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Russell Rouse (November 20, 1913 – October 2, 1987) was an American screenwriter, director, and producer who is noted for the "offbeat creativity and originality" of his screenplays and for
film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...
movies and television episodes produced in the 1950s.


Life and career

Rouse was the son of film pioneer Edwin Russell; his great uncle was the 1920s actor William Russell. He was educated at UCLA. His first employment in films was in the prop department at
Paramount Studios Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest ...
, where he began writing screenplays. His play, ''Yokel Boy'', was filmed in 1942 and became his first film writing credit. Rouse has 18 credits as a screenwriter between 1942 and 1988. Starting with ''
The Town Went Wild ''The Town Went Wild'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Ralph Murphy and starring Freddie Bartholomew and Edward Everett Horton Plot Like Romeo and Juliet, next door neighbours David Conway and Carol Harrison are deeply in love wi ...
'' (1944), Rouse co-wrote many stories and scripts with
Clarence Greene Clarence Greene (August 10, 1913 – June 17, 1995) was an American screenwriter and film producer who is noted for the "offbeat creativity and originality of his screenplays and for films noir and television episodes produced in the 1950s. ...
. The partners are noted for their work on a series of six film noirs, starting with ''
D.O.A. DOA may refer to: * Dead on arrival * Dead or Alive (disambiguation) Film * ''D.O.A.'' (1949 film), a ''film noir'' * ''D.O.A.'' (1988 film), a remake of the 1949 film * '' D.O.A.: A Rite of Passage'' (1980 film), a documentary on the gene ...
'' (directed by
Rudolph Maté Rudolph Maté (born Rudolf Mayer; 21 January 1898 – 27 October 1964) was a Polish-Hungarian-American cinematographer, film director and film producer who worked as cameraman and cinematographer in Hungary, Austria, Germany, France and the Unite ...
-1949). With the second film in the series, ''
The Well The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, normally shortened to The WELL, was launched in 1985. It is one of the oldest continuously operating virtual communities. By 1993 it had 7,000 members, a staff of 12, and gross annual income of $2 million. ...
'' (1951), they also took on directing and producing: Rouse as director, and Greene as producer. This collaboration continued through the noir series ('' The Thief'' (1952), '' Wicked Woman'' (1953), '' New York Confidential'' (1955), and '' House of Numbers'' (1957)). In the late 1950s, Greene and Rouse formed Greene-Rouse Productions, which created the television series ''
Tightrope Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...
'' that ran for one season (1959–1960) as well as two films in the 1960s. In addition to their noir work, Rouse and Greene produced two westerns: ''
The Fastest Gun Alive ''The Fastest Gun Alive'' is a 1956 MGM Western film starring Glenn Ford, Jeanne Crain, and Broderick Crawford directed by Russell Rouse. Plot Son of a notorious fast-drawing sheriff, George Kelby Jr. (Ford) and his wife Dora (Jeanne Crain) ...
'' (1956) and ''
Thunder in the Sun ''Thunder in the Sun'' is a 1959 American Western film directed by Russell Rouse and starring Susan Hayward and Jeff Chandler. Plot The film shows a family of French Basque immigrants pioneering into the Wild West while carrying their ancestr ...
'' (1959). The 1959 film ''
Pillow Talk Pillow talk is the relaxed, intimate conversation that often occurs between two sexual partners, sometimes after sexual activity, usually accompanied by cuddling, caresses, kissing, and other physical intimacy. It is associated with honesty, sex ...
'' was based on their story. Their careers drew to a close shortly after the unsuccessful film ''
The Oscar The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
'' (1966). Rouse and Greene were nominated for the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for writing ''The Well'' (1951). They received the Academy Award for ''
Pillow Talk Pillow talk is the relaxed, intimate conversation that often occurs between two sexual partners, sometimes after sexual activity, usually accompanied by cuddling, caresses, kissing, and other physical intimacy. It is associated with honesty, sex ...
'' (1959) (with
Maurice Richlin Maurice Richlin (February 23, 1920 – November 13, 1990) was an American screenwriter. He received two Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nominations for ''Pillow Talk'' and ''Operation Petticoat'' in the same year. For the first of ...
and
Stanley Shapiro Stanley Shapiro (July 16, 1925 – July 21, 1990) was an American screenwriter and producer responsible for three of Doris Day's most successful films. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Shapiro earned his first screen credit for ''South Sea Woman' ...
). ''D.O.A.'' has been preserved in the
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception i ...
. That film has been remade several times, and they were credited as writers on two of them: the Australian remake ''
Color Me Dead ''Color Me Dead'' is a 1969 Australian thriller directed by Eddie Davis, starring American actors Tom Tryon, Carolyn Jones and Rick Jason. It is a remake of the 1950 film '' D.O.A.''. Due to the failure on renewing copyright of ''D.O.A.'', the ...
'' from 1969 and the ''
D.O.A. DOA may refer to: * Dead on arrival * Dead or Alive (disambiguation) Film * ''D.O.A.'' (1949 film), a ''film noir'' * ''D.O.A.'' (1988 film), a remake of the 1949 film * '' D.O.A.: A Rite of Passage'' (1980 film), a documentary on the gene ...
'' remake of 1988. In 1957, Rouse married actress
Beverly Michaels Beverly Eileen Michaels (December 29, 1927 – June 9, 2007) was an American B-movie actress and Pin-up girls, cheesecake model of the 1950s. Career Michaels began her career at the age of 16 in 1944 as a showgirl at Billy Rose's Diamond Horse ...
. Their son Christopher Rouse (b. 1958) is a noted film editor. Rouse died on October 2, 1987 in Los Angeles, California. He was cremated with his ashes scattered at sea. After his death, his wife Beverly Michaels Rouse said: "He worked everything from film props to junior writer to the technical crew. He came up in a classic type way and understood everything you could possibly understand about making film. He did it all."


Filmography

* ''Yokel Boy'' (story; 1942) * '' Nothing But Trouble'' (writer; 1944) * ''
The Town Went Wild ''The Town Went Wild'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Ralph Murphy and starring Freddie Bartholomew and Edward Everett Horton Plot Like Romeo and Juliet, next door neighbours David Conway and Carol Harrison are deeply in love wi ...
'' (story and screenplay; 1944) * ''
D.O.A. DOA may refer to: * Dead on arrival * Dead or Alive (disambiguation) Film * ''D.O.A.'' (1949 film), a ''film noir'' * ''D.O.A.'' (1988 film), a remake of the 1949 film * '' D.O.A.: A Rite of Passage'' (1980 film), a documentary on the gene ...
'' (writing; 1949) * '' The Great Plane Robbery'' (story; 1950) * ''
The Well The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, normally shortened to The WELL, was launched in 1985. It is one of the oldest continuously operating virtual communities. By 1993 it had 7,000 members, a staff of 12, and gross annual income of $2 million. ...
'' (writing and direction; 1951) * '' The Thief'' (writing and direction; 1952) * '' Wicked Woman'' (writing and direction, 1953) * '' New York Confidential'' (writing and direction; 1955) * ''
The Fastest Gun Alive ''The Fastest Gun Alive'' is a 1956 MGM Western film starring Glenn Ford, Jeanne Crain, and Broderick Crawford directed by Russell Rouse. Plot Son of a notorious fast-drawing sheriff, George Kelby Jr. (Ford) and his wife Dora (Jeanne Crain) ...
'' (screenplay and direction; 1956) * '' House of Numbers'' (screenplay and direction; 1957) * ''
Thunder in the Sun ''Thunder in the Sun'' is a 1959 American Western film directed by Russell Rouse and starring Susan Hayward and Jeff Chandler. Plot The film shows a family of French Basque immigrants pioneering into the Wild West while carrying their ancestr ...
'' (screenplay and direction; 1959) * ''
Pillow Talk Pillow talk is the relaxed, intimate conversation that often occurs between two sexual partners, sometimes after sexual activity, usually accompanied by cuddling, caresses, kissing, and other physical intimacy. It is associated with honesty, sex ...
'' (story; 1959) * '' A House is Not a Home'' (screenplay and direction; 1964) * ''
The Oscar The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
'' (screenplay and direction; 1966) * ''
The Caper of the Golden Bulls ''The Caper of the Golden Bulls'', also known as ''Carnival of Thieves'', is a 1967 American action comedy film directed by Russell Rouse and starring Stephen Boyd, Yvette Mimieux and Giovanna Ralli. Plot During a bombing mission to Germany, war ...
'' (directed; 1967) * ''
Color Me Dead ''Color Me Dead'' is a 1969 Australian thriller directed by Eddie Davis, starring American actors Tom Tryon, Carolyn Jones and Rick Jason. It is a remake of the 1950 film '' D.O.A.''. Due to the failure on renewing copyright of ''D.O.A.'', the ...
'' (writer; 1969) * ''
D.O.A. DOA may refer to: * Dead on arrival * Dead or Alive (disambiguation) Film * ''D.O.A.'' (1949 film), a ''film noir'' * ''D.O.A.'' (1988 film), a remake of the 1949 film * '' D.O.A.: A Rite of Passage'' (1980 film), a documentary on the gene ...
'' (story; 1988)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rouse, Russell 1913 births 1987 deaths American male screenwriters Film producers from New York (state) Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners Writers from New York City Film directors from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American businesspeople