Robert Riskin

Robert Riskin was born on New York City's Lower East side to Jewish parents, Bessie and Jakob, who had emigrated from Tsarist Russia to escape conscription. He and his two brothers and two sisters grew up speaking Yiddish. An enthusiast of the vaudeville stage, the teen-age Riskin took every opportunity to sneak into the theatre and catch the shows. He was a particular fan of the comedians who performed there, and he habitually transcribed their jokes into a notebook he carried with him. While still a teen-ager, Riskin took a job with a shirt-manufacturing firm, Heidenheim and Levy. The partners of this firm had a sideline business, investing in the new film industry. They sent the seventeen-year-old Riskin to Florida to run a production company for them. Riskin turned out one- and two-reel films until his enlistment in the Army during World War I. ==Career==

At the end of the war, Riskin returned to New York City, where, in partnership with a friend, he found some success in producing plays for Broadway. Riskin began his career as a playwright, writing for many local New York City playhouses. When the U.S. entered World War II, he joined the Office of War Information in 1942, In 1939, looking for creative autonomy unavailable in the studio system, Riskin and Capra formed an independent production company, Frank Capra Productions. The partnership was divided 65% for Capra, 35% for Riskin. In 1941, Capra directed Riskin's Meet John Doe. However, Riskin felt that Capra was taking all the credit for their films, including Riskin's share. Riskin came to resent Capra for this. This led to several confrontations with Capra during the production of Meet John Doe. According to an account by Hollywood screenwriter David Rintels (which was denied by Capra), Riskin brandished 120 blank pages in Capra's face and challenged: "Put the famous Capra touch on that!" After completion of just one film, Meet John Doe, the association was dissolved. Riskin never willingly collaborated with Capra again. During the time of his declining health, home confinement, and final residence at the Motion Picture & Television Country Home and Hospital, Riskin was regularly visited by old friends such as Edward G. Robinson, Jack Benny, and Irving Berlin. Long time friend and screenwriting colleague Jo Swerling and his wife remained devoted visitors. Conspicuously absent was Frank Capra, who never visited Riskin during the five years of his illness. Swerling was pained by Capra's behavior, but Riskin refused to disparage Capra. He remained loyal to the man, calling him "his best friend". The Los Angeles Examiner covered Riskin's funeral in September 1955, describing the "notables" in attendance. The report also identified the "one man who wasn’t there": Frank Capra. In 1961, Capra directed A Pocketful of Miracles, a remake of Capra and Riskin's 1933 collaboration Lady for a Day, with a screenplay by Hal Kanter and Harry Tugend from the Riskin-Runyon material. Aside from an industrial film directed for Martin-Marietta in 1964, it was Capra's final effort as a director. ==Personal life and family==

Unlike his frequent collaborator Frank Capra, who was a conservative Republican, Riskin was a New Deal Democrat. Riskin married actress Fay Wray in 1942. They had three children: Susan (born 1936), Robert (born 1943), and Victoria (born 1945). (Susan was the child of Wray's first marriage and was adopted by Riskin in 1942.) They remained married until his death on September 20, 1955. George Jessel read the eulogy at Riskin's funeral. Interment was at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California. Riskin's older brother, Everett (born 1895), was a Hollywood film producer (1934–1952). He produced many noteworthy films, including The Thin Man Goes Home, written by Robert. A biography by Ian Scott, ''In Capra's Shadow: The Life and Career of Screenwriter Robert Riskin'', was published in 2006 by the University Press of Kentucky. ==Selected filmography==

• The Miracle Woman (1931) • Men in Her Life (1931) • Platinum Blonde (1931) • Vanity Street (1932) • American Madness (1933) • ''Ann Carver's Profession'' (1933) • Lady for a Day (1933) • It Happened One Night (1934) • Broadway Bill (1934) • Carnival (1935) • ''The Whole Town's Talking'' (1935) • Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) • ''When You're in Love (1937) also director'' • Lost Horizon (1937) • ''You Can't Take It with You'' (1938) • Meet John Doe (1941) • The Thin Man Goes Home (1945) • Magic Town (1947) also producer • Riding High (1950) • Mister 880 (1950) • Half Angel (1951) • Here Comes the Groom (1951) • Pocketful of Miracles (1961) ==Awards==

Academy Awards Won: • Best Writing, Adaptation (It Happened One Night, 1935) Nominated: • Best Writing, Adaptation (Lady for a Day, 1934) • Best Writing, Screenplay (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, 1937) • Best Writing, Screenplay (''You Can't Take It with You'', 1939) • Best Writing, Motion Picture Story (Here Comes the Groom, 1952) Lifetime Achievement Awards • Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement ==See also==