Ernest Bretaigne Windust (January 20, 1906 – March 19, 1960) was a United States–based, French-born theater, film and television director.

Early life

Windust was born in Paris, the son of English violin virtuoso Ernest Joseph Windust and singer Elizabeth Amory Day from New York City. The family escaped to London during World War I, and it was there that he developed an interest in theater. They returned to Paris following the war, but Windust's parents divorced in 1920 and he and his mother moved to the United States. He attended

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and then Princeton, where he became a member and later president of the Theatre Intime players.

Career

Planning to becoming an actor, Windust cofounded (with Charles Leatherbee) the University Players in 1928 on

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

Falmouth, Massachusetts Falmouth ( ) is a New England town, town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 32,517 at the 2020 census, making Falmouth the second-largest municipality on Cape Cod after Barnstable, Massachusetts, Barnstable. T ...

. The company lasted five years and included later luminaries

Joshua Logan Joshua Lockwood Logan III (October 5, 1908 – July 12, 1988) was an American theatre and film director, playwright and screenwriter, and actor. He shared a Pulitzer Prize for co-writing the musical '' South Pacific'' and was involved in writing ...

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Margaret Sullavan Margaret Brooke Sullavan (May 16, 1909 – January 1, 1960) was an American stage and film actress. She began her career onstage in 1929 with the University Players on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In 1933, she caught the attention of film direct ...

, Mildred Natwick, Eleanor Phelps, Barbara O'Neil,

Myron McCormick Myron McCormick (February 8, 1908 – July 30, 1962) was an American actor of stage, radio, and film. Early life and education Born Walter Myron McCormick in Albany, Indiana, in 1908, he was the middle child of Walter P. and Bessie M. McCo ...

Kent Smith Frank Kent SmithGordon, Dr. Roger L. (2018). Supporting Actors in Motion Pictures: Volume II'. Pittsburgh, PA: Dorrance Publishing. pp. 130, 131. . "Kent Smith: Frank Kent Smith was born on March 19, 1907, in New York City. ..He was marrie ...

and Aleta Freel. Windust directed more often than he acted. Although he began his association with the

Theatre Guild The Theatre Guild is a theatrical society founded in New York City in 1918 by Lawrence Langner, Philip Moeller, Helen Westley and Theresa Helburn. Langner's wife, Armina Marshall, then served as a co-director. It evolved out of the work of ...

in Manhattan as an assistant stage manager in 1929, he maintained his position as a director of the University Players in the offseason when they performed on Cape Cod through mid-1932. He quit the Theatre Guild briefly during the winter season of 1931-32 to direct the University Players through its 18-week winter season in Baltimore. Windust's first major credit as a professional theater director was the 1932 West End production of

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...

's '' Strange Interlude''. He directed

Alfred Lunt Alfred David Lunt (August 12, 1892 – August 3, 1977) was an American actor and director, best known for his long stage partnership with his wife, Lynn Fontanne, from the 1920s to 1960, co-starring in Broadway theatre, Broadway and West End thea ...

and

Lynn Fontanne Lynn Fontanne (; 6 December 1887 – 30 July 1983) was an English actress. After early success in supporting roles in the West End theatre, West End, she met the American actor Alfred Lunt, whom she married in 1922 and with whom she co-starred i ...

in ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

'' and '' Amphitryon 38'' (which he translated from the original French) and appeared with them in '' Idiot's Delight'', his last work as an actor. Windust's first major Broadway hit was '' Life with Father'', the Russel Crouse/ Howard Lindsay play based on the memoirs of Clarence Day, Jr., a distant relative on Windust's mother's side. At 3,224 performances, it held the record for the longest-running Broadway production for many years. It remains the longest running non-musical show in Broadway history. In quick succession, he followed with '' Arsenic and Old Lace'' and ''Strip for Action'', giving him three hits running simultaneously on Broadway. Windust cemented his Broadway career by directing the musical hit ''Finian's Rainbow'' (1947). In 1947, Windust relocated to Hollywood, where he worked as the dialogue director for '' Stallion Road'', starring

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

. His film directing career included two 1948

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

vehicles, the melodramatic '' Winter Meeting'' and the screwball comedy '' June Bride''. The latter part of his career was spent in the television division of Universal, directing episodes of ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'', ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'', ''

Leave It to Beaver ''Leave It to Beaver'' is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It starred Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers. CBS first broadcast the show ...

'' and '' Bachelor Father'', in addition to the

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

1957 special '' The Pied Piper of Hamelin'', later released as a feature film. Windust's final work was the direction of an episode of the ''Startime'' television anthology series titled "Dear Arthur" that was taped several days before his death.

Personal life

Windust's wife Irene Windust (née Corbett) was an actress who appeared in several feature films and multiple episodes of the television series '' Bachelor Father'', ''

'' and ''

''.

Death

On March 19, 1960, Windust was admitted to the

New York-Presbyterian Hospital The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (abbreviated as NYP) is a nonprofit academic medical center in New York City. It is the primary teaching hospital for Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The hospit ...

for an operation but died there at the age of 54.

Selected filmography

Director

* '' June Bride'' (1948) * '' Winter Meeting'' (1948) * '' Perfect Strangers'' (1950) * ''

Pretty Baby Pretty Baby may refer to: * ''Pretty Baby'' (1950 film), a comedy film featuring Dennis Morgan and Betsy Drake * ''Pretty Baby'' (1978 film), a drama film featuring Brooke Shields ** ''Pretty Baby'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the film ...

'' (1950) * '' The Enforcer'' (1951) * '' The Pied Piper of Hamelin'' (1957) * ''

The Thin Man ''The Thin Man'' (1934) is a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in a condensed version in the December 1933 issue of '' Redbook''. It appeared in book form the following month. A film series followed, featuring the main ...

'' (3 episodes, 1958) * ''

'' (2 episodes, 1959) * '' Markham'' (4 episodes, 1959) * ''

'' (3 episodes, 1959) * ''

'' (1 episode, 1960) * '' Star Time'' (3 episodes, 1959–1960) * '' Bachelor Father'' (10 episodes, 1959-1960) * '' The Jim Backus Show'' (1 episode, 1960)

Producer

* ''

Climax! ''Climax!'' (later known as ''Climax Mystery Theater'') is an American television anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS pro ...

'' (7 episodes, 1954–1955) * '' Star Time'' (2 episodes, 1959–1960)

Broadway credits

* '' The Hasty Heart'' (1945) * ''

State of the Union The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a Joint session of the United States Congress, joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning ...

'' (1946) * '' Finian's Rainbow'' (1947)

References

External links

* *
Windust biography at the ''New York Times''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Windust, Bretaigne 1906 births 1960 deaths Film directors from Paris Princeton University alumni French people of English descent French emigrants to the United States French television directors French television producers French theatre directors