Ford Beebe: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|American screenwriter, film director (1888–1978)}} |
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{{Infobox person |
{{Infobox person |
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==Life== |
==Life== |
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Ford Beebe was born on November 26, 1888, in [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]].{{sfn|Kinnard|2008|p=173}}<ref name=Mclassics>{{cite web|title=Ford Beebe Biography & Filmography|url=http://matineeclassics.com/celebrities/directors/ford_beebe/details/|work=Matinee Classics|access-date=2 October 2013}}</ref> Before moving to [[Hollywood]] he was a freelance writer who was also experienced in advertising.<ref>''Ford Beebe with Signal''. ''[[The Moving Picture World]]'', volume 28, p. 995.</ref>{{sfn|Quinlan|1999|p=30}} He arrived in Hollywood in 1916 and began working as a writer for [[Western films]].{{sfn|Quinlan|1999|p=30}} His first credit was as scenario writer for the 1916 film ''[[A Youth of Fortune]]''.<ref name=Mclassics/> Beebe directed for the first time when [[Leo D. Maloney]], who had been directing a film called ''The Test'', fell ill.{{sfn|Quinlan|1999|p=30}}<ref name=Mclassics/> Beebe became known as a director of low-budget films and serials.{{sfn|Quinlan|1999|p=30}} He was once described as being "an expert at making something out of nothing."{{sfn|Kinnard|2008|p=173}} The first serial directed by Beebe was 1932's ''[[The Shadow of the Eagle]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ford I. Beebe - Movie and Film Biography and Filmography|url=http://www.allrovi.com/name/ford-i-beebe-p81191|work=[[Allmovie]]|publisher=[[Allrovi]]|access-date=3 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203083101/http://www.allrovi.com/name/ford-i-beebe-p81191|archive-date=3 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> He went on to direct several other serials, notably ''[[Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars]]'', ''[[Buck Rogers (serial)|Buck Rogers]]'', ''[[The Green Hornet (serial)|The Green Hornet]]'', and ''[[Don Winslow of the Navy]]''; these were noted by film historian [[Hal Erickson (author)|Hal Erickson]] to be the best of Beebe's works.<ref name=Erickson>{{cite web|last=Erickson|first=Hal|author-link=Hal Erickson (author)|title=Ford I. Beebe|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/ford-beebe|work=[[Answers.com]]|access-date=3 October 2013}}</ref> |
Ford Beebe was born on November 26, 1888, in [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]].{{sfn|Kinnard|2008|p=173}}<ref name=Mclassics>{{cite web|title=Ford Beebe Biography & Filmography|url=http://matineeclassics.com/celebrities/directors/ford_beebe/details/|work=Matinee Classics|access-date=2 October 2013|archive-date=4 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004235959/http://matineeclassics.com/celebrities/directors/ford_beebe/details/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Before moving to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] he was a freelance writer who was also experienced in advertising.<ref>''Ford Beebe with Signal''. ''[[The Moving Picture World]]'', volume 28, p. 995.</ref>{{sfn|Quinlan|1999|p=30}} He arrived in Hollywood in 1916 and began working as a writer for [[Western films]].{{sfn|Quinlan|1999|p=30}} His first credit was as scenario writer for the 1916 film ''[[A Youth of Fortune]]''.<ref name=Mclassics/> Beebe directed for the first time when [[Leo D. Maloney]], who had been directing a film called ''The Test'', fell ill.{{sfn|Quinlan|1999|p=30}}<ref name=Mclassics/> Beebe became known as a director of low-budget films and serials.{{sfn|Quinlan|1999|p=30}} He was once described as being "an expert at making something out of nothing."{{sfn|Kinnard|2008|p=173}} The first serial directed by Beebe was 1932's ''[[The Shadow of the Eagle]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ford I. Beebe - Movie and Film Biography and Filmography|url=http://www.allrovi.com/name/ford-i-beebe-p81191|work=[[Allmovie]]|publisher=[[Allrovi]]|access-date=3 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203083101/http://www.allrovi.com/name/ford-i-beebe-p81191|archive-date=3 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> He went on to direct several other serials, notably ''[[Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars]]'', ''[[Buck Rogers (serial)|Buck Rogers]]'', ''[[The Green Hornet (serial)|The Green Hornet]]'', and ''[[Don Winslow of the Navy]]''; these were noted by film historian [[Hal Erickson (author)|Hal Erickson]] to be the best of Beebe's works.<ref name=Erickson>{{cite web|last=Erickson|first=Hal|author-link=Hal Erickson (author)|title=Ford I. Beebe|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/ford-beebe|work=[[Answers.com]]|access-date=3 October 2013}}</ref> |
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Beebe preferred to direct westerns; speaking to the ''[[Evening Independent]]'', he said that westerns were the "bread and butter" of film studios.<ref>{{cite news|title=Theater Gossip|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=l2lIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GlUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5649,3948276|access-date=3 October 2013|newspaper=[[Evening Independent]]|date=6 August 1943}}</ref> He was listed as a director on over 100 films.<ref name=Mclassics/> [[Alfred Hitchcock]] commended Beebe for his 1942 film ''[[Night Monster]]'', impressed with the speed and economy of the production.{{sfn|Kinnard|2008|p=174}} |
Beebe preferred to direct westerns; speaking to the ''[[Evening Independent]]'', he said that westerns were the "bread and butter" of film studios.<ref>{{cite news|title=Theater Gossip|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=l2lIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GlUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5649,3948276|access-date=3 October 2013|newspaper=[[Evening Independent]]|date=6 August 1943}}</ref> He was listed as a director on over 100 films.<ref name=Mclassics/> [[Alfred Hitchcock]] commended Beebe for his 1942 film ''[[Night Monster]]'', impressed with the speed and economy of the production.{{sfn|Kinnard|2008|p=174}} |
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* ''[[Fight It Out]]'' (1920) |
* ''[[Fight It Out]]'' (1920) |
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* ''[[The Trail of the Hound]]'' (1920) |
* ''[[The Trail of the Hound]]'' (1920) |
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* ''[[The Saddle King]]'' (1921) |
* ''[[The Saddle King (1921 film)|The Saddle King]]'' (1921) |
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* ''[[The Driftin' Kid (1921 film)|The Driftin' Kid]]'' (1921) |
* ''[[The Driftin' Kid (1921 film)|The Driftin' Kid]]'' (1921) |
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* ''[[Sweet Revenge (1921 film)|Sweet Revenge]]'' (1921) |
* ''[[Sweet Revenge (1921 film)|Sweet Revenge]]'' (1921) |
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* ''[[The Boss of Rustler's Roost]]'' (1928) |
* ''[[The Boss of Rustler's Roost]]'' (1928) |
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* ''[[The Bronc Stomper]]'' (1928) |
* ''[[The Bronc Stomper]]'' (1928) |
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* ''[[The Code of the Scarlet]]'' (1928) |
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* ''[[Yellow Contraband]]'' (1928) |
* ''[[Yellow Contraband]]'' (1928) |
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* ''[[.45 Calibre War]]'' (1929) |
* ''[[.45 Calibre War]]'' (1929) |
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* ''[[The Prescott Kid]]'' (1934) |
* ''[[The Prescott Kid]]'' (1934) |
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* ''[[The Adventures of Rex and Rinty]]'' (1935) |
* ''[[The Adventures of Rex and Rinty]]'' (1935) |
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* ''[[The Man from Guntown]]'' (1935) |
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* ''[[Fighting Shadows]]'' (1935) |
* ''[[Fighting Shadows]]'' (1935) |
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* ''[[Justice of the Range]]'' (1935) |
* ''[[Justice of the Range]]'' (1935) |
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* ''[[Riding Wild (1935 film)|Riding Wild]]'' (1935) |
* ''[[Riding Wild (1935 film)|Riding Wild]]'' (1935) |
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* ''[[Stampede (1936 film)|Stampede]]'' (1936) |
* ''[[Stampede (1936 film)|Stampede]]'' (1936) |
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* ''[[Code of the Range]]'' (1936) |
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* ''[[West Bound Limited]]'' (1937) |
* ''[[West Bound Limited]]'' (1937) |
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* ''[[Jungle Jim (serial)|Jungle Jim]]'' (1937) |
* ''[[Jungle Jim (serial)|Jungle Jim]]'' (1937) |
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* ''[[Buck Rogers (serial)|Buck Rogers]]'' (1939) |
* ''[[Buck Rogers (serial)|Buck Rogers]]'' (1939) |
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* ''[[The Phantom Creeps]]'' (1939) |
* ''[[The Phantom Creeps]]'' (1939) |
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* ''[[The Stranger from Texas]] (1939) |
* ''[[The Stranger from Texas]]'' (1939) |
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* ''[[Oklahoma Frontier]]'' (1939) |
* ''[[Oklahoma Frontier]]'' (1939) |
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* ''[[Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe]]'' (1940) |
* ''[[Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe]]'' (1940) |
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; Bibliography |
; Bibliography |
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*{{cite book|last=Kinnard|first=Roy|title=The Flash Gordon Serials, 1936-1940: A Heavily Illustrated Guide|year=2008|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|isbn= |
*{{cite book|last=Kinnard|first=Roy|title=The Flash Gordon Serials, 1936-1940: A Heavily Illustrated Guide|year=2008|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|isbn=978-0786455003}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Quinlan|first=David|author-link=David Quinlan (film critic)|title=Quinlan's film directors|year=1999|publisher=[[B.T. Batsford]]|isbn=0713477539}} |
*{{cite book|last=Quinlan|first=David|author-link=David Quinlan (film critic)|title=Quinlan's film directors|year=1999|publisher=[[B.T. Batsford]]|isbn=0713477539}} |
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Revision as of 15:40, 26 February 2024
Ford Beebe | |
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Born | |
Died | November 26, 1978 | (aged 90)
Other names | Ford I. Beebe Ford L. Beebe |
Occupation(s) | Screenwriter Film director |
Years active | 1916–1977 |
Ford Beebe (November 26, 1888 – November 26, 1978) was a screenwriter and director. He entered the film business as a writer around 1916 and over the next 60 years wrote and/or directed almost 200 films.
He specialized in B-movies – mostly Westerns – and action serials, working on the "Buck Rogers" and "Flash Gordon" serials for Universal Pictures.
Life
Ford Beebe was born on November 26, 1888, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[1][2] Before moving to Hollywood he was a freelance writer who was also experienced in advertising.[3][4] He arrived in Hollywood in 1916 and began working as a writer for Western films.[4] His first credit was as scenario writer for the 1916 film A Youth of Fortune.[2] Beebe directed for the first time when Leo D. Maloney, who had been directing a film called The Test, fell ill.[4][2] Beebe became known as a director of low-budget films and serials.[4] He was once described as being "an expert at making something out of nothing."[1] The first serial directed by Beebe was 1932's The Shadow of the Eagle.[5] He went on to direct several other serials, notably Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, Buck Rogers, The Green Hornet, and Don Winslow of the Navy; these were noted by film historian Hal Erickson to be the best of Beebe's works.[6]
Beebe preferred to direct westerns; speaking to the Evening Independent, he said that westerns were the "bread and butter" of film studios.[7] He was listed as a director on over 100 films.[2] Alfred Hitchcock commended Beebe for his 1942 film Night Monster, impressed with the speed and economy of the production.[8]
Beebe was married to writer Frances Wiley.[9] The couple had eight children. Their only son, Ford Beebe, Jr., became a director like his father.[4] They lost twin daughters in infancy and had five daughters who survived it: Frances, Mary, Ruthann, Maxine, and Martha. In Beebe's later life he was married to Kitty Delevanti, with whom he had one son, Mike.
Selected filmography
- The Big Catch (1920)
- A Gamblin' Fool (1920)
- The Grinning Granger (1920)
- One Law for All (1920)
- 'In Wrong' Wright (1920)
- Double Danger (1920)
- The Two-Fisted Lover (1920)
- Tipped Off (1920)
- Superstition (1920)
- Fight It Out (1920)
- The Trail of the Hound (1920)
- The Saddle King (1921)
- The Driftin' Kid (1921)
- Sweet Revenge (1921)
- Kickaroo (1921)
- The White Horseman (1921)
- Winners of the West (1921)
- Too Much Business (1922)
- Battling Bunyan (1924)
- The Business of Love (1925)
- The Outlaw Express (1926)
- The Blind Trail (1926)
- The High Hand (1926)
- Don Desperado (1927)
- The Long Loop on the Pecos (1927)
- Border Blackbirds (1927)
- The Black Ace (1928)
- The Apache Raider (1928)
- The Boss of Rustler's Roost (1928)
- The Bronc Stomper (1928)
- The Code of the Scarlet (1928)
- Yellow Contraband (1928)
- .45 Calibre War (1929)
- Overland Bound (1929)
- The Man from Hard Pan (1927)
- The Vanishing Legion (1931)
- The Pride of the Legion (1932)
- The Prescott Kid (1934)
- The Adventures of Rex and Rinty (1935)
- The Man from Guntown (1935)
- Fighting Shadows (1935)
- Justice of the Range (1935)
- The Revenge Rider (1935)
- Riding Wild (1935)
- Stampede (1936)
- Code of the Range (1936)
- West Bound Limited (1937)
- Jungle Jim (1937)
- Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938)
- Buck Rogers (1939)
- The Phantom Creeps (1939)
- The Stranger from Texas (1939)
- Oklahoma Frontier (1939)
- Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)
- The Green Hornet (1940)
- Night Monster (1942)
- Enter Arsène Lupin (1944)
- The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)
- The Lion Hunters (1951)
- Wagons West (1952)
References
- Notes
- ^ a b Kinnard 2008, p. 173.
- ^ a b c d "Ford Beebe Biography & Filmography". Matinee Classics. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
- ^ Ford Beebe with Signal. The Moving Picture World, volume 28, p. 995.
- ^ a b c d e Quinlan 1999, p. 30.
- ^ "Ford I. Beebe - Movie and Film Biography and Filmography". Allmovie. Allrovi. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ Erickson, Hal. "Ford I. Beebe". Answers.com. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ "Theater Gossip". Evening Independent. 6 August 1943. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ Kinnard 2008, p. 174.
- ^ "AROUND THE TOWN ; Writer and the granddaughter she never met pen kids' book". San Antonio Express-News. 20 January 2006.
- Bibliography
- Kinnard, Roy (2008). The Flash Gordon Serials, 1936-1940: A Heavily Illustrated Guide. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786455003.
- Quinlan, David (1999). Quinlan's film directors. B.T. Batsford. ISBN 0713477539.
External links
- Ford Beebe at IMDb