William Spier
Encyclopedia
William Spier was an American
writer
, producer and director for television and radio. He is best known for his radio work, notably Suspense
and The Adventures of Sam Spade
.
Born in New York City, Spier began his career on the editorial staff of Musical America magazine, eventually becoming its chief critic.
, an hour-long Sunday night presentation of Metropolitan Opera artists. In 1936, Spier created The March of Time
, which was to become a radio landmark. Among the many stars associated with the program were Orson Welles
, Joseph Cotten
, Van Heflin
, Agnes Moorehead
, Jeanette Nolan
, Nancy Kelly
and Everett Sloane
.
Spier was chief of the writers' department and director of development at CBS in 1940, when he was co-producer of Suspense and Duffy's Tavern
. In 1947, he won a Mystery Writers of America award for The Adventures of Sam Spade.
(1913–2010), under the auspices of Desilu, on CBS. (Spier was previously married to singer Kay Thompson
, from 1942 until 1947.)http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04EFD7133EF934A35754C0A96E958260&scp=1&sq=kay%20thompson%20william%20spier&st=cse Spier's knowledge of music was encyclopedic, and he was a skillful and sensitive pianist with a deep love for Chopin. In early 1947, they met when she was a guest star on one of his radio shows. He and Havoc were married from 1947 until his death. He died aged 66 at the home he shared with Havoc in Weston, Connecticut
.
. He was the recipient of three Peabody awards.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, producer and director for television and radio. He is best known for his radio work, notably Suspense
Suspense (radio program)
-Production background:One of the premier drama programs of the Golden Age of Radio, was subtitled "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" and focused on suspense thriller-type scripts, usually featuring leading Hollywood actors of the era...
and The Adventures of Sam Spade
The Adventures of Sam Spade
The Adventures of Sam Spade was a radio series based loosely on the private detective character Sam Spade, created by writer Dashiell Hammett for The Maltese Falcon. The show ran for 13 episodes on ABC in 1946, for 157 episodes on CBS in 1946-1949, and finally for 51 episodes on NBC in 1949-1951...
.
Born in New York City, Spier began his career on the editorial staff of Musical America magazine, eventually becoming its chief critic.
Radio
His radio career began in 1929, when he produced and directed The Atwater Kent HourThe Atwater Kent Hour
The Atwater Kent Hour was a top-rated radio concert music program heard on NBC and CBS from 1926 to 1934 with stars of the Metropolitan Opera often making appearances. Classical music was performed by a large symphony orchestra under the direction of Josef Pasternack...
, an hour-long Sunday night presentation of Metropolitan Opera artists. In 1936, Spier created The March of Time
The March of Time
The March of Time is a radio series, and companion newsreel series, that was broadcast on CBS from 1931 to 1945 and shown in movie theaters from 1935 to 1951. It was created by Time, Inc. executive Roy Edward Larsen, and was produced and written by Louis de Rochemont and his brother Richard de...
, which was to become a radio landmark. Among the many stars associated with the program were Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
, Joseph Cotten
Joseph Cotten
Joseph Cheshire Cotten was an American actor of stage and film. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original productions of The Philadelphia Story and Sabrina Fair...
, Van Heflin
Van Heflin
Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin, Jr. was an American film and theatre actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man...
, Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Robertson Moorehead was an American actress. Although she began with the Mercury Theatre, appeared in more than seventy films beginning with Citizen Kane and on dozens of television shows during a career that spanned more than thirty years, Moorehead is most widely known to modern audiences...
, Jeanette Nolan
Jeanette Nolan
Jeanette Nolan was an American radio, film and television actress. Nolan was nominated for four Emmy Awards.-Early life:...
, Nancy Kelly
Nancy Kelly
Nancy Kelly was an American actress, who was a movie leading lady in the 1930s, making 36 movies between 1926 and 1977, including portraying Tyrone Power's love interest in the classic Jesse James , which also featured Henry Fonda, and playing opposite Spencer Tracy in Stanley and Livingstone...
and Everett Sloane
Everett Sloane
Everett Sloane was an American stage, film and television actor, songwriter, and theatre director.-Early life:...
.
Spier was chief of the writers' department and director of development at CBS in 1940, when he was co-producer of Suspense and Duffy's Tavern
Duffy's Tavern
Duffy's Tavern was a popular American radio situation comedy which ran for a decade on several networks , concluding with the December 28, 1951 broadcast....
. In 1947, he won a Mystery Writers of America award for The Adventures of Sam Spade.
Television
In 1952, Spier introduced TV's first 90-minute show, Omnibus, for CBS. In 1953, he produced Willy for his wife, actress June HavocJune Havoc
June Havoc was a Canadian-born American actress, dancer, writer, and theater director. Havoc was a child Vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her mother. She later acted on Broadway and in Hollywood and stage directed . She last appeared on television in 1990 on General Hospital...
(1913–2010), under the auspices of Desilu, on CBS. (Spier was previously married to singer Kay Thompson
Kay Thompson
Kay Thompson was an American author, composer, musician, actress and singer. She is best known as the creator of the Eloise children's books.-Background:Catherine Louise Fink was born in St...
, from 1942 until 1947.)http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04EFD7133EF934A35754C0A96E958260&scp=1&sq=kay%20thompson%20william%20spier&st=cse Spier's knowledge of music was encyclopedic, and he was a skillful and sensitive pianist with a deep love for Chopin. In early 1947, they met when she was a guest star on one of his radio shows. He and Havoc were married from 1947 until his death. He died aged 66 at the home he shared with Havoc in Weston, Connecticut
Weston, Connecticut
Weston is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The population was 10,179 at the 2010 census. The town is served by Route 57 and Route 53, both of which run through the town center. About 19% of the town's workforce commutes to New York City, about to the southwest.Like many towns in...
.
Awards
Spier won numerous awards, including the Writers Guild of America for best script of the year in 1962 for his two-part script for TV's The UntouchablesThe Untouchables (1959 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
. He was the recipient of three Peabody awards.