Skip to content
MovieCove
Robert Riskin

Robert Riskin

Writer and producer, also director · Died September 20, 1955, aged 58 · New York City, New York, USA

From Wikipedia Robert Riskin (March 30, 1897–September 20, 1955) was an American screenwriter and playwright, best known for his collaborations with director-producer Frank Capra.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 30, 1897
Died
September 20, 1955 (aged 58)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Writer and producer, also director
Titles
25 on MovieCove · 40 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Down 43% in 30 days

What are Robert Riskin's films like?

Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy16 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
27%
Self
22%
Morality
18%
Society
16%
Power
16%
Ideas
1%
Romantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity9 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass7 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 23 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 18 · Serious 4 · Dark 1

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 15 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 10 · Charged 11 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 14 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 8

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 3

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 17 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 20 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
14
Joyful
9
Tense
8
Romantic
8
Hopeful
6
Other
17

How their films linger

Feel-good17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy17
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Robert Riskin's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 25 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Robert Riskin's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

40 credits, 25 with a MovieCove page.

  • Mr. Deeds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Original Film Writer

  • Pocketful of Miracles(1961)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • You Can't Run Away from It(1956)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Here Comes the Groom(1951)

    Story · treatment

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Half Angel(1951)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Mister 880(1950)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Riding High (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Screenplay

  • Magic Town(1947)

    Producer · Story · Writer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Strange Love of Martha Ivers(1946)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Cummington Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Producer

  • Library of Congress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Producer

  • The Thin Man Goes Home(1944)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Meet John Doe(1941)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Real Glory(1939)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • They Shall Have Music(1939)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Cowboy and the Lady(1938)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • You Can't Take It with You(1938)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Lost Horizon(1937)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • When You're in Love(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Deeds Goes to Town(1936)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Whole Town's Talking(1935)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Carnival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Writer

  • Broadway Bill(1934)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • It Happened One Night(1934)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Lady for a Day(1933)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Ann Carver's Profession (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Original Story · Screenplay

  • Ex-Lady(1933)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Virtue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Screenplay

  • The Night Club Lady(1932)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • American Madness(1932)

    Dialogue · Story

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Shopworn(1932)

    Dialogue

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Big Timer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Dialogue · Story

  • Three Wise Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Writer

  • Men in Her Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Writer

  • Platinum Blonde(1931)

    Dialogue

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Miracle Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Screenplay · Theatre Play

  • Arizona (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Adaptation · Dialogue

  • Many a Slip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Writer

  • Illicit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Theatre Play

  • Rough and Ready Reggie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Writer · as Boxing Extra

Career shape

A full career of 39 titles from 1917 to 2002.

Biggest box office

It Happened One Night (1934)

$19K worldwide

Highest rated

It Happened One Night (1934)

Midcredits 98th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 39: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting1 of 39: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleWriting33 of 39: 29 only writing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score85thProducing6 of 39: 4 only producing, 2 with another roleOther crew2 of 39: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

39 titles, 4 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1910s1 · 1 acting · 1 crew1930s26 · crew1940s5 · crew1950s5 · crew1960s1 · crew2000s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Robert Riskin's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 79th percentile, the median of all 25; across their 23 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 78th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Approval · how many liked their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Reach · how many have seen their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Midcredits score across 25 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up13
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th4

Shape of the crowd

None of their 25 titles divides audiences: 16 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser16
  • Mixed4

Most loved · writer

It Happened One Night (1934)

Midcredits 98th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 65/100 and the plot and story 52/100 in their films, across 23 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Robert Riskin's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 27 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 14 · minimalMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 1 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 30 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 11 · minimalMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Robert Riskin work with?

People who share at least 2 of Robert Riskin's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Frank Capra shares the most, 9.

Directors

  • Frank Capra9 titles    See all 9 shared titles with Frank Capra

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers