Overview

Early in 1937, a young film editor went on-location to St. George, Utah, for the filming of Republic's The Painted Stallion. Rain and cast problems put the production hopelessly behind schedule. The studio summarily fired the director and replaced him with the film editor. Thus was born the career of one of Hollywood's most famous serial directors, Bill Witney. Witney went on to direct or codirect 23 Republic serials, working with such stars as William Benedict, Hoot Gibson, Bela Lugosi, and Noah Beery, Sr. Witney's output included some of the most famous cliffhangers of the era, such as Adventures of Red Ryder, Spy Smasher, Drums of Fu Manchu, The Lone Ranger, and The Lone Ranger Rides Again. Though he enjoyed a long career as a feature film and television director, it is the Republic serials for which he is best remembered. This engaging story is a behind-the-scenes look at the heyday of the Hollywood cliffhanger, the making of the movies, and the people involved in them. This entry refers to the LARGE PRINT edition. For the standard edition please see ISBN 978-0-7864-2258-6.

Full Product Details

Author:   William Witney
Publisher:   McFarland & Co Inc
Imprint:   McFarland & Co Inc
Edition:   Large type / large print edition
Dimensions:   Width: 17.80cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   0.612kg
ISBN:  

9780786433131

ISBN 10:   0786433132
Pages:   360
Publication Date:   27 February 2008
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Acknowledgments      Foreword by Francis M. Nevins, Jr.       Preface      1 The Serials Remembered      2 Rex, King of the Wild Horses      3 Larry Wickland      4 Darkest Africa—The First Serial Under the Republic Banner      5 The Old Order Changeth      6 Rider of the Painted Stallion      7 I Lose a Friend and Gain One      8 John English      9 The Lone Ranger      10 That Old House      11 The Director’s Guild      12 Daredevils of the Red Circle      13 Zorro’s Fighting Legion      14 Two Duds and a Hot Water Tank      15 Captain Marvel      16 Bill O’Sullivan      17 The Dog Teams      18 Eddy White      A Filmography      Index     

Reviews

Essential - Big Reel

“essential reading”—Big Reel; “essential...fascinating and insightful...recommended”—Wrangler’s Roost; “one of the greatest cliffhanger bargains available”—Serial Report; “this could easily be the most interesting book ever written about the early days of movie making. Great stuff. McFarland at its best!”—Little Shoppe of Horrors; “Witney writes well and fondly of his films and colleagues...his ability to recapture the excitement of filmmaking is phenomenal”—Classic Images.

Author Information

The late William Witney lived in Pioneer, California.

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