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ORIGINALLY AIRED
JULY 6TH AT 8 PM ET
STEVE ROWLAND ON DIRECTOR
AND FATHER ROY ROWLAND
LISTEN TO SHOW
ROY ROWLAND - HOLLYWOOD'S UNDERRATED DIRECTOR
While perhaps not the most recognized name in the history of legendary movie directors, Roy Rowland certainly was responsible for some of the best and fondly-remembered titles to come out of Hollywood during the 1940s and 50s.
While some directors specialized in - or became best known for - specific genres: John Ford: Westerns; Cecil B. DeMille: Costume spectaculars; Alfred Hitchcock: Suspense, Roy Rowland never concentrated his efforts to establish himself as a “brand name”. Throughout much of his career, he played the field, and as such, was renowned for his versatility. Consider the range of his more memorable cinematic achievements: the sentimental “Our Vines Have Tender Grapes” (1945), the boxing drama “Killer McCoy” ( 1947), the Red Skelton comedy “Excuse My Dust” (1951), the Westerns “Bugles in the Afternoon” (1952) and the 3D-lensed “The Moonlighter”, 1953 (which offered a reteaming of “Double Indemnity” co-stars Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray), the dark musical fantasy “The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T” (1953), the suspenseful “Scene of the Crime” (1949) and “Witness to Murder” (1954), and the tough noir thriller “Rogue Cop” (1954).
Incredibly, with such a wide variety of films to his credit, Rowland was never given an Oscar nomination and, in fact, received only one nomination: A DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for “Meet Me in Las Vegas” (1956).
Rowland began his directing career in 1934 with the all-star comedy/musical “Hollywood Party”, which featured such celebrities as Laurel and Hardy, Jimmy Durante, the Three Stooges . . . and even an appearance by Mickey Mouse!
Throughout the decade and into the early 40s Rowland directed a number of 10-minute MGM short subjects, starring humorist and writer Robert Benchley. These were known to audiences as the “How To . . . ” series, similar to the later Joe McDoakes shorts featuring George O’Hanlon.
In 1943 Rowland finally returned to features with “A Stranger in Town”, a compact political drama starring Frank (“The Wizard of Oz”) Morgan and Richard Carlson. His next film was the intriguing “Lost Angel”, starring Margaret O’Brien as a child raised by scientists in a completely sterile and unemotional environment.
Many of Rowland’s subsequent films were programmers, but he was hardly a “journeyman” director as he tried to add a unique quality to each. “These Wilder Years” (1956), for instance, featured the offbeat casting of James Cagney as a wealthy businessman on a quest to find the son he never knew and Barbara Stanwyck (one of his favorite actresses) as a sympathetic social worker. He also directed and co-wrote “The Girl Hunters” (1963), with mystery writer Mickey Spillane playing his own character of Mike Hammer.
Rowland also took a hand at producing episodes of the popular TV series “The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp” starring Hugh O’Brian as the title character.
In the mid-60s, Rowland closed out his directing career by filming three Spanish-made Westerns – a genre in which he was particularly active. He died in 1995.
While his feature film output was not as prolific as many of his contemporaries, Roy Rowland was unquestionably a unique and gifted filmmaker whose many memorable film achievements stand as testament to his talent.
