William A. Seiter

Directing·Jun 10, 1890·New York City, New York, USA

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia William A. Seiter (June 10, 1890 - July 26, 1964) was an American film director. He was born in New York City. After attending Hudson River Military Academy, Seiter broke into films in 1915 as a bit player at Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios, doubling a cowboy. He graduated to director in 1918. At Universal Studios in the mid-1920s, Seiter was principal director of the popular Reginald Denny vehicles, most of which co-starred Seiter's then wife Laura La Plante (his second wife was actress Marian Nixon). This period also included The Beautiful and Damned and The Family Secret. In the early talkie era, Seiter helped nurture the talents of RKO's comedy duo Wheeler & Woolsey in such rollicking features as Caught Plastered (1931) and Diplomaniacs (1933). He also directed the Laurel and Hardy feature Sons of the Desert (1933), their only film together. Other films include Sunny, Going Wild, Kiss Me Again, Hot Saturday, Way Back Home, Girl Crazy, Rafter Romance, Roberta, Room Service, Susannah of the Mounties, Allegheny Uprising, You Were Never Lovelier, Up in Central Park, and One Touch of Venus. Among the many stars directed by Seiter during his long career were Shirley Temple, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Henry Fonda, Margaret Sullavan, Jack Haley, Deanna Durbin, Jean Arthur, John Wayne, Fred MacMurray, Lucille Ball, Rita Hayworth and the Marx Brothers. While many of his films were minor gems, Seiter was capable of turning out bad movies once in a while. For example, if he ran into friction from his star—as was the case with Lou Costello in 1946's Little Giant -- Seiter would get even by adhering religiously to the script, refusing to add any nuance or creativity to the project (this pettiness may have been the reason that one prominent actress of the 1930s referred to Seiter as the most unimaginative director she'd ever worked with). On his final four films, before he retired in 1954, Seiter functioned as both producer and director. These films included The Lady Wants Mink (1953), a gentle satire of the then topical "raise your own coat" craze. He died in Beverly Hills, California, of a heart attack, aged 74.

Film	Credit
WWant Ad Wedding1955 · Director	Director
The Wild Bunch1955 · Director	Director
Make Haste to Live1954 · Director	Director
Champ for a Day1953 · Producer, Director	Producer, Director
The Lady Wants Mink1953 · Director	Director
Dear Brat1951 · Director	Director
Borderline1950 · Director	Director
One Touch of Venus1948 · Director	Director
Up in Central Park1948 · Director	Director
I'll Be Yours1947 · Director	Director
Lover Come Back1946 · Director	Director
Little Giant1946 · Director	Director
That Night with You1945 · Director	Director
The Affairs of Susan1945 · Director	Director
It's a Pleasure1945 · Director	Director
Belle of the Yukon1944 · Director, Producer	Director, Producer
Four Jills in a Jeep1944 · Director	Director
A Lady Takes a Chance1943 · Director	Director
Destroyer1943 · Director	Director
You Were Never Lovelier1942 · Director	Director
Broadway1942 · Director	Director
Appointment for Love1941 · Director	Director
Nice Girl?1941 · Director	Director
Hired Wife1940 · Director, Producer	Director, Producer
It's a Date1940 · Director	Director
Allegheny Uprising1939 · Director	Director
Susannah of the Mounties1939 · Director	Director
Thanks for Everything1938 · Director	Director
Room Service1938 · Director	Director
Three Blind Mice1938 · Director	Director
Sally, Irene and Mary1938 · Director	Director
Life Begins in College1937 · Director	Director
The Life of the Party1937 · Director	Director
This Is My Affair1937 · Director	Director
Stowaway1936 · Director	Director
Dimples1936 · Director	Director
The Case Against Mrs. Ames1936 · Director	Director
The Moon's Our Home1936 · Director	Director
If You Could Only Cook1935 · Director	Director
In Person1935 · Director	Director
Orchids to You1935 · Director	Director
The Daring Young Man1935 · Director	Director
Roberta1935 · Director	Director
The Richest Girl in the World1934 · Director	Director
We're Rich Again1934 · Director	Director
Love Birds1934 · Director	Director
Sing and Like It1934 · Director	Director
Sons of the Desert1933 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer