Robert Youngson was a film producer

Film producer

A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...

, 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:...

, and screenwriter.

Born in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, New York, he was responsible for reacquainting movie audiences with the work of the great silent comedians. His feature-film compilations The Golden Age of Comedy

The Golden Age of Comedy

The Golden Age of Comedy was a compilation of silent comedy films ,released in 1957, written and produced by Robert Youngson. Youngson had previously produced several award-winning short documentaries beforehand, and this was the first compilation of its kind in feature-length form...

(1958) and When Comedy Was King (1960) were popular successes. Youngson produced six more vintage-comedy anthologies through 1970.

Youngson also wrote and produced a long series of historical short subjects for Warner Brothers, two of which won him Academy Awards

Academy Awards

An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

. Most of these films took an affectionate look back at the fads and lifestyles of the 1920s. Youngson also produced a feature-length documentary for Warner, Fifty Years Before Your Eyes .

Academy Awards and nominations

He was nominated five times for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film

Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film

This name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate...

 (one reel) —

• 1950
  • Blaze Busters – nominated

• 1951
  • World of Kids
    World of Kids
    World of Kids is a 1951 short documentary film directed by Robert Youngson. It won an Academy Award in 1952 for Best Short Subject ....
    
    – won

• 1954
  • This Mechanical Age
    This Mechanical Age
    This Mechanical Age is a 1954 short documentary film produced by Robert Youngson. It won an Academy Award in 1955 for Best Short Subject ....
    
    – won

• 1955
  • Gadgets Galore – nominated

• 1956
  • I Never Forget a Face
    I Never Forget a Face
    I Never Forget a Face is an Oscar-nominated 1956 documentary short film produced by famed silent comedy enthusiast and filmmaker Robert Youngson.- About the Film:...
    
    – nominated

Feature compliations

Youngson also directed the following feature-length comedy compilations —

• The Golden Age of Comedy
  The Golden Age of Comedy
  The Golden Age of Comedy was a compilation of silent comedy films ,released in 1957, written and produced by Robert Youngson. Youngson had previously produced several award-winning short documentaries beforehand, and this was the first compilation of its kind in feature-length form...
  
  (1957)
• When Comedy Was King (1960)
• Days of Thrills and Laughter (1961)
• 30 Years of Fun (1963)
• The Big Parade of Comedy (1964)
• Laurel and Hardy's Laughing 20's (1965)
• 4 Clowns
  4 Clowns
  The "four clowns" of this Robert Youngson anthology are: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charley Chase and Buster Keaton. There are examples of Laurel and Hardy's individual work prior to their teaming; samples of Chase's work, including his 1928 short, "Limousine Love"; and an abridged version of...
  
  (1970)

Private life and death

He died at St. Vincent’s Hospital

Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center

Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers ' was a healthcare system, anchored by its flagship hospital, St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan, locally referred to as "St. Vincent's". St. Vincent's was founded in 1849 and closed in 2010...

 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

at age 56, survived by his wife Jeanne Keyes.

External links