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William A. Wellman Profile
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William A.Wellman, the Oscar®-winning director-screenwriter producer,
was nicknamed “Wild Bill” because his larger-than life
personality was as dynamic and freewheeling as one of his
movies. TCM’s salute to this film legend includes a revised version
of Richard Schickel’s The Men Who Made the Movies:
William Wellman,made in 1973 and now updated with new
interview material, re-mastered footage and a new narration
by director Sydney Pollack. Joining host Robert Osborne to introduce
and discuss TCM’s lineup of films is the filmmaker’s
son, actor-producer-author William Wellman Jr.
Wellman (1896-1975) was born in Brookline, Mass., and
saw action in World War I as part of the famous Lafayette
Flying Corps. Between 1920 and 1923 he rose from bit actor
to director of Hollywood films and made his name as a major
filmmaker by directing the 1927
Wings, which won the first
Best Picture Oscar®. He
went on to create a
wide variety of movies,
and our festival is
divided into genres in
which he excelled.
Social Issue Films include The
Public Enemy (1931), the hard hitting
movie that turned James
Cagney into a star and helped make
gangster films the sensation of the
decade. Wellman brought a more
thoughtful approach to the Western
The Ox-Bow Incident (1943),
a classic indictment of mob
violence. Wellman’s Pre-Codes,
movies made before the
Motion Picture Production
Code cracked down on uninhibited
portrayals of sex and
violence, include two earthy Barbara Stanwyck vehicles. Night
Nurse (1931) has the actress sashaying in her undies and
foiling a plot to murder two children, while The Purchase
Price (1932) casts her as a “kept woman” who becomes a
mail-order bride.
Among Wellman’s Romances is the wacky comedy Nothing
Sacred (1937), which gave Carole Lombard one of hermost
delightful vehicles. It’s said that the set on this one was in a
constant state of pandemonium because of the practical jokes
Wellman and Lombard played on each other. Wellman won
the Oscar® for Best Story for the original version of A Star Is
Born (also 1937).
Aviation Films range from Central Airport (1933), which includes
aerial stunts that remain impressive for their day; to
The High and the Mighty (1954), the original airliner-in distress
epic that brought Wellman a Best Director Oscar®
nomination. Adventures directed by Wellman include Westward
the Women (1951), about a wagon trail of females
headed for California; and Track of the Cat (1954), an unusual
Western distinguished by Welllman’s striking use of
muted color with occasional bright accents.
by Roger Fristoe
 
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31 Days of Oscar Highlights for Feb. 10
Richard Widmark gives an Oscar® nominated Best Supporting Actor Performance as one of the screen's scariest psychopaths in Kiss of Death (1947). We're also spotlighting Gypsy (1962), Of Mice and Men (1939) and 9 more Academy Award honorees.
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