Roland West
Encyclopedia
For the basketball player, see Roland West (basketball)
Roland West (February 20, 1885 – March 31, 1952) was a Hollywood director
known for his innovative film noir
movies of the 1920s and early 1930s.
, Ohio
, he began acting in vaudeville
productions as a teenager. By his early twenties, he was writing and directing vaudeville productions.
Shortly afterward, he began directing films such as The Monster
(1925) with Lon Chaney, Sr.
, The Bat
(1926) based on the novel by Mary Roberts Rinehart
(dramatized on stage by Rinehart and Avery Hopwood
), Alibi (1929), The Bat Whispers
(1930) (also based on the Rinehart novel and play), and Corsair
(1931).
So established was West by 1930, that The Bat Whispers was billed on posters as Roland West's The Bat Whispers. However, he made only one more film in his career.
Roland West's first wife was actress Jewel Carmen
, although the two would eventually become estranged, and West began a longtime affair with actress Thelma Todd
. Following Todd's death in 1935 and his divorce from Carmen in 1938, he married actress Lola Lane
sometime after June 25, 1946 and remained married to her until his death in 1952.
Following Todd's death and his divorce, West rarely worked and withdrew into virtual seclusion. In the early 1950s his health began to decline and he suffered a stroke
and a nervous breakdown
. He died in Santa Monica, California
in 1952, aged 67.
due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the death of his longtime mistress, actress Thelma Todd
. Todd and West began their affair shortly after meeting on a yachting excursion to Catalina Island
in 1930. The two eventually became business partners and would move in next door to each other in California
. Their relationship was described as volatile and West was described as being controlling and possessive.
Todd was found dead in the garage of her home in December 1935. An autopsy concluded that she died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning
caused by the exhaust of her car. Some conspiracy buffs have suggested that Todd was really murdered by West aboard his yacht
, the Joyita
. This theory states that he then planted her body in her garage to be found later and staged the scene to resemble an accident. The Joyita would gain further infamy in 1955 when her entire complement of 25 passengers and crew went missing in the South Pacific.
No evidence concerning allegations against West has ever surfaced and neither he nor anybody else was ever charged with any crime surrounding Todd’s death. (According to the Internet Movie Database
, in 1952 West gave a deathbed confession to actor Chester Morris
implicating himself in Todd's death, but West was in ill health by that time and the confession was never independently confirmed.) However, the bad publicity surrounding his alleged involvement in Thelma Todd's death hurt his reputation and have largely overshadowed his film work.
Roland West (basketball)
Roland West is a former NBA basketball player for the Baltimore Bullets. West was drafted with the first pick in the twentieth round of the 1967 NBA Draft. He played in four games for the Baltimore Bullets in the 1967-68 NBA season and recorded a total of four points and five rebounds....
Roland West (February 20, 1885 – March 31, 1952) was a Hollywood 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:...
known for his innovative film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
movies of the 1920s and early 1930s.
Biography
West was born Roland Van Zimmer to a theatrical family in ClevelandCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, he began acting in 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...
productions as a teenager. By his early twenties, he was writing and directing vaudeville productions.
Shortly afterward, he began directing films such as The Monster
The Monster (1925 film)
The Monster is a 1925 silent comedy horror directed by Roland West, based on the play by Crane Wilbur. It stars Johnny Arthur and Lon Chaney, and is remembered as an antecedental Old Dark House movie, as well as a precedent to many subgenre of horror films. The film has been shown on TCM network...
(1925) with Lon Chaney, Sr.
Lon Chaney, Sr.
Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...
, The Bat
The Bat (1926 film)
The Bat is a silent film based on the 1920 hit Broadway play by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood, directed by Roland West and starring Jack Pickford and Louise Fazenda...
(1926) based on the novel by Mary Roberts Rinehart
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Mary Roberts Rinehart was an American writer, often called the American Agatha Christie. She is considered the source of the phrase "The butler did it", although she did not actually use the phrase. She is considered to have invented the "Had-I-But-Known" school of mystery writing...
(dramatized on stage by Rinehart and Avery Hopwood
Avery Hopwood
James Avery Hopwood , was the most successful playwright of the Jazz Age, having four plays running simultaneously on Broadway in 1920.-Biography:...
), Alibi (1929), The Bat Whispers
The Bat Whispers
The Bat Whispers is a mystery film directed by Roland West, produced by Joseph M. Schenck, and released by United Artists.-Plot:A mysterious criminal by the name of "The Bat" eludes police and then finally announces his retirement to the country, while a wealthy Cornelia Van Gorder takes up...
(1930) (also based on the Rinehart novel and play), and Corsair
Corsair (film)
Corsair is a 1931 American film directed by Roland West. The film is based on the novel Corsair by Walton Green.-Cast:*Chester Morris as John Hawks*Thelma Todd as Alison Corning*Fred Kohler as Big John*Ned Sparks as Slim...
(1931).
So established was West by 1930, that The Bat Whispers was billed on posters as Roland West's The Bat Whispers. However, he made only one more film in his career.
Roland West's first wife was actress Jewel Carmen
Jewel Carmen
-Early life and career:Born Florence Lavina Quick in Danville, Kentucky, Carmen made her film debut in the 1912 film The Will of Destiny. She went on to appear in Daphne and the Pirate , opposite Lillian Gish and D. W...
, although the two would eventually become estranged, and West began a longtime affair with actress Thelma Todd
Thelma Todd
Thelma Alice Todd was an American actress. Appearing in about 120 pictures between 1926 and 1935, she is best remembered for her comedic roles in films like Marx Brothers' Monkey Business and Horse Feathers, a number of Charley Chase's short comedies, and co-starring with Buster Keaton and Jimmy...
. Following Todd's death in 1935 and his divorce from Carmen in 1938, he married actress Lola Lane
Lane Sisters
The Lane Sisters refers to a group of sisters, three of whom achieved success in the 1920s and 1930s as a singing act, with their popularity onstage leading to a series of successful films. A fourth sister was not successful and left this milieu and a fifth avoided show business altogether...
sometime after June 25, 1946 and remained married to her until his death in 1952.
Following Todd's death and his divorce, West rarely worked and withdrew into virtual seclusion. In the early 1950s his health began to decline and he suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
and a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
. He died in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
in 1952, aged 67.
Death of Thelma Todd
West has long been considered a murder suspect in many conspiracy theoriesConspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the death of his longtime mistress, actress Thelma Todd
Thelma Todd
Thelma Alice Todd was an American actress. Appearing in about 120 pictures between 1926 and 1935, she is best remembered for her comedic roles in films like Marx Brothers' Monkey Business and Horse Feathers, a number of Charley Chase's short comedies, and co-starring with Buster Keaton and Jimmy...
. Todd and West began their affair shortly after meeting on a yachting excursion to Catalina Island
Santa Catalina Island, California
Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is long and across at its greatest width. The island is located about south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The highest point on the island is...
in 1930. The two eventually became business partners and would move in next door to each other in 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...
. Their relationship was described as volatile and West was described as being controlling and possessive.
Todd was found dead in the garage of her home in December 1935. An autopsy concluded that she died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after enough inhalation of carbon monoxide . Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and initially non-irritating, it is very difficult for people to detect...
caused by the exhaust of her car. Some conspiracy buffs have suggested that Todd was really murdered by West aboard his yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
, the Joyita
MV Joyita
MV Joyita was a merchant vessel from which 25 passengers and crew mysteriously disappeared in the South Pacific in 1955.-Construction:The 69-foot wooden ship was built in 1931 as a luxury yacht by the Wilmington Boat Works in Los Angeles for movie director Roland West...
. This theory states that he then planted her body in her garage to be found later and staged the scene to resemble an accident. The Joyita would gain further infamy in 1955 when her entire complement of 25 passengers and crew went missing in the South Pacific.
No evidence concerning allegations against West has ever surfaced and neither he nor anybody else was ever charged with any crime surrounding Todd’s death. (According to the Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
, in 1952 West gave a deathbed confession to actor Chester Morris
Chester Morris
Chester Morris was an American actor, who starred in the Boston Blackie detective series of the 1940s.-Career:...
implicating himself in Todd's death, but West was in ill health by that time and the confession was never independently confirmed.) However, the bad publicity surrounding his alleged involvement in Thelma Todd's death hurt his reputation and have largely overshadowed his film work.