Safe in Hell

William A.Wellman, the Oscar-winning director-screenwriter producer, was nicknamed “Wild Bill” because his larger-than life personality was as dynamic and freewheeling as one of his movies. TCM’s salute to this film legend includes a revised version of Richard Schickel’s The Men Who Made the Movies: William Wellman,made in 1973 and now updated with new interview material, re-mastered footage and a new narration by director Sydney Pollack. Joining host Robert Osborne to introduce and discuss TCM’s lineup of films is the filmmaker’s son, actor-producer-author William Wellman Jr.

Wellman (1896-1975) was born in Brookline, Mass., and saw action in World War I as part of the famous Lafayette Flying Corps. Between 1920 and 1923 he rose from bit actor to director of Hollywood films and made his name as a major filmmaker by directing the 1927 Wings, which won the first Best Picture Oscar®. He went on to create a wide variety of movies, and our festival is divided into genres in which he excelled.

Social Issue Films include The Public Enemy (1931), the hard hitting movie that turned James Cagney into a star and helped make gangster films the sensation of the decade. Wellman brought a more thoughtful approach to the Western The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), a classic indictment of mob violence. Wellman’s Pre-Codes, movies made before the Motion Picture Production Code cracked down on uninhibited portrayals of sex and violence, include two earthy Barbara Stanwyck vehicles. Night Nurse (1931) has the actress sashaying in her undies and foiling a plot to murder two children, while The Purchase Price (1932) casts her as a “kept woman” who becomes a mail-order bride.

Among Wellman’s Romances is the wacky comedy Nothing Sacred (1937), which gave Carole Lombard one of hermost delightful vehicles. It’s said that the set on this one was in a constant state of pandemonium because of the practical jokes Wellman and Lombard played on each other. Wellman won the Oscar® for Best Story for the original version of A Star Is Born (also 1937). Aviation Films range from Central Airport (1933), which includes aerial stunts that remain impressive for their day; to The High and the Mighty (1954), the original airliner-in distress epic that brought Wellman a Best Director Oscar nomination. Adventures directed by Wellman include Westward the Women (1951), about a wagon trail of females headed for California; and Track of the Cat (1954), an unusual Western distinguished by Welllman’s striking use of muted color with occasional bright accents. —TCM Spotlight