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

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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.

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.

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

McFarland & Co Publishing presents "IN A DOOR, INTO A FIGHT, OUT A DOOR, INTO A CHASE" (Paperback) - William Nuelsen Witney was an American film director --- He is most famous for the movie serials he co-directed with John English for Republic Pictures such as "Daredevils of the Red Circle" (1939), Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939) and "Drums of Fu Manchu" (1940) --- Born in 1915 in Lawton, Oklahoma, Witney broke into the movie business in 1933 as a messenger boy and four years later became a director at the ripe age of 21 --- He was pressed into service on a Republic Pictures serial after the director was fired.

He directed a large number of Western films over his career, and is credited with devising the modern system of filming movie fight sequences in a series of carefully choreographed shots, which he patterned after the musical sequences of American director Busby Berkeley. Prolific and pugnacious, Witney began directing while still in his 20s, and continued up until the late 1960s --- During a 40 year career, Witney worked on two dozen serials, including the popular Lone Ranger, Dick Tracy and Captain Marvel shows --- He directed more than 60 feature films, many of them 1940s and 1950s B-Westerns, along with hundreds of episodes of TV shows such as "Lassie," "Wagon Train" and "Bonanza."

Quentin Tarantino singles him out as one of his favorite directors, particularly for The Golden Stallion (1949), a Roy Rogers vehicle --- Witney also directed Master of the World (1961) starring Vincent Price and Charles Bronson --- "I've found directors I like, but William Witney is ahead of them all," director Quentin Tarantino told the New York Times in 2000. "I think it's so cool that he began as the king of cowboy serials and ended with a black exploitation film -- That's a career, man."

Witney went on to direct or codirect 23 Republic serials --- 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.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. William Witney
Date of Birth: 15 May 1915 - Lawton, Oklahoma
Date of Death: 17 March 2002 - Jackson, California

TABLE OF CONTENTS: (Title and Page Numbers)

Acknowledgments - vii

Foreword by Francis M. Nevins, Jr. - 1

Preface - 3

1. The Serials Remembered - 5

2. Rex, King of the Wild Horses - 22

3. Larry Wickland - 28

4. Darkest Africa - The First Serial Under the Republic Banner - 39

5. The Old Order Changeth - 47

6. Rider of the Painted Stallion - 59

7. I Lose a Friend and Gain One - 76

8. John English - 90

9. The Lone Ranger - 101

10.That Old House - 113

11.The Director's Guild - 129

12.Daredevils of the Red Circle - 143

13.Zorro's Fighting Legion - 160

14.Two Duds and a Hot Water Tank - 172

15.Captain Marvel - 182

16.Bill O'Sullivan - 196

17.The Dog Teams - 208

18.Eddy White - 224

A Filmography - 233

Index - 243

Check out a new book from Empire Publishing - "GENE AUTRY WESTERNS" (Hardcover) - by author Boyd Magers, like no other book on Gene Autry --- all of Gene's Mascot, Republic and Columbia westerns included, as well as his half-hour TV Episodes --- each segment contains the release date on each film ... major production credits ... complete cast (including character played) ... all songs included, songwriter and who performed them in the film ... running time of each film ... dates of the filming ... bios on the cast and major players (Smiley, Pat Buttram, Cass County Boys, Herbert J. Yates, directors, leading ladies, songwriters and various heavies, etc.) ... locations that were used ... budgets and negative cost ... stunt people involved ... analysis and synopsis on each film ... notes and comments (including film and cast background info, salaries paid, working titles, etc) ... comments from Gene and many other cast members on each film ... theater exhibitors comments at the time of the films release ...this tribute was written from the heart and it shows.

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- If you're into the memories of Movie Serials, this is the one you've been anxiously waiting for --- Witney and McFarland & Co have captured the moment, please stand up and take a bow --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Pages: 246 ~ McFarland & Co ~ (March 2005)

If you love "The Golden Age" of Motion Pictures you will love this book.
He was a talented & special man. This is a Great Read from a Great Director.

I just received my copy of William Witney's autobiography. It's in perfect condition, but you've sent a LARGE PRINT edition witha big sticker on the cover which says that that is what it is. Looking at the product picture and reading your description I see no mention of this. I don't want a GIANT print edition, nor did I have any idea one existed. Please be more careful! I'll be returning this copy.
Lansing Sexton

This book is, indeed, a dandy for the old Saturday afternoon movie "serial" buffs. Mr. Witney certainly captures the atmosphere of Republic Pictures, home of the best-of-the-bunch when the studio was producing top of the line westerns and serials dating back to the '30s. (Republic also produced some outstanding non-western features, including "The Quiet Man", directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne.)

The book leaves bits still "hanging to the cliff". More focus could have been placed on the stars and off-screen activity that took place while filming those old screen gems. Also noticeable is Mr. Witney ignoring Roy Barcroft, the only actor specializing in "bad guy" roles ever to be signed to a ten-year movie contract ... and it was with Republic.

Although chapters are headlined for special serials, such as "The Lone Ranger", not enough detail to the subject is submitted, leaving true devotees of these old "goodies" wanting more.

This book is, indeed, a dandy for the old Saturday afternoon movie "serial" buffs. Mr. Witney certainly captures the atmosphere of Republic Pictures, home of the best-of-the-bunch when the studio was producing top of the line westerns and serials dating back to the '30s. (Republic also produced some outstanding non-western features, including "The Quiet Man", directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne.)

The book leaves bits still "hanging to the cliff". More focus could have been placed on the stars and off-screen activity that took place while filming those old screen gems. Also noticeable is Mr. Witney ignoring Roy Barcroft, the only actor specializing in "bad guy" roles ever to be signed to a ten-year movie contract ... and it was with Republic.

Although chapters are headlined for special serials, such as "The Lone Ranger", not enough detail to the subject is submitted, leaving true devotees of these old "goodies" wanting more.