William Keighley

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William Jackson Keighley (born August 4, 1889 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , † June 24, 1984 in New York , New York ) was an American director.

Life

William Keighley's career has been based on three entertainment media: theater, film and radio. Trained as an actor and director on Broadway , he arrived in Hollywood at the beginning of the sound film era . At Warner Bros. he became an assistant director and dialogue director before directing his first film himself in 1932. Keighley's suspenseful, high-paced thrillers suited the studio as this type of film was a Warner specialty. The director often worked with James Cagney , but the two had no sympathy for each other. Cagney was not fond of Keighley's "European demeanor".

Keighley has directed other film genres as well. He was replaced by Michael Curtiz in the adventure film Robin Hood, King of the Vagabonds (1938) with Errol Flynn in the title role . The studio accused him of exceeding the planned shooting time (and thus the costs). In addition, the most expensive Warner film to date was not entirely satisfied.

In World War II, Keighley served in the Signal Corps of the US Army . After the war he became more interested in the radio medium. After Cecil B. DeMille left, Keighley took on the role of host of the CBS radio show Lux Radio Theater . In 1953 he made his last film, the pirate film The Buccaneers , again with Errol Flynn in the lead role. After he stopped working for the radio in 1955, he moved to Paris with his wife, the actress Genevieve Tobin , whom he married in 1938.

William Keighley died on June 24, 1984 shortly before his 95th birthday as a result of a pulmonary embolism .

Filmography (selection)

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personal data
SURNAME Keighley, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Keighley, Wiliam Jackson (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American director
DATE OF BIRTH 4th August 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , United States
DATE OF DEATH June 24, 1984
Place of death New York , New York , United States