William A. Seiter

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William A. Seiter (June 10, 1890 - July 26, 1964) was an American film director. He was born in New York City. After attending Hudson River Military Academy, Seiter broke into films in 1915 as a bit player at Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios, doubling a cowboy. He graduated to director in 1918.

At Universal Studios in the mid-1920s, Seiter was principal director of the popular Reginald Denny vehicles, most of which co-starred Seiter's then wife Laura La Plante (his second wife was actress Marian Nixon). This period also included The Beautiful and Damned and The Family Secret.

In the early talkie era, Seiter helped nurture the talents of RKO's comedy duo Wheeler & Woolsey in such rollicking features as Caught Plastered (1931) and Diplomaniacs (1933). He also directed the Laurel and Hardy feature Sons of the Desert (1933), their only film together. Other films include Sunny, Going Wild, Kiss Me Again, Hot Saturday, Way Back Home, Girl Crazy, Rafter Romance, Roberta, Room Service, Susannah of the Mounties, Allegheny Uprising, You Were Never Lovelier, Up in Central Park, and One Touch of Venus.

Among the many stars directed by Seiter during his long career were Shirley Temple, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Henry Fonda, Margaret Sullavan, Jack Haley, Deanna Durbin, Jean Arthur, John Wayne, Fred MacMurray, Lucille Ball, Rita Hayworth and the Marx Brothers.

While many of his films were minor gems, Seiter was capable of turning out bad movies once in a while. For example, if he ran into friction from his star—as was the case with Lou Costello in 1946's Little Giant -- Seiter would get even by adhering religiously to the script, refusing to add any nuance or creativity to the project (this pettiness may have been the reason that one prominent actress of the 1930s referred to Seiter as the most unimaginative director she'd ever worked with). On his final four films, before he retired in 1954, Seiter functioned as both producer and director. These films included The Lady Wants Mink (1953), a gentle satire of the then topical "raise your own coat" craze.

He died in Beverly Hills, California, of a heart attack, aged 74.

Sons of the Desert

7.0

Room Service

6.5

You Were Never Lovelier

7.1

Roberta

7.0

If I Had a Million

6.5

One Touch of Venus

6.6

Allegheny Uprising

5.6

Stowaway

6.7

Borderline

5.5

Little Giant

5.3

A Lady Takes a Chance

5.7

Hot Saturday

6.5

If You Could Only Cook

7.4

Dimples

6.4

Susannah of the Mounties

6.3

Destroyer

6.6

This Is My Affair

7.3

Make Haste to Live

5.8

The Richest Girl in the World

5.6

Rafter Romance

6.5

Why Be Good?

6.5

Chance at Heaven

5.7

The Affairs of Susan

6.1

Four Star Playhouse

6.1

Belle of the Yukon

4.7

It's a Date

6.4

Helen's Babies

5.6

Back Pay

4.0

Is My Face Red?

5.0

Way Back Home

6.2

The 20th Century Fox Hour

5.2

Three Blind Mice

6.0

Caught Plastered

5.8

Girl Crazy

4.5

Hired Wife

6.8

What Happened to Jones

5.8

I'll Be Yours

6.0

The Life of the Party

5.2

Professional Sweetheart

5.0

Up in Central Park

7.0

The Family Secret

5.9

Appointment for Love

5.2

Nice Girl?

5.3

Peach-o-Reno

6.0

Broadway

5.5

Four Jills in a Jeep

5.7

The Moon's Our Home

6.5

Little Church Around the Corner

5.5

Sing and Like It

4.3

It's a Pleasure

4.7

The Truth About Youth

5.7

In Person

6.3

Lover Come Back

6.2

Sally, Irene and Mary

6.0

The Millionaire

5.0

Cavalcade of America

3.5

Screen Director's Playhouse

6.5

Going Wild

6.0

Big Business Girl

5.5

The Case Against Mrs. Ames

4.0

Dear Brat

4.0

Sunny

5.0

Young Bride

3.0

We're Rich Again

4.0

The Flirting Widow

4.0

Diplomaniacs

7.0

Skinner's Dress Suit

7.0

Thanks for Everything

5.0

The Mad Whirl

6.2

The White Sin

6.0

The Aviator

9.0

The Gale Storm Show

5.5

Kiss Me Again

6.0

Hello, Everybody!

6.0

Too Many Cooks

2.5

The Lady Wants Mink

6.0

The Cheerful Fraud

4.0

Bell Boy 13

6.0

Daddies

5.0

His Forgotten Wife

5.0

Love Birds

6.0

Champ for a Day

6.0

The Teaser

1.0

When Love Comes

0.0

That Night with You

0.0

Take It from Me

0.0

Orchids to You

0.0

Life Begins in College

0.0

Where Was I?

0.0

The Small Bachelor

0.0

Gay and Devilish

0.0

Synthetic Sin

0.0

Camouflage

0.0

Good Morning, Judge

0.0

The Daring Young Man

0.0

Footlights and Fools

0.0

Smiling Irish Eyes

0.0

Prisoners

0.0

The Fast Worker

0.0

Strictly Modern

0.0

Oh! What a Day

0.0

Passing Through

0.0

Rolling Home

0.0

Outcast

0.0

The Foolish Age

0.0

Out All Night

0.0

Happiness Ahead

0.0

The Wild Bunch

0.0

Dangerous Innocence

0.0

Want Ad Wedding

0.0

Up and at 'Em

0.0

The Understudy

0.0

Boy Crazy

0.0

Eden and Return

0.0