William Witney

William Nuelsen Witney (May 15, 1915 – March 17, 2002) was an American film and television director. He is best remembered for the action films he made for Republic Pictures, particularly serials: Dick Tracy Returns, G-Men vs. the Black Dragon, Daredevils of the Red Circle, Zorro's Fighting Legion, and Drums of Fu Manchu.[1] Prolific and pugnacious, Witney began directing while still in his 20s, and continued working until 1982.

William Witney
Born
William Nuelsen Witney

(1915-05-15)May 15, 1915
Lawton, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedMarch 17, 2002(2002-03-17) (aged 86)
Jackson, California, U.S.
Other namesWilliam Whitney
Years active1939–1982
Spouse(s)Maxine Doyle (m.1938–1973; her death)
Beverly (m.1977–2002; his death)
Websitewww.williamwitney.com

Biography

Witney was born in Lawton, Oklahoma. He was four years old when his father died, and he lived with his uncle, who was an Army captain at Fort Sam Houston. Colbert Clark, Witney's brother-in-law, introduced him to films by letting him ride in some chase scenes for the serial Fighting with Kit Carson (1933). Witney stayed around the Mascot 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 president Herbert Yates. He was an assistant on the serial The Painted Stallion when director Ray 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 director John 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 in Fred 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 of Roy Rogers' and Rex Allen's Westerns. He directed the 2nd unit battle scenes of The Last Command (1955) and three juvenile delinquent movies The Cool and the Crazy (1958), Juvenile Jungle (1958) and Young and Wild (1958).

When Republic closed in 1957, he directed films for American International Pictures and Associated Producers Incorporated.

Witney found freelance work in television. He directed the Jim Davis syndicated adventure television series, Rescue 8, which aired from 1958 to 1960 as well as several episodes of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer 1958-1960 TV series. He became one of the staff directors of the CBS network series The Wild Wild West. Witney's serial experience was ideal for this series, which ended each quarter-hour with a suspenseful cliffhanger.

He made feature films in the 1960s, such as Master of the World (1961) starring Vincent Price and Charles Bronson, several Westerns for Audie Murphy; Apache Rifles (1964), Arizona Raiders (1965) and 40 Guns to Apache Pass (1966) as well as The Girls on the Beach (1965).

In the 1970s he directed I Escaped from Devil's Island (1973) starring Jim Brown and Darktown Strutters a 1975 blaxploitation musical comedy.

Personal life

Witney was married to former actress Maxine Doyle until her death in 1973. In his later years he was a popular speaker at film and nostalgia conventions. He died of a stroke in 2002.[5][6]

Appraisal

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), a Roy Rogers vehicle, Stranger at My Door (1956), The Bonnie Parker Story (1958), and Paratroop Command (1959).[8]

He was also admired by Bertrand Tavernier.[9]

Selected filmography

References
  1. "William Witney, 86, Director of Westerns". The New York Times. March 30, 2002.
  2. William Witney, In a Door, Into a Fight, Out a Door, Into a Chase: Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door, McFarland, 1996.
  3. William Witney, ibid.
  4. "Obituary: William Witney". 21 March 2002.
  5. Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2002: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. 2003-04-09. ISBN 9780786414642.
  6. Los Angeles Times
  7. Tarantino, Quentin (6 April 2020). "I Escaped from Devil's Island". The New Beverly Cinema. Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  8. Lyman, Rick (September 15, 2000). "Whoa, Trigger! Auteur Alert!". The New York Times. Interview with Quentin Tarantino; Lyman and Tarantino watched The Golden Stallion together.
  9. https://cpanel.filmtrap.com/my-masters-i-discovered-them-myself-bertrand-tavernier-in-conversation-with-quentin-tarantino/

Further reading
  • Witney, William (2005-03-24). In a Door, into a Fight, Out a Door, into a Chase: Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door. McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-7864-2258-0.
  • Witney, William. Trigger Remembered. Earl Blair Enterprises. ASIN B0006EYMSG.
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