William A. Berke(October 3, 1903 inMilwaukee,Wisconsin – February 15, 1958 inLos Angeles,California) was an American film director, film producer, actor and screenwriter.[1]He wrote, directed, and/or produced some 200 films over a three-decade career.
William Berke | |
|---|---|
 Nancy Kellyand William Berke on the set ofBetrayal from the East- publicity still, 1945 | |
| Born | October 3, 1903 Milwaukee,United States |
| Died | February 15, 1958(aged 54) Los Angeles,United States |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, film producer, actor, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1922–1958 |
Biography
editBerke broke into motion pictures in 1922 as a writer for silent westerns. For these assignments, he used the pseudonym William Lester. In the early 1930s, he formed a partnership with independent producerBernard B. Rayto make feature films at Ray's Reliable Pictures studio, next door toColumbia Pictures.Berke, now using his own name for screen credits, was equally capable in making comedies, mysteries, action adventures, and westerns. In 1942, he joined Columbia, initially directing that studio's westerns withCharles StarrettandRussell Hayden,and then branching into more mainstream fare. In 1944, he moved toRKO Radio Pictures,handling a variety of movies, including detective fiction (Dick Tracy,The Falcon), musical comedies, andZane Greywesterns.
His RKO colleagueRichard Fleischerlater recalled that William Berke "was known as King of the B's. For years and years he had made nothing but pictures with 10- or 12-day shooting schedules, minuscule budgets of about $100,000, and no stars. Without bothering with editing or any postproduction chores and with short shooting schedules, he was able to squeeze in eight or ten pictures a year. And he was going nuts."[2]According to Fleischer, Berke eventually pesteredRKOexecutives enough to be assigned an A picture with a long shooting schedule and stars, and he still shot it in twelve days.[2]
William Berke also worked independently for thePine-Thomasunit at Paramount, and then for producerRobert L. Lippert.Like many seasoned directors, Berke moved into television in the 1950s. He directed the 1954 comedy seriesLife with Elizabeth,starringBetty White.
Berke died in harness, suffering a heart attack on the set ofThe Lost Missile(1958); the film was completed by his son, Lester William Berke.
Partial filmography
edit- The Double O(1921)
- The Firebrand(1922)
- The Crow's Nest(1922)
- Barb Wire(1922)
- Back Fire(1922)
- The Forbidden Trail(1923)
- Gallopin' Through(1923)
- The Love Pirate(1923)
- Wolf Tracks(1923)
- Gentle Julia(1923) (actor)
- Flashing Spurs(1924)
- The Back Trail(1924)
- Trigger Fingers(1924)
- Pioneer's Gold(1924)
- The Hellion(1924) (actor)
- The Terror of Pueblo(1924) (actor)
- Galloping Vengeance(1925) (writer)
- Riding Romance(1925) (writer)
- Barriers of the Law(1925) (writer)
- Unseen Enemies(1926) (writer)
- The Broncho Buster(1927) (writer)
- Hard Fists(1927) (writer)
- Rough and Ready(1927) (writer)
- Desert Dust(1927) (writer)
- The Fighting Three(1927) (writer)
- The Golden Stallion(1927) (story by)
- Straight Shootin'(1927) (story by)
- The Price of Fear(1928)
- The Flaming Signal(1933) (producer)
- The Woman Who Dared(1933) (producer)
- Social Error(1935) (producer)
- Adventurous Knights(1935) (producer)
- Rustler's Paradise(1935) (producer)
- Wagon Trail(1935) (producer)
- Aces Wild(1936) (producer)
- Confessions of Boston Blackie(1941) (producer)
- The Lone Prairie(1942) (director)
- Law of the Northwest(1943) (director)
- Frontier Fury(1943) (director)
- Tornado(1943) (director)
- The Fighting Buckaroo(1943) (director)
- Minesweeper(1943) (director)
- Hail to the Rangers(1943) (director)
- Dangerous Passage(1944) (director)
- Riding West(1944) (director)
- Sailor's Holiday(1944) (director)
- Dark Mountain(1944) (Director)
- Betrayal from the East(1945) (director)
- High Powered(1945) (director)
- Dick Tracy(1945) (director)
- The Falcon's Alibi(1946) (producer)
- Sunset Pass(1946) (producer)
- Shoot to Kill(1947) (director and producer)
- Jungle Jim(1949)
- Treasure of Monte Cristo(1949) (director)
- On the Isle of Samoa(1950) (director)
- The Bandit Queen(1950) (director and producer)
- I Shot Billy the Kid(1950) (director)
- Roaring City(1951) (director)
- FBI Girl(1951) (director and producer)
- Kaadu (The Jungle)(1952) (director and producer)
- Four Boys and a Gun(1957)
- Street of Sinners(1957)
- Island Women(1958)
- Cop Hater(1958) (director and producer)
- The Mugger(1958) (director and producer)
References
edit- ^"William Berke".Movies & TV Dept.The New York Times.2015. Archived fromthe originalon September 29, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 28,2015.
- ^abFleischer, Richard(1993).Just Tell Me When to Cry: A Memoir.Carroll and Graf. p. 47.ISBN9780881849448.
External links
edit