William K. Howard (June 16, 1899 – February 21, 1954) was an American

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

, writer, and

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

. Considered one of Hollywood's leading directors, he directed over 50 films from 1921 to 1946, including '' The Thundering Herd'' (1925), '' The Power and the Glory'' (1933), '' Fire Over England'' (1937), and ''

Johnny Come Lately ''Johnny Come Lately'' is a 1943 drama film directed by William K. Howard starring James Cagney, Grace George, Marjorie Main and Hattie McDaniel. It was the first film produced by Cagney's brother, William Cagney. The title is derived from the ...

'' (1943).

Biography

William K. Howard was born on June 16, 1899, in

St. Marys, Ohio St. Marys is a city in Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. Located in western Ohio, it is west of Wapakoneta and east of the Ohio/Indiana border. The city is located on a portage between the St. Marys and Auglaize river systems, which was a ...

. After serving in Europe during World War I, he graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in engineering law. In 1920, Howard began working in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

as an

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

on ''The Adorable Savage''. The following year, at the age of twenty-two, he directed his first film, ''Get Your Man''. That same year he directed two additional films—''Play Square'' and ''What Love Will Do''—and write ''The One-Man Trail''. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Howard completing two or three films each year. In the 1920s his directorial work included ''

The Border Legion ''The Border Legion'' is a 1916 Western novel written by Zane Grey, first published by Harper & Brothers in 1916. Plot It tells the story of a cold hearted man named Jack Kells who falls in love with Miss Joan Randle, a girl his legion has ta ...

'' (1924), '' The Thundering Herd'' (1925), '' White Gold'' (1927), '' The Valiant'' (1929), and '' Christina'' (1929). In the 1930s he directed such films as ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

'' (1932), '' Rendezvous'' (1935), '' Fire Over England'' (1937), and ''

Back Door to Heaven ''Back Door to Heaven'' is a 1939 American crime drama film directed by William K. Howard and starring Wallace Ford, Aline MacMahon, Stuart Erwin and Patricia Ellis. Plot The story revolves around a delinquent boy later to become a convict, ...

'' (1939). Howard's 1933 film '' The Power and the Glory'' with Spencer Tracy was overlooked for decades, but in recent years it has received significant reappraisal due to recognition that the film was a major influence on the structure of ''

Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American drama film produced by, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz. The picture was Welles' first feature film. ''Citizen Kane'' is frequently cited ...

''. Howard began directing 1940's '' Knute Rockne, All American'', but after a disagreement with the studio was replaced by

Lloyd Bacon Lloyd Francis Bacon (December 4, 1889 – November 15, 1955) was an American screen, stage and vaudeville actor and film director. As a director he made films in virtually all genres, including westerns, musicals, comedies, gangster films, an ...

. The film includes the scene in which future President of the United States

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, portraying terminally ill football player George Gipp, asks Rockne to have the team " win just one for the Gipper". Howard married his wife, Margaret Howard, in Las Vegas in 1949. After suffering from a throat malignancy, which started in 1953, he died in Los Angeles on February 21, 1954, at the age of 54. On February 8, 1960, he was awarded the posthumous honor of a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

, at 1500 Vine Street.

Filmography

* '' Play Square'' (1921) * '' Get Your Man'' (1921) * '' What Love Will Do'' (1921) * '' Deserted at the Altar'' (1922) * '' Lucky Dan'' (1922) * ''

Captain Fly-by-Night ''Captain Fly-by-Night'' is a 1922 American silent adventure film directed by William K. Howard and starring Johnnie Walker, Francis McDonald, and Shannon Day.Munden p. 110. Set in historic Spanish California, it was inspired by the success of ...

'' (1922) * ''

Extra! Extra! ''Extra! Extra!'' is a 1922 American silent adventure romance film directed by William K. Howard and starring Edna Murphy, Johnnie Walker, Herschel Mayall, Clarence Wilson, and John Steppling. The film was released by Fox Film Corporation on ...

'' (1922) * '' Trooper O'Neill'' (1922) * '' Let's Go'' (1923) * ''

The Fourth Musketeer ''The Fourth Musketeer'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by William K. Howard and starring Johnnie Walker, Eileen Percy and Eddie Gribbon.Munden p.272 Synopsis A boxer quits the ring to set up as a garage mechanic. Life is compli ...

'' (1923) * '' Danger Ahead'' (1923) * '' East of Broadway'' (1924) * ''

'' (1924) * '' The Thundering Herd'' (1925) * '' Code of the West'' (1925) * '' The Light of Western Stars'' (1925) * ''

Red Dice ''The Red Dice'' is a 1926 American silent crime drama film directed by William K. Howard and produced by Cecil B. DeMille. It stars Rod La Rocque and Marguerite De La Motte and was released through Producers Distributing Corporation. Cast ...

'' (1926) * '' Volcano!'' (1926) * '' Gigolo'' (1926) * '' Bachelor Brides'' (1926) * '' White Gold'' (1927) * ''

The Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

'' (1927) * ''

A Ship Comes In ''A Ship Comes In'' (also known as ''His Country'') is a 1928 silent film which tells the story of immigrants coming to the United States. It stars Rudolph Schildkraut, Louise Dresser, Milton Holmes, Linda Landi, and Fritz Feld. The movie was ...

'' (1928) * '' The River Pirate'' (1928) * '' Sin Town'' (1929) * ''

Love, Live and Laugh ''Love, Live and Laugh'' is a 1929 American drama film directed by William K. Howard and written by Edwin J. Burke, Dana Burnet, and George Jessel. It is based on the 1922 play ''The Hurdy-Gurdy Man'' by Leroy Clemens and John B. Hymer. The fil ...

'' (1929) * '' The Valiant'' (1929) * '' Christina'' (1929) * '' Good Intentions'' (1930) * ''

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

'' (1930) * '' Transatlantic'' (1931) * '' Surrender'' (1931) * '' Don't Bet on Women'' (1931) * '' The First Year'' (1932) * ''

'' (1932) * ''

The Trial of Vivienne Ware ''The Trial of Vivienne Ware'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by William K. Howard, written by Barry Conners and Philip Klein, and starring Joan Bennett, Donald Cook, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, ZaSu Pitts, Lilian Bond and Ala ...

'' (1932) * '' The Power and the Glory'' (1933) * '' The Cat and the Fiddle'' (1934) * ''

Evelyn Prentice ''Evelyn Prentice'' is a 1934 American crime drama film starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, and featuring Una Merkel and Rosalind Russell in her film debut. The movie was based on the 1933 novel of the same name by W. E. Woodward. Filmed betwe ...

'' (1934) * '' This Side of Heaven'' (1934) * '' Rendezvous'' (1935) * '' Mary Burns, Fugitive'' (1935) * ''

The Princess Comes Across ''The Princess Comes Across'' is a 1936 mystery/comedy film directed by William K. Howard and starring Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray, the second of the four times they were paired together. Lombard, playing an actress from Brooklyn pretend ...

'' (1936) * '' Fire Over England'' (1937) * '' The Squeaker'' (1937) * '' Over the Moon'' (1939) * ''

'' (1939) * '' Money and the Woman'' (1940) * '' Knute Rockne, All American'' (1940) * ''

'Til We Meet Again ''Til We Meet Again'' is a 1940 romance film directed by Edmund Goulding and Anatole Litvak and starring Merle Oberon and George Brent as two doomed, star-crossed lovers. It is a remake of the 1932 film ''One Way Passage'' and itself was remade i ...

'' (1940) * '' Bullets for O'Hara'' (1941) * ''

Klondike Fury ''Klondike Fury'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by William K. Howard, produced by the King Brothers, and released through Monogram. It stars Edmund Lowe. It was a remake of '' Klondike''. Plot A neurosurgeon is thrown out of the medic ...

'' (1942) * ''

'' (1943) * ''

When the Lights Go On Again "When the Lights Go On Again (All Over the World)" is a popular song composed during World War II. It was written by Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus and Eddie Seiler. The first recording, by Vaughn Monroe, reached number one on the charts in 1943. T ...

'' (1944) * '' A Guy Could Change'' (1946)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, William K. 1899 births 1954 deaths Screenwriters from Ohio American military personnel of World War I American male screenwriters Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) People from St. Mary's, Ohio Film directors from Ohio Film producers from Ohio 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters