William Witney
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. William Nuelsen Witney (15 May 1915 – 17 March 2002) was an American film and television director. He is best remembered for the movie serials he co-directed with John English for Republic Pictures such as Daredevils of the Red Circle, Zorro's Fighting Legion and Drums of Fu Manchu. He directed many Westerns during his career, and is credited with devising the modern system of filming movie fight sequences in a series of carefully choreographed shots, which he patterned after the musical sequences of American director Busby Berkeley.[1] Prolific and pugnacious, Witney began directing while still in his 20s, and continued until 1982. Quentin Tarantino singles out Witney as one of his favorite directors, particularly for The Golden Stallion (1949), a Roy Rogers vehicle.[2] Witney also directed Master of the World (1961) starring Vincent Price and Charles Bronson. Description above from the Wikipedia article William Witney, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Known For & Full Filmography5 Titles
Movie - 1951, 2h 15m • as Gen. Curtis E. LeMay
Wendell Corey and Forrest Tucker star as a pair of World War II Army Air Corps officers. In between their battles over the affections of a beautiful nurse, Corey and Tucker prepare to fly a bombing mission in the South Pacific. Before boarding their B29 Superfortress, Tucker appears to be chickening out, but he's steadfastly at his cockpit post at takeoff time.
Movie - 1991, 2h 15m • as Self
A history of Republic Pictures studios, featuring hundreds of clips plus on-camera interviews with stars, director, stuntman, etc.
Movie - 1982, 2h 15m • as Sheriff
A malevolent land mogul has threatened an honest group of Texas homesteaders, and when the innocent suffer justice must be served in director William Witney's action-packed, post-Civil War western. In a time when life was cheap and bullets were plentiful, Quell (Madison Mason) was a man to whom justice meant everything. A greedy land mogul whose mistreatment of the poor frontiersmen has raised the ire of Quell and his justice seeking band of followers, Kirk (Skip Homeler) thinks that he can bankroll respect and buy his way into power. That's not the way things work when in old Texas though, and when Kirk faces off against Quell and his crew, bullets are sure to fly.
Movie - 1933, 2h 15m • as Settler / Indian / Trooper
In this Western, comprised of 12 chapters from a serial, Kit leads a group carrying a large gold shipment across the wild West. When the Mystery Riders attack and steal the gold, Kit is the only survivor. He later joins forces with the cavalry to retrieve it.
Movie - 1993, 2h 15m • as Himself
A documentary about the Republic serials of the 1930s, '40s and '50s, hosted by Leonard Maltin, and featuring interview segments with a serial writer, director, actors and actresses.