Edward Arthur Killy (January 26, 1903 – July 2, 1981) was an American director, assistant director and production manager in films and television. He was one of the few individuals to be nominated for the short-lived

Academy Award for Best Assistant Director The Academy Award for Best Assistant Director was awarded from 1933 through 1937. In the first year of this award, it referred to no specific film. * 1933: ** Charles Barton (Paramount) - winner ** Scott Beal (Universal) - winner ** Charles Dorian ...

. During his 30-year career he worked on over 75 films and television shows.

Life and career

Killy was born on January 26, 1903 in Connecticut. He entered the film industry as an assistant director at

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

, his first film being the 1931 musical comedy, ''

Caught Plastered ''Caught Plastered'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code musical comedy film, released by RKO Radio Pictures and starring the comedy team Wheeler & Woolsey. Plot Tommy Tanner (Wheeler) and Egbert G. Higginbotham (Woolsey) are two vaudevillians who were ...

'', directed by

William Seiter William Alfred Seiter (June 10, 1890 – July 26, 1964) was an American film director. Life and career Seiter was born in New York City. After attending Hudson River Military Academy, Seiter broke into films in 1915 as a bit player at Mack Sennet ...

, and starring the comedy duo of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey. Over the next five years he assisted on over a dozen films, many of them notable films. In 1932 he was one of two assistants to

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head ...

on the drama '' What Price Hollywood?'', starring

Constance Bennett Constance Campbell Bennett (October 22, 1904 – July 24, 1965) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress and producer. She was a major Hollywood star during the 1920s and 1930s; during the early 1930s, she was the highest-paid ...

and Lowell Sherman. In 1933 he was one of several assistants to Dorothy Arzner on the melodrama '' Christopher Strong'', which featured

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

in her first starring role. He worked with Hepburn on two more films in 1933, '' Morning Glory'' (one of three assisting Lowell Sherman), and one of two assisting Cukor on the classic, ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Alcott wrote the book, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, at the request of her publisher. The story follows the live ...

''. That year he also assisted Seiter again on another Wheeler & Woolsey comedy, '' Diplomaniacs'', as well as being one of three assistants to Thornton Freeland on the RKO musical '' Flying Down to Rio'', which featured the first on-screen pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The following year Killy assisted

Philip Moeller Philip Moeller (26 August 1880 – 26 April 1958) was an American stage producer and director, playwright and screenwriter, born in New York where he helped found the short-lived Washington Square Players and then with Lawrence Langner and Hele ...

on the classic drama '' The Age of Innocence'', the first talking version of the novel, starring Irene Dunne and John Boles. He worked with Hepburn again, being one of three assistants to Richard Wallace on '' The Little Minister''. It was during the filming of this movie when Killy gained notoriety by telling off Hepburn. She was acting up on set one day and refusing to take her place on set, so he told her, "Get on the set before you're sent back to New York to do another ''

Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

''." However, he soon became one of her favorite assistant directors. In 1935 Killy became part of a concerted effort on RKO's part to build a cadre of young directors. His first assignment as the main man behind the camera was as co-director with William Hamilton, on the 1935 film Freckles, based on the 1904 novel of the same name. The two would again pair up to direct the 1935 version of ''

Seven Keys to Baldpate Seven Keys to Baldpate may refer to: * '' Seven Keys to Baldpate'', a novel by Earl Derr Biggers * ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' (play), a 1913 play by George M. Cohan based on the novel * ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' (1916 film), a 1916 Australian si ...

'', starring Gene Raymond and Margaret Callahan. The pair co-directed two more films before Killy was given his first solo directing assignment, 1936's '' Second Wife'', starring

Gertrude Michael Lillian Gertrude Michael (June 1, 1911 – December 31, 1964) was an American film, stage and television actress. Biography The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl H. Michael, she was born in Talladega, Alabama. She graduated from Talladega High s ...

and Walter Abel. Over the next ten years, he directed another 20 films, mostly

B movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

Westerns, and being the chief director for

Tim Holt Charles John "Tim" Holt III (February 5, 1919 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. He was a popular Western star during the 1940s and early 1950s, appearing in forty-six B westerns released by RKO Pictures. In a career spanning mo ...

's Westerns. Some of the oater collaborations between Killy and Holt include: ''

The Fargo Kid ''The Fargo Kid'' is a 1940 American Western film directed by Edward Killy starring Tim Holt. It was the second in Holt's series of Westerns for RKO. The film was shot in Kanab Canyon, Cave Lakes, and Johnson Canyon. The script was based on a s ...

'' (1940), ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'' (1940), '' Along the Rio Grande'' (1941), and '' Land of the Open Range'' (1942). In the mid-1940s, a young actor, Robert Mitchum, was signed to a seven-year contract with RKO, with the intent of making B-Westerns based on Zane Grey novels. Killy was assigned the first of these films, 1944's ''

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

''. He would also direct Mitchum in another film adaptation of a Grey novel, 1945's '' West of the Pecos'', which was also Killy's last credit as the director of a film. Even after getting the opportunity to take the helm of films, Killy was one of the rare people to continue to work at the assistant director level. As an assistant he worked on several notable features including: '' Roberta'', directed by Seiter, and starring Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...

; again with Hepburn on '' Alice Adams'' (1935), with George Stevens directing; the classic war film '' Gunga Din'', again directed by Stevens, and starring

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one of ...

, Victor McLaglen, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.; '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1939), assisting

William Dieterle William Dieterle (July 15, 1893 – December 9, 1972) was a German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in Hollywood primarily as a director for much of his ...

, and starring Charles Laughton as Quasimodo and

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was a native Irish and naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for pl ...

as Esmeralda; Gregory La Cava's '' Primrose Path'', starring Ginger Rogers and Joel McCrea; '' Bombardier'' (1943), directed by Richard Wallace, and starring Pat O'Brien and

; 1944's romantic comedy, also directed by Wallace, ''

Bride by Mistake ''Bride by Mistake'' (1944) is an American romantic comedy film directed by Richard Wallace, and starring Alan Marshal and Laraine Day. The screenplay is by Phoebe Ephron and Henry Ephron, based on a story by Norman Krasna, and is a remake of ...

'', starring Alan Marshal and Laraine Day; ''

Susan Slept Here ''Susan Slept Here'' is a 1954 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Dick Powell (in his last film role) and Debbie Reynolds. Shot in Technicolor, the film is based on the play of the same name by Steve Fisher a ...

'' (1954), a romantic comedy directed by

Frank Tashlin Frank Tashlin (born Francis Fredrick von Taschlein, February 19, 1913 – May 5, 1972), also known as Tish Tash and Frank Tash, was an American animator, cartoonist, children's writer, illustrator, screenwriter, and film director. He was best k ...

and starring

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portra ...

and

Dick Powell Richard Ewing Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American actor, musician, producer, director, and studio head. Though he came to stardom as a musical comedy performer, he showed versatility, and successfully transformed into ...

in his final film performance; and the

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in t ...

' production of '' The Conqueror'', directed by

, and starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...

. In the late 1940s through the 1950s, Killy would also occasionally work as a production manager on such films as: ''

Blood on the Moon ''Blood on the Moon'' is a 1948 RKO black-and-white "psychological" Western film noir starring Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Preston and Walter Brennan. Directed by Robert Wise, the cinematography is by Nicholas Musuraca. The mov ...

'' (1948), '' The Big Steal'' (1949), '' Angel Face'', '' Jet Pilot'', and '' All Mine to Give'' (1958). Killy married Pauline Watkins, and would remain married to her until his death in 1981. The two adopted a daughter in the 1930s, Audrey K. Killy. Killy died July 2, 1981 in Orange County, California.

Filmography

(Per AFI database) *''

'' (1931) - Assistant director *'' Too Many Cooks'' (1931) - Assistant director *'' What Price Hollywood?'' (1932) - Assistant director *'' Diplomaniacs'' (1933) - Assistant director *'' Bed of Roses'' (1933) - Assistant director *'' Emergency Call'' (1933) - Assistant director *'' Christopher Strong'' (1933) - Assistant director *'' Morning Glory'' (1933) - Assistant director *''

'' (1933) - Assistant director *'' Flying Down to Rio'' (1933) - Assistant director *''

Finishing School A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the education, wi ...

'' (1934) - Assistant director *'' Sing and Like It'' (1934) - Assistant director *'' The Little Minister'' (1934) - Assistant director *'' Down to Their Last Yacht'' (1934) - Assistant director *'' Hips, Hips, Hooray!'' (1934) - Assistant director *'' The Age of Innocence'' (1934) - Assistant director *''

Break of Hearts ''Break of Hearts'' is a 1935 RKO film starring Katharine Hepburn and Charles Boyer. The screenplay was written by the team of Sarah Y. Mason and Victor Heerman, with Anthony Veiller, from a story by Lester Cohen, specifically for Hepburn. ...

'' (1935) - Assistant director *''

'' (1935) - Director *'' Alice Adams'' (1935) - Assistant director *'' Freckles'' (1935) - Director *'' Roberta'' (1935) - Assistant director *'' The Big Game'' (1936) - Director *'' Murder on a Bridle Path'' (1936) - Director *'' Bunker Bean'' (1936) - Director *'' Second Wife'' (1936) - Director *'' Wanted! Jane Turner'' (1936) - Director *''

Criminal Lawyer A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various ju ...

'' (1937) - Director *'' Saturday's Heroes'' (1937) - Director *''

Quick Money ''Quick Money'' is a 1937 film. It lost $37,000. Plot summary Cast * Fred Stone as Mayor Jonas Tompkins * Gordon Jones as Bill Adams * Dorothy Moore as Alice Tompkins * Berton Churchill as Bluford H. Smythe * Paul Guilfoyle as Ambrose Ames * H ...

'' (1937) - Director *'' The Big Shot'' (1937) - Director *''

China Passage ''China Passage'' is a 1937 American mystery film directed by Edward Killy from a screenplay by Edmund L. Hartmann and J. Robert Bren, based on a story by Taylor Caven. RKO Radio Pictures produced the film, which stars Constance Worth, Vinton ...

'' (1937) - Director *''

5th Avenue Girl ''Fifth Avenue Girl'', sometimes stylized as ''5th Ave Girl'', is a 1939 RKO Radio Pictures comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava and starring Ginger Rogers, Walter Connolly, Verree Teasdale, and James Ellison. The screenplay was written by ...

'' (1939) - Assistant director *''

Bachelor Mother ''Bachelor Mother'' (1939) is an American romantic comedy film directed by Garson Kanin, and starring Ginger Rogers, David Niven, and Charles Coburn. The screenplay was written by Norman Krasna from an Academy Award-nominated story by Felix Jac ...

'' (1939) - Assistant director *'' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1939) - Assistant director *'' Gunga Din'' (1939) - Assistant director *'' The Flying Irishman'' (1939) - Assistant director *'' Primrose Path'' (1940) - Assistant director *''

'' (1940) - Director *''

'' (1940) - Director *'' Triple Justice'' (1940) - Assistant director *'' Stage to Chino'' (1940) - Director *'' Along the Rio Grande'' (1941) - Director *'' The Bandit Trail'' (1941) - Director *''

Come on Danger ''Come on Danger'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Edward Killy. It was a remake of a 1932 Tom Keene film. The story was bought for Holt in June 1941. Plot summary Cast * Tim Holt as Jack Mason * Frances E. Neal as Ann Jordan (as ...

'' (1941) - Director *'' Cyclone on Horseback'' (1941) - Director *'' Robbers of the Range'' (1941) - Director *'' Land of the Open Range'' (1942) - Director *'' The Navy Comes Through'' (1942) - Assistant director *'' Riding the Wind'' (1942) - Director *'' The Tuttles of Tahiti'' (1942) - Assistant director *''

The Iron Major ''The Iron Major'' is a 1943 American biographical film about the famed college football coach and World War I hero, Frank Cavanaugh. Directed by Ray Enright, the screenplay was written by Aben Kandel and Warren Duff, based on Florence E. Cavan ...

'' (1943) - Assistant director *'' Bombardier'' (1943) - Assistant director *''

Marine Raiders The Marine Raiders are special operations forces originally established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare. " Edson's" Raiders of 1st Marine Raider Battalion and " Carlson's" Rai ...

'' (1944) - Assistant director *''

'' (1944) - Director *''

'' (1944) - Assistant director *'' Wanderer of the Wasteland'' (1945) - Director *'' West of the Pecos'' (1945) - Director *''

Sinbad the Sailor Sinbad the Sailor (; ar, سندباد البحري, Sindibādu al-Bahriyy; fa, سُنباد بحری, Sonbād-e Bahri or Sindbad) is a fictional mariner and the hero of a story-cycle of Persian origin. He is described as hailing from Baghd ...

'' (1947) - Production assistant *'' Tycoon'' (1947) - Production assistant *''

'' (1948) - Production manager *''

Adventure in Baltimore ''Adventure in Baltimore '' is a 1949 American drama film directed by Richard Wallace and starring Robert Young and Shirley Temple. Dinah Sheldon (Shirley Temple) is a student at an exclusive girls' school who starts campaigning for women's r ...

'' (1949) - Production manager *'' The Big Steal'' (1949) - Production manager *'' The Set-Up'' (1949) - Assistant director *''

Stromboli Stromboli ( , ; scn, Struògnuli ) is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing Mount Stromboli, one of the four active volcanoes in Italy. It is one of the eight Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Si ...

'' (1950) - Production manager *'' The Lusty Men'' (1952) - Assistant director *'' Androcles and the Lion'' (1953) - Production manager *'' Angel Face'' (1953) - Unit manager *'' She Couldn't Say No'' (1954) - Unit production manager *'' Dangerous Mission'' (1954) - Unit production manager *''

'' (1954) - Assistant director *'' The Girl Rush'' (1955) - Assistant director *'' The Conqueror'' (1956) - Assistant director *'' Run for the Sun'' (1956) - Assistant director *''

Tension at Table Rock ''Tension at Table Rock'' is a 1956 American Western drama film directed by Charles Marquis Warren and starring Richard Egan and Dorothy Malone. Wes Tancred ( Richard Egan) is publicly vilified after killing a famous gunslinger who was a publ ...

'' (1956) - Unit manager *'' Jet Pilot'' (1957) - Unit production manager *'' Gunsight Ridge'' (1957) - Assistant director *'' All Mine to Give'' (1958) - Unit manager

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Killy, Edward 1903 births 1981 deaths American film directors Assistant directors Unit production managers