distilled Love is a 1920 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Alice Howell - The Milkmaid* Richard Smith - The Color Blind Artist * Oliver Hardy - Mr. Peeble Ford * Billy Bevan* Fay Holderness...
. Smith directed the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
in 1921 in their first film, titled Humor Risk
Humor Risk
Humor Risk was the first Marx Brothers film. The short film was never released and is now considered a lost film. The print may have been accidentally thrown away when left in the screening box overnight...
, which has since been lost. In 1925, Smith's directing work included films starring Bert Roach
Bert Roach
Bert Roach was an American film actor. He appeared in 327 films between 1914 and 1951.He was born in Washington, D.C., and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:* Fatty's Magic Pants...
, Neely Edwards
Neely Edwards
Neely Edwards was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 174 films between 1915 and 1959...
, and Charles Puffy. His contributions at Universal included a series of comedy films called "The Collegians".
Career
Richard Smith was active in the field of comedyComedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, and participated in the vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
scene. He met his wife Alice Howell
Alice Howell
Alice Howell , was a silent film comedy actress from New York City.Early reviews of her movies describe her as the scream of the screen....
when she was a member of a production by DeWolf Hopper
DeWolf Hopper
William DeWolf Hopper was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. Although a star of the musical stage, he was best-known for performing the popular baseball poem Casey at the Bat. -Biography:...
, in 1910. The two utilized the title of a previously known vaudeville group, and performed together as "Howell and Howell". The Howell and Howell duo performed together for three years. Their performances included burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
and vaudeville. Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett was a Canadian-born American director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy"...
directed Smith at the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company
American Mutoscope and Biograph Company
The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1928. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition, and for two decades was one of the most prolific, releasing over three thousand short...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Sennett offered Smith a chance to go with him when he started the company Keystone Studios
Keystone Studios
Keystone Studios was an early movie studio founded in Edendale, California in 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from Adam Kessel and Charles O. Bauman, owners of the New York Motion Picture Company...
, but he declined the opportunity. Due to a medical condition, Smith decided to switch his residence from New York to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where his wife began to gain roles in the film industry under Sennett in 1914. The two starred together in reels including Dad's Dollars and Dirty Doings, a comedy by L-KO Kompany
L-KO Kompany
The L-KO Kompany, or L-KO Komedies, was an American motion picture company founded by Henry Lehrman that produced silent one-, two- and very occasionally three-reel comedy shorts between 1914 and 1919...
. Under the production company Reelcraft Pictures, Smith wrote and directed several films which his wife starred in. In the book Clown Princes and Court Jesters, authors Kalton C. Lahue and Samuel Gill describe these films directed by Smith and starring Howell as "low-burlesque charades and as such were slanted toward the neighborhood and second-run houses, where they found receptive audiences."
After his wife became an actress in features at Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
in 1921, Smith directed her in multiple comedies. Lahue and Gill characterize these films as, "some of Universal's most memorable comedies of the twenties", and note, "Starting with the usual framework provided by the situation comedy format, directors William Watson and Richard Smith inserted a sufficient amount of subdued slapstick to flavor these single reels with laugh after laugh." Comedian Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.-Early life:...
acted under the direction of Smith and associate Vin Moore
Vin Moore
Vin Moore was an American film director, actor and writer. He directed 83 films between 1915 and 1938.He was born in Mayville, New York, and died in Hollywood, California.-External links:...
, in the 1920 film Distilled Love
Distilled Love
Distilled Love is a 1920 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Alice Howell - The Milkmaid* Richard Smith - The Color Blind Artist * Oliver Hardy - Mr. Peeble Ford * Billy Bevan* Fay Holderness...
; Smith also had an acting role in the film as an artist. He served as director in 1921 of Humor Risk
Humor Risk
Humor Risk was the first Marx Brothers film. The short film was never released and is now considered a lost film. The print may have been accidentally thrown away when left in the screening box overnight...
, the first film starring the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
. Smith directed actors including Bert Roach
Bert Roach
Bert Roach was an American film actor. He appeared in 327 films between 1914 and 1951.He was born in Washington, D.C., and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:* Fatty's Magic Pants...
and Neely Edwards
Neely Edwards
Neely Edwards was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 174 films between 1915 and 1959...
in the 1925 film A Nice Pickle, and Charles Puffy the same year in Muddled Up. After Howell retired from film in the 1926, Smith kept up with his contracted work at Universal and wrote a set of comedy films called "The Collegians". Smith died in 1937, at fifty years old.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1914 | Gussle, the Golfer | Actor: "Card Player" |
| 1914 | The Noise of Bombs | Actor |
| 1915 | A Bathhouse Tragedy | Actor |
| 1915 | A Stool Pigeon's Revenge | Actor |
| 1915 | Disguised But Discovered | Actor |
| 1915 | Easy Money | Actor |
| 1915 | From Beanery to Billions | Actor |
| 1915 | Poor But Dishonest | Actor |
| 1915 | Scandal in the Family Scandal in the Family Peccati in famiglia or Sins in the Family/Scandal in the Family is a 1975 Italian erotic drama film directed by Bruno Gaburro. The film starred Michele Placido, Simonetta Stefanelli, Jenny Tamburi and acclaimed actor Renzo Montagnani.... |
Actor |
| 1915 | Too Many Bachelors | Actor: "One of Peggy's Suitors" |
| 1915 | Under the Table | Actor |
| 1916 | A Rural Romance | Actor |
| 1916 | Dad's Dollars and Dirty Doings | Actor |
| 1916 | Flirtation a la Carte | Actor |
| 1916 | Her Naughty Eyes | Actor |
| 1916 | How Stars Are Made | Actor |
| 1916 | Saving Susie from the Sea | Actor |
| 1916 | Shooting His 'Art Out | Actor |
| 1916 | The Bankruptcy of Boggs and Schultz | Actor |
| 1916 | The Double's Troubles | Actor |
| 1916 | The Great Smash | Actor |
| 1917 | Double Dukes | Director |
| 1917 | Fatty's Feature Fillum | Actor: "Desmond" |
| 1917 | Hearts and Flour | Director |
| 1917 | Little Bo-Peep | Director |
| 1917 | Street Cars and Carbuncles | Director |
| 1917 | That Dawgone Dog | Director |
| 1917 | The Sign of the Cucumber | Director |
| 1917 | Vamping Reuben's Millions | Director |
| 1918 | Ambrose and His Widow | Actor |
| 1918 | Ash-Can Alley | Director |
| 1918 | Scars and Bars | Actor |
| 1919 | Bungs and Bunglers Bungs and Bunglers Bungs and Bunglers is a 1919 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Jimmy Aubrey - Jimmy* Oliver Hardy - Al K. Hall * Richard Smith... |
Actor |
| 1919 | Cymbelles and Boneheads | Actor |
| 1919 | Flips and Flops Flips and Flops Flips and Flops is a 1919 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Jimmy Aubrey - Jimmy* Oliver Hardy - Mr. Jipper * Richard Smith... |
Actor |
| 1919 | Healthy and Happy Healthy and Happy Healthy and Happy is a 1919 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Jimmy Aubrey - Quincy* Oliver Hardy - Doctor * Richard Smith... |
Actor |
| 1919 | Jazz and Jailbirds Jazz and Jailbirds Jazz and Jailbirds is a 1919 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Jimmy Aubrey - Jimmy* Oliver Hardy - I.M. Ruff * Richard Smith - Thief * Dorothy Vernon* Dorothea Wolbert* Jess Weldon - Fat Man... |
Actor: "Thief" |
| 1919 | Let Fido Do It | Actor |
| 1919 | Mates and Models Mates and Models Mates and Models is a 1919 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Jimmy Aubrey - The Husband* Oliver Hardy - A Nutty Artist * Richard Smith - A Rival Artist * Maude Emory - The Wife... |
Actor: "A Rival Artist" |
| 1919 | A Rag Time Romance | Actor |
| 1919 | Squabs and Squabbles Squabs and Squabbles Squabs and Squabbles is a 1919 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Jimmy Aubrey - Jimmy* Oliver Hardy - The Boss * Richard Smith... |
Actor |
| 1919 | Switches and Sweeties Switches and Sweeties Switches and Sweeties is a 1919 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Jimmy Aubrey - Janitor* Oliver Hardy - * Richard Smith... |
Actor |
| 1919 | Tootsies and Tamales Tootsies and Tamales Tootsies and Tamales is a 1919 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Jimmy Aubrey - The Rummy Romeo* Oliver Hardy - The Murderous Mexican * Maude Emory - Señorita* Bud Ross* Richard Smith... |
Actor |
| 1919 | Yaps and Yokels Yaps and Yokels Yaps and Yokels is a 1919 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Jimmy Aubrey - James* Oliver Hardy - The Hired Hand * Richard Smith - The Father... |
Actor: "The Father" |
| 1920 | Cinderella Cinders | Actor: "The Butler" |
| 1920 | Dames and Dentists Dames and Dentists Dames and Dentists is a 1920 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Jimmy Aubrey - The Husband* Oliver Hardy - * Richard Smith... |
Actor |
| 1920 | Distilled Love Distilled Love Distilled Love is a 1920 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy.-Cast:* Alice Howell - The Milkmaid* Richard Smith - The Color Blind Artist * Oliver Hardy - Mr. Peeble Ford * Billy Bevan* Fay Holderness... |
Director, Actor: "The Color Blind Artist" |
| 1920 | Lunatics in Politics | Director, Actor |
| 1920 | Squirrel Time | Director |
| 1921 | Humor Risk Humor Risk Humor Risk was the first Marx Brothers film. The short film was never released and is now considered a lost film. The print may have been accidentally thrown away when left in the screening box overnight... |
Director |
| 1923 | Chasing Wealth | Writer |
| 1923 | Little Miss Hollywood | Actor |
| 1923 | Taking Orders | Actor |
| 1924 | Feather Pushers | Writer |
| 1924 | Green Tees | Director |
| 1924 | Horse Play | Director |
| 1924 | Marry When Young | Writer |
| 1924 | Mind Your Doctor | Director, Writer |
| 1924 | Ship Ahoy! | Writer |
| 1924 | The Jail Bird | Writer |
| 1924 | The Mandarin | Writer |
| 1925 | A Nice Pickle | Director, Writer |
| 1925 | Black Gold Bricks | Director |
| 1925 | City Bound | Director |
| 1925 | Locked Out Locked Out "Locked Out" is a 1993 song by rock group Crowded House, from the group's fourth studio album Together Alone. It was released as a single in December 1993 and was part of the soundtrack to the American film Reality Bites. It was the most successful single from Together Alone, reaching #12 in the UK... |
Writer |
| 1925 | Muddled Up | Director, Writer |
| 1925 | Nearly Rich | Writer |
| 1925 | Nicely Rewarded | Writer |
| 1925 | Papa's Pet | Director |
| 1925 | Pleasure Bent | Writer |
| 1925 | Rolling Stones | Writer |
| 1925 | Sleeping Sickness | Director |
| 1925 | Speak Easy | Director, Writer |
| 1925 | Tenting Out | Director |
| 1925 | The Cat's Whiskers | Director, Writer |
| 1925 | The Greenhorn | Writer |
| 1925 | The Lost Cord | Director, Writer |
| 1925 | The Lucky Accident | Writer |
| 1925 | The Milky Way | Director, Writer |
| 1925 | Under a Spell | Director |
| 1925 | Unwelcome | Director |
| 1926 | Fresh Paint Fresh Paint A Fresh Paint is a charity fundraiser that includes artists painting outdoors. They generally involve some mixture of silent and live auction immediately following the creation of the paintings and before they are fully dry... |
Director, Writer |
| 1926 | Wide Open Faces | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | Babes in the Sawdust | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | Do or Bust | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | Find the Woman | Actor: "George Stevenson" |
| 1926 | Help Wanted | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | Hook or Crook | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | Horse Laugh | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | It's All Over Now It's All Over Now "It's All Over Now" was written by Bobby Womack and Shirley Womack. It was first released by The Valentinos featuring Bobby Womack. The Valentinos version entered the Billboard Hot 100 on June 27, 1964, where it stayed on the chart for two weeks, peaking at No. 94... |
Director, Writer |
| 1926 | Love's Labor Lost | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | Mixed Doubles | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | Nobody Loves Me | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | The College Yell | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | The Crowned Prince | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | The Optimist | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | The Phoney Express | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | The Thirteenth Man | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | What Price Pleasure? | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | Where's My Baby? | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | Who's Next? | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | Wild Bill | Director, Writer |
| 1926 | Wise or Otherwise | Director |
| 1926 | Wives and Women | Director |
| 1927 | A One Man Show A One Man Show A One Man Show is a music documentary featuring American singer Grace Jones, filmed in 1981–1982. The film was first released in 1982 to promote the album Living My Life and was re-issued on VHS and laserdisc by Island Records, PolyGram and Spectrum Music through the 1980s and early 1990s... |
Director |
| 1927 | A Sleepy Time Pal | Director, Writer |
| 1927 | Ali Gazam | Director, Writer |
| 1927 | Baby Brother Baby Brother -Cast:* Joe Cobb - Joe* Allen "Farina" Hoskins - Farina* Jackie Condon - Jackie* Clifton Young - Bonedust* Jay R. Smith - Jay* Scooter Lowry - Skooter* Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins - Horatio* Robert Smith - Tunney* Richard Smith - Coolidge... |
Actor |
| 1927 | High and Dizzy High and Dizzy High and Dizzy is a 1920 short comedy film starring Harold Lloyd. The plot revolves around a young woman who sleepwalks and the doctor who is attempting to treat her... |
Director, Writer |
| 1927 | Oh! What a Kick! | Director |
| 1927 | Red Suspenders | Director |
| 1927 | Surprised Honey | Writer |
| 1927 | Why Mules Leave Home | Director |
| 1929 | Watch Your Friends | Director |
| 1936 | Fibbing Fibbers | Writer |
See also
- CinematographyCinematographyCinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
- Directorial debut
- FilmmakingFilmmakingFilmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
- List of directorial debuts
- List of film and television directors