The film traces Wellman's life from his birth in Brookline, Massachusetts in US cinema's centennial year 1896 and when Buffalo Bill was still alive, through his distinguished World War I career as a flier (which later got him the job of directing the classic silent "Wings"), his start as a mailboy at Goldwyn, his rise to director in the 20's, his five marriages and stormy career through the 30's to late 50's, totaling 76 films. Wellman the technician emerges persuasively in many of the well-chosen clips from 28 of his movies, such as his powerful use of sound with James Cagney's rain-drenched shootout in "The Public Enemy" and his easy adaptation to wide-screen in "The High and the Mighty". Wellman has worked with all the major stars from Hollywood but was especially a fine director of women, giving actresses Anne Baxter (Yellow Sky), Barbara Stanwyck (Lady of Burlesque), Carole Lombard (Nothing Sacred) and Janet Gaynor (A Star is Born) some of their juiciest roles. The film also highlights Wellman's more social-humanist pics, like the Depression-era street kids drama "Wild Boys of the Road", mob justice western "The Oxbow Incident" and the men-in-war study "Battleground".

"William A. Wellman's very distinguished directing career spanned only 35 years, but in that time he directed more than 76 motion pictures, successfully transitioned from silent films to talkies, and helped pioneer what has become today's cinematic language. Complex and demanding, with a sailor's vocabulary and a pugilist's social skills, he was also extremely loyal, treating members of his crew with the same regard as his stars. Consequently, those who were loyal to him were fiercely so. History paints today Wellman as refreshingly roguish and completely unimpressed with the Hollywood brass that created the movie industry. Wellman's body of work is both unique to who he was as a man and prolific in the context of his accomplished contemporaries. I believe that the time has come to revisit the life of this extremely colorful man and the legacy of films he left behind for us all." Todd Robinson

Featuring : Mike Connors, Clint Eastwood, James Garner, Darryl Hickman, Arthur Hiller, Tab Hunter, Howard W. Koch, Tom Laughlin, Burgess Meredith, Robert Mitchum, Harry Morgan, Gregory Peck, Sidney Poitier, Nancy Reagan, Robert Redford, Buddy Rogers, Martin Scorsese, Tony Scott, Robert Stack, Michael Wayne, Dorothy Wellman, James Whitmore, Richard Widmark, Robert Wise, Jane Wyman

Selected Filmography

1923, The Man Who Won, Fox	1934, Stingaree, AKO Radio
1923, Second Hand Love, Fox	1935, The President Vanishes, Paramount
1923, Big Dan, Fox	1935, Call Of The Wild, United Artists
1924, Cupid's Fireman, Fox	1936, The Robin Hood Of El Dorado, MGM
1924, The Vagabond Trail, Fox	1936, Small Town Girl
1924, Not A Drum Was Heard, Fox	1937, A Star is Born, Selznick/United Artists
1924, The Circus Cowboy, Fox	1937, Nothing Sacred, Selznick/United Artists
1925, When Husbands Flirt, Columbia	1938, Men With Wings
1926, The Boob, MGM	1939, Beau Geste, Paramount
1926, The Cat's Pajamas, Paramount	1939, The Light That Failed, Paramount
1926, You Never Know Women, paramount	1941, Reaching For The Sun, Paramount
1927, Wings, Paramount	1942, Roxie Hart, 20th Century-Fox
1928, The Legion Of The Condemned, Paramount	1942, The Great Man's Lady, Paramount
1928, Ladies Of The Mob, Paramount	1942, Thunder Birds, 20th Century-Fox
1928, Beggars Of Life, Paramount	1943, The Ox-Bow Incident, 20th Century-Fox
1929, Chinatown Nights, Paramount	1943, Lady of Burlesque, United Artists
1929, The Man I Love, Paramount	1944, Buffalo Bill, 20th Century-Fox
1929, Woman Trap, Paramount	1945, This Man's Naby, MGM
1930, Dangerous Paradise, Paramount	1945, The Story of G.I. Joe, United Artists
1930, Young Eagles, Paramount	1946, Gallant Journey, Columbia
1930, Maybe It's Love, Warner Bros.	1947, Magic Town, AKO Radio
1931, Other Men's Women/The Steel Highway, Warner Bros.	1948, The Iron Curtain, 20th Century-Fox
1931, The Public Enemy, Warner Bros.	1948, Yellow Sky, 20th Century-Fox
1931, Night Nurse, Warner Bros.	1949, Battleground, MGM
1931, The Star Witness, Warner Bros.	1950, The Happy Years, MGM
1931, Safe In Hell, First National	1950, The Next Voice You Hear, MGM
1932, The Hatchet Man, First National	1951, It's A Big Country, co-director, MGM
1932, So Big, Warner Bros.	1951, Across The Wide Missouri, MGM
1932, Love Is A Racket, First National	1951, It's A Big Country, co-director, MGM
1932, The Purchase Price, Warner Bros.	1952, My Man And I, MGM
1932, The Conquerors, AKO	1953, Island In The Sky, Wayne-Fellows/Warner Bros.
1933, Frisco Jenny, First National	1954, The High And The Mighty, Wayne-Fellows/Warner Bros.
1933, Central Airport, First National	1954, Track Of The Cat, Wayne-Fellows/Warner Bros.
1933, Lilly Turner, First National	1955, Blood Alley, Batjac/Warner Bros.
1933, Midnight Mary, MGM	1955, Goodbye, My Lady, Batjac/Warner Bros.
1933, Heroes For Sale, First National	1958, Darby's Rangers, Warner Bros.
1933, Wild Boys Of The Road, First National	1958, Lafayette Escadrille, Warner Bros.
1933, College Coach, Warner Bros.
1934, Looking for Trouble, Uniter Artists

Distribution - WILD BILL HOLYWOOD MAVERICK
International Cable Distribution – Films Transit Int’l, Inc - (514) 844-3358
Theatrical/Home Video Distribution – Kino Int’l Corp - (800) 562-3330
American Movie Classics (AMC) – www.amctv.com