William Girdler (October 22, 1947 – January 21, 1978) was an American

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

. In a span of six years, from 1972 to 1978, he directed nine feature films in such genres as horror and action. Girdler also wrote and produced three of his features, '' Abby'', '' Sheba, Baby'' and ''

The Manitou ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''.

Career

Girdler, born in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, started Studio One Productions in his early 20s and directed his first feature, a low-budget film entitled ''Asylum of Satan'' which was briefly released to theaters. Girdler's second effort was a slasher thriller entitled '' Three on a Meathook''. Both ''Asylum of Satan'' and ''Three on a Meathook'' were filmed in his hometown, and although both films received little notice, they got the attention of Samuel Z. Arkoff and

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

(AIP). Girdler next directed three " blaxploitation" films. The first, in 1973, was a long-lost thriller titled ''The Zebra Killer'' starring Austin Stoker. By coincidence, another Louisville native, Rich Miles, appeared in this picture in a small role as the local cop who discovers some of the bodies. Girdler's next feature was an ''Exorcist'' clone titled '' Abby'' with Carol Speed in the lead role and co-starring William H. Marshall (from ''

Blacula ''Blacula'' is a 1972 American blaxploitation horror film directed by William Crain. It stars William Marshall in the title role about an 18th-century African prince named Mamuwalde, who is turned into a vampire (and later locked in a coffin) by ...

'') and Oscar nominee

Juanita Moore Juanita Moore (October 19, 1914 – January 1, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actress. She was the fifth black actor to be nominated for an Academy Award in any category, and the third in the Supporting Actress category at a t ...

. ''Abby'' became Girdler's breakthrough film. The picture opened in 1974 to major box office success, earning nearly $9 million.

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

thought ''Abby'' was too derivative of ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty ...

'' and the film was suddenly pulled from theaters after two weeks. The last "blaxploitation" film Girdler directed was the

Pam Grier Pamela Suzette Grier (born May 26, 1949) is an American actress and singer. Described by Quentin Tarantino as cinema's first female action star (although, there are some who dispute that claim and believe Cheng Pei-pei actually holds that distinc ...

vehicle '' Sheba, Baby'' and his first effort in the action genre. ''Sheba, Baby'' was another major hit in theaters, even though it is often cited as one of

's weaker vehicles when compared to her similarly themed action films ''

Coffy ''Coffy'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation film written and directed by Jack Hill. The story is about a black female vigilante played by Pam Grier who seeks violent revenge against a heroin dealer responsible for her sister's addiction.Gary A. ...

'' and '' Foxy Brown''. Girdler was then finished with his contract with Arkoff and AIP. Girdler's sixth feature film was another action-themed film reminiscent of ''The Killer Elite'', starring

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

, in one of his more serious roles as an agent tracked by the government in the political thriller '' Project: Kill'', which was given a limited theatrical release. ''

Grizzly The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...

'', released in 1976, was Girdler's most financially successful film. A ''Jaws'' clone from start to finish, the film was about an oversized grizzly bear terrorizing a national park. The movie starred

Christopher George Christopher John George ( Greek: Χριστόφορος Γεωργίου; February 25, 1931 – November 28, 1983) was an American television and film actor who starred in the 1960s television series '' The Rat Patrol''. He was nominated for a G ...

Andrew Prine Andrew Lewis Prine (February 14, 1936 – October 31, 2022) was an American film, stage, and television actor. Early life and career Prine was born in Jennings, Florida. After graduation from Miami Jackson High School in Miami, Prine attend ...

and

Richard Jaeckel Richard Hanley Jaeckel (October 10, 1926 – June 14, 1997) was an American actor of film and television. Jaeckel became a well-known character actor in his career, which spanned six decades. He received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominatio ...

and went on to become one of the most successful motion pictures of the year, earning an impressive $39 million worldwide. After this triumph, ''Grizzly's'' producer and distributor,

Edward L. Montoro Edward L. Montoro (born January 2, 1936) was an American film producer and distributor known for releasing exploitation films and B-movies during the 1970s and 1980s through his company Film Ventures International. Montoro became notorious for ...

and

Film Ventures International Film Ventures International (FVI) was an independent film production and distribution company originally located in Atlanta, Georgia, during the 1970s. FVI garnered a notorious reputation within the industry for producing films that were highly de ...

decided to keep the financial profits. Girdler (and the film's screenwriters/producers Harvey Flaxman and David Sheldon, who also worked with Girdler on previous films) sued Montoro and Film Ventures to have the profits returned. Girdler then directed ''

Day of the Animals ''Day of the Animals'' (re-released as ''Something Is Out There'') is a 1977 American natural horror film directed by William Girdler, based on a story by producer Edward L. Montoro. The film reunited Girdler and Montoro with stars Christopher ...

'', another effort for Montoro which is sometimes cited as a sequel to ''Grizzly''. The film had an all-star cast, including

Lynda Day George Lynda Louise Day George (born December 11, 1944) is an American television and film actress whose career spanned three decades from the 1960s to the 1980s. She was a cast member on '' Mission: Impossible'' (1971–1973). She was also the wife ...

, and

. It was Girdler's second approach to nature-versus-man films, but was not as successful as ''Grizzly''. ''

'' was the last film directed by Girdler. Based on a best-selling novel by Graham Masterton, and starring

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

and Susan Strasberg, ''The Manitou'' was perhaps Girdler's most expensive production. It was acquired by

AVCO Embassy Pictures Embassy Pictures Corporation (also and later known as Avco Embassy Pictures as well as Embassy Films Associates) was an American independent film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution studio responsible for such fil ...

, released in 1978 and was also a major hit in theaters.

Death

He was killed in a helicopter crash in

Manila, Philippines Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

on January 21, 1978, while scouting locations for his 10th film project.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Girdler, William 1947 births 1978 deaths Horror film directors Writers from Louisville, Kentucky Blaxploitation film directors Film directors from Kentucky Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents Accidental deaths in the Philippines Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery