Background
Robson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
director producer screenwriter
Robson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
He attended Yale University, graduating in 1928.
Upon graduation he worked as a screenwriter for Paramount Pictures, receiving screen cr for the 1933 film Private Jones. He spent most of his career involved with radio. He joined Columbia Broadcasting System in 1936.
He also produced the Columbia Workshop, Suspense, Escape, Luke Slaughter of Tombstone and Doorway to Life.
He additionally contributed writing and direction to these projects. On June 22, 1950, a pamphlet called Red Channels appeared, focusing on the field of broadcasting.
Robson was among 151 entertainment industry professionals (erroneously) named in the context of "Red Fascists and their sympathizers". The Red Channels listing for Robson contained four justifications:
In December 1946, he had made a speech in Los Angeles, protesting encroachments on freedom of expression.
In 1948, he had signed with other artists a "We Are Foreign Wallace" advertisement in the New York Times.
This guilt-by-association would affect Robson"s career over the next decade. With regard to his radio career, Robson would enthusiastically reflect to Dick Bertell in 1976: "The great period of radio was from 1937, "38 really, through the war. lieutenant was only 7 years—the golden age of radio.
"Suspense" and "Escape"—those are the things one does later because one has all the skills at his fingertips.
At this time we were trying to find out how to do lieutenant. We were learning skills, we were sharpening and honing our abilities..when Irving Reis did "the Fall of the City" in the spring of "37 by Archibald MacLeish—one of America"s outstanding poets—a man who was so impressed by the medium of radio that he submitted to Irving Reis and the Columbia Workshop a first play for radio.
And who directed that? Irving Reis with all of the director staff of Columbia Broadcasting System assisting him. Earle McGill, Brewster Morgan, myself, Bill Spier all assisting.
Orson Welles as narrator, Burgess Meredith as chief orator.
That was the time."
Robson died at his home in Alexandria, Virginia, from complications of Alzheimer"s disease.