William Bowers (January 17, 1916 – March 27, 1987) was an American reporter, playwright, and screenwriter. He worked as a reporter in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

and for ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'' magazine, and specialized in writing comedy-westerns. He also turned out several thrillers.

Career

Bowers' first play was ''Where Do We Go From Here?'' that ran for 15 performances in 1968.

RKO

Bowers signed with RKO. His first credited screenplay was '' My Favorite Spy'' for

Kay Kyser James Kern Kyser (June 18, 1905 – July 23, 1985), known as Kay Kyser, was an American bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s. Early years James Kern Kyser was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Emily ...

in 1942. Also at that studio Bowers helped write the musical comedy '' Seven Days' Leave'' (1942), which was a huge hit, and ''

The Adventures of a Rookie ''Adventures of a Rookie'' is a 1943 comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins. It was the debut of RKO's comedy duo Carney and Brown. A sequel, ''Rookies in Burma'', followed. Plot Three young men from completely different levels of society get th ...

'' (1943) with the team of Carney and Brown. He also did '' Higher and Higher'' (1943), Frank Sinatra's first movie.

War service

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Bowers served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

Civilian Pilot Training Program The Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) was a flight training program (1938–1944) sponsored by the United States government with the stated purpose of increasing the number of civilian pilots, though having a clear impact on military prepare ...

where he met Arch Hall Sr. Bowers later wrote a screenplay based on his experiences, ''

The Last Time I Saw Archie ''The Last Time I Saw Archie'' is a 1961 comedy film set in the waning days of World War II. Robert Mitchum stars as Arch Hall Sr., a lazy, scheming American in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, an aviation school for pilots too old to fly ai ...

'', where Jack Webb played Bowers.p. 217 Erickson, Hal ''Military Comedy Films: A Critical Survey and Filmography of Hollywood Releases Since 1918'' McFarland, 7 Aug 2012

Post war

He wrote ''

Sing Your Way Home ''Sing Your Way Home'' is a 1945 musical film directed by Anthony Mann and featuring Jack Haley and Marcy McGuire. Cast * Jack Haley as Steve Kimball * Marcy McGuire as Bridget Forrester * Glen Vernon as Jimmy McCue * Anne Jeffreys as Kay Lawren ...

'' (1945) with

Jack Haley John Joseph Haley Jr. (August 10, 1897 – June 6, 1979) was an American actor, comedian, dancer, radio host, singer and vaudevillian. He was best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and his farmhand counterpart Hickory in the 1939 Metro-G ...

for RKO. For Columbia he helped write ''

The Notorious Lone Wolf ''The Notorious Lone Wolf'' (1946) is the twelfth Lone Wolf film produced by Columbia Pictures. The picture features Gerald Mohr in his inaugural performance as the protagonist detective Lone Wolf, Janis Carter, and Ian Wolfe as Adam Wainwright, ...

'' (1946) and at Warner Bros did the Cole Porter biopic '' Night and Day'' (1946). For Republic Pictures he provided the story for '' The Fabulous Suzanne'' (1946) and he worked on Paramount's '' Ladies' Man'' (1947) for

Eddie Bracken Edward Vincent Bracken (February 7, 1915 – November 14, 2002) was an American actor. Bracken became a Hollywood comedy legend with lead performances in the films '' Hail the Conquering Hero'' and '' The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'' both from ...

Universal

At Universal Bowers wrote ''

The Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web s ...

'' (1947), a noir, and

Deanna Durbin Edna Mae Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born actress and singer, who moved to the USA with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. With t ...

's second last film '' Something in the Wind'' (1947). He provided the story for the Abbott and Costello comedy ''

The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap ''The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap'' is a 1947 black-and-white comedy Western film directed by Charles Barton and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It was released on October 8 and distributed by Universal-International. Plot Che ...

'' (1948) and wrote the Yvonne de Carlo-

Dan Duryea Dan Duryea ( , January 23, 1907 – June 7, 1968) was an American actor in film, stage, and television. Known for portraying a vast range of character roles as a villain, he nonetheless had a long career in a wide variety of leading and second ...

Westerns '' Black Bart, Highwayman'' (1948) and '' River Lady'' (1948). He did some uncredited work on

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

' '' Pitfall'' (1948). He wrote a noir, ''

Larceny Larceny is a crime involving the unlawful taking or theft of the personal property of another person or business. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of Eng ...

'' (1948) then did a

Sonja Henie Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 – 12 October 1969) was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic champion ( 1928, 1932, 1936) in women's singles, a ten-time World champion (1927–1936) and a six-time European champi ...

musical, '' The Countess of Monte Cristo'' (1948). A play he wrote entitled ''West of Tomorrow'' was filmed by 20th Century Fox as '' Jungle Patrol''. Bowers did some uncredited work on '' Criss Cross'' (1949) and provided the story for the de Carlo vehicle, '' The Gal Who Took the West'' (1949). He did some script work on '' Abandoned'' (1949).

''The Gunfighter''

In 1950 he was

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

nominated for the gritty Gregory Peck

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

, '' The Gunfighter'' at Fox. Bowers wrote ''

Convicted In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of " not proven", which is co ...

'' (1950) for Columbia, '' Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone'' (1951) for MGM, '' Cry Danger'' (1951) for Robert Parrish at RKO, '' The Mob'' (1951) for Parrish at Columbia, and ''

The San Francisco Story ''The San Francisco Story'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Robert Parrish and starring Joel McCrea and Yvonne De Carlo. The rough and tumble Barbary Coast of San Francisco is recreated with attention to detail, including Florence ...

'' (1952) for Parrish at RKO. He did '' Assignment: Paris'' (1952) for Parrish at Columbia and '' Split Second'' (1953) for Dick Powell at RKO. He did "The Girl on the Park Bench" (1953) for Powell's '' Four Star Theatre'' and some work on '' Beautiful But Dangerous'' (1954) for RKO. For ''

Where's Raymond? ''Where's Raymond?'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC, starring Ray Bolger. The series aired from October 1953 to April 22, 1955. The series' title was spurred by Bolger's Broadway stage hit '' Where's Charley?''. In the 1954–1955 seas ...

'' (1953) Bowers wrote the episodes "Christmas" and "Redecorate the Coffeeshop". He did "Trouble with Youth" for '' Ford Television Theatre'' (1954). At Columbia he did '' Tight Spot'' (1955) and ''

5 Against the House ''5 Against the House'' is a 1955 American heist film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Guy Madison, Kim Novak and Brian Keith. The supporting cast includes William Conrad. The screenplay is based on Jack Finney's 1954 novel of the same nam ...

'' (1955) for Phil Karlson. Bowers wrote "Prosper's Old Mother" (1955) and "It's Sunny Again" (1956) for ''

General Electric Theatre ''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations. Radio After an audition show ...

'' and "Shoot the Moon" (1956) for ''

Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre ''Fireside Theatre'' (also known as ''Jane Wyman Presents'') is an American anthology drama series that ran on NBC from 1949 to 1958, and was the first successful filmed series on American television. Productions were low-budget and often based ...

''. At Fox he did a musical ''

The Best Things in Life Are Free "The Best Things in Life Are Free" is a duet between American singers Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson, recorded for the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-produced soundtrack to the 1992 American film '' Mo' Money'', starring Damon Wayans. The song was ...

'' (1956). Universal hired him for the remake of '' My Man Godfrey'' in 1957.

''The Sheepman''

At MGM he wrote ''

The Sheepman ''The Sheepman'' is a 1958 American Western comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Glenn Ford, Shirley MacLaine, and Leslie Nielsen. Plot Gambler Jason Sweet (Ford) wins a flock of sheep in a poker game and proceeds to take them ...

'' (1958) which earned him a second Oscar nomination. He stayed on at MGM to do ''

The Law and Jake Wade ''The Law and Jake Wade'' is a 1958 American Western film released in Metrocolor by MGM in CinemaScope. It is based on the 1956 novel by Marvin H. Albert and directed by John Sturges. The film was shot on location in California's High Sierra ...

'' (1958), and ''

Imitation General ''Imitation General'' is a 1958 black-and-white comedy war film in CinemaScope, directed by George Marshall, produced by William B. Hawks, and starring Glenn Ford, Red Buttons, and Taina Elg. The film, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, is base ...

'' (1959). Bowers wrote a

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

comedy for company, ''

Alias Jesse James ''Alias Jesse James'' is a 1959 American Western comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bob Hope and Rhonda Fleming.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; March 21, 1959, page 46. Based on a story by Robert St. Aubrey and Bert Lawre ...

'' (1959) and did two films for Jack Webb, '' Deadline Midnight'' (1959) and ''

'' (1961). Bowers was reunited with

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-offi ...

in '' Company of Cowards?'' (1964). He wrote a Jerry Lewis comedy, '' Way... Way Out'' (1966) and a Western '' The Ride to Hangman's Tree'' (1967).

''Support Your Local Sheriff''

Bowers produced the last film that he wrote, the

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

Support Your Local Sheriff! ''Support Your Local Sheriff!'' (also known as ''The Sheriff'') is a 1969 American comedy Western film directed by Burt Kennedy and starring James Garner, Joan Hackett, and Walter Brennan. The supporting cast features Harry Morgan, Jack Elam, ...

'' (1969). He also had a bit part as an actor in ''

The Godfather Part II ''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is partially based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. ''Part II'' s ...

'' (1974). He wrote a TV movie for

Burt Kennedy Burton Raphael Kennedy (September 3, 1922 – February 15, 2001) was an American screenwriter and director known mainly for directing Westerns. Budd Boetticher called him "the best Western writer ever." Biography Kennedy was born in 1922 i ...

, '' Sidekicks'' (1974). He focused on TV movies and an independent production: '' The Gun and the Pulpit'' (1974), '' Mobile Two'' (1975) (which he produced) '' Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid'' (1978), '' Shame, Shame on the Bixby Boys'' (1978), '' The Wild Wild West Revisited'' (1979), and '' More Wild Wild West'' (1980).

Filmography

Writer

* '' My Favorite Spy'' (1942) * '' The Fabulous Suzanne'' (1946) * ''

'' (1948) * '' The Gunfighter'' (1950) * ''

Assignment – Paris! ''Assignment – Paris!'' is a 1952 American Cold War film noir directed by Robert Parrish and starring Dana Andrews, Märta Torén, George Sanders and Audrey Totter. Premise Paris-based ''New York Herald Tribune'' reporter Jimmy Race (Andrews) ...

'' (1952) * ''

'' (1958) * ''

-30- -30- has been traditionally used by journalists in North America to indicate the end of a story or article that is submitted for editing and typesetting. It is commonly employed when writing on deadline and sending bits of the story at a time, v ...

'' (1959) * ''

'' (1961) * '' Support Your Local Sheriff'' (1969)

Actor

* ''

'' (1974) - Senate Committee Chairman

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowers, William 1916 births 1987 deaths American male screenwriters People from Las Cruces, New Mexico Screenwriters from New Mexico 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II