William Beaudine

William Beaudine

Born: January 14, 1892
Died: March 18, 1970
in New York City, New York, USA
From Wikipedia

William Beaudine (January 15, 1892 – March 18, 1970) was an American film actor and director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers and in a wide variety of genres.

In 1915 he was hired as an actor and director by the Kalem Company. He was an assistant to director D.W. Griffith on The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance. By the time he was 23 Beaudine had directed his first picture, a short called Almost a King (1915). He would continue to direct shorts exclusively until 1922, when he shifted his efforts into making feature-length films.

Beaudine directed silent films for Goldwyn Pictures (before it became part of MGM), Metro Pictures (also before MGM), First National Pictures, Principal and Warner Brothers. In 1926 he made Sparrows, the story of orphans imprisoned in a swamp farm starring Mary Pickford. Beaudine had at least 30 pictures to his credit before the sound era began. Among his first sound films were short Mack Sennett comedies; he made at least one film for Sennett while contractually bound elsewhere, resulting in his adopting the pseudonym "William Crowley." He would occasionally use the pseudonym in later years, usually as "William X. Crowley."

He ground out several movies annually for Fox Films, Warner Brothers, Paramount, and Universal Pictures. His most famous credit of the early 1930s is The Old-Fashioned Way, a comedy about old-time show folks starring W. C. Fields.

Beaudine was one of a number of experienced directors (including Raoul Walsh and Allan Dwan) who were brought to England from Hollywood in the 1930s to work on what were in all other respects very British productions. Beaudine directed four films there starring Will Hay, including Boys Will Be Boys (1935) and Where There's a Will (1936).

Beaudine was often entrusted with series films, including the Torchy Blane, The East Side Kids, Jiggs and Maggie, The Shadow, Charlie Chan and The Bowery Boys series. His efficiency was so well known that Walt Disney hired him to direct some of his television projects of the 1950s and had him direct a feature western, Ten Who Dared (1960). Beaudine became even busier in TV, directing Naked City, The Green Hornet, and dozens of Lassie episodes.

His last two feature films, both released in 1966, were the horror-westerns Billy the Kid vs. Dracula (with John Carradine) and Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter. By the end of the decade he was the industry's oldest working professional, having started in 1909.

Beaudine died of uremic poisoning in 1970 in California and was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood.

Movies for William Beaudine...

Forgotten Women
Title: Forgotten Women
Character: Director
Released: November 25, 1931
Type: Movie
Acting on a tip from former stage actress Fern Madden, who is now working as a movie extra, Jimmy Burke, a Hollywood reporter, publishes an article revealing an independent film producer to have mob connections. As a result of the story, Jimmy becomes city editor.
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Movie-Town
Title: Movie-Town
Character: William Beaudine - Director
Released: July 4, 1931
Type: Movie
In this fictional film with fictional characters, Baron Gonzola (Luis Alberni)is trying to sell Mack Sennett (Mack Sennett) and William Beaudine (William Beaudine)on the idea of starring his new prodigy, Marge (Marjorie Beebe) in one of their films. Set around a swimming pool in which Sennett's bathing beauties take a back seat to diving-and-swimming champion of the time, and then moves to a nightclub set featuring George Olsen) and his orchestra.
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Papa's Baby
Title: Papa's Baby
Character: Young Father
Released: August 14, 1913
Type: Movie
To be a fond and devoted parent, and to be unable to play with the heaven of your heart is indeed a cruel decree. That was the case of Papa Binks, but he outwitted Mrs. Binks and the nurse in a very effective, yet unostentatious manner, while he and the baby had the time of their lives.
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The Tenderfoot's Money
Title: The Tenderfoot's Money
Character: In Bar
Released: May 5, 1913
Type: Movie
The tenderfoot came into camp with his ill-gotten money intending to purchase a claim. The faker salted a claim, hoping thereby to secure the money. But the gambler got ahead of him through cheating at cards. Later the tenderfoot sought to regain his money and in the struggle it fell into worthier hands.
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Hot Stuff
Title: Hot Stuff
Character: Cigar Store Owner
Released: March 21, 1912
Type: Movie
Hank (Mack Sennett) loses his girl (Mabel Normand) to another guy (Dell Henderson) so he decides to get even with some hot sauce.
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The Engagement Ring
Title: The Engagement Ring
Character: In Park
Released: March 10, 1912
Type: Movie
Alice has two persistent suitors, one rich, one poor. Each buys her an engagement ring; the rich man pays cash, but the poor man must pay on installments. He has trouble making the payments, but then he's injured in an auto accident and the settlement allows him to pay off the ring and propose to Alice.
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To Save Her Soul
Title: To Save Her Soul
Released: December 27, 1909
Type: Movie
Agnes, a singer in a country church, is practicing one day when a vaudeville manager hears her and offers her a job. Over the objections of the curate who loves her, she accepts the offer and goes to the city. Later the curate goes to hear Agnes perform and, fearing that her soul is being corrupted by show business, he asks her to return to the small town with him. When she refuses, he is prepared to kill her in order to protect the purity of her soul. This brings about her change of heart, and together they return to the little church.