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B. Reeves Eason

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B. Reeves Eason
Eason (left) showing screenwritersLucien HubbardandDouglas Z. Dotyfilm from theWesternTwo Kinds of Love(1920)
Born
William Reeves Eason

(1886-10-02)October 2, 1886
Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJune 9, 1956(1956-06-09)(aged 69)
Sherman Oaks, California,U.S.
Other namesB. Reaves Eason
Breezy Eason
Reeves Eason
"Breezy" Reeves Eason
Occupations
  • Director
  • actor
  • screenwriter
  • second-unit director
  • assistant director
Years active1914–1950
SpouseJimsy Maye
Children1, includingBarnes

William Reeves Eason(October 2, 1886 – June 9, 1956),[1]known asB. Reeves Eason,was an Americanfilmdirector,actorandscreenwriter.His directorial output was limited mainly to low-budget westerns and action pictures, but it was as a second-unit director and action specialist that he was best known. He was famous for staging spectacular battle scenes in war films and action scenes in large-budget westerns, but he acquired the nickname "Breezy" for his "breezy" attitude towards safety while staging his sequences—during the famous cavalry charge at the end ofCharge of the Light Brigade(1936), so many horses were killed or injured so severely that they had to be euthanized that both the public and Hollywood itself were outraged, resulting in the selection of theAmerican Humane Societyby the beleaguered studios to provide representatives on the sets of all films using animals to ensure their safety.

Career

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Born in Massachusetts, Eason studied engineering at the University of California.[2]Eason directed 150 films and starred in almost 100 films over his career. Eason's career transcended into sound and he directed film serials such asThe Miracle RiderstarringTom Mixin 1935. He used 42 cameras to film the chariot race as a second-unit director onBen-Hur(1925), the climactic charge inCharge of the Light Brigade(1936), and also directed the "Burning of Atlanta" inGone with the Wind(1939).

Family and personal life

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His son,B. Reeves Eason Jr.,was achild actorwho appeared in 12 films, includingNine-Tenths of the Law,which Eason, Sr. directed. Born in 1914, he died in 1921 after being hit by a runaway truck outside of his parents' home shortly after the filming of theHarry CareysilentwesternThe Foxwas completed, just before his seventh birthday.

Death

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On June 9, 1956, Eason died of aheart attackat the age of 69. He is buried inHollywood Forever CemeteryinLos Angeles.

Filmography

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Director

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Actor

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Screenwriter

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References

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  1. ^Eugene Michael Vazzana (2001).Silent Film Necrology.McFarland. pp. 151–.ISBN978-0-7864-1059-0.
  2. ^Goodman, Ezra (April 19, 1942)."Step right up and call him 'Breezy'".The New York Times.p. X 3.RetrievedJuly 7,2021.
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