Robert Youngson

Directing·Nov 27, 1917·Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

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Robert Youngson (November 27, 1917 – April 8, 1974) was a film producer, director, and screenwriter, specializing in reviving antique silent films. Robert George Youngson, born in Brooklyn, New York, graduated from Harvard University with a master's degree in business administration. He entered the film business in 1941, writing newsreel scripts. In 1948 Warner Bros. hired him to produce a series of short subjects about sports. Most of these were straight roundups of current sporting events, but in some of them Youngson indulged his fascination with antique newsreels of the 1920s, and included vintage sports footage in the new productions. This led to Youngson writing and producing a long series of historical short subjects for Warners, two of which won him Academy Awards. Most of these films took an affectionate look back at the fads and lifestyles of the 1920s. Youngson's narration was nostalgic in tone, unlike the facetious commentaries that usually accompanied silent-film revivals like Gaslight Follies (1945) and Warners' compilations of Mack Sennett comedies. Youngson also produced a feature-length documentary for Warners, Fifty Years Before Your Eyes (1950). Warners discontinued live-action short subjects in 1956 and released Youngson, forcing him to work as an independent producer. He assembled a full-length feature of silent-comedy highlights, The Golden Age of Comedy (1958). This was a triumphant success, earning rave reviews from national columnists and receiving network exposure on TV talk shows. He followed this with When Comedy Was King (1960) and six more vintage-comedy anthologies, the last being released in 1970.

Film	Credit
4 Clowns1970 · Director	Director
The Further Perils of Laurel and Hardy1967 · Writer, Director	Writer, Director
Laurel and Hardy's Laughing 20's1965 · Director	Director
The Big Parade of Comedy1964 · Producer, Director, Writer	Producer, Director, Writer
30 Years of Fun1963 · Writer, Director	Writer, Director
Days of Thrills and Laughter1961 · Writer, Director	Writer, Director
When Comedy Was King1960 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
The Golden Age of Comedy1957 · Director	Director
I Never Forget a Face1956 · Writer, Director, Producer	Writer, Director, Producer
Gadgets Galore1955 · Director, Writer, Producer	Director, Writer, Producer
When the Talkies Were Young1955 · Writer, Producer, Director	Writer, Producer, Director
This Mechanical Age1954 · Producer, Director	Producer, Director
WWhen Sports Were King1954 · Director, Producer	Director, Producer
TThey Were Champions1954 · Director	Director
MMagic Movie Moments1953 · Writer, Director	Writer, Director
Look at Life: Lighter than Air1952 · Director	Director
World of Kids1951 · Director	Director
Blaze Busters1950 · Director	Director
Cavalcade of Girls1950 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Fifty Years Before Your Eyes1950 · Director	Director
Spills and Chills1949 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
RRoaring Wheels1948 · Director	Director