Richard Dix was a prolific actor during the 1920’s, 30’s, and 40’s. Among his 101 motion picture appearances — which straddled the silent and sound eras of film — were both Twelve Crowded Hours (1939) and The Lost Squadron (1932).

Dix’s first ‘talkie’ was in 1929 (Seven Keys to Baldpate). Prior to that he had appeared in 45 silent films. The Sound era began in 1926-27. The first  full length motion picture with synchronized sound and music was The Jazz Singer, released in 1927 by Warner Brothers Pictures.

Dix, who was born in 1893, was there at the beginning. He died in 1949 of a heart attack, a medical emergency apparently enhanced by chronic alcoholism, according to multiple sources. He appeared, on average, in two movies per year from 1917 until 1949.

Released on March 3, 1939, Twelve Crowded Hours is one night in the life of a newspaper investigative reporter, portrayed by Dix. His girlfriend is 28-year-old Lucille Desiree Ball, who will team with her husband Desi Arnaz for the popular ‘I Love Lucy’ TV series in the 1950’s.

The Lost Squadron is an earlier film by Dix, released in 1932. It has a World War I theme, portraying the “out of work” status of former flying aces. Dix portrays “Gibby” Gibson, who travels to Hollywood after the war with his two buddies, Woody (Robert Armstrong) and Red (Joel McCrea) to become stunt pilots for the movies.  Romance is part of the plot as Dix tries to win his girlfriend (Mary Astor) back from a film director, played by Erich von Stroheim, who would later play the companion/butler/former director for Marlene Detrich in Sunset Boulevard.