In a Door, into a Fight, Out a Door, into a Chase

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.

The late William Witney lived in Pioneer, California.

William Witney
Foreword by Francis M. Nevins, Jr.
Format: softcover (7 x 10), large print
Pages: 360
Bibliographic Info: 32 photos, filmography, index
Copyright Date: 2008 [1995]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3313-1
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Foreword by Francis M. Nevins, Jr.       1
Preface      5

1 The Serials Remembered      7
2 Rex, King of the Wild Horses      33
3 Larry Wickland      41
4 Darkest Africa—The First Serial Under the Republic Banner      57
5 The Old Order Changeth      68
6 Rider of the Painted Stallion      85
7 I Lose a Friend and Gain One      109
8 John English      129
9 The Lone Ranger      144
10 That Old House      161
11 The Director’s Guild      185
12 Daredevils of the Red Circle      205
13 Zorro’s Fighting Legion      230
14 Two Duds and a Hot Water Tank      246
15 Captain Marvel      260
16 Bill O’Sullivan      280
17 The Dog Teams      296
18 Eddy White      320

A Filmography      333
Index      345

• “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