William Girdler
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William Girdler (b. 22 October 1947 Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA - d. 21 January 1978 Manila, Philippines.) was an American filmmaker. In a span of seven years (1972-1978) he made nine feature films in such genres as horror and action, before dying at the early age of 30.
Girdler, born in Louisville, Kentucky started Studio One Productions in his early twenties, and directed his first feature a low-budget film entitled Asylum of Satan which was briefly released to theaters. Girdler's second effort was a gory, if overlong slasher thriller entitled Three on a Meathook. Both Asylum of Satan and Three on a Meathook were filmed in his home town, and although both films received little notice, the films got the attention of Samuel Z. Arkoff and American International Pictures (AIP).
Girdler next directed three "blaxploitation" films. The first, in 1973, was a long lost thriller titled The Zebra Killer starring Austin Stoker. His next feature was an Exorcist clone titled Abby with Carol Speed in the lead role and co-starring William H. Marshall (from Blacula) and Oscar nominee Juanita Moore. Abby became Girdler's breakthrough film. The picture opened in 1974 to major box office success and earning nearly $9 million; however, the producers of The Exorcist felt that Abby was too derivative of their film and Abby was suddenly pulled from theaters after only two weeks. The last "blaxploitation" film Girdler directed was the Pam Grier vehicle Sheba Baby and his first effort in the action genre. Sheba Baby was another major hit in theaters, even though it is often cited as one of Pam Grier's more weaker vehicles than her other similar themed action films as Coffy and Foxy Brown. Girdler was then finished with his contract with Arkoff and AIP.
Girdler's sixth feature was another action themed film starring Leslie Nielsen, in one of his more serious roles as an agent being tracked by the government in the political thriller Project: Kill, which was given a rather limited theatrical release. Grizzly perhaps might be the film Girdler is known for. A Jaws clone from start to finish, the film was about an oversized grizzly bear terrorizing a National Park. The film starred Christopher George and Richard Jaeckel and it went on to become one of the most successful motion pictures of 1976, earning an impressive $39 million worldwide. Girdler was faced with one problem, after Grizzly's producer and distributor, Edward Montoro and Film Ventures International decided to keep money profits. Girdler (and the film's screenwriters Harvey Flaxman and David Sheldon, who also worked with Girdler on previous film projects) sued Montoro and Film Ventures to have the profits returned. Girdler directed another effort for Montoro and Film Ventures which is sometimes cited as a sequel to Grizzly; an all-star cast that included Christopher George, Leslie Nielsen, Ruth Roman and Richard Jaeckel, Day of the Animals was Girdler's second approach to nature vs. man films, but was not as successful as Grizzly.
The Manitou was the last film directed by William Girdler. Based on a best selling novel by Graham Masterton, and starring Tony Curtis and Susan Strasberg, The Manitou was perhaps his most expensive production, which was acquired by AVCO Embassy Pictures and released in 1978 and was also a major hit in theaters. Sadly, William Girdler never saw The Manitou released to theaters. He was killed in a helicopter crash while scouting locations for his tenth film project in The Phillippnes.
Although some of his features are not well known today, Girdler's work as a prolific director lives on in the hearts of fans and audiences. Girdler also wrote and produced three of his features, Abby, Sheba Baby and The Manitou.
