Wesley Ruggles (June 11, 1889 – January 8, 1972) was an American

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

Life and work

He was born in Los Angeles, California, younger brother of actor

Charlie Ruggles Charles Sherman Ruggles (February 8, 1886 – December 23, 1970) was an American comic character actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films, often in mild-mannered and comic roles. He was also the e ...

. He began his career in 1915 as an actor, appearing in a dozen or so

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

s, on occasion with

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

. In 1917, he turned his attention to directing, making more than 50 films—including a silent version of Edith Wharton's novel ''The Age of Innocence'' (1924)—before he won acclaim with '' Cimarron'' in 1931. The adaptation of

Edna Ferber Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), ''Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Ci ...

's novel '' Cimarron'', about homesteaders settling in the prairies of Oklahoma, was the first

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

to win an Oscar as

Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

. Ruggles followed this success with the light comedy '' No Man of Her Own'' (1932) with

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

and Carole Lombard, the comedy ''

I'm No Angel ''I'm No Angel'' is a 1933 pre-Code film directed by Wesley Ruggles, and starring Mae West and Cary Grant. West received sole story and screenplay credit. It is one of her films that was not subjected to heavy censorship. Plot Tira (Mae West ...

'' (1933) with

Mae West Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...

and

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

, '' College Humor'' (1933) with

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

, and ''

Bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

'' (1934) with George Raft and Carole Lombard. He teamed with the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribu ...

in 1946 to produce and direct '' London Town'' with

Sid Field Sidney Arthur Field (1 April 1904 – 3 February 1950) was an English comedy entertainer who was popular in the 1940s. Early years Field was born in Ladywood, Birmingham, Warwickshire, the son of Albert (a candlemaker) and Bertha (a dressma ...

and

Petula Clark Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades. Clark's professional career began during the ...

, based on a story he wrote. The film—British cinema's first attempt at a

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

musical—is notable as being one of the biggest critical and commercial failures in this country's film history. Ironically, Ruggles had been hired to direct it because as an American, it was thought, he was better equipped to handle a musical—despite the fact that nothing in his past had prepared him to work in the genre. It was his last film. An abridged version was released in the U.S. under the title '' My Heart Goes Crazy'' by

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

in 1953. Ruggles died January 8, 1972, in Santa Monica, California, and was interred in the

Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries is an American corporation that owns and operates a chain of cemeteries and mortuaries in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties in Southern California. History The company was founded by a group of ...

in Glendale, California, near his brother Charles Ruggles. For his contributions to the motion picture industry, he has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

at 6400 Hollywood Boulevard.

Filmography

Film director

* '' London Town'' (1946) * '' See Here, Private Hargrove'' (1944) * ''

Slightly Dangerous ''Slightly Dangerous'' is a 1943 American romantic comedy film starring Lana Turner and Robert Young. The screenplay concerns a bored young woman in a dead-end job who runs away to New York City and ends up impersonating the long-lost daughter of ...

'' (1943) * ''

Somewhere I'll Find You ''Somewhere I'll Find You'' is a 1942 film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Clark Gable and Lana Turner, released by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. The film took almost two years to complete and was the last film Gable starred in before he enlisted ...

'' (1942) * '' You Belong to Me'' (1941) * ''

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

'' (1940) * ''

Too Many Husbands ''Too Many Husbands'' (released in the United Kingdom as ''My Two Husbands'') is a 1940 American romantic comedy film about a woman who loses her husband in a boating accident and remarries, only to have her first spouse reappear—yet another var ...

'' (1940) * ''

Invitation to Happiness Invitation or The Invitation may refer to: Films * ''Invitation'' (1952 film), an MGM film starring Dorothy McGuire and Van Johnson * ''The Invitation'' (1973 film), a Swiss film * ''The Invitation'' (2003 film), an American film starring Lance H ...

'' (1939) * '' Sing, You Sinners'' (1938) * ''

True Confession ''True Confession'' is a 1937 American screwball comedy film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, and John Barrymore. It was based on the 1934 play ''Mon Crime'', written by Georges Berr and Louis Verneuil. I ...

'' (1937) * ''

I Met Him in Paris ''I Met Him in Paris'' is a 1937 film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Wesley Ruggles, written by Claude Binyon, and starring Claudette Colbert, Melvyn Douglas, and Robert Young. It was the first film shown at Washington, D.C.'s Newton ...

'' (1937) * ''

Valiant Is the Word for Carrie ''Valiant Is the Word for Carrie'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Wesley Ruggles and written by Claude Binyon, based on the 1935 novel of the same name by Barry Benefield. The film stars Gladys George, Arline Judge, John Howard, Dudley ...

'' (1936) * ''

The Bride Comes Home ''The Bride Comes Home'' is a 1935 comedy film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Wesley Ruggles, and starring Claudette Colbert, Fred MacMurray and Robert Young (actor), Robert Young. It was written by Claude Binyon and Elisabeth Sanxay Hol ...

'' (1935) * '' Accent on Youth'' (1935) * ''

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

'' (1935, fill-in director - uncredited) * '' The Gilded Lily'' (1935) * '' Shoot the Works'' (1934) * ''

'' (1934) * '' Shoot the Works'' (1934) * ''

'' (1933) * '' College Humor'' (1933) * ''

The Monkey's Paw "The Monkey's Paw" is a horror short story by English author W. W. Jacobs, first published in the collection '' The Lady of the Barge'' in 1902. In the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with ...

'' (1933) * '' No Man of Her Own'' (1932) * ''

Roar of the Dragon ''Roar of the Dragon'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code adventure film directed by Wesley Ruggles and written by Howard Estabrook. The film stars Richard Dix, Gwili Andre, Edward Everett Horton, Arline Judge and ZaSu Pitts. The film was released on ...

'' (1932) * ''

Are These Our Children? ''Are These Our Children?'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Wesley Ruggles and written by Howard Estabrook. The film stars Eric Linden, Ben Alexander, Beryl Mercer, Mary Kornman, Arline Judge, and Rochelle Hudson. The film ...

'' (1931) * '' Cimarron'' (1931, "A Wesley Ruggles Production"--not specified as director) * ''

The Sea Bat ''The Sea Bat'' is a 1930 American pre-Code melodrama thriller film directed by Lionel Barrymore and Wesley Ruggles, starring Raquel Torres, Charles Bickford and featuring Boris Karloff. Part of the film was filmed on location in Mazatlán, ...

'' (1930, replaced during production: Lionel Barrymore, uncredited) * ''

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

'' (1930) * ''

Condemned Condemned or The Condemned may refer to: Legal * Persons awaiting execution * A condemned property, or condemned building, by a local authority, usually for public health or safety reasons * A condemned property seized by power of eminent domain ...

'' (1929) * ''

Street Girl ''Street Girl'' is a 1929 pre-Code musical film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Betty Compson, John Harron and Jack Oakie. It was adapted by Jane Murfin from "The Viennese Charmer", a short story by William Carey Wonderly. While it was ...

'' (1929, uncredited) * '' Port of Dreams'' (1929) * ''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

'' (1929) * ''

Finders Keepers Finders, keepers, sometimes extended as the children's rhyme finders, keepers; losers, weepers, is an English language, English adage with the premise that when something is unowned or abandoned, whoever finds it first can claim it for themself pe ...

'' (1928) * ''

The Fourflusher ''The Fourflusher'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring George J. Lewis, Marion Nixon and Eddie Phillips. It was produced and distributed by the Universal Pictures. It is a surviving film. Cast * Geo ...

'' (1928) * '' Silk Stockings'' (1927) * ''

Beware of Widows ''Beware of Widows'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Wesley Ruggles and written by Beatrice Van. It is based on the 1925 play ''Beware of Widows'' by Owen Moore. The film stars Laura La Plante, Bryant Washburn, Paulette Duval ...

'' (1927) * '' Breaking Records'' (1927, Short) * '' Flashing Oars'' (1927, Short) * '' The Cinder Path'' (1927, Short) * ''

The Relay "Relay" (titled "The Relay" in the United States) is a song written by Pete Townshend, the guitarist of the Who, for the band's aborted '' Lifehouse'' project. The song was also released as a moderately successful single in 1972. It was also the la ...

'' (1927, Short) * '' Around the Bases'' (1927, Short) * '' The Last Lap'' (1926, Short) * ''The Collegians'' (1926, Short) * ''

A Man of Quality ''A Man of Quality'' is a 1926 American silent crime film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring George Walsh, Ruth Dwyer and Brian Donlevy. The survival status of the film is unknown. Cast * George Walsh as Jack Banning * Ruth Dwyer as Mario ...

'' (1926) * '' The Kick-Off'' (1926) * '' Hooked at the Altar'' (1926, Short) * '' California Here We Come'' (1926, Short) * ''

The Plastic Age ''The Plastic Age'' (1924 in literature, 1924) is a novel by Percy Marks that tells the story of Hugh Carver, a student at a fictional men's college called Sanford. With contents that covered or implied hazing, smoking, drinking, partying, and " ...

'' (1925) * ''

Broadway Lady ''Broadway Lady'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Evelyn Brent. Plot As described in a review in a film magazine, Evelyn, as a chorus girl, is admired by a young blue-blood whose family invite her ...

'' (1925) * '' Miss Me Again'' (1925, Short) * '' Don Coo Coo'' (1925, Short) * '' Barbara Snitches'' (1925, Short) * '' What Price Gloria?'' (1925, Short) * '' The Merry Kiddo'' (1925, Short) * '' Three Bases East'' (1925, Short) * '' Madam Sans Gin'' (1925, Short) * '' The Covered Flagon'' (1925, Short) * '' The Fast Male'' (1925, Short) * '' The Great Decide'' (1925, Short) * '' Merton of the Goofies'' (1925, Short) * '' He Who Gets Rapped'' (1925, Short) * '' The Pacemakers'' (1925, Short) * ''

Welcome Granger A welcome is a kind of greeting designed to introduce a person to a new place or situation, and to make them feel at ease. The term can similarly be used to describe the feeling of being accepted on the part of the new person. In some context ...

'' (1925, Short) * ''

The Age of Innocence ''The Age of Innocence'' is a 1920 novel by American author Edith Wharton. It was her twelfth novel, and was initially serialized in 1920 in four parts, in the magazine ''Pictorial Review''. Later that year, it was released as a book by D. Apple ...

'' (1924) * '' Slippy McGee'' (1923) * ''

The Heart Raider ''The Heart Raider'' is a 1923 silent film romantic comedy produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released by Paramount Pictures. It is based on an original story for the screen and was directed by Wesley Ruggles and starred Agnes Ayres and Mahlon ...

'' (1923) * ''

The Remittance Woman ''The Remittance Woman'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Ethel Clayton, Rockliffe Fellowes, and Mario Carillo. A remittance man (or woman) was one sent away from home (usually Britain) to avoid shame ...

'' (1923) * '' Mr. Billings Spends His Dime'' (1923) * ''

If I Were Queen ''If I Were Queen'' is a lost 1922 American silent romantic drama film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Ethel Clayton. It is based on a short story by Du Vernett Rabell. FBO handled the distribution of the film.Wild Honey'' (1922) * ''

Over the Wire ''Over the Wire'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Alice Lake, Alan Roscoe and Alan Hale.Connelly p.393 Cast * Alice Lake as Kathleen Dexter * Alan Roscoe Alan Roscoe (born John Albert Rascoe; A ...

'' (1921) * '' Uncharted Seas'' (1921) * ''

The Greater Claim ''The Greater Claim'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Alice Lake and Jack Dougherty. It was produced and distributed by the Metro Pictures Company. An incomplete print is preserved in the Library of ...

'' (1921) * ''

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

'' (1920) * ''

The Leopard Woman ''The Leopard Woman'' is a 1920 American silent adventure romance drama film starring Louise Glaum, House Peters, and Noble Johnson. Directed by Wesley Ruggles and produced by J. Parker Read, Jr., the screenplay was adapted by H. Tipton Steck ...

'' (1920) * ''

The Desperate Hero ''The Desperate Hero'' is a 1920 American silent comedy film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Owen Moore, Gloria Hope, Emmett King.Connelly p.339 Cast * Owen Moore as Henry Baird * Gloria Hope as Mabel Darrow * Emmett King as Philip Dar ...

'' (1920) * '' Sooner or Later'' (1920) * ''

Piccadilly Jim ''Piccadilly Jim'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 24 February 1917 by Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, and in the United Kingdom in May 1918 by Herbert Jenkins, London.McIlvaine (1990), pp. 31–31, A20. ...

'' (1919) * ''

The Winchester Woman ''The Winchester Woman'' is a 1919 American silent crime film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Alice Joyce, Percy Marmont, and Robert Middlemass.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 160 Cast * Alice Joyce as Agatha Winche ...

'' (1919) * ''

The Blind Adventure ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1918, as Wesley H. Ruggles) * ''

He Had to Camouflage He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

'' (1917, Short) * '' Bobby's Bravery'' (1917, Short) * '' For France'' (1917, as Wesley H. Ruggles) * '' Bobby, Movie Director'' (1917, Short)

Producer

* '' London Town'' (1946) * '' You Belong to Me'' (1941) * ''

'' (1940, uncredited) * ''

'' (1940) * ''

'' (1939) * '' Sing, You Sinners'' (1938) * ''

'' (1937) * ''

'' (1936) * ''

'' (1935) * '' Cimarron'' (1931) * ''

'' (1930, uncredited) * ''

'' (1929, uncredited)

Actor

* '' Triple Trouble'' (1918, Short) - Crook (uncredited) * '' Her Torpedoed Love'' (1917, Short) - Messenger Inside the House (uncredited) * ''

Behind the Screen ''Behind the Screen'' is a 1916 American silent short comedy film written by, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin, and also starring Eric Campbell and Edna Purviance. The film is in the public domain. Plot The film takes place in a si ...

'' (1916, Short) - Actor (uncredited) * ''

The Pawnshop ''The Pawnshop'' was Charlie Chaplin's sixth film for Mutual Film Corporation. Released on October 2, 1916, it stars Chaplin in the role of assistant to the pawnshop owner, played by Henry Bergman. Edna Purviance plays the owner's daughter, while ...

'' (1916, Short) - Client with Ring (uncredited) * '' Beatrice Fairfax'' (1916) - #15 Wristwatches * ''

The Floorwalker ''The Floorwalker'' is a 1916 American silent comedy film, Charlie Chaplin's first Mutual Film Corporation film. The film stars Chaplin, in his traditional Tramp persona, as a customer who creates chaos in a department store and becomes inadve ...

'' (1916, Short) - Policeman (uncredited) * ''

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

'' (1916, Short) - The Crook * ''

A Submarine Pirate ''A Submarine Pirate'' is a 1915 American short comedy film starring Syd Chaplin and featuring an early uncredited appearance by Harold Lloyd. Cast * Syd Chaplin as Ambitious waiter * Wesley Ruggles as The inventor's accomplice * Glen Cavender ...

'' (1915, Short) - Inventor's Accomplice / Sub Officer * ''

Burlesque on Carmen ''A Burlesque on Carmen'' is Charlie Chaplin's thirteenth film for Essanay Studios, originally released as ''Carmen'' on December 18, 1915. Chaplin played the leading man and Edna Purviance played Carmen. The film is a parody of Cecil B. DeMille ...

'' (1915, Short) - A Vagabond (uncredited) * ''

Her Painted Hero ''Her Painted Hero'' is a short 1915 American film directed by F.Richard Jones and written by Mack Sennett. Plot summary ''Her Painted Hero'' is about an heiress who plans to use her new wealth for influence on the stage. The play being shown w ...

'' (1915, Short) - Effeminate Party Guest (uncredited) * ''

A Night in the Show ''A Night in the Show'' was Charlie Chaplin's 12th film for Essanay. It was made at Majestic Studio in Los Angeles in the fall of 1915. Chaplin played two roles: one as Mr. Pest and one as Mr. Rowdy. The film was created from Chaplin's stage wo ...

'' (1915, Short) - Second Man in Balcony Front Row (uncredited) * ''

Shanghaied Shanghaied may refer to: *Shanghaiing, or forced conscription * ''Shanghaied'' (1915 film), a film starring Charlie Chaplin * ''Shanghaied'' (1927 film), a 1927 American silent film * ''Shanghaied'' (1934 film), an animated short film starring Mi ...

'' (1915, Short) - Shipowner (uncredited) * '' The Bank'' (1915, Short) - Bank Customer (uncredited) * ''

A Lover's Lost Control A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

'' (1915, Short) - Shoe Clerk (uncredited) * '' Gussle Tied to Trouble'' (1915, Short) - Man with Monocle (uncredited) * '' Gussle's Backward Way'' (1915, Short) - Man with Monocle (uncredited) * '' Gussle Rivals Jonah'' (1915, Short) - Ship Steward / Ship Passenger * '' Gussle's Wayward Path'' (1915, Short) - Clergyman * '' Caught in a Park'' (1915, Short) - The Cop

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruggles, Wesley Western (genre) film directors Male actors from Los Angeles Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 1889 births 1972 deaths Film directors from Los Angeles 20th-century American male actors