Robert L. Richards (March 3, 1909 - June 1984) was a film

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. He attended Horace Mann School (high school) and graduated from Harvard in 1932. He worked for ''Time'' magazine and the ''March of Time'' radio program and newsreel for 7 years. Richards worked on a number of notable films of the 1940s and 1950s including ''

Winchester '73 ''Winchester '73'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea and Stephen McNally. Written by Borden Chase and Robert L. Richards, the film is about the journey of a prized ...

'', ''

Johnny Stool Pigeon ''Johnny Stool Pigeon'' is a 1949 American film noir crime film directed by William Castle and starring Howard Duff, Shelley Winters and Dan Duryea. Plot A narcotics agent convinces a convict he helped send to Alcatraz go undercover with him t ...

'', and ''

Act of Violence ''Act of Violence'' is a 1949 American film noir starring Van Heflin, Robert Ryan and featuring Janet Leigh, Mary Astor and Phyllis Thaxter. Directed by Fred Zinnemann and adapted for the screen by Robert L. Richards from a story by Collier You ...

''. His radio work included writing for the ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being undecided, or being doubtful. In a dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the outcome of a plot or of the solution to an uncertainty, puzzle, or mystery, particularly as it aff ...

'' series which aired on the CBS network from 1942 until 1962. Among Richards' numerous ''Suspense'' offerings was his critically acclaimed neogothic horror thriller entitled " The House in Cypress Canyon" broadcast on December 5, 1946. Considered one of the tautest, most chilling dramas in the ''Suspense'' canon, the now classic show featured Robert Taylor,

Cathy Lewis Catherine Lee Lewis (December 27, 1916 – November 20, 1968) was an American actress on radio, film, and television. She is remembered best for numerous radio appearances but also noted for making a number of film and television appearances in ...

Hans Conried Hans Georg Conried Jr. (April 15, 1917 – January 5, 1982) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for providing the voices of George Darling and Captain Hook in Walt Disney's ''Peter Pan'' (1953), Snidely Whiplash in Jay Ward's ''Dudle ...

, and

Howard Duff Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

in starring roles. Richards testified before the House Unamerican Activities Committee on September 20, 1951. He was asked about his membership in the Communist Party, and took the Fifth Amendment. His testimony was followed by that of Ann Roth Morgan Richards, his wife, who said she and Robert were married in 1949. She also took the Fifth Amendment.HUAC HEARINGS, Sept. 20, 21, 24, and 25, 1951. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Hearings/V9UJAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=robert+loring+richards&pg=PA1641&printsec=frontcover

Filmography

Films

Television

References

External links

* American male screenwriters 1909 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American screenwriters Harvard College alumni {{US-screen-writer-stub