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. 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, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the major film studios, "Big Five" film studios of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood's Clas ...

, his first film being the 1931 musical comedy, '' Caught Plastered'', directed by William Seiter, and starring the comedy duo of

Bert Wheeler Bert Wheeler (April 7, 1895 – January 18, 1968) was an American comedian who performed in vaudeville acts, Broadway theatre, American comedy feature films, and television. He was teamed with Broadway comic Robert Woolsey, and they went on to ...

and

Robert Woolsey Robert Rollie Woolsey (August 14, 1888 – October 31, 1938) was an American stage and screen comedian and half of the 1930s comedy team Wheeler & Woolsey. Early life Robert Rollie Woolsey (sometimes spelled Rolla or even Raleigh) was born o ...

. 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, producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO Pictures, RKO when David O. Selzn ...

on the drama ''

What Price Hollywood? ''What Price Hollywood?'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by George Cukor and starring Constance Bennett with Lowell Sherman. The screenplay by Gene Fowler, Rowland Brown, Jane Murfin and Ben Markson is based on a story by ...

'', 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 Cinema of the United States, Hollywood star during the 1920s and 1930s; during the early 193 ...

and

Lowell Sherman Lowell Sherman (October 11, 1888 – December 28, 1934) was an American actor and film director. In an unusual practice for the time, he served as both actor and director on several films in the early 1930s. He later turned exclusively to dire ...

. In 1933 he was one of several assistants to

Dorothy Arzner Dorothy Emma Arzner (January 3, 1897 – October 1, 1979) was an American film director whose career in Hollywood spanned from the silent era of the 1920s into the early 1940s. With the exception of long-time silent film director Lois Weber, fro ...

on the melodrama ''

Christopher Strong ''Christopher Strong'' (also known as ''The Great Desire'' and ''The White Moth'') is a 1933 American pre-Code romantic drama film produced by RKO and directed by Dorothy Arzner. It is a tale of illicit love among the English aristocracy and ...

'', which featured

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

in her first starring role. He worked with Hepburn on two more films in 1933, ''

Morning Glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose taxonomy and systematics remain in flux. These species are distributed across numerous genus, gene ...

'' (one of three assisting

), 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, originally published in two volumes, in 1868 and 1869. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters— Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details th ...

''. That year he also assisted Seiter again on another Wheeler & Woolsey comedy, '' Diplomaniacs'', as well as being one of three assistants to

Thornton Freeland Thornton Freeland (February 10, 1898 – May 22, 1987) was an American film director who directed 26 British and American films in a career that lasted from 1924 to 1949. Early success He was born in Hope, North Dakota in 1898 and originally ...

on the RKO musical ''

Flying Down to Rio ''Flying Down to Rio'' is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film famous for being the first screen pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, although lead actors Dolores del Río and Gene Raymond received top billing. Among the featured pla ...

'', which featured the first on-screen pairing of

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

and

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

. 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 Hel ...

on the classic drama ''

The Age of Innocence ''The Age of Innocence'' is a novel by American author Edith Wharton, published on 25 October 1920. It was her eighth novel, and was initially serialized in 1920 in four parts, in the magazine '' Pictorial Review''. Later that year, it was rele ...

'', the first talking version of the novel, starring

Irene Dunne Irene Dunne (born Irene Marie Dunn; December 20, 1898 – September 4, 1990) was an American actress who appeared in films during Classical Hollywood cinema, the Golden Age of Hollywood. She is best known for her comedic roles, though she perf ...

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 often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

''." 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 Freckles are clusters of concentrated melaninized cells which are most easily visible on people with a fair complexion. Freckles do not have an increased number of the melanin-producing cells, or melanocytes, but instead have melanocytes that ...

, 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 Gene Raymond (born Raymond Guion; August 13, 1908 – May 3, 1998) was an American film, television, and stage actor of the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to acting, Raymond was also a singer, composer, screenwriter, director, producer, and decorat ...

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), sometimes nicknamed Beck Michael, was an American film, stage and television actress. Biography Lillian Gertrude Michael was born in Talladega, Alabama to Mr. and Mrs. Carl H. Mich ...

and

Walter Abel Walter Abel (June 6, 1898 – March 26, 1987) was an American stage, film, and radio actor whose career spanned nearly seven decades. Life Abel was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the son of Christine (née Becker) and Richard Michael Abel. Abel ...

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

B movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

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 more ...

'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 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 ...

'' (1940), '' Along the Rio Grande'' (1941), and '' Land of the Open Range'' (1942). In the mid-1940s, a young actor,

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He is known for his antihero roles and film noir appearances. He received nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He received a star on the Holl ...

, was signed to a seven-year contract with RKO, with the intent of making B-Westerns based on

Zane Grey Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author and dentist. He is known for his popular adventure novels and stories associated with the Western genre in literature and the arts; he idealized the American frontier ...

novels. Killy was assigned the first of these films, 1944's ''

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

''. 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 Roberta is a feminine version of the given names Robert and Roberto. It is a Germanic name derived from the stems *hrod meaning "famous", "glorious", "godlike" and *berht meaning "bright", "shining", "light". People with the name *Roberta Achtenbe ...

'', directed by Seiter, and starring

, and

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

; again with Hepburn on '' Alice Adams'' (1935), with

George Stevens George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for ''A Place in the Sun (1951 film), A Place in the Sun'' (1951) ...

directing; the classic war film ''

Gunga Din "Gunga Din" () is an 1890 poem by Rudyard Kipling set in British India. The poem was published alongside "Mandalay" and " Danny Deever" in the collection " Barrack-Room Ballads". The poem is much remembered for its final line "You're a better ...

'', again directed by Stevens, and starring

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

Victor McLaglen Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen (10 December 1886 – 7 November 1959) was a British-American actor and boxer.Obituary '' Variety'', 11 November 1959, page 79. His film career spanned from the early 1920s through the 1950s, initially ...

, and

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr. (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer, and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best-known for starring in such films as '' The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), '' Gunga Din'' (1939), ...

; '' 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 Cinema of the United States, Hollywood primarily a ...

, and starring

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (; 1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British and American actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play wi ...

as Quasimodo and

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was an Irish-born naturalized American actress who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for playing passionate b ...

as Esmeralda;

Gregory La Cava Gregory La Cava (March 10, 1892 – March 1, 1952) was an American film director of Italian descent best known for his films of the 1930s, including ''My Man Godfrey'' and ''Stage Door'', which earned him nominations for Academy Award for Best ...

's '' Primrose Path'', starring Ginger Rogers and

Joel McCrea Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he bec ...

; '' 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'' is a 1944 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'' (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 and filmmaker. He was best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' ...

and starring

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer and entrepreneur. Her acting career spanned almost 70 years. Reynolds performed on stage and television and in films into her 80s. She was nom ...

and

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

in his final film performance; and the

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

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

, and starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

. 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 m ...

'' (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) *'' Caught Plastered'' (1931) – assistant director *'' Too Many Cooks'' (1931) – assistant director *''

'' (1932) – assistant director *'' Diplomaniacs'' (1933) – assistant director *''

Bed of Roses Bed of roses is an English expression that represents a carefree life. This idiomatic expression is still popular. In the thirteenth-century work Le Roman de la Rose (called "The French Iliad" in Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable), a L ...

'' (1933) – assistant director *''

Emergency Call An emergency telephone number is a number that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. The emergency number differs from country to country; it is typically a three-digit number so that it can be easily remembered and ...

'' (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 the fact that it follows ordinary school and is intended to complete a young woman's ...

'' (1934) – assistant director *'' Sing and Like It'' (1934) – assistant director *'' The Little Minister'' (1934) – assistant director *''

Down to Their Last Yacht ''Down to Their Last Yacht'' is a 1934 comic adventure produced and distributed by RKO Pictures. Plot After the stock market crash of 1929, the Colt-Stratton family is forced to rent their yacht to the nouveau riche at the behest of Nella Fitzg ...

'' (1934) – assistant director *'' Hips, Hips, Hooray!'' (1934) – assistant director *''

'' (1934) – assistant director *'' Break of Hearts'' (1935) – assistant director *''

'' (1935) – director *'' Alice Adams'' (1935) – assistant director *''

'' (1935) – director *''

'' (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'' (1937) – director *'' Saturday's Heroes'' (1937) – director *''

Quick Money ''Quick Money'' is a 1937 film. It lost $37,000. Plot 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 * Harla ...

'' (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 Hartmann, Edmund L. Hartmann and J. Robert Bren, based on a story by Taylor Caven. RKO Radio Pictures produced the film, which stars Constance ...

'' (1937) – director *'' 5th Avenue Girl'' (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 ...

'' (1939) – assistant director *'' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1939) – assistant director *''

'' (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 ''Stage to Chino'' is a 1940 American Western film directed by Edward Killy from a screenplay by Morton Grant and Arthur V. Jones, based on a story by Norton S. Parker. The film was released by RKO Radio Pictures on July 26, 1940, who also pr ...

'' (1940) – director *'' Along the Rio Grande'' (1941) – director *'' The Bandit Trail'' (1941) – director *'' Come on Danger'' (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. Ca ...

'' (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 warfare, amphibious light infantry warfare. Despite the original intent for Raiders to serve ...

'' (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 (; or Sindbad) is a fictional mariner and the hero of a Literary cycle, story-cycle. He is described as hailing from Baghdad during the early Abbasid Caliphate (8th and 9th centuries A.D.). In the course of seven voyages thr ...

'' (1947) – production assistant *''

Tycoon A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

'' (1947) – production assistant *''

'' (1948) – production manager *'' Adventure in Baltimore'' (1949) – production manager *'' The Big Steal'' (1949) – production manager *'' The Set-Up'' (1949) – assistant director *''

Stromboli Stromboli ( , ; ) 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 seven Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Sicily, and the mytho ...

'' (1950) – production manager *''

The Lusty Men ''The Lusty Men '' is a 1952 Contemporary Western film released by Wald-Krasna Productions and RKO Radio Pictures starring Susan Hayward, Robert Mitchum, Arthur Kennedy and Arthur Hunnicutt. The picture was directed by Nicholas Ray and pro ...

'' (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 *'' Susan Slept Here'' (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'' (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 Film directors from Connecticut