In a Door, into a Fight, Out a Door, into a Chase: Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door [Paperback]

William Witney (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786433132 | ISBN-13: 978-0786433131 | Publication Date: February 13, 2008

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Essential reading. --Big Reel

Fascinating and insightful...recommended. --Wrangler's Roost

Witney writes well and fondly of his films and colleagues...his ability to recapture the excitement of filmmaking is phenomenal. --Classic Images

About the Author

The late William Witney lived in Pioneer, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: McFarland (February 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786433132
• ISBN-13: 978-0786433131
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,486,155 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Autobiography of One of Hollywood's Most Inventive Directors, April 10, 2002

By 

J. HUFF (PIONEERTOWN, CALIFORNIA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In a Door, Into a Fight, Out a Door, Into a Chase: Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door (Library Binding)

William Witney died this year (March, 2002). He is an auteur
without ever being called such by critics who traffic in such
terms; he is an innovator whose influence is still felt today;
he represents a time and place when cinema was simply "a movie" and man oh man, did he know how to make a movie move. Would that all films today had the polish, pace and professionalism of a William Witney serial! This autobio is primary information from one of the innovators of kinetic film.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of those "not enough of a good thing" books., November 25, 2007

By 

Robert Jones (Cross Lanes, WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In a Door, Into a Fight, Out a Door, Into a Chase: Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door (Paperback)

The names William Witney and John English across a movie screen were as familiar to me as a stop sign at an intersection. But being a kid, I saw them in my mind's eye as mustached and gray at the temples. English looked like Earl Flynn and Witney was a likeable slob type whose coat did not button over his gut. For good or bad, his very auto bio reveals a man who simply "worked for a living" but did it very well, not aware of doing anything special. That he was able to retire without looking back, spending his golden years among the pines and mountain lakes of east Tahoo country deep into his 80s, helps explain why his book is no longer than it is. You should know ahead of time William Witney was not a gossip
and with few exceptions did not write to down or belittle people who worked with him in these classic movies. His stature as a person rises but his book suffers as history. Don Red Barry and Carole Landis are tragic figures, but there is so much more he could have told us about making movies. We simply have to be content with a small slice of what might have been a big, big cake with icing.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Book by a Nice Guy, May 22, 2009

By 

Randy Bowser - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In a Door, Into a Fight, Out a Door, Into a Chase: Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door (Library Binding)

For any fan of motion picture serials, the name William Witney is well known. He directed virtually every cliffhanger that can be named as Best in the field - "The Lone Ranger, "The Drums of Fu Manchu, "Spy Smasher," "The Perils of Nyoka" and "The Adventures of Captain Marvel."

He and co-director John English simply knew what they were doing. Making the most possible out of small budgets and tight shooting schedules, they threw themselves into their work, determined to give their audiences the absolute most bang for the 25 cents a movie ticket cost in the 1940's.

After years of being asked to write his memoirs about the wild and woolly early days of his career, Whitney relented and came up with this charming book. With the help of editors and ghost writers, his text is fun to read, sometimes with his anecdotes being overly padded and reducing their impact, but always conveying what a fun time he had back in the days when he was King of the quickie adventure film.

Not especially deeply insightful into the subject matter, anyone picking up this book would have a deeper appreciation for the unique sub-genre of "B" pictures which serials were, and for the determined people who cranked them out.

Fun stuff.

RB