William Keighley
Encyclopedia
William Jackson Keighley (August 4, 1889, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- June 24, 1984, New York, New York) was an American stage actor and Hollywood film director.
After graduating from the Ludlum School of Dramatic Art, Keighley began acting at the age of 23. By the 1910s and 1920s, he was acting and directing on Broadway
. With the advent of talking pictures, he relocated to Hollywood. He eventually signed with Warner Bros.
, where he proved adept at directing in a wide variety of genres. He was the initial director of The Adventures of Robin Hood
, starring Errol Flynn
, but was replaced by Michael Curtiz
. During World War II
, he supervised the U.S. Army Signal Corp's motion picture unit. He retired in 1953 and moved to Paris
with his actress wife Genevieve Tobin
.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
- June 24, 1984, New York, New York) was an American stage actor and Hollywood film director.
After graduating from the Ludlum School of Dramatic Art, Keighley began acting at the age of 23. By the 1910s and 1920s, he was acting and directing on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. With the advent of talking pictures, he relocated to Hollywood. He eventually signed with Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, where he proved adept at directing in a wide variety of genres. He was the initial director of The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Adventures of Robin Hood (film)
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1938 American swashbuckler film directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley. Filmed in Technicolor, the picture stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, and Claude Rains.-Plot:...
, starring Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
, but was replaced by Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz was an Academy award winning Hungarian-American film director. He had early creditsas Mihály Kertész and Michael Kertész...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he supervised the U.S. Army Signal Corp's motion picture unit. He retired in 1953 and moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with his actress wife Genevieve Tobin
Genevieve Tobin
Genevieve Tobin was an American actress.The daughter of a vaudeville performer, Tobin made her film debut in 1910 in Uncle Tom's Cabin as Eva. She appeared in a few films as child, and formed a double act with her sister Vivian. Their brother, George, also had a brief acting career...
.
Selected directorial filmography
- The Match KingThe Match KingThe Match King is a 1932 film made by First National Pictures, directed by William Keighley and Howard Bretherton, and starring Warren William and Lili Damita. The film closely follows the rise and fall of Swedish safety match tycoon Ivar Kreuger.-Plot:...
(1932) (directorial debut, co-director) - Ladies They Talk AboutLadies They Talk AboutLadies They Talk About is a 1933 Pre-Code women in prison film about a woman sent to San Quentin. Based on the play Women in Prison by Dorothy Mackaye and Carlton Miles, the film stars Barbara Stanwyck, Preston Foster, and Lillian Roth.-Plot:...
(1933) (co-director) - G MenG MenG Men is a 1935 Warner Bros. crime film starring James Cagney and Ann Dvorak. It also marked Lloyd Nolan's film debut. According to Variety Magazine, it was one of the top-grossing films of 1935....
(1935) - Special Agent (1935)
- Bullets or BallotsBullets or BallotsBullets or Ballots is a 1936 gangster film starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Blondell, Barton MacLane and Humphrey Bogart. Robinson plays a police detective who infiltrates a crime gang.-Cast:*Edward G...
(1936) - The Green PasturesThe Green Pastures (film)The Green Pastures is a 1936 film depicting stories from the Bible as visualized by African American characters. It starred Rex Ingram , Oscar Polk, and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson...
(1936) - The Prince and the PauperThe Prince and the Pauper (1937 film)The Prince and the Pauper is a 1937 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Mark Twain. It starred Errol Flynn, twins Billy and Bobby Mauch in the title roles, and Claude Rains....
(1937) - Varsity ShowVarsity Show (film)Varsity Show is a 1937 feature film from Warner Brothers about a group of students at "Winfield College" who butt heads with their faculty advisor while producing an annual stage show....
(1937) - The Adventures of Robin HoodThe Adventures of Robin Hood (film)The Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1938 American swashbuckler film directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley. Filmed in Technicolor, the picture stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, and Claude Rains.-Plot:...
(1938) (co-director) - Brother RatBrother RatBrother Rat is a 1938 film about cadets at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, directed by William Keighley and starring Priscilla Lane and Wayne Morris....
(1938) - Each Dawn I DieEach Dawn I DieEach Dawn I Die is a 1939 gangster film featuring James Cagney and George Raft in their only movie together as leads, although Raft had made an unbilled appearance in a 1932 Cagney vehicle called Taxi! in which he won a dance contest against Cagney, after which he and Cagney brawl...
(1939) - The Fighting 69th (1940)
- Torrid ZoneTorrid ZoneTorrid Zone is a 1940 adventure film starring James Cagney, Ann Sheridan and Pat O'Brien.-Plot summary:Steve Case has to deal with trouble at his tropical fruit company's Central American banana plantation...
(1940) - No Time for ComedyNo Time for ComedyNo Time for Comedy is a 1940 comedy-drama film based on the play of the same name by S. N. Behrman, starring James Stewart, Rosalind Russell, Genevieve Tobin and Charles Ruggles.-Plot summary:...
(1940) - The Bride Came C.O.D.The Bride Came C.O.D.The Bride Came C.O.D. is a 1941 Warner Bros. screwball romantic comedy starring James Cagney as a pilot and Bette Davis as a runaway heiress. Although the film was publicized as the first movie pairing of Warner Bros.' two biggest stars, they had actually made Jimmy the Gent together in 1934.The...
(1941) - The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
- George Washington Slept HereGeorge Washington Slept HereGeorge Washington Slept Here is a 1942 comedy film starring Jack Benny and Ann Sheridan. It was based on the 1940 play of the same name by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, adapted by Everett Freeman, and was directed by William Keighley...
(1942) - Target for TodayTarget for TodayTarget for Today is a film containing United States Army Air Force combat footage of B-17 and B-24 bombers and named for the phrase used at briefings before air raids. The October 1944 footage was filmed during Eighth Air Force attacks on Nazi Germany industrial targets in Anklam, Marienburg , and...
(1944) (documentary) - The Street with No NameThe Street with No NameThe Street with No Name is a black-and-white film noir. The movie, a follow up to The House on 92nd Street , tells the story of an undercover FBI agent, Gene Cordell , who infiltrates a deadly crime gang. Cordell's superior, FBI Inspector George A. Briggs also appears in The House on 92nd Street...
(1948) - Close to My HeartClose to My HeartClose to My Heart is a 1951 Warner Bros. drama directed by William Keighley, written by James R. Webb , and starring Ray Milland and Gene Tierney.-Plot:...
(1951) - The Master of BallantraeThe Master of Ballantrae (film)The Master of Ballantrae is a 1953 British adventure film starring Errol Flynn, Roger Livesey, and Anthony Steel. It is a loose and highly truncated adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel of the same title...
(1953)