Richard de Rochemont (December 13, 1903 – August 2, 1982) was an American documentary filmmaker and producer in the mid-20th century.
Richard de Rochemont | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 13, 1903 Chelsea, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | August 2, 1982 (aged 78) Flemington, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education | Cambridge Latin School, Williams College |
| Alma mater | Harvard College (1928) |
| Occupation(s) | Filmmaker, producer |
| Notable work | The March of Time |
| Spouse | Jane Louise Meyerhoff |
| Relatives | Louis de Rochemont (brother) |
Biography
editDe Rochemont was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in 1903.[1][2] He was educated at Cambridge Latin School and Williams College, then graduated from Harvard College in 1928.[1] He and initially worked in newspapers, for the Boston Advertiser and The New York Sun.[1] He started his film career as a foreign editor for Fox Movietone News (1930–1934).[3]
Stationed in France until 1941,[4] de Rochemont produced a series of shorts which covered subjects like World War II, the 1920s, and the Vatican. In 1943,[5] de Rochemont became the president of France Forever[6] and continued his action until after the Liberation, giving way to Doctor Albert Simard.[5] From 1943 to 1951, de Rochemont was executive producer of The March of Time newsreel series, which was co-created by his brother, Louis de Rochemont.[1]
De Rochemont produced Crusade in Europe (1949),[7] the very first documentary series produced for television,[8] based on the book by Dwight D. Eisenhower, produced by Time Inc., and distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox Television. He was producer for A Chance to Live (1949), which won an Oscar for Best Documentary Short at the 22nd Academy Awards (1950).[1]
In 1952, de Rochemont produced various films on Abraham Lincoln.[9] In 1955, he founded his own film production company, Vavin Incorporated.[10][11] The company produced instructional films for organizations like Reader's Digest and the French Tourist Office between the 1950s and 1980s.[3] De Rochemont retired from Vavin in 1980.[1] He was also the author or co-author of three cookbooks.[1]
De Rochemont died in 1982 in Flemington, New Jersey.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Waggoner, Walter H. (1982-08-06). "RICHARD DE ROCHEMONT, 78, DIES; MADE 'MARCH OF TIME' NEWSREELS". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
- ^ "Draft Registration Card". Selective Service System. February 1942. Retrieved August 11, 2024 – via fold3.com.
- ^ a b "Richard De Rochemont papers 1900-1997". rmoa.unm.edu. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
- ^ deRochemont, Richard (24 August 1942). "The French Underground". LIFE. p. 86.
- ^ a b Revue de la France libre, Revue No. 240, 1982, p. 1899 [1] [2]. Fondation de la France libre.
- ^ de Rochemont, Richard (1945-01-08). The Future of Liberated France. Time Inc (LIFE Magazine). p. 78.
- ^ Taylor, Philip S.; Roberts, Graham; Taylor, Philip M.; Pronay, Nicholas (2001). The Historian, Television and Television History: A Collection. Indiana University Press. p. 133. ISBN 978-1-86020-586-6.
- ^ Sims, Michael (2011-07-04). "17". The Story of Charlotte's Web: E. B. White and the Birth of a Children's Classic. A&C Black. ISBN 978-1-4088-2306-4.
- ^ Reinhart, Mark S. (2009-01-01). Abraham Lincoln on Screen: Fictional and Documentary Portrayals on Film and Television. McFarland. p. 155. ISBN 978-0-7864-5261-3.
- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1955-03-12.
- ^ Russell, Patrick; Taylor, James Piers (2019-07-25). Shadows of Progress: Documentary Film in Post-War Britain. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-83871-813-8.