William Witney | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Nuelsen Witney (1915-05-15)May 15, 1915 Lawton, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | March 17, 2002(2002-03-17) (aged 86) Jackson, California, U.S. |
| Other names | William Whitney |
| Years active | 1939–1982 |
| Spouse(s) | Maxine Doyle(m. 1938–1973; her death) Beverly(m. 1977–2002; his death) |
| Website | www.williamwitney.com |
William Nuelsen Witney (May 15, 1915 – March 17, 2002) was an Americanfilm andtelevision director. He is best remembered for the action films he made forRepublic Pictures, particularlyserials:Dick Tracy Returns,G-Men vs. the Black Dragon,Daredevils of the Red Circle,Zorro's Fighting Legion, andDrums of Fu Manchu.[1] Prolific and pugnacious, Witney began directing while still in his 20s, and continued working until 1982.
Witney was born inLawton, Oklahoma. He was four years old when his father died, and he lived with his uncle, who was an Army captain atFort Sam Houston.Colbert Clark, Witney's brother-in-law, introduced him to films by letting him ride in some chase scenes for the serialFighting with Kit Carson (1933). Witney stayed around theMascot Pictures headquarters while preparing for the entrance exam to the U.S. Naval Academy. After he failed that exam, he continued at the studio.
In 1936 Mascot was absorbed by Republic, and Witney was now working for studio presidentHerbert Yates. He was an assistant on the serialThe Painted Stallion when directorRay Taylor's drinking problem had gotten out of hand and Taylor had to leave the location. Witney replaced Taylor, and became a director permanently.[2]
Witney teamed with directorJohn English for several of Republic's most successful and best-remembered serials. Witney is credited with devising the modern system of filming movie fight sequences. Instead of filming a crowd of people wildly throwing punches at each other, as in a barroom brawl, Witney broke the action down into separate, carefully choreographed shots, which he patterned after the dance sequences inFred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musicals.[3]
During World War II he served in the US Marine Corps combat cameraman unit.[4]
Following the war, Witney returned to public directing many ofRoy Rogers' andRex Allen's Westerns. He directed the 2nd unit battle scenes ofThe Last Command (1955) and three juvenile delinquent moviesThe Cool and the Crazy (1958),Juvenile Jungle (1958) andYoung and Wild (1958).
When Republic closed in 1957, he directed films forAmerican International Pictures andAssociated Producers Incorporated.
Witney found freelance work in television. He directed theJim Davissyndicated adventuretelevision series,Rescue 8, which aired from 1958 to 1960 as well as several episodes ofMickey Spillane's Mike Hammer 1958-1960 TV series. He became one of the staff directors of theCBS network seriesThe Wild Wild West. Witney's serial experience was ideal for this series, which ended each quarter-hour with a suspensefulcliffhanger.
He made feature films in the 1960s, such asMaster of the World (1961) starringVincent Price andCharles Bronson, several Westerns forAudie Murphy;Apache Rifles (1964),Arizona Raiders (1965) and40 Guns to Apache Pass (1966) as well asThe Girls on the Beach (1965).
In the 1970s he directedI Escaped from Devil's Island (1973) starringJim Brown andDarktown Strutters a 1975blaxploitation musical comedy.
Witney was married to former actressMaxine Doyle until her death in 1973. In his later years he was a popular speaker at film and nostalgia conventions. He died of astroke in 2002.[5][6]
Quentin Tarantino has called him "one of the greatest action directors in the history of the business."[7] Tarantino considers four films as Witney's best work:The Golden Stallion (1949), aRoy Rogers vehicle,Stranger at My Door (1956),The Bonnie Parker Story (1958), andParatroop Command (1959).[8]
He was also admired byBertrand Tavernier.[9]
