Ralph Graves
Encyclopedia
Ralph Graves was an American
screenwriter
, film director
, and actor who appeared in 93 films between 1918 and 1949.
Born as Ralph Horsburgh in Cleveland, Ohio
, Graves had been featured in 46 films, half of them produced by Mack Sennett
, before writing, directing, and starring in Swell Hogan (1926), produced by Howard Hughes
, whose father once had supported Graves by placing him on the payroll of the Hughes Tool Company
between screen assignments, although the actor never worked there.
Graves and the younger Hughes met on the Wilshire Country Club golf course, and over lunch the actor pitched a film about a Bowery
bum that adopts a baby. The plot intrigued Hughes, who had a strong interest in Hollywood, and he invested $40,000 in the project. During filming he sat on the sidelines in order to familiarize himself with the technical aspects of production. The budget eventually doubled, and after seeing the completed film numerous times, Hughes hired Dorothy Arzner
to help him re-edit it, but there was little they could do to salvage it. When asked his opinion of it, Hughes' uncle, novelist and film director Rupert Hughes
, said, "It's nothing. No plot. No build up. No character development. The acting stinks. Destroy the film. If anbody sees it, you and that homo
Graves will be the laughing stock of Hollywood." Hughes took his uncle's advice and ordered the screening room projectionist to burn the sole copy. Graves later claimed he and Hughes had engaged in a sexual relationship while collaborating on Swell Hogan.
Despite this temporary setback, Graves directed four more films in 1927 and contributed the story or wrote the screenplay for twelve additional films, but most of his career was spent acting.
While working for Sennett, Graves met Frank Capra
, and the director later cast him in several films, including Flight, based on a story by Graves, and a series of adventure films in which he was cast opposite Jack Holt
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, and actor who appeared in 93 films between 1918 and 1949.
Born as Ralph Horsburgh in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Graves had been featured in 46 films, half of them produced by Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett was a Canadian-born American director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy"...
, before writing, directing, and starring in Swell Hogan (1926), produced by Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
, whose father once had supported Graves by placing him on the payroll of the Hughes Tool Company
Hughes Tool Company
Hughes Tool Company was established in 1908 as Sharp-Hughes Tool Company when Howard R. Hughes, Sr. patented a roller cutter bit that dramatically improved the rotary drilling process for oil drilling rigs. He partnered with longtime business associate Walter Benona Sharp to manufacture and market...
between screen assignments, although the actor never worked there.
Graves and the younger Hughes met on the Wilshire Country Club golf course, and over lunch the actor pitched a film about a Bowery
Bowery
Bowery may refer to:Streets:* The Bowery, a thoroughfare in Manhattan, New York City* Bowery Street is a street on Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y.In popular culture:* Bowery Amphitheatre, a building on the Bowery in New York City...
bum that adopts a baby. The plot intrigued Hughes, who had a strong interest in Hollywood, and he invested $40,000 in the project. During filming he sat on the sidelines in order to familiarize himself with the technical aspects of production. The budget eventually doubled, and after seeing the completed film numerous times, Hughes hired Dorothy Arzner
Dorothy Arzner
Dorothy Arzner was an American film director. Her directorial career in feature films spanned from the late 1920s into the early 1940s, a time period in which there were very few—if any—other women working in the field.- Biography :Born in San Francisco, California, Arzner grew up in Los...
to help him re-edit it, but there was little they could do to salvage it. When asked his opinion of it, Hughes' uncle, novelist and film director Rupert Hughes
Rupert Hughes
Rupert Hughes was an American historian, novelist, film director and composer based in Hollywood. Hughes was born in Lancaster, Missouri. His parents were Felix Turner Hughes and Jean Amelia Summerlin, who were married in 1865. His brother Howard R. Hughes, Sr., co-founded the Hughes Tool Company....
, said, "It's nothing. No plot. No build up. No character development. The acting stinks. Destroy the film. If anbody sees it, you and that homo
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
Graves will be the laughing stock of Hollywood." Hughes took his uncle's advice and ordered the screening room projectionist to burn the sole copy. Graves later claimed he and Hughes had engaged in a sexual relationship while collaborating on Swell Hogan.
Despite this temporary setback, Graves directed four more films in 1927 and contributed the story or wrote the screenplay for twelve additional films, but most of his career was spent acting.
While working for Sennett, Graves met Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
, and the director later cast him in several films, including Flight, based on a story by Graves, and a series of adventure films in which he was cast opposite Jack Holt
Jack Holt (actor)
Jack Holt was an American motion picture actor. He was a leading man of silent and sound films, and was known for his many roles in Westerns.-Early life:...
.
Selected filmography
- The Greatest QuestionThe Greatest QuestionThe Greatest Question is a drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. While considered a "programmer" of average quality at the time, the film has since been seen as one of Griffith's most charming minor works.-Cast:* Lillian Gish - Nellie Jarvis...
(1919) - Dream StreetDream Street (film)Dream Street is a silent movie directed by D. W. Griffith, and starring Carol Dempster, Charles Emmett Mack, and Ralph Graves in a story about a love triangle set in London, and based on two short stories by Thomas Burke, "Gina of Chinatown" and "Song of the Lamp"...
(1921) - Kindred of the DustKindred of the DustKindred of the Dust is an American silent film directed by Raoul Walsh, and starring his wife Miriam Cooper. The film was the last independent picture for Walsh's production company, and the last film he and Cooper would make together. Today it is one of Walsh's earliest surviving features, and...
(1922) - The Fatal WarningThe Fatal WarningThe Fatal Warning is a 1929 mystery film serial directed by Richard Thorpe. The film is considered to be a lost film, with no prints known to exist.-Cast:* Helene Costello - Dorothy Rogers* Ralph Graves - Russell Thorne* George Periolat - William Rogers...
(1929) - Ladies of LeisureLadies of LeisureLadies of Leisure is an American romantic drama film directed by Frank Capra, and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ralph Graves. The screenplay by Jo Swerling is based on the 1924 play Ladies of the Evening by Milton Herbert Gropper.-Plot:...
(1930) - DirigibleDirigible (film)Dirigible is Frank Capra's 1931 adventure film about the competition between American naval fixed-wing and airship pilots to reach the South Pole by air....
(1931) - Speed LimitedSpeed LimitedSpeed Limited is a 1935 American crime film directed by Albert Herman and starring Evelyn Brent.- Cast :* Ralph Graves as Jerry Paley* Evelyn Brent as Natalie* Claudia Dell as Marjorie* Andy Rice as Smitty* Walter Worden as Government man...
(1935) - Three Texas SteersThree Texas SteersThree Texas Steers is a 1939 "Three Mesquiteers" Western B-movie starring John Wayne and Carole Landis. Wayne played the lead in eight of the fifty-one films in the series...
(1939) - Batman and RobinBatman and Robin (serial)Batman and Robin is a 15-chapter serial released in 1949 by Columbia Pictures. Robert Lowery played Batman, while Johnny Duncan played Robin...
(1949)