William Bowers
Encyclopedia
William Bowers was a reporter in Long Beach, California
before becoming a screenwriter
and specializing in writing comedy westerns and also turned out several thrillers. His first credited screenplay was My Favorite Spy
in 1942.
During World War II Bowers served in the United States Army Air Forces
where he met Arch Hall Sr.
. Bowers later wrote a screenplay based in his experiences called The Last Time I Saw Archie
where Jack Webb
played Bowers.
His career noticeably picked up after his Oscar
nomination for the gritty Gregory Peck
Western
The Gunfighter
in 1950, leading to such assignments as the remake
of My Man Godfrey
in 1957 and The Sheepman
in 1958 (a second Oscar nomination).
Bowers produced the last film that he wrote, the superior Western parody
Support Your Local Sheriff!
(1969). He also had a bit part as an actor in The Godfather Part II
(1974).
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
before becoming a screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and specializing in writing comedy westerns and also turned out several thrillers. His first credited screenplay was My Favorite Spy
My Favorite Spy
My Favorite Spy is a 1951 comedy film starring Bob Hope and Hedy Lamarr. The movie was directed by Norman Z. McLeod.-Cast:*Bob Hope as Peanuts White/Eric Augustine*Hedy Lamarr as Lily Dalbray*Francis L...
in 1942.
During World War II Bowers served in the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
where he met Arch Hall Sr.
Arch Hall Sr.
Archibald Williams Hall , better known as Arch Hall Sr., was an American actor, screenwriter, and film producer, best known for making a series of B-movies in the early 1960s which starred his son, Arch Hall, Jr...
. Bowers later wrote a screenplay based in his experiences called The Last Time I Saw Archie
The Last Time I Saw Archie
The Last Time I Saw Archie is a 1961 comedy film set in the waning days of World War II. Robert Mitchum stars as a lazy, scheming American soldier based on Arch Hall Sr. who is in an avaition school for pilots too old to fly aircraft but not too old to fly military gliders...
where Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
played Bowers.
His career noticeably picked up after his Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
nomination for the gritty Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
The Gunfighter
The Gunfighter
The Gunfighter is a 1950 western film starring Gregory Peck, Helen Westcott, Millard Mitchell and Karl Malden . This film was directed by Henry King...
in 1950, leading to such assignments as the remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of My Man Godfrey
My Man Godfrey
My Man Godfrey is a 1936 American screwball comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava. The screenplay was written by Morrie Ryskind, with uncredited contributions by La Cava, based on "1101 Park Avenue", a short story by Eric Hatch. The story concerns a socialite who hires a derelict to be her...
in 1957 and The Sheepman
The Sheepman
The Sheepman is a tongue-in-cheek 1958 Western film directed by George Marshall and starring Glenn Ford, Shirley MacLaine and Leslie Nielsen.-Plot:...
in 1958 (a second Oscar nomination).
Bowers produced the last film that he wrote, the superior Western parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
Support Your Local Sheriff!
Support Your Local Sheriff!
Support Your Local Sheriff! is a 1969 American comic western film which parodies the often-filmed scenario of an iconoclastic new arrival who tames a lawless frontier town...
(1969). He also had a bit part as an actor in The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
(1974).