{"product_id":"wild-bill-wellman-isbn-9780307377708","title":"Wild Bill Wellman","description":"The extraordinary life—the first—of the legendary, undercelebrated Hollywood director known in his day as “Wild Bill” (and he was!) Wellman, whose eighty-two movies (six of them uncredited), many of them iconic; many of them sharp, cold, brutal; others poetic, moving; all of them a lesson in close-up art, ranged from adventure and gangster pictures to comedies, aviation, romances, westerns, and searing social dramas.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Among his iconic pictures: the pioneering World War I epic \u003ci\u003eWings \u003c\/i\u003e(winner of the first Academy Award for best picture), \u003ci\u003ePublic Enemy \u003c\/i\u003e(the toughest gangster picture of them all), \u003ci\u003eNothing Sacred,\u003c\/i\u003e the original \u003ci\u003eA Star Is Born,\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eBeggars of Life, The Call of the Wild, The Ox-Bow Incident, Battleground, The High and the Might\u003c\/i\u003ey...\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e David O. Selznick called him “one of the motion pictures’ greatest craftsmen.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Robert Redford described him as “feisty, independent, self-taught, and self-made. He stood his ground and fought his battles for artistic integrity, never wavering, always clear in his film sense.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Wellman directed Hollywood’s biggest stars for three decades, including Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, and Clint Eastwood. It was said he directed “like a general trying to break out of a beachhead.” He made pictures with such noted producers as Darryl F. Zanuck, Nunnally Johnson, Jesse Lasky, and David O. Selznick.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Here is a revealing, boisterous portrait of the handsome, tough-talking, hard-drinking, uncompromising maverick (he called himself a “crazy bastard”)—juvenile delinquent; professional ice-hockey player as a kid; World War I flying ace at twenty-one in the Lafayette Flying Corps (the Lafayette Escadrille), crashing more than six planes (“We only had four instruments, none of which worked. And no parachutes . . . Greatest goddamn acrobatics you ever saw in your life”)—whose own life story was more adventurous and more unpredictable than anything in the movies. Wellman was a wing-walking stunt pilot in barnstorming air shows, recipient of the Croix de Guerre with two Gold Palm Leaves and five United States citations; a bad actor but good studio messenger at Goldwyn Pictures who worked his way up from assistant cutter; married to five women, among them Marjorie Crawford, aviatrix and polo player; silent picture star Helene Chadwick; and Dorothy Coonan, Busby Berkeley dancer, actress, and mother of his seven children.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Irene Mayer Selznick, daughter of Louis B. Mayer, called Wellman “a terror, a shoot-up-the-town fellow, trying to be a great big masculine I-don’t-know-what. David had a real weakness for him. I didn’t share it.” Yet she believed enough in Wellman’s vision and cowritten script about Hollywood to persuade her husband to produce \u003ci\u003eA Star Is Born\u003c\/i\u003e, which Wellman directed.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e After he took over directing \u003ci\u003eTarzan Escapes\u003c\/i\u003e at MGM, Wellman went to Louis B. Mayer and asked to make another Tarzan picture on his own.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “What are you talking about? It’s beneath your dignity,” said Mayer. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “To hell with that,” said Wellman, “I haven’t got any dignity.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Now William Wellman, Jr., drawing on his father’s unpublished letters, diaries, and unfinished memoir, gives us the first full portrait of the man—boy, flyer, husband, father, director, artist. Here is a portrait of a profoundly American spirit and visionary, a man’s man who was able to put into cinematic storytelling the most subtle and fulsome of feeling, a man feared, respected, and loved.\u003ci\u003eIntroduction: Wild Bill Wellman     ix \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 1. The Rebel\u003ci\u003e     3 \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2. The Recruit\u003ci\u003e     25 \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 3. The Pilot\u003ci\u003e     53 \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 4. The War Hero\u003ci\u003e     83 \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 5. The Hollywood Ladder\u003ci\u003e     111 \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 6. The Directors’ Board\u003ci\u003e     145 \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 7. The Road to a Classic\u003ci\u003e     163 \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 8. Battlefield \u003ci\u003eWings     185 \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 9. Consequences and Achievements\u003ci\u003e     209\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 10. Pranks and Misdemeanors\u003ci\u003e     235\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 11. I Ain’t So Tough\u003ci\u003e     253\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 12. The Neon Violin\u003ci\u003e     289\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 13. Looking for Trouble\u003ci\u003e     307\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 14. Passions and Prizes\u003ci\u003e     327\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 15. The Golden Year\u003ci\u003e     345\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 16. The Road to \u003ci\u003eOx-Bow     363\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 17. Picture Patchwork\u003ci\u003e     387\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 18. \u003ci\u003eBattleground \u003c\/i\u003eSends a Message\u003ci\u003e     \u003c\/i\u003e421\u003cbr\u003e 19. Goodbye MGM, Hello John Wayne\u003ci\u003e     451\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 20. The Final Straw\u003ci\u003e     479\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 21. The Flame Is Flickering\u003ci\u003e     501 \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eAddendum     521\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eAfterword     523\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eAcknowledgments     527\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eFilmography     529\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eAcademy Award Recognition     581\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eNotes     583\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eSelected Bibliography     617\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eIndex     621\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003ePraise for William Wellman’s\u003cbr\u003eWILD BILL WELLMAN\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“A film buff's delight . . . gloriously detailed . . . filled with juicy on-set stories . . . An affectionate, candid and extremely well-researched biography of film director William Wellman.”\u003cbr\u003e                                                                                                -Kevin Howell, \u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“[A] thorough account of a remarkable career.”\u003cbr\u003e                                                                                                -Wendy Smith, \u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Movies are meant to move, and William Wellman's work demonstrates this in an exemplary fashion. This welcome new biography, \u003ci\u003eWild Bill Wellman: Hollywood Rebel, \u003c\/i\u003ebriskly and objectively told by his son, does nothing to tame the reputation of the prodigious filmmaker who battled studio head Darryl Zanuck not only verbally in the front office but also with his fists in the field. A Boston Brahmin by birth but a brawler by practice, Wellman remains one of the few Golden Age Hollywood figures still richly deserving of the title (so overused these days but applicable here): Iconic. A terrific read.”\u003cbr\u003e- Stephen M. Silverman, author of \u003ci\u003eDavid Lean\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“A star-studded homage to a prolific director . . . loving, abundantly detailed . . . Wellman worked with megastars and studio moguls, all portrayed here in lively detail . . . A rich, exuberant life, well-captured in this exuberant biography.”\u003cbr\u003e                                                                                                -\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“A thoroughgoing biography.”\u003cbr\u003e                                                                                                -\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWilliam Wellman, Jr.,\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Man and His Wings\u003c\/i\u003e. His articles have appeared in \u003ci\u003eFilm Comment, Films in Review,\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eDGA News\u003c\/i\u003e. He is an actor and screenwriter and was executive producer of \u003ci\u003eWild Bill: Hollywood Maverick\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Sherman Oaks, California, with his wife.\u003ci\u003eFrom chapter 6: The Director's Board\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs a contract director at Fox Studios, Wellman earned $185 a week. After seven pictures, his salary was . . . $185 a week. The seventh film, \u003ci\u003eThe Circus Cowboy\u003c\/i\u003e, premiered June 19, 1924, at the Loew’s in New York City. This effort was also produced and directed by Wellman, and once again starred Buck Jones and Marian Nixon.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eVariety\u003c\/i\u003e, June 29, 1924: “Once in a while along comes a picture full of melodrama with high strung and far fetched situations which, neverthe­less, gets over through the excellent direction and strength of the story. This is one of those rarities.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Now, at least, Wellman could afford his own place. Several months earlier, he had said goodbye to Dan Dix and Virgil, and moved into an apartment a few blocks from the studio. It had two rooms plus a bath­room with a shower. One room was a combination living room and bedroom, with a pull-down wall bed. The other was the kitchen. Fortu­nately, the apartment was large enough to accommodate Wellman’s new roommate—a big chow dog.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Before \u003ci\u003eCowboy \u003c\/i\u003ehad gone into production, Wellman had found Chow, as he named him, walking the streets in much the same way as he had done looking for places to live near the studios where he was employed. Wellman put up notices around the area, then hoped nobody would respond. Nobody did, and the roommates became great pals. Wellman put together a large dog bed, placing it next to his pull-down.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The initial problem was Chow’s eating. Dog food was expensive. Often they ate the same things, but Chow’s portions were larger than his master’s and he wanted to eat more often. In order to save food money, Wellman made a deal with his landlord that covered six months at a time. The second problem was what to do with the dog when Wellman was working. The landlord introduced him to an elderly female tenant in their building. She liked animals and took on the job of feeding Chow and letting him out once during the day. This worked quite well.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The whole business of working hard for almost a year, making seven quality pictures, but receiving no raise, was definitely wearing on Well­man. He was a big studio contract director. Why should he have to worry about feeding his dog? He had gotten nowhere with studio executives; his agent told him not to rock the boat, that he had a good deal and a bright future. Wellman was not convinced. He even discussed the matter with Chow.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Chow and I went walking in the hills, Chow full of pep, me full of hatred that had been ripening in the last few Buck Jones pictures. My hatred was no raise in salary . . . I really got mad and explained the whole bloody business to Chow, there was nobody around except the squirrels who stopped their tree climbing the minute we came within ear shot. They didn’t even move, just sat very quietly listening to a dumbwit talk­ing business to a dog.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e On Monday morning, the great mogul William Fox arrived at the stu­dio. Since nobody would give Wellman a break, he decided to take things in his own hands and go see the big man. \u003ci\u003eEncyclopaedia Britannica\u003c\/i\u003e: “Wil­helm Fried Fuchs . . . motion picture executive who built a multimillion-dollar empire controlling a large portion of the exhibition, distribution, and production of film facilities during the era of silent film.” At the tender age of nine months, his German-Jewish parents changed his name to the direct English translation, William Fox. Known as “W.F.,” he was a publicity-shy individual whom the press called “a brilliant, excited, ener­getic, roughneck.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWellman sat in the roughneck’s office all day waiting for an audience. W.F. knew he was there and guessed for what reason. “Funny how flying could enter this problem but it did, and in a very understandable way. I was never afraid while flying fighting, some few times I couldn’t breathe for a while, but it passed and the fear, such as it was, changed to a fright­ful anger, topped by a desire to kill. That’s a hell of a topper. Being afraid of a man named Fox was as ridiculous as if I were going to have a fist fight with a nun.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e It was getting late and the secretary was preparing to leave. She repeated the familiar phrase that had been used throughout the day, “Mr. Fox is too busy to see you today.” Suddenly, W.F.’s door opened and out he came on his way home. He stopped, looked at Wellman, and said, “What do you want?” Wellman answered with two words, “A raise.” He answered back with two words, “You’re fired,” and went out into the hallway. Wellman followed behind, reminding him that he had made seven pictures for the same salary. W.F. turned and restated, “You heard me, you’re fired.” With this, Wellman grabbed hold of his necktie at the throat and twisted it tight. He considered exploding a right fist in his startled face, then reconsidered after seeing the fright in the mogul’s eyes. No more words were spoken. “I saw the fear of a coward on his face, so I did the thing a face like that deserved, I spit on it. I went out of the studio for good, he went back to his office to cleanse his face of the only sincere tribute he had received for a long time.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Wellman’s name came down from the directors’ board at the Fox Stu­dios, and wouldn’t appear on any other studio billboard for a long time. His agent was disappointed; however, he told the unemployed director that with his credits, jobs would come soon. Soon didn’t happen. The rumor was out that Wild Bill had hit the saliva bull’s-eye, and W.F. made sure the studio executives got the word—Wellman was blackballed. This state of exclusion would last for over a year.","brand":"Pantheon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300453273829,"sku":"NP9780307377708","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780307377708.jpg?v=1767744307","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/wild-bill-wellman-isbn-9780307377708","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}