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IMDbPro

William A. Seiter(1890-1964)

  • Director
  • Producer
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
William A. Seiter
Originally a writer and artist, William A. Seiter entered films with Selig. He worked from 1915 as a stunt double and bit player at Keystone and quickly graduated to directing comedy shorts. He moved up to features in the 1920s. He married actress Laura La Plante, who he directed in several films, such as Skinner's Dress Suit (1926), He was at his best, though, in charge of comic teams such as Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (he directed what many believe to be their finest film, Sons of the Desert (1933)), Bud Abbott and Lou Costello (Little Giant (1946)) and The Marx Brothers.

Most of his early work was under contract to Universal (1924-28) and Warner Brothers (1928-29). He successfully made the transition to sound and remained much in demand for light comedy, working for RKO (1931-34), 20th Century-Fox (1934-38), Universal (1939-41 and again from 1945-49). He retired in 1954. He is perhaps best remembered for "Sons of the Desert" and the musical Roberta (1935) with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
BornJune 10, 1890
DiedJuly 26, 1964(74)
BornJune 10, 1890
DiedJuly 26, 1964(74)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 win & 3 nominations

Photos6

Oliver Hardy, Chet Brandenburg, Stan Laurel, Kenneth Peach, and William A. Seiter in Sons of the Desert (1933)
William A. Seiter
William A. Seiter
William A. Seiter
Ginger Rogers, Norman Foster, and William A. Seiter in Rafter Romance (1933)

Known for:

Reginald Denny and Gertrude Olmstead in The Cheerful Fraud (1926)
The Cheerful Fraud
4.6
  • Director(as William Seiter)
  • 1926
Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Taylor, and Victor McLaglen in This Is My Affair (1937)
This Is My Affair
6.6
  • Director
  • 1937
Randolph Scott, Bob Burns, Jane Hale, Gypsy Rose Lee, Wanda McKay, Dinah Shore, and Charles Winninger in Belle of the Yukon (1944)
Belle of the Yukon
5.3
  • Director
  • 1944
Up and at 'Em (1922)
Up and at 'Em
  • Director
  • 1922

Credits

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IMDbPro

Director

  • The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna (1956)
    The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1956–1960
  • The Alaskans (1959)
    The Alaskans
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1959
  • Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling in Love That Jill (1958)
    Love That Jill
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1958
  • Preston Foster in Cavalcade of America (1952)
    Cavalcade of America
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1956–1957
  • Have Camera Will Travel (1956)
    Have Camera Will Travel
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 1956
  • Chevron Hall of Stars (1956)
    Chevron Hall of Stars
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1956
  • The 20th Century-Fox Hour (1955)
    The 20th Century-Fox Hour
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1956
  • Four Star Playhouse (1952)
    Four Star Playhouse
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1954–1956
  • Hal Baylor, Hans Conried, and Chuck Hicks in Schlitz Playhouse (1951)
    Schlitz Playhouse
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1955
  • Barry Nelson in My Favorite Husband (1953)
    My Favorite Husband
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1955
  • Frank McHugh and Marvin Miller in The Millionaire (1955)
    The Millionaire
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1955
  • Screen Directors Playhouse (1955)
    Screen Directors Playhouse
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1955
  • Stage 7 (1955)
    Stage 7
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1955
  • TV Reader's Digest (1955)
    TV Reader's Digest
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1955
  • Dorothy McGuire and Stephen McNally in Make Haste to Live (1954)
    Make Haste to Live
    • Director
    • 1954

Producer

  • Dorothy McGuire and Stephen McNally in Make Haste to Live (1954)
    Make Haste to Live
    • associate producer
    • 1954
  • Alex Nicol, Audrey Totter, and Charles Winninger in Champ for a Day (1953)
    Champ for a Day
    • associate producer
    • 1953
  • Eve Arden, William Demarest, Ruth Hussey, and Dennis O'Keefe in The Lady Wants Mink (1953)
    The Lady Wants Mink
    • associate producer
    • 1953
  • Borderline (1950)
    Borderline
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1950
  • Ava Gardner and Robert Walker in One Touch of Venus (1948)
    One Touch of Venus
    • producer
    • 1948
  • Randolph Scott, Bob Burns, Jane Hale, Gypsy Rose Lee, Wanda McKay, Dinah Shore, and Charles Winninger in Belle of the Yukon (1944)
    Belle of the Yukon
    • producer
    • 1944
  • Brian Aherne, Robert Benchley, Virginia Bruce, John Carroll, and Rosalind Russell in Hired Wife (1940)
    Hired Wife
    • producer
    • 1940
  • Ricardo Cortez and Loretta Young in Big Business Girl (1931)
    Big Business Girl
    • producer
    • 1931
  • Corinne Griffith and Grant Withers in Back Pay (1930)
    Back Pay
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1930
  • Basil Rathbone and Dorothy Mackaill in The Flirting Widow (1930)
    The Flirting Widow
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1930
  • Colleen Moore in Smiling Irish Eyes (1929)
    Smiling Irish Eyes
    • producer
    • 1929
  • Reginald Denny and Gertrude Olmstead in The Cheerful Fraud (1926)
    The Cheerful Fraud
    • producer (as William Seiter)
    • 1926
  • Reginald Denny and Laura La Plante in Skinner's Dress Suit (1926)
    Skinner's Dress Suit
    • producer
    • 1926

Writer

  • Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel in Sons of the Desert (1933)
    Sons of the Desert
    • Writer (uncredited)
    • 1933
  • Reginald Denny and Gertrude Olmstead in The Cheerful Fraud (1926)
    The Cheerful Fraud
    • scenario
    • 1926
  • Louise Fazenda, Harry Myers, and George O'Hara in Listen Lester (1924)
    Listen Lester
    • adaptation
    • 1924
  • Up and at 'Em (1922)
    Up and at 'Em
    • story
    • 1922
  • Doris May in The Foolish Age (1921)
    The Foolish Age
    • scenario
    • 1921
  • The Fatal Flower
    • written by
    • Short
    • 1918
  • Some Baby!
    • written by
    • Short
    • 1918
  • Ain't It So?
    • written by
    • Short
    • 1918
  • The Fly Ball (1918)
    The Fly Ball
    • written by
    • Short
    • 1918
  • Marcel Perez and Nilde Baracchi in Oh! What a Day (1918)
    Oh! What a Day
    • written by
    • Short
    • 1918
  • All 'Fur' Her (1918)
    All 'Fur' Her
    • written by
    • Short
    • 1918
  • The Recruit (1918)
    The Recruit
    • written by
    • Short
    • 1918

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • William Seiter
  • Height
    • 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
  • Born
    • June 10, 1890
    • New York City, New York, USA
  • Died
    • July 26, 1964
    • Beverly Hills, California, USA(heart attack)
  • Spouses
      Marian NixonAugust 16, 1934 - July 26, 1964 (his death, 3 children)
  • Relatives
      Robert Seiter(Sibling)
  • Publicity listings
    • 10 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Entered films in 1915 as a stuntman in westerns.
  • Salary
    • Little Giant
      (1946)
      $100,000

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