With smooth, boyish good looks, Richard Cromwell had the makings of a
Hollywood star while talking movies were in their infancy. Falling far
short of that goal, some of which was his own doing, he is hardly
remembered today. The equivalent back then in fresh-faced, fair-haired
appeal to 60s Stationsarzt Dr. Kildare (1961)
star Richard Chamberlain,
Cromwell enjoyed similar overnight stardom and heartthrob status. By
decade's end, however, his once meteoric career had crashed and burned.
Richard was born LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh (nicknamed Roy) in Long Beach,
California on January 8, 1910, he was the second of five children to
Ralph and Fay Radabaugh. His father was a victim of the 1918 Spanish
influenza epidemic. Roy earnestly delivered morning newspapers to help
out the family's budget crisis. Artistically creative, in his teens, he
earned a scholarship to the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. He
continued to work part-time as a maintenance man, custodian and soda
jerk. His artwork, which tended to oil painting and mask-making, was
impressive enough for him to be a commissioned "artist to the stars"
for a time. Film legends
Anna Q. Nilsson,
Colleen Moore,
Tallulah Bankhead,
Beatrice Lillie,
Joan Crawford and the notoriously
reclusive Greta Garbo were among his
illustrious clientèle. He was soon able to open his own studio in
Hollywood and well on the way to becoming an artist of note when a
long-smoldering desire to act burst into flame within him.
He painted scenery for community theater productions as a way of
getting his feet wet and eventually took on acting roles. He was an
extra in the film
Der Jazzkönig (1930). As good fortune
would have it, Richard was encouraged by friends to test for the title
lead (amid scores of other actor unknowns) in the Columbia Studios
production of
Tol'able David (1930), a remake of
Henry King's classic 1921 film. With no
previous professional experience, he won the part. Christened with a
new marquee name (courtesy of Columbia mogul
Harry Cohn), the studio publicity
machines worked overtime to promote both the film and their new leading
man. Richard lived up to all the hype once the reviews came out, giving
a terrific debut performance in a very difficult role. As the rather
weak-willed young boy who finds the strength and courage to right the
injustice done to him, he hit overnight stardom, accompanied by scores
of subsequent radio and personal appearances and culminating in a White
House invitation from President
Herbert Hoover.
It was sensitive hero types for the new star, predominantly in
melodramatic settings. Columbia kept him busy with
Fifty Fathoms Deep (1931),
Shanghaied Love (1931) and
That's My Boy (1932). The best of
the lot was co-starring opposite
Marie Dressler in
Emma, die Perle (1932) as a young man who dies in a
plane crash en route to save his beloved housekeeper who was accused of
murdering his father. His best known role was in the best picture
nominee
Bengali (1935)
in which he received co-star billing alongside
Gary Cooper and
Franchot Tone. Other significant
parts in
The Age of Consent (1932),
Tom Brown of Culver (1932)
and Revolution der Jugend (1933). He
appeared with a slew of Hollywood's most popular stars, including but
not limited to Janet Gaynor,
Clara Bow,
Jean Arthur,
W.C. Fields and
Will Rogers.
His constant yen for independence and change led him to other areas of
entertainment. Veering away from films, he worked on radio soap operas
and made his stage debut in 1936 with So Proudly We Hail which quickly
went to Broadway. He received better reviews than the play itself,
which was very short-lived. As his popularity in films began to fade,
another daunting challenge was his lead role in a sequel of sorts to
Im Westen nichts Neues (1930)
entitled The Road Back (1937) ,
which chronicled the story of young German soldiers readjusting to
civilian life after WWI. The film was not well-received. After
supporting roles as Henry Fonda's brother,
who kills a man in a duel of honor, in
Jezebel - die boshafte Lady (1938)
(Bette Davis second Oscar-winning
performance), and as a defendant in
Der junge Mr. Lincoln (1939)
starring Fonda, Cromwell drifted into secondary features. He enjoyed an
active social Hollywood life with friends including
Barbara Stanwyck,
Joan Crawford,
Franchot Tone,
George Cukor,
Cole Porter and
William Haines.
After filming
Baby Face Morgan (1942), he
joined the Coast Guard and served for two years. Returning to civilian
life, he settled comfortably into his art work -- ceramics and pottery,
in particular. By chance, he met promising young British actress
Angela Lansbury who was 16 years his
junior and raking up Oscar nominations over at MGM with superb work in
Das Haus der Lady Alquist (1944) and
Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray (1945).
The couple eloped in September of 1945 but the marriage was over almost
before it began. They separated within a few months and were divorced
before the year was out. Unbeknownst to the outside world at the time,
Richard's latent homosexuality was the undoing factor here. Cromwell
and Lansbury continued a sincere, respectful friendship after their
divorce.
After this tumultuous period, Richard decided to make another stab at
films, all for naught. His next film,
Bungalow 13 (1948) , fizzled quickly.
Returning to the name Roy Radabaugh, he built an art studio on his
property, becoming especially known and admired for his creative tile
designs.
Little was heard of Richard until it was announced that, at
age 50, he had been cast in the film
The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1961)
starring singer Jimmie Rodgers.
Diagnosed with liver cancer shortly thereafter, he was forced to
withdraw from the production. Chill Wills
replaced him in the role. Richard died on October 11, 1960, and was
interred in Santa Ana, California.
