William Templeton (screenwriter)

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

For other people named William Templeton, see William Templeton (disambiguation).
William Templeton
File:WIlliam TEMPLETON.png
Born (1913-06-07)7 June 1913
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Occupation Playwright, screenwriter
Nationality Scottish
Spouse Elizabeth Esterhazy (1953–64)
Relatives Chris Templeton b.1960 (son)

William Pettigrew Templeton (7 June 1913 – 23 October 1973) was a Scottish playwright and screenwriter who made a major contribution to the Golden Age of Television[1][2] writing a string of episodic dramas for American prime time television during the 1950s and 1960s,[3] a time when many hour-long anthology drama series received wide critical acclaim. As Gore Vidal pointed out with uncharacteristically glowing enthusiasm in 1956, it was also the "Golden Age for the Dramatist". William had a long film career both in the UK and the US. His adaptation of The Fallen Idol (also known as The Lost Illusion) a 1948 film with Ralph Richardson directed by Carol Reed and based on the short story The Basement Room by Graham Greene was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Direction and Best Adapted Screenplay, and won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film.[4]

Early life

Templeton wrote his way out of the Gorbals slums on the south bank of the River Clyde Glasgow by being one of the youngest playwrights to have a production performed in the West End of London. At 20 he wrote a One Act play The King's Spaniel which ran at the Royal Lyceum Theatre and then at 24, his first three-act play, Circus Murder, was picked up and produced by Jevan Brandon Thomas at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow in 1937 and then quickly exported to London by the producer Esme Church for a run at the New Theatre (1938) under the title The Painted Smile. Theatre critic WA Darlington[5] of The Daily Telegraph called it "a cleverly created illusion". From his new London base, Templeton continued to write a string of successful West End plays, including:

Hollywood career

At the height of his theatre career in the early 1950s, Templeton started to attract the attention of Hollywood and secured a series of contracts from major film companies including Sir Alexander Korda at London Films, Walt Disney, Desilu and Universal.[6] He became best known for his 1956 adaptation of George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984,[7] with Edmond O'Brien in the title role as Winston Smith[8] "It was a masterly adaptation that depicted with power and poignancy and terrifying beauty the end result of thought control", according to Jack Gould in The New York Times.[9] His screenplay adaptation of the book All on a Summer's Day by HLV Fletcher became the British crime thriller Double Confession (1950) directed by Ken Annakin, starring Peter Lorre with a cast of British character actors.[10]

But arguably his best work was yet to come with the advent of television. As a new medium, television introduced many innovative programming concepts, and prime time television drama showcased both original and classic productions. Comfortable writing for a variety of genres Templeton was able to contribute to several of the seminal television drama series of the period: The Alcoa Hour (1954–1955);[11] Goodyear Playhouse (1956); Matinee Theatre (1956); Sword of Freedom (1957): The Untouchables (1960); the original Adventures of Robin Hood[12] series (1957) with Richard Greene[13] and the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse[14] anthology series broadcast by CBS from 1948 to 1958 and produced by Desi Arnaz. It was at this time that the Studio One producer declared William Templeton to be "One of the country's most distinguished writers in television".

Personal life

William married once on 22 September 1953 to the Hungarian actress Elizabeth Getrude von Esterházy in Westport Connecticut. Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. was his best man. The acrimonious marriage lasted until 1964 when the couple were divorced. They had one child Christopher Fredrick Templeton. Like many writers of his generation, Templeton was a heavy drinker. He lost his writing contract at Disney when Disney himself, who was of temperance stock,[15] found a bottle in Templeton's writing desk and throwing it through a window, told the writer to follow the bottle. On 23 October 1973, Templeton died of cirrhosis at the age of 60 at the Glasgow home of his elderly aunt, having just directed a trilogy of documentary programmes for NBC titled The Distant Drummer (1972)[16] narrated by Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum and Rod Steiger.

Filmography

Date Series & Film Credits Script and Episode
1948 The Fallen Idol (Film) Film Script by William Templeton (directed by Carol Reed)
1948 Philco Television Playhouse (TV) Episodic scriptwriter (1948–55)
1949 The Queen's Maries (TV) TV Film & Radio Play by William Templeton
1950 Double Confession (Film) Film Script by William Templeton
1950 Quel Bandito Sono Io! (Film) Film Script English Adaptation by William Templeton
1950 Midnight Episode (Film) Film Script by William Templeton
1950 Robert Montgomery Presents Episodic TV scriptwriter (1950–57)
1950 Sunday Night Theatre (TV) BBC TV Feature Length Drama: 'The Ivory Tower'.
1951 The Silent Village (Live TV) TV Script for BBC by William Templeton
1952 Alliance for Peace Documentary Script by William Templeton (narrated by Edward R. Murrow)
1954 Studio One (TV) Episodes: 'Donovan’s Brain', ‘Cardinal Mindzenty’, 'Prelude to Murder', '1984', 'The Eddie Chapman Story'.
1954 Full Circle (Animated Film) Commentary Writer
1955 Mr. Finley's Feelings (Animation) Narration Script by William Templeton
1955 Matinee Theatre (TV Series) Episodes: 'Madame de Treymes', 'Letter of Introduction', 'The Tell-Tale Heart', 'The Bottle Imp'. (1955–58)
1956 The Man Called X (TV) Episode: ‘For External Use Only’.
1956 1984 (Feature) Feature film full script adaptation of the novel by George Orwell
1956 Goodyear Playhouse Episode: 'A Murder is Announced'. (TV script adaptation from Agatha Christie short story).
1957 Sword of Freedom (TV) Episodes: ‘The Ambassador’, 'Marriage of Convenience', ‘The Eye of the Artist’, ‘The Marionettes', ‘The Reluctant Duke’, ‘The School’, 'The Ship'.
1957 Overseas Press Club (TV) Episode: 'The Millionth Frenchman'
1957 The Alcoa Hour (TV) Episodes: 'Mrs Gilling and the Skyscraper', ‘Protege’, 'The Archangel Harrigen'.
1959 Five Fingers (TV) Episode: ‘The Men with Triangle Heads'.
1959 Moon Quake Teleplay
1959 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (TV) Episodes: ‘Murder in Gratitude’, 'Perilous’.
1959 Men Into Space (TV) Episodes: 'Is there another Civilization?’, ‘Moonquake’.
1960 The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV) Episode: ‘The Pharaoh Stones’.
1960 The Untouchables (TV) Episode: 'A Seat on the Fence’.
1960 Winston Churchill - The Valiant Years (TV Documentary Series) Episode: ‘Triumph in France' (narrated by Richard Burton).
1961 Whiplash (TV) Episode: ‘The Legacy’.
1961 Checkmate (TV) Episode: ‘State of Shock’.
1961 The New Breed (TV) Episodes: 'The Torch', 'Cross the Little Line', 'To None a Deadly Drug'.
1962 Kraft Mystery Theatre (TV) Episodes: ‘Sound of Murder’, ‘Dead on Nine’.
1962 Fair Exchange (TV Series) Episodic scriptwriter (1962–63).
1965 The Flying Swan (TV) Episode: ‘Trial Run’,‘The Streets.’
1967 The Dream World of Harrison Marks Documentary narrative script
1971 The Eagle's Lament: A Warning Documentary: W.P.Templeton Writer/Director
1972 The Distant Drummer Documentary Trilogy: W.P.Templeton Director (narrated by Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum & Rod Steiger)

References

  1. ↑ WIlliam Templeton credits listings in the Museum of Broadcast Communications
  2. ↑ The Golden Age of Television l Definition by LA Times
  3. ↑ William Templeton credits listings on Internet Movie Database
  4. ↑ The Fallen Idol Film feature on BFI website
  5. ↑ WA Darlington, Theatre critic of the Daily Telegraph Listing on Internet Movie Database
  6. ↑ Desilu productions: Templeton credit for Perilous on Internet Movie Database
  7. ↑ 1984 Original version on YouTube
  8. ↑ 1984 (released in 1956) William Templeton credits listing on Internet Movie database
  9. ↑ Jack Gould Obit in the New York Times
  10. ↑ Double Confession l Listing on BFI website as one of top 50 most wanted British films
  11. ↑ The Alcoa Hour W.Templeton credit listings on the Museum of Broadcasting Online database
  12. ↑ The Adventures of Robin Hood listings & credits on Internet Movie database
  13. ↑ 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' (1960) Pharaoh Stones Episode on YouTube
  14. ↑ Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse W.Templeton credits on TV Heaven
  15. ↑ Walt Disney: excerpt from Fritz Springmeier's book The Thirteen Illuminati Bloodlines
  16. ↑ The Distant Drummer full documentary streaming on YouTube
Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=William_Templeton_(screenwriter)&oldid=719674132"