Tom Ricketts

{{Short description|English-American actor and director (1853–1939)}} {{other people|Thomas Ricketts}} {{Use British English|date=August 2014}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2014}} {{Infobox person | name = Tom Ricketts | image = Thomas-Ricketts-1914.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Ricketts in 1914 | birth_name = Thomas B. Ricketts | birth_date = {{Birth date|1853|01|15|df=y}} | birth_place = Greenwich, London, England | death_date = {{Death date and age|1939|01|19|1853|01|15|df=y}} | death_place = Hollywood, California, U.S. | resting_place = Hollywood Forever Cemetery | occupation = {{hlist|Actor|Director}} | years_active = 1882–1939 | spouse = Josephine Ditt | awards = }}

'''Thomas B. Ricketts''' (15 January 1853 – 19 January 1939) was an English-born American stage and film actor and director who was a pioneer in the film industry. He portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in the first American film adaptation of ''A Christmas Carol'' (1908), and directed one of the first motion pictures ever made in Hollywood. After directing scores of silent films, including the first film to be released by Universal Pictures, Ricketts became a prominent character actor.

==Biography== Thomas B. Ricketts<ref name="1920 Federal Census">Ancestry.com. ''1920 United States Federal Census'' [database online]. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2010. Retrieved 2016-02-06.</ref> was born in Greenwich, London 15 January 1853,<ref name="Ellenberger"/> the son of Rosa (née Penniall) and Robert Ricketts. His father was a painter and when Thomas was 17 years old he emigrated to the United States, and initially worked as a painter himself. However he soon moved into acting in the theatre and directed plays on Broadway for Charles Frohman.<ref name="UP Obit"/> He was a stage manager for the Shubert family, sang baritone with the Carleton Opera Company, and starred in his own play, ''Henri Duvar''.<ref name="Thomas"/>

In 1906, after he had been with the Shuberts for four years, Ricketts was persuaded by a friend to join Essanay Studios in Chicago.<ref name="NYT Obit"/><ref name="UP Obit">{{cite news |last=United Press |author-link=United Press International |date=January 20, 1939 |title=Prominent Actor, Tom Ricketts, Dies, Age 86 |newspaper=The Bakersfield Californian }}</ref> He played Scrooge in ''A Christmas Carol'' (1908), the first American film adaption of the Dickens classic,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Michael Glover |last2=Selzer |first2=Adam |date=2015 |title=Flickering Empire: How Chicago Invented the U.S. Film Industry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UHCrBQAAQBAJ&q=A+Christmas+Carol+1908&pg=PA3 |location=New York |publisher=Columbia University Press |page=90 |isbn=9780786407385}}</ref> then starred in ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' (1909). When Ricketts said he had toured with a comedy he had written, ''A Cure for Gout'', the company asked him to make a 600-foot film of it—the length limit for a comedy at that time.<ref name="NYT Obit"/>

Ricketts became a director, taking over comedies and melodramas from Broncho Billy Anderson, who in turn took over Westerns. Ethel Clayton, Jack Conway, J. Warren Kerrigan and Bryant Washburn were among Ricketts's discoveries—along with Josephine Ditt, "the best-dressed woman on the screen", to whom Ricketts was married.<ref name="NYT Obit"/> Chief dramatic and general producer for two years at Essanay,<ref name="At Liberty">{{cite magazine |date=December 3, 1910 |title=Thomas Ricketts (advertisement) |url=https://archive.org/stream/moviwor07chal#page/1322/mode/1up |magazine=The Moving Picture World |page=1322 |access-date=2016-02-08 }}</ref> he helped organize the American Film Manufacturing Company in 1910. He made six films for the Flying "A"<ref name="NYT Obit"/> before withdrawing and seeking another opportunity.<ref name="At Liberty"/> {{multiple image  | align = right | direction = vertical | width = 300  | image1 =Nestor Films, group shot (00013619).jpg | alt1 = | caption1 =  | image2 =Nestor Films group shot (00013616).jpg | alt2 = | caption2 =Ricketts (front row, right) in group photograph of the Nestor Motion Picture Company, 1911 }} In 1911 Ricketts moved to California, together with Canadian film pioneer Al Christie, with thoughts of creating a new film company. "We arrived in Los Angeles with no idea of where to establish our studio," Ricketts remembered. "A real estate man who happened to overhear our discussion of a studio site suggested Hollywood. The next day we found our way out to Sunset and Gower, to a defunct roadhouse. The owner, a woman, wanted $60 a month rent for the entire block. We thought it was too much, but we signed a lease."<ref name="NYT Obit"/> The Nestor Film Company opened its studio October 27, 1911.<ref name="Los Angeles Times 1940">"Bronze Memorial Will Mark First Hollywood Studio Site." ''Los Angeles Times''. September 25, 1940.</ref>

Ricketts directed one of the first Hollywood-made motion pictures, ''The Best Man Wins'' (1911), photographed by Charles Rosher.{{efn|''The Best Man Wins'' is a romantic comedy filmed in October and released December 25, 1911, promoted as a Christmas release. It is sometimes called the first Hollywood film. Also laying claim to that distinction is ''The Law of the Range'', a Western directed by Nestor's Milton H. Fahrney that was released December 13, 1911.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=December 30, 1911 |title=Independent Release Dates |url=https://archive.org/stream/moviwor10chal#page/n1111/mode/1up |magazine=The Moving Picture World |page=1104 |access-date=2016-02-07 }}</ref>}}<ref name="Thomas">{{cite news |last=Thomas |first=Dan (Newspaper Enterprise Association) |date=November 7, 1935 |title=Pioneer Film Director Now Just an Extra |newspaper=The Burlington Daily Times-News |location=Burlington, North Carolina}}</ref><ref name="BFI Best Man"/><ref name="Slide">{{cite book |last=Slide |first=Anthony |author-link=Anthony Slide |date=2015 |title=Britain Comes to Hollywood and Hollywood Comes to Britain |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6tRTCgAAQBAJ&q=Charles+Gorman+Centaur+Film+Company&pg=PT40 |location=Jackson, Mississippi |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=9781628460872 }}</ref> Its stars were juvenile leading man Harold Lockwood, ingenue Dorothy Davenport, vamp Josephine Ditt, juvenile ingenue Victoria Forde, male heavy Gordon Sackville, and character actresses Eugenie Forde and Alice Davenport. Allan Dwan was Ricketts's assistant.<ref name="NYT Obit"/>

Nestor made between 50 and 60 films—half of them directed by Ricketts—over the next 18 months.<ref name="NYT Obit"/> On May 20, 1912, the company merged with the Universal Film Manufacturing Company,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Harleman |first=G. P. von |date=March 10, 1917 |title=Motion Picture Studios of California |url=https://archive.org/stream/movpict31chal#page/n370/mode/1up |magazine=The Moving Picture World |page=1601 |access-date=2016-02-12 }}</ref> Nestor's distributor beginning with ''The Dawn of Netta'' (1912), directed by Ricketts.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=June 22, 1912 |title=Advertisement |url=https://archive.org/stream/movingpicturewor12newy#page/1142/mode/1up/ |magazine=The Moving Picture World |access-date=2016-02-07 }}</ref><ref name="Universal Story">{{cite book |last=Hirschhorn |first=Clive |author-link=Clive Hirschhorn |date=1985 |orig-year=1983 |title=The Universal Story |location=New York |publisher=Crown Publishers |isbn=0-7064-1873-5}}</ref>{{Rp|11}}

In 1914, on an independent contract, Ricketts directed Richard Bennett in ''Damaged Goods'' back at American. When flower girls were needed for a wedding scene, Bennett's three daughters—Joan Bennett, Constance Bennett and Barbara Bennett—began their film careers.<ref name="Thomas"/> "Its success made me a little egotistical," Ricketts recalled. "It cost about $25,000 to make and brought in a million and a half on its first run. I naturally thought it would put me in great demand as a director. But it didn't. I had to start all over again, this time going back to my old trade as an actor."{{efn|As part of its obituary, ''The New York Times'' reprinted a North American Newspaper Alliance interview with Thomas Ricketts conducted not long before his death.}}<ref name="NYT Obit">{{cite news |date=January 21, 1939|title=Thomas Ricketts, Pioneer of Movies |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E03E2D9123CE73ABC4951DFB7668382629EDE |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2016-02-06 }}</ref> However, Ricketts did direct several more feature films for American through 1916, including some with their major romantic team of May Allison and Harold Lockwood such as ''The Lure of the Mask'' (1915)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/16539-THE-LUREOFTHEMASK?sid=f9849e2d-b397-4474-8dcd-d00dc64bdb7f&sr=9.7681675&cp=1&pos=0|title=AFI|Catalog}}</ref> and ''The Other Side of the Door'' (1916).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/16787-THE-OTHERSIDEOFTHEDOOR?sid=9ee157c1-4a37-41ce-ae0c-7a946a958687&sr=11.550163&cp=1&pos=0|title = AFI|Catalog}}</ref>

[[File:Tom-Ricketts-1936.jpg|thumb|left|160px|Ricketts in ''After the Thin Man'' (1936)]] Returning to acting in 1919, in his mid-60s, Ricketts was almost always in demand for character parts.<ref name="UP Obit"/> By 1935 he was described as "white-haired and bent with age … content with an occasional film role".<ref name="Thomas"/> His later films included ''Top Hat'' (1935), ''After the Thin Man'' (1936), ''Pennies from Heaven'' (1936), ''The Young in Heart'' (1938) and ''Son of Frankenstein'' (1939). He was regarded as the oldest working actor in Hollywood.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fidler |first=Jimmie |author-link=Jimmie Fidler |date=January 3, 1939 |title=Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood |newspaper=Elyria Chronicle Telegram |location=Elyria, Ohio}}</ref>

Ricketts died at Hollywood Hospital 19 January 1939, aged 86,<ref name="UP Obit"/><ref name="Death Index">Ancestry.com. ''California, Death Index, 1905–1939'' [database online]. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2013. Retrieved 2016-02-06.</ref> of pneumonia, contracted the previous week when he went to work at Universal Studios despite a cold. "Mr. Ricketts left no funds," reported ''The New York Times'', "and expenses of his funeral will be paid by the Motion Picture Relief Society."<ref name="NYT Obit"/> Josephine Ricketts, hospitalized in Santa Monica<ref name="UP Obit"/> since suffering a stroke at Christmas, was not informed of her husband's death;<ref name="NYT Obit"/> it was reported that she would be told sometime before his funeral.<ref>{{cite news |last=United Press |date=January 21, 1939 |title=Raft is Released After Refusal on Gigolo Role |newspaper=Galveston Tribune |location=Galveston, Texas}}</ref> Ricketts was buried in an unmarked grave at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.<ref name="Ellenberger">{{cite book |last=Ellenberger |first=Allan R. |date=2001 |title=Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8bOJCgAAQBAJ&q=waiter+at+the+Thackeray+Club%2C+Top+Hat&pg=PA147 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland |page=146 |isbn=9780786409839}}</ref>

==Select filmography== ===Director=== {{multiple image  | align = right | direction = vertical | width = 260  | image1 =The-Best-Man-Wins-1911.jpg | alt1 = | caption1 =Still from ''The Best Man Wins'' (1911)  | image2 =Damaged-Goods-1914-Herald-A.jpg | alt2 = | caption2 = Herald for ''Damaged Goods'' (1914)  | image3 =The-House-of-a-Thousand-Scandals-Ad.jpg | alt3 = | caption3 = Promotion for ''The House of a Thousand Scandals'' in ''Reel Life'', 1915 }} {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1909 | ''{{sortname|A|Cure for Gout|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="NYT Obit"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=35719 |title=A Cure for Gout |website=AFI Catalog of Feature Films |publisher=American Film Institute |access-date=2016-02-06 }}</ref> |- | 1909 | ''{{sortname|The|Game|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1909 | ''Gratitude'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1909 | ''Justified'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1909 | ''Maud Muller'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1909 | ''{{sortname|A|Woman's Wit|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1910 | ''{{sortname|The|Adventuress|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1910 | ''{{sortname|An|Advertisement Answered|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1910 | ''{{sortname|A|Fair Exchange|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1910 | ''{{sortname|The|Hand of Uncle Sam|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1910 | ''His Only Child'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1910 | ''{{sortname|The|Lure of the City|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1910 | ''{{sortname|The|Stolen Fortune|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1910 | ''{{sortname|The|Thief|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1910 | ''Vera, the Gypsy Girl'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1911 | ''{{sortname|The|Best Man Wins|nolink=1}}'' | First motion picture made in Hollywood<ref name="NYT Obit"/><ref name="Slide"/><ref name="BFI Best Man">{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b69ab5133 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310035000/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b69ab5133 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 10, 2016 |title=The Best Man Wins |website=BFI Film & TV Database |publisher=British Film Institute |access-date=2016-02-06}}</ref> |- | 1912 | ''{{sortname|The|Dawn of Netta}}'' | First film distributed by Universal Pictures<ref name="Universal Story"/>{{Rp|11}} |- | 1914 | ''Damaged Goods'' | <ref name="AFI">{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/SearchResult.aspx?s=&TBL=PN&Type=CA&ID=147873 |title=Tom Ricketts |website=AFI Catalog of Feature Films |publisher=American Film Institute |access-date=2016-02-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.1756/default.html |title=Damaged Goods |website=American Silent Feature Film Survival Database |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref> |- | 1915 | ''{{sortname|The|Buzzard's Shadow}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.4097/default.html |title=The Buzzard's Shadow |website=American Silent Feature Film Survival Database |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref> |- | 1915 | ''{{sortname|The|House of a Thousand Scandals|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.6295/default.html |title=The House of a Thousand Scandals |website=American Silent Feature Film Survival Database |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref> |- | 1915 | ''{{sortname|The|End of the Road|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.4989/default.html |title=The End of the Road |website=American Silent Feature Film Survival Database |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref> |- | 1915 | ''{{sortname|The|Lure of the Mask|The Lure of the Mask#Adaptations}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.7178/default.html |title=The Lure of the Mask |website=American Silent Feature Film Survival Database |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref> |- | 1915 | ''Secretary of Frivolous Affairs'' | <ref name="AFI"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.9008/default.html |title=Secretary of Frivolous Affairs |website=American Silent Feature Film Survival Database |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref> |- | 1915 | ''{{sortname|The|Wily Chaperon}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1916 | ''{{sortname|The|Other Side of the Door|The Other Side of the Door (1916 film)}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.2088/default.html |title=The Other Side of the Door |website=American Silent Feature Film Survival Database |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref> |- | 1916 | ''{{sortname|The|Single Code|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="AFI"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.9218/default.html |title=The Single Code |website=American Silent Feature Film Survival Database |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref> |- | 1916 | ''Secret Marriage'' | <ref name="AFI"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.8995/default.html |title=Secret Marriage |website=American Silent Feature Film Survival Database |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref> |- | 1918 | ''{{sortname|The|Crime of the Hour|nolink=1}}'' | <ref>{{cite web |url=http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.4488/default.html |title=The Crime of the Hour |website=American Silent Feature Film Survival Database |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref> |}

===Actor=== {{multiple image  | align = right | direction = vertical | width = 260  | image1 =His Official Fiancée (1919) - 1.jpg | alt1 = | caption1 =Forrest Stanley, Vivian Martin and Ricketts in ''His Official Fiancée'' (1919)  | image2 =XBlackOxen.jpg | alt2 = | caption2 =Clara Bow, Kate Lester and Ricketts in ''Black Oxen'' (1923) }} {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1908 | ''{{sortname|A|Christmas Carol|A Christmas Carol (1908 film)}}'' | Ebenezer Scrooge | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1909 | ''{{sortname|The|Old Curiosity Shop|nolink=1}}'' | | <ref name="NYT Obit"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=37024 |title=The Old Curiosity Shop |website=AFI Catalog of Feature Films |publisher=American Film Institute |access-date=2016-02-06 }}</ref> |- | 1919 | ''Girls'' | Mr. Dennett | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1919 | ''His Official Fiancée'' | Major Montressor | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1919 | ''Please Get Married'' | Dr. Jenkins | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1920 | ''All of a Sudden Peggy'' | Major Archie Phipps | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1920 | ''The Desperate Hero'' | Butler | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1920 | ''{{sortname|The|Great Lover|nolink=1}}'' | Potter | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1920 | ''{{sortname|The|Paliser Case}}'' | Major Archie Phipps | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1920 | ''{{sortname|The|Parish Priest|nolink=1}}'' | Dr. Thomas Cassidy | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1920 | ''The Spenders'' | Mr. Milbrey | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1920 | ''{{sortname|The|Willow Tree|The Willow Tree (1920 film)}}'' | The Priest | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1921 | ''Beating the Game'' | Jules Fanchette | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1922 | ''The Killer'' | Tim Westmore | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1921 | ''Sham'' | Uncle James | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1922 | ''{{sortname|The|Eternal Flame|The Eternal Flame (1922 film)}}'' | Vidame de Pameir | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1922 | ''Fools of Fortune'' | Milton DePuyster | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1922 | ''The Lavender Bath Lady'' | Simon Gregory | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1922 | ''Putting It Over'' | Arnold Norton | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1922 | ''Shattered Idols'' | The Reverend Doctor Romney | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1922 | ''{{sortname|A|Tailor-Made Man|A Tailor-Made Man (1922 film)}}'' | Anton Huber | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1923 | ''Alice Adams'' | J. A. Lamb | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1923 | ''Black Oxen'' | Charles Dinwiddie | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1923 | ''{{sortname|The|Dangerous Maid}}'' | John Standish Lane | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1923 | ''Strangers of the Night'' | Lush | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1923 | ''Within the Law'' | General Hastings | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1924 | ''Cheap Kisses'' | The Old Man | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1924 | ''Circe the Enchantress'' | Archibald Crumm | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1924 | ''{{sortname|The|Gaiety Girl|The Gaiety Girl (film)}}'' | His Grace, the Duke | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1925 | ''Bobbed Hair'' | Mr. Brewster | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1925 | ''The Business of Love'' | Noah Burgess | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1925 | ''{{sortname|The|Fate of a Flirt}}'' | Uncle John Burgess | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1925 | ''{{sortname|A|Fight to the Finish|A Fight to the Finish (1925 film)}}'' | Cyrus J. Davis | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1925 | ''{{sortname|The|Girl Who Wouldn't Work}}'' | The Rounder | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1925 | ''My Wife and I'' | Valet | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1925 | ''Never the Twain Shall Meet'' | Andrew J. Casson | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1925 | ''Oh Doctor!'' | Mr. Peck | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1925 |''The Price of Success'' |Peter Van Teyne | |- | 1925 | ''Sealed Lips'' | Joseph Howard | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1925 | ''Secrets of the Night'' | Jerry Hammond | <ref name="AFI"/><ref name="Universal Story"/>{{Rp|50}} |- | 1925 | ''Steppin' Out'' | Henry Brodman | <ref name="AFI"/><ref name="Universal Story"/>{{Rp|50}} |- | 1925 | ''Wages for Wives'' | Judge McLean | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1925 | ''Was It Bigamy?'' | Judge Gaynor | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1925 | ''When Husbands Flirt'' | Wilbur Belcher | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1926 | ''{{sortname|The|Belle of Broadway}}'' | | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1926 | ''{{sortname|The|Cat's Pajamas}}'' | Mr. Briggs | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1926 | ''Dancing Days'' | Stubbins | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1926 | ''Going the Limit'' | Mortimer Harden | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1926 | ''Ladies at Play'' | Deacon Ezra Boody | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1926 | ''Ladies of Leisure'' | Wadleigh | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1926 | ''The Lily'' | Jean | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1926 | ''Love's Blindness'' | Marquis of Hurlshire | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1926 | ''The Nutcracker'' | Isaac Totten | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1926 | ''{{sortname|The|Old Soak}}'' | Roué | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1926 | ''Poker Faces'' | Henry Curlew | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1926 | ''Stranded in Paris'' | Herr Rederson | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1926 | ''When the Wife's Away'' | | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1927 | ''Broadway Madness'' | Lawrence Compton | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1927 | ''Children of Divorce'' | Secretary | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1927 | ''In a Moment of Temptation'' | Timothy Gage | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1927 | ''My Friend from India'' | Judge Belmore | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1927 | ''{{sortname|A|Sailor's Sweetheart}}'' | Professor Meekham | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1927 | ''Too Many Crooks'' | Butler | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1927 | ''Venus of Venice'' | Bride's father | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1928 | ''Dry Martini'' | Joseph | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1928 | ''Five and Ten Cent Annie'' | Adam Peck | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1928 | ''Freedom of the Press'' | Wicks | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1928 | ''Interference'' | Charles Smith | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1928 | ''Just Married'' | Makepeace Witter | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1928 | ''The Law and the Man'' | Quintus Newton | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1929 | ''{{sortname|The|Glad Rag Doll|Glad Rag Doll (film)}}'' | Admiral | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1929 | ''Light Fingers'' | Edward Madison | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1929 | ''Red Hot Speed'' | | <ref name="AFI"/><ref name="Universal Story"/>{{Rp|64}} |- | 1930 | ''Prince of Diamonds'' | Williams | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1930 | ''Sea Legs'' | Commander | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1930 | ''{{sortname|The|Vagabond King|The Vagabond King (1930 film)}}'' | Astrologer | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1931 | ''Ambassador Bill'' | Littleton | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1931 | ''Man of the World'' | Mr. Bradkin | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1931 | ''Side Show'' | Tom Allison | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1931 | ''Surrender'' | Gottlieb | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1932 | ''{{sortname|A|Farewell to Arms|A Farewell to Arms (1932 film)}}'' | Count Greffi | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1932 | ''He Learned About Women'' | | <ref name="AFI"/><ref>{{cite news |date=October 16, 1932 |title=Flashes from the Cinema Studios |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D0CE5D61631E633A25755C1A9669D946394D6CF |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2016-02-08 }}</ref> |- | 1932 | ''Love Bound'' |The Baron | |- | 1932 | ''If I Had a Million'' | Guest at Mrs. Walker's dance | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1932 | ''Stepping Sisters'' | "Stock Market" | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1932 | ''Thrill of Youth'' | Grandpa Thayer | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1933 | ''{{sortname|The|Eleventh Commandment|nolink=1}}'' | Henry | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1933 | ''Forgotten'' | Old crony | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1933 | ''Good-bye Love'' | Alimony jail inmate | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1933 | ''Mama Loves Papa'' | Mr. Pierrepont | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1933 | ''{{sortname|The|Power and the Glory|The Power and the Glory (1933 film)}}'' | | <ref name="AFI"/> |- |1933 |''Secret Sinners'' | Pop, the stage doorman | |- | 1933 | ''Women Won't Tell'' | | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''Broadway Bill'' | Johnson | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''{{sortname|The|Count of Monte Cristo|The Count of Monte Cristo (1934 film)}}'' | Cockeye | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''{{sortname|The|Curtain Falls|The Curtain Falls (1934 film)}}'' | Hotel manager | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''In Love with Life'' | Bookstore proprietor | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''Forsaking All Others'' | Wiffens | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''Friends of Mr. Sweeney'' | Old gentleman | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''It Happened One Night'' | Prissy old man | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''{{sortname|The|Man Who Reclaimed His Head}}'' | Curly | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''Manhattan Love Song'' | Rich man | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''No Greater Glory'' | Old janitor | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''One More River'' | Barrister and clerk | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''Pursued'' | Tourist | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''Sons of Steel'' | Williams | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''Springtime for Henry'' | Bookstore clerk | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''Stolen Sweets'' | Stoner | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''Viva Villa!'' | Grandee | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1934 | ''Whom the Gods Destroy'' | Charlie | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1935 | ''Clive of India'' | Old member | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1935 | ''Cardinal Richelieu'' | Agitator | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1935 | ''Escapade'' | Old dandy | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1935 | ''George White's 1935 Scandals'' | Old man | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1935 | ''Goin' to Town'' | Eligible bachelor | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1935 | ''{{sortname|The|Great Impersonation|The Great Impersonation (1935 film)}}'' | Villager | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1935 | ''Hi, Gaucho!'' | Don Salvador | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1935 | ''Let's Live Tonight'' | Millionaire | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1935 | ''Music Is Magic'' | Dancer, elderly man | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1935 | ''Now or Never'' | | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1935 | ''{{sortname|The|Public Menace}}'' | Old man | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1935 | ''{{sortname|A|Tale of Two Cities|A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)}}'' | Tellson, Jr. | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1935 | ''Top Hat'' | Thackeray Club waiter | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1935 | ''Vagabond Lady'' | Department head | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1936 | ''{{sortname|The|Case Against Mrs. Ames}}'' | Juryman | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1936 | ''{{sortname|The|Crime of Dr. Forbes}}'' | Faculty doctor | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1936 | ''Daniel Boone'' | Attorney General's associate | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1936 | ''Show Boat'' | Minister | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1936 | ''Gold Diggers of 1937'' | Reginald | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1936 | ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' | Partygoer | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1936 | ''Gentle Julia'' | Old man at dance | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1936 | ''Human Cargo'' | Reporter | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1936 | ''After the Thin Man'' | Henry, the butler | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1936 | ''To Mary - with Love'' | Waiter | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1936 | ''More Than a Secretary'' | Henry | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1936 | ''Pennies from Heaven'' | Mr. Briggs | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1936 | ''Song and Dance Man'' | Old theatrical couple | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1936 | ''We Went to College'' | Pop | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1937 | ''Born Reckless'' | Patient | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1937 | ''Maid of Salem'' | Giles Cory | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1937 | ''{{sortname|A|Star Is Born|A Star Is Born (1937 film)}}'' | Servant | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1937 | ''{{sortname|The|Lady Escapes}}'' | Uncle George | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1937 | ''{{sortname|The|Prince and the Pauper|The Prince and the Pauper (1937 film)}}'' | Sexton | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1937 | ''{{sortname|The|Toast of New York}}'' | Member of the board of directors | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1937 | ''Personal Property'' | Elderly man | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1937 | ''Parnell'' | Elderly man | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1937 | ''Rhythm in the Clouds'' | Winter | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1938 | ''{{sortname|The|Young in Heart}}'' | Andrew | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1938 | ''Bluebeard's Eighth Wife'' | Uncle Andre | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1938 | ''{{sortname|The|Baroness and the Butler}}'' | Old man | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1938 | ''Young Fugitives'' | Tom Riggins | <ref name="AFI"/><ref name="Universal Story"/>{{Rp|107}} |- | 1938 | ''Gateway'' | Old man | <ref name="AFI"/><ref name="Universal Story"/>{{Rp|107}} |- | 1938 | ''Four Men and a Prayer'' | Station master | <ref name="AFI"/> |- | 1939 | ''Son of Frankenstein'' | Burgher | <ref name="AFI"/> |}

==Notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} {{commons category|Tom Ricketts (actor)}} * {{IMDb name|id=0725529}} * {{IBDB name}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricketts, Tom}} Category:Film directors from Los Angeles Category:Male actors from London Category:American male silent film actors Category:British silent film directors Category:1853 births Category:1939 deaths Category:20th-century American male actors Category:Deaths from pneumonia in California Category:English emigrants to the United States Category:People from Greenwich Category:Actors from the Royal Borough of Greenwich