47-463: William Washington Beaudine (January 15, 1892 – March 18, 1970) was an American film director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out a remarkable 179 feature-length films in a wide variety of genres. He is best known today for his silent films Little Annie Rooney and Sparrows , both with Mary Pickford ; the W. C. Fields comedy The Old Fashioned Way ; several Bela Lugosi and Charlie Chan thrillers; Mom and Dad ,
94-773: A Will (1936) starring Will Hay , and the George Formby comedy Feather Your Nest (1937). Beaudine returned to America in 1937 and had trouble re-establishing himself at the major studios. Once widely known as an A-list director of important productions, Beaudine had commanded a premium salary in the late 1920s that Hollywood producers of the late 1930s didn't want to match. He worked briefly at Warner Bros., with whom he had been associated in Britain, and then waited for offers on his terms. They never came. Beaudine had lost much of his personal fortune through no fault of his own (a bank he bought an interest in had failed, and much of his income
141-1337: A book about him at the time. Walsh directed The Bowery (1933), featuring Wallace Beery , George Raft , Fay Wray and Pert Kelton ; the energetic movie recounts the story of Steve Brodie (Raft), supposedly the first man to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and live to brag about it. An undistinguished period followed with Paramount Pictures from 1935 to 1939, but Walsh's career rose to new heights after he moved to Warner Brothers , with The Roaring Twenties (1939), featuring James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart ; Dark Command (1940), with John Wayne and Roy Rogers (at Republic Pictures); They Drive By Night (1940), with George Raft , Ann Sheridan , Ida Lupino and Bogart; High Sierra (1941), with Lupino and Bogart again; They Died with Their Boots On (1941), with Errol Flynn as Custer ; The Strawberry Blonde (1941), with Cagney and Olivia de Havilland ; Manpower (1941), with Edward G. Robinson , Marlene Dietrich and George Raft; and White Heat (1949), with Cagney. Walsh's contract at Warners expired in 1953. He directed several films afterwards, including three with Clark Gable : The Tall Men (1955), The King and Four Queens (1956) and Band of Angels (1957). Walsh retired in 1964. He died of
188-400: 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 11 features there from 1935 through 1937, including Boys Will Be Boys (1935) and Where There's
235-497: A feature film in 1974. Beaudine died of uremic poisoning in 1970, aged 78, in California . In 1980, in their tongue-in-cheek book The Golden Turkey Awards , Michael and Harry Medved included William Beaudine in their list of worst directors of all time. They gave him the unflattering nickname "One-Shot," because he always seemed to shoot just one take, regardless of actors flubbing their lines or special effects malfunctioning. It
282-432: A heart attack in 1980. Raoul Walsh was a breeder and owner of Thoroughbred racehorses . For a time, his brother George Walsh trained his stable of horses. Their horse Sunset Trail competed in the 1937 Kentucky Derby won by War Admiral who went on to win the U.S. Triple Crown . Sunset Trail finished sixteenth in a field of twenty runners. Some of Walsh's film-related material and personal papers are contained in
329-412: A low ebb Beaudine accepted the assignment, under his "William X. Crowley" alias. Buell was pleased with Beaudine's professionalism and inventive ways to extend a shoestring budget. He hired Beaudine to direct Misbehaving Husbands (1940), noteworthy at the time as the comeback feature of silent-screen clown Harry Langdon . It was a humble comeback for both Langdon and Beaudine, since it was released by
376-426: A low-budget specialist, forsaking his artistic ambitions in favor of strictly commercial film fare, and recouping his financial losses through sheer volume of work. He made dozens of comedies, thrillers and melodramas with such popular personalities as Bela Lugosi , Ralph Byrd , Edmund Lowe , Jean Parker , and The East Side Kids . He became a fixture at the ambitious Monogram Pictures and directed fully half of
423-488: A sex-education exploitation film that was possibly the highest-grossing film of the 1940s; and the popular Bowery Boys comedies. Born in New York City, Beaudine began his career as an actor in 1909, aged 17, with American Mutoscope and Biograph Company . He married Marguerite Fleischer in 1914 and they stayed married until his death. Her sister was the mother of actor Bobby Anderson . Beaudine's brother Harold Beaudine
470-671: Is a listing of the theatrically released, feature-length films directed by William Beaudine. Short subjects and television productions are not included. Little Annie Rooney (1925 film) Little Annie Rooney is a 1925 American silent comedy-drama film starring Mary Pickford and directed by William Beaudine . Pickford, one of the most successful actresses of the silent era, was best known throughout her career for her iconic portrayals of penniless young girls. After generating only modest box office revenue playing adults in her previous two films, Pickford wrote and produced Little Annie Rooney to cater to silent film audiences. Though she
517-557: Is a young girl who spends her days wreaking havoc in the tenements with a gang of children and their rival gang, the Kid Kellys. They fight in the streets, accidentally scaring a fruit vendor's horse in the process. Annie's father is a respected neighborhood police officer, but her brother, Tim, is a member of the Big Kellys, a gang of older boys led by Joe Kelly. The gang raises money for themselves by selling tickets to an upcoming dance. Joe
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#1733107135181564-461: Is kind to Annie and she develops a crush on him. But when Joe visits the Rooney home later that day, Officer Rooney warns him that if he continues to lead his gang, he will no longer allow Tim to spend time with Joe. The fruit vendor arrives and informs Officer Rooney that Annie's activities that morning cost him five dollars' worth of fresh fruit. When each of the children claim responsibility for scaring
611-451: Is true that Beaudine shot economically—he usually had no choice—but he was always professional, and actually did shoot multiple takes of movie scenes. (The coming-attractions trailers of Beaudine's films are rife with alternate takes.) The Academy Film Archive has preserved three films directed by William Beaudine: Little Annie Rooney , Mom and Dad , and A Husband in Haste . The following
658-622: The Al Christie studio and Snub Pollard at the Hal Roach studio. The 1959 book, Classics of the Silent Screen: A Pictorial Treasury (credited to Joe Franklin but actually written by noted film historian William K. Everson ), remarks on "what a really fine director William Beaudine was in the silent era, long before he became the principal director of the Bowery Boys 'B' comedies". Beaudine
705-660: The Protestant Film Commission . Beaudine reflected on his B movie career, saying that "[t]hese films are going to be made regardless of who directs them. There's a market for them and the studios are going to continue to make them. I've been doing this long enough, I think I can make them as good or better than anyone else." 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
752-554: The United States Army during World War I . He later directed The Thief of Bagdad (1924), starring Douglas Fairbanks and Anna May Wong , and Laurence Stallings ' What Price Glory? (1926), starring Victor McLaglen and Dolores del Río . In Sadie Thompson (1928), starring Gloria Swanson as a prostitute seeking a new life in Samoa, Walsh starred as Swanson's boyfriend in his first acting role since 1915; he also directed
799-470: The 48 comedy features starring The Bowery Boys . By this time Beaudine had a reputation for being a resourceful, no-nonsense director who could make feature films in a matter of days, sometimes as few as five. He occasionally directed special-interest productions, like the 1945 crusade-for-sex-education feature Mom and Dad , produced by Kroger Babb , and the 1950 religious drama Again Pioneers , produced by
846-425: The Kid Kellys begin to suspect Tony as well. The rival gangs unite and manage to bring Tony to the police station, but Tim arrives shortly after them and announces that he has just shot Joe. Annie rushes to the hospital and learns that Joe will die unless he is given an immediate blood transfusion. Annie volunteers, though she mistakenly believes that she will die as a result. She is tested and donates her blood. After
893-416: The attention of Officer Rooney, who ventures inside. Tony fires a gun, but the bullet meant for Joe hits Officer Rooney instead, killing him. A week passes. The police still haven't discovered Officer Rooney's killer. Tony and Spider lie to Tim, telling him that Joe killed Officer Rooney. Tim intends to take revenge himself. Meanwhile, Annie is told that Tony was seen discarding a gun in an alley. Members of
940-708: The brother of silent screen actor George Walsh . He was known for portraying John Wilkes Booth in the silent film The Birth of a Nation (1915) and for directing such films as the widescreen epic The Big Trail (1930) starring John Wayne in his first leading role, The Roaring Twenties starring James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart , High Sierra (1941) starring Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart, and White Heat (1949) starring James Cagney and Edmond O'Brien . He directed his last film in 1964. His work has been noted as influences on directors such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder , Jack Hill , and Martin Scorsese . Walsh
987-565: The film. He was then hired to direct and star in In Old Arizona , a film about O. Henry 's character the Cisco Kid . While on location for that film Walsh was in a car crash when a jackrabbit jumped through the windshield as he was driving through the desert; he lost his right eye as a result. He gave up the part and never acted again. Warner Baxter won an Oscar for the role Walsh was originally slated to play. Walsh would wear an eyepatch for
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#17331071351811034-431: The fruit vendor catches up with them, Joe pays him back with five dollars' worth of tickets to the dance. The night of the dance is also Officer Rooney's birthday; he is on patrol outside the dance hall. Back at home, Tim and Annie are preparing for their father's return. At the dance, a fight breaks out between Joe and two of his fellow gang members, Tony and Spider. The lights in the dance hall are switched off, attracting
1081-431: The hit music hall song "Little Annie Rooney" as the basis for her character. The song is referenced twice in the movie's intertitles; written in 1889 but now largely forgotten, it was very popular at the time, also inspiring a comic strip and an animated short film . Pickford wrote the story herself, credited under the name of her Irish grandmother, Catherine Hennessey. To help realize her story, Pickford hired some of
1128-479: The horse, Officer Rooney decides that they will all have to repay the fruit vendor together. The children decide to raise funds by staging a play set in the Wild West . Prompted by teasing from a heckler, Annie attempts to ride the same horse that the children had scared earlier, but it is spooked once again and gallops through the city with Annie on its back. Joe spots Annie and manages to catch her when she falls. When
1175-562: The lead, and with actual ongoing battles filmed in progress as well as battle recreations. Walsh played Villa as a younger man. Walsh played John Wilkes Booth in Griffith's epic The Birth of a Nation (1915) and also served as an assistant director. This movie was followed by the critically acclaimed Regeneration in 1915, the earliest feature gangster film , shot on location in Manhattan 's Bowery district. Walsh served as an officer in
1222-408: The procedure, Annie learns that she is not going to die, and she states her intention to marry Joe one day. Later, Joe drives Annie and her friends through town. Tim, now a traffic officer, waves them through the intersection. "America's Sweetheart" Mary Pickford had built a successful career playing young ragamuffins , but was interested in playing roles that were more appropriate for her age. She
1269-569: 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 Bros., Paramount , and Universal Pictures . His most famous credits of the early 1930s are The Mad Parade (1931), starring Evelyn Brent in the only World War I battlefield drama with an all-female cast (though men are occasionally heard and parts of their bodies are seen); Three Wise Girls (1932), Jean Harlow 's first starring film; and The Old Fashioned Way (1934),
1316-518: The rest of his life. In the early days of sound with Fox , Walsh directed the first widescreen spectacle, The Big Trail (1930), an epic wagon train western shot on location, across the West. The movie starred John Wayne , then unknown, whom Walsh discovered as prop man named Marion Morrison, and he was renamed after the Revolutionary War general Mad Anthony Wayne ; Walsh happened to be reading
1363-451: The restoration's premiere, Jeffrey Vance observed: " Little Annie Rooney has always been overshadowed by the films that have chronologically surrounded it. The Academy Film Archive's restoration of Little Annie Rooney reveals the work to be one of her most accomplished efforts and a fine introduction to the art of Mary Pickford." Kevin Brownlow wrote of the film, "when you think that it
1410-621: The result contains longer scenes, different camera set-ups, and better shots of her, as well as special tinting effects not seen in any previously available versions. This restoration, with a new score composed by Andy Gladbach, has been presented at college campuses, by the American Cinematheque at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre , at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' annual "Mary Pickford Celebration of Silent Film", and on Turner Classic Movies . Writing in his program notes for
1457-411: The role of a young girl for Little Annie Rooney . The idea for the film's subject – a tough Irish girl from the streets – came to Pickford as she was wandering through a vacant city set on a Hollywood backlot. Seeking advice from a distinctly Irish-American perspective, she called Mabel Normand , who simply suggested, "I'd get an Irish title... and write something to go with it." Pickford selected
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1504-493: The story of orphans imprisoned in a swamp farm starring Mary Pickford , and The Canadian , based upon a W. Somerset Maugham play and shot on location in Alberta with Thomas Meighan as the lead. 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
1551-533: The time and known as the skid row of New York until the 1980s. An enormous set filled with realistic details was constructed in the Pickford-Fairbanks backlot to simulate the impoverished downtown neighborhood. Pickford's return as a scruffy young girl in Little Annie Rooney was a critical success as well as a triumph at the box office, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 1925. This film
1598-435: The tiny Producers Releasing Corporation , whose budgets seldom ventured beyond five figures. Langdon and Beaudine received critical raves for their work: "Preview house rewarded them with practically solid laughter" ( Boxoffice ); "Easily [Langdon's] best performance in years" ( Motion Picture Daily ). The film's success within its own market reestablished both Langdon and Beaudine, albeit in B pictures. William Beaudine became
1645-408: The top-tier talent of the day: husband-and-wife screenwriting team Hope Loring and Louis Lighton , who also wrote Wings and It , adapted the story for the screen; Charles Rosher , who would later win an Academy Award for Sunrise , served as the film's cinematographer; William Beaudine , who had found much success working with children in films like Boy of Mine and Penrod and Sam ,
1692-460: Was 33 years old, Pickford played the title role, an Irish girl living in the slums of New York City. The film was a critical and commercial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 1925. Restored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2014, Little Annie Rooney is remembered today for Pickford's performance and the high quality associated with its production. Annie Rooney
1739-480: Was a director of short, action-filled comedies. In 1915, William Beaudine 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, working with Bobby Vernon at
1786-543: Was a particular achievement for Pickford after the lukewarm reception given to her previous two starring efforts. Pickford biographer Eileen Whitfield wrote, "One watches in amazement as Pickford, at thirty-three, fresh from the seductions of Rosita and the stiff declamations of Dorothy Vernon , slips into the body of a twelve-year-old tomboy." Little Annie Rooney was restored by the Academy Film Archive in 2014 from Pickford's own 35mm tinted nitrate print;
1833-500: Was all shot on the Pickford-Fairbanks backlot... it is all the more remarkable... All the artistry, technical skill, and emotional impact of a medium only thirty years old shine triumphantly through." Raoul Walsh Raoul Walsh (born Albert Edward Walsh ; March 11, 1887 – December 31, 1980) was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and
1880-585: Was born in New York as Albert Edward Walsh to Elizabeth T. Bruff, the daughter of Irish Catholic immigrants, and Thomas W. Walsh, an Englishman. Walsh was part of Omega Gamma Delta in high school, as was his younger brother. Growing up in New York, Walsh was also a friend of the Barrymore family . John Barrymore recalled spending time reading in the Walsh family library as a youth. After his mother died, he left home when he
1927-597: Was chosen by Pickford to direct. Little Annie Rooney probably owes a debt to the Our Gang franchise for its comedic cast of multi-ethnic children (including Irish, Greek, Jewish, Italian, Chinese, and African-American characters), but Little Annie Rooney takes place in a far grittier urban setting. One of the advertisements for the film identifies Annie as "the Princess of the Bowery ", an area home to many immigrant populations at
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1974-456: Was claimed by the British government in taxes). In 1940 publicist-turned-producer Jed Buell approached Beaudine to direct an all-black-cast feature for Buell's Dixie National Pictures. The salary was a flat $ 500 for one week's work. Beaudine knew that if he accepted this job, he would henceforth be associated with low-budget films and would never command his old salary again, but with his finances at
2021-783: Was fifteen years old and traveled through Texas, Montana and Cuba, also working in Mexico as a cowboy. Later in life, Walsh lived in Palm Springs, California . He was buried at Assumption Cemetery Simi Valley , Ventura County, California . Walsh was educated at Seton Hall College . He began acting in 1909, first as a stage actor in New York City and later as a film actor. In 1913 he changed his name to Raoul Walsh. In 1914 he became an assistant to D. W. Griffith and made his first full-length feature film as an actor, The Life of General Villa , shot on location in Mexico with Pancho Villa playing
2068-789: Was perhaps the most powerful woman in Hollywood at the time, and as one of the founders of United Artists , she was able to produce and star in films like Rosita and Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall . However, audiences were still clamoring for Pickford to return to screens as "the girl with the curls". In a 1925 interview with Photoplay magazine, she asked her fans what roles they would like to see her play; Photoplay received 20,000 letters in reply urging her to portray children, with suggestions including Anne of Green Gables , Heidi , and Alice in Wonderland . Despite being 33 years old, Pickford acquiesced to her public's wishes, once again stepping into
2115-575: 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 . His next film
2162-402: Was to have been a screen biography of Lupe Vélez , produced by and starring Estelita Rodriguez , but the project died with Rodriguez in 1966 and Beaudine never made another film. By the end of the decade William Beaudine was the industry's oldest working professional, having started in 1909. His final screen credit was posthumous: The Green Hornet was compiled from the TV series and released as
2209-471: Was very much in demand during the 1920s. He began making feature-length films for then-struggling Warner Bros. , demonstrating his clever ways of making films look more expensive than their budgets. This efficiency became a hallmark of Beaudine's style. He directed silent films for Goldwyn Pictures (before it became part of MGM ), Metro Pictures (also before MGM), First National Pictures , and Sol Lesser 's Principal Pictures . In 1926 he made Sparrows ,
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