William T. Orr
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William T. Orr (September 27, 1917 – December 25, 2002) was an American television producer associated with a series of western and detective programs of the 1950s-1970s. On most of his Warner Bros. series, he was billed as "Wm. T. Orr".
Orr began his career as an actor; his film credits include The Mortal Storm, The Gay Sisters, and The Big Street.
As the first head of Warner Bros. Television department, Orr forged a fruitful alliance with ABC, which resulted in the network having a number of prime time hits, such as Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, and F Troop. At the height of this relationship in the early 1960s, Orr had nine programs in prime time simultaneously. Of these, no program was more significant than one of his earliest, Cheyenne. It was a groundbreaking series that was both the first hour-long western and the first series of any kind made by a major Hollywood film studio consisting entirely of content wholly exclusive to television.
A curator at The Paley Center for Media (previously named The Museum of Television and Radio) once encapsulated Orr's importance to Warner Bros. by saying, "Television began as a step-child. But because of Orr, it became equal with film in creating revenue and jobs for the studio." One of the key reforms he made to effect this change was to move Warner's nascent television department from cramped quarters in New York City to Los Angeles studios separate from the film division.
His impact on the genre of western fiction was recognized with a Golden Boot Award upon the announcement of his death.
Fotos
Películas (26)
Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul
1993 · Self
Wicked, Wicked
1973 · Executive Producer
Sex and the Single Girl
1964 · Producer
The Deadly Riddle
1956 · Executive Producer
P-47 Combat Operations
1945 · voice
Land and Live in the Desert
1945 · Phil
He Hired the Boss
1943 · Don Bates
Three Cadets
1943 · Young Flier
The Big Street
1942 · Decatur Reed
The Gay Sisters
1942 · Dick Tone
Soldiers in White
1942 · Johnny Allison
Unholy Partners
1941 · Tommy Jarvis
Navy Blues
1941 · 'Mac'
Those Good Old Days
1941 · Joe La Rue
Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1
1941 · Self
Three Sons o' Guns
1941 · Kenneth Patterson
Thieves Fall Out
1941 · George Formsby
Honeymoon for Three
1941 · Arthur Westlake
Meet the Fleet
1940 · Kansas Potter
Service with the Colors
1940 · Charles Corbin
My Love Came Back
1940 · Paul Malette
Young America Flies
1940 · Jack
The Mortal Storm
1940 · Erich Von Rohn
Invitation to Happiness
1939 · Bellboy (uncredited)
The Hardys Ride High
1939 · Dick Bannersly
Brother Rat
1938 · Member of the Guard
Series (25)
Television
1985
Hank
1965 · Producer
Mister Roberts
1965 · Producer
F Troop
1965 · Executive Producer
Wendy and Me
1964 · Producer
No Time for Sergeants
1964 · Producer
The Dakotas
1963 · Producer
The Gallant Men
1962 · Producer
The Lucy Show
1962 · Mr. Frink
Room for One More
1962 · Producer
The Roaring 20's
1960 · Producer
Surfside 6
1960 · Producer
Hawaiian Eye
1959 · Producer
Bourbon Street Beat
1959 · Producer
The Alaskans
1959 · Producer
77 Sunset Strip
1958 · Producer
Lawman
1958 · Producer
Bronco
1958 · Producer
Maverick
1957 · Producer
Sugarfoot
1957 · Producer
Conflict
1956 · Producer
Casablanca
1955 · Producer
Cheyenne
1955 · Producer
Kings Row
1955 · Producer
This Is Your Life
1952 · Self