Born Today October 8: Richard Stanton

 

1876-1956

 

Actor and director Richard J. Stanton was born on this day in some location in the state of Iowa.  In addition to acting in nearly 100 films, he directed over 50 as well.  He entered films in as an actor in a bit part in the Méliès company's The Immortal Alamo in 1911.  Three years later he made his directing debut at Broncho Film Co. (distribution by Mutual) helming the Shorty Hamilton comedy western Shorty Escapes Marriage (1914).  It was the first in a series of Shorty films that he directed. He added producer to his credits in 1915 with Graft, a 20 part serial that he co-directed with George Lessey. He had his first writing credit the following year with the western The Beast (1916), adapting his own story; he directed the film as well.  Also in 1916 he quit acting. His last appearance in front of the camera came in the IMP short melodrama The Pinnacle, which he again directed. After devoting his career to directing full time, he went to work for Fox directing features. He continued to work for the studio through 1920, directing at least one other serial--Bride 13 (1920)--for them along  the way. His last film at Fox was Thunderclap with Mary Carr and J. Barney Sherry in the lead roles. He made just two more films in his career: one for Universal--McGuire of the Mounted--in 1923. His last film, the comedy American Pluck, was for Chadwick Pictures and was released on the 15th of October in 1925.  He apparently retired, but stayed in the Los Angeles area. He died there on the 22nd of the May in 1956 at the age of 79.  He is interred at the Main mausoleum at Calvary Cemetery.  Being that this is "spooktober" it is worth mentioning that, while Stanton neither acted in or directed a film that could be categorized at "horror"--he did appear in at least comical "supernatural" film in a tiny role. The Ghost (Domino Film, 1913) was farce film with a story depicting a drunken nightmare where a passed out pub patron dreams that he is dead and a ghost (though it was a funny morality tale of the times, it is worth mentioning that the plot would show up in a number of actual horror films through the subsequent decades--films like Carnival of Souls  and The Sixth Sense have plots quite similar). 

 

[Source: James Lacy (Find a Grave)]

 

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