Oscar "Budd" Boetticher Jr. ( ; July 29, 1916 – November 29, 2001) was an American film director. He is best remembered for a series of low-budget Westerns he made in the late 1950s starring Randolph Scott.

Early life

Boetticher was born in Chicago. His mother died in childbirth and his father was killed in an accident shortly afterwards. He was adopted by a wealthy couple Oscar Boetticher Sr. (1867–1953) and Georgia Naas Boetticher (1888–1955) and was raised in

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

, along with his younger brother Henry Edward Boetticher (1924–2004). He attended

Culver Military Academy Culver Academies is a college preparatory boarding school located in Culver, Indiana, which is composed of three entities: Culver Military Academy (CMA) for boys, Culver Girls Academy (CGA), and the Culver Summer Schools and Camps (CSSC). Culver ...

where he became friends with Hal Roach Jr. He was a star athlete at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

, until an injury ended his sports career. In 1939 he traveled to Mexico, where he learned bullfighting under Don Lorenzo Garza, Fermin Espinoza and

Carlos Arruza Carlos Arruza (February 17, 1920 – May 20, 1966), born Carlos Ruiz Camino, was one of the most prominent bullfighters of the 20th century. He was known as "El Ciclón" ("the cyclone"). Arruza was born in Mexico to Spanish parents. He bega ...

Career

Early films

Boetticher worked as a crew member on ''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job o ...

'' (1939) and ''

A Chump at Oxford ''A Chump at Oxford'' is a Hal Roach comedy film produced in 1939 and released in 1940 by United Artists. It was directed by Alfred J. Goulding and was the penultimate Laurel and Hardy film made at the Roach studio. The title echoes the film '' ...

'' (1940). A chance encounter with

Rouben Mamoulian Rouben Zachary Mamoulian ( ; hy, Ռուբէն Մամուլեան; October 8, 1897 – December 4, 1987) was an American film and theatre director. Early life Mamoulian was born in Tiflis, Russian Empire, to a family of Armenian descent. ...

landed him a job as technical advisor on '' Blood and Sand'' (1941). He stayed on in Hollywood working at Hal Roach Studios doing a variety of jobs.

Columbia Pictures

Boetticher received an offer to work at

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

as an assistant director on ''

The More the Merrier ''The More the Merrier'' is a 1943 American comedy film by Columbia Pictures starring Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea and Charles Coburn, and directed by George Stevens. The film script — from "Two's a Crowd", an original screenplay by Garson Kan ...

'' (1943). The studio liked his work and he stayed to assist on '' Submarine Raider'' (1942), '' The Desperadoes'' (1943), '' Destroyer'' (1943), '' U-Boat Prisoner'' (1944), and ''

Cover Girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph features on the front cover of a magazine. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a casual, once-off appearance by a person on the cover of a maga ...

'' (1944), promoted to first assistant director. Some of these were Columbia's most prestigious films and Boetticher was offered the chance to join the studio's directing program. Boetticher's first credited film as director was a Boston Blackie film '' One Mysterious Night'' (1944). It was followed by other "B" movies: '' The Missing Juror'' (1944), '' Youth on Trial'' (1945), '' A Guy, a Gal and a Pal'' (1945), and ''

Escape in the Fog ''Escape in the Fog'' is a 1945 American film noir crime film directed by Budd Boetticher (as Oscar Boetticher Jr.) and starring Otto Kruger, Nina Foch and William Wright. Boetticher called it a "nothing" picture, though he enjoyed working with ...

'' (1945). "They were terrible pictures”, he remarked in 1979. "We had eight or ten days to make a picture. We had all these people who later became stars, or didn't, like George Macready and Nina Foch, and you never had anybody any good. I don't mean that they weren't good but they weren't then, and neither were we."

Military service

Boetticher was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S.

Naval Photographic Science Laboratory The United States Naval Photographic Science Laboratory (NPSL) was opened in the midst of the Second World War, on 24 February 1943, at the Anacostia Naval Air Station, Washington, D. C. It was established under the military command of the Chief ...

. He made documentaries and service films including '' The Fleet That Came to Stay'' (1945) and ''Well Done''.

Eagle Lion and Monogram

Boetticher left Columbia. He directed some films for Eagle Lion, '' Assigned to Danger'' (1948) and '' Behind Locked Doors'' (1949). At Monogram Pictures he directed

Roddy McDowall Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 4 October 1998) was a British actor, photographer and film director. He began his acting career as a child in England, and then in the United States, in ''How Green Was My Valley'' (1 ...

in '' Black Midnight'' (1949) and '' Killer Shark'' (1950). In between he made '' The Wolf Hunters'' (1949). He began directing for television with '' Magnavox Theatre'' – a production of ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight ...

'' that was released theatrically in some markets as '' The Blade of the Musketeers''.

''Bullfighter and the Lady''

Boetticher got his first big break when he was asked to direct '' Bullfighter and the Lady'' for John Wayne's production company,

Batjac Batjac Productions is an independent film production company co-founded by John Wayne in 1952 as a vehicle for Wayne to both produce and star in movies. The first Batjac production was ''Big Jim McLain'' released by Warner Bros. in 1952, and its ...

, based loosely on Boetticher's own adventures studying to be a matador in Mexico. It was the first film he signed as Budd Boetticher, rather than his given name, and it earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Story. But the film was edited drastically without his consent, and his career again seemed on hold. (The film has since been restored by the

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

Film Archive and the restored print is sometimes referred to by its working title, ''Torero''.)

Universal-International

Boetticher signed a contract to direct for

Universal-International Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

where he specialised in Westerns. “I became a western director because they thought I looked like one and they thought I rode better than anyone else," said Boetticher later. "And I didn’t know anything about the west.” His films there included ''

The Cimarron Kid ''The Cimarron Kid'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Audie Murphy and Beverly Tyler. Plot Bill Doolin (Audie Murphy) is released from jail and is going home on the train when it is held up by his boyhoo ...

'' (1952) with

Audie Murphy Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor and songwriter. He was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II. He received every military combat award for valor available from t ...

; '' Bronco Buster'' (1952); ''

Red Ball Express The Red Ball Express was a famed truck convoy system that supplied Allied forces moving quickly through Europe after breaking out from the D-Day beaches in Normandy in 1944. To expedite cargo shipment to the front, trucks emblazoned with red ...

'' (1952), a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

film; ''

Horizons West ''Horizons West'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Robert Ryan, Julie Adams and Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One ...

'' (1952) with

Robert Ryan Robert Bushnell Ryan (November 11, 1909 – July 11, 1973) was an American actor and activist. Known for his portrayals of hardened cops and ruthless villains, Ryan performed for over three decades. He was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...

; '' City Beneath the Sea'' (1953), a treasure hunting film; ''

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

'' (1953), a Western with

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Golde ...

; '' The Man from the Alamo'' (1953) with

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-offi ...

; '' Wings of the Hawk'' (1953) with

Van Heflin Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. H ...

; and ''

East of Sumatra ''East of Sumatra'' is a 1953 American south seas adventure film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Jeff Chandler, Marilyn Maxwell, Anthony Quinn and Suzan Ball. Plot Duke Mullane ( Jeff Chandler), manager of a Malayan tin mine, goes ...

'' (1953) with Chandler and Quinn. He started directing '' The Americano'', an independent film with Ford, but quit. He returned to television with ''

The Public Defender ''The Public Defender'' is a 1931 American pre-Code crime film directed by J. Walter Ruben, starring Richard Dix and featuring Boris Karloff. Rich playboy Pike Winslow dons the mantle of 'The Reckoner', a mysterious avenger, when he learns that ...

''.

''The Magnificent Matador''

In 1955, he helmed another bullfighting drama, ''

The Magnificent Matador ''The Magnificent Matador'' is a 1955 American drama film directed by Budd Boetticher and written by Budd Boetticher and Charles Lang. The film stars Maureen O'Hara, Anthony Quinn, Manuel Rojas, Richard Denning, Thomas Gomez, Lola Albright, Wi ...

'', at 20th Century-Fox, which began his frequent collaboration with cinematographer

Lucien Ballard Lucien Ballard, A.S.C. (May 6, 1908 – October 1, 1988) was an American cinematographer. He worked on more than 130 films during his 50-year career, collaborating multiple times with directors including Josef von Sternberg, John Brahm, Henry H ...

. They followed it with a film noir, '' The Killer Is Loose'' (1956). He also directed episodes of '' The Count of Monte Cristo''.

Ranown Cycle

Boetticher finally achieved his major breakthrough when he teamed up with actor Randolph Scott and screenwriter

Burt Kennedy Burton Raphael Kennedy (September 3, 1922 – February 15, 2001) was an American screenwriter and director known mainly for directing Westerns. Budd Boetticher called him "the best Western writer ever." Biography Kennedy was born in 1922 i ...

to make '' Seven Men from Now'' (1956). It was the first of the seven films (last in 1960) that came to be known as the Ranown Cycle. He was reunited with Scott and Kennedy on ''

The Tall T ''The Tall T'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, and Maureen O'Sullivan. Adapted by Burt Kennedy from the 1955 short story "The Captives" by Elmore Leonard, the film is a ...

'' (1957); they were joined by producer

Harry Joe Brown Harry Joe Brown (September 22, 1890 – April 28, 1972) was an American film producer, and earlier a theatre and film director. Biography Harry Joe Brown was born in 1890 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a producer, he had a partnership wit ...

, who would produce the six remaining films. Boetticher directed the first three episodes of the TV series ''

Maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Burea ...

''. He went back to working with Scott: '' Decision at Sundown'' (1957); '' Buchanan Rides Alone'' (1958) (not written by Kennedy); and ''

Ride Lonesome ''Ride Lonesome'' is a 1959 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Karen Steele, Pernell Roberts, Lee Van Cleef, and James Coburn in his film debut. This Eastmancolor film is one of Boetticher ...

'' (1959). '' Westbound'' (1959) was made with Scott but without Kennedy or Brown. ''

Comanche Station ''Comanche Station'' is a 1960 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott. The film was the last of Boetticher's late 1950s ''Ranown Cycle''. It was filmed in the Eastern Sierra area of Central Ca ...

'' (1960) was made with Scott and Kennedy.

1960s

Boetticher returned to television, directing episodes of ''

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

'', ''

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' is an American Western anthology television series that was broadcast on CBS from October 5, 1956, until September 20, 1962. Format Many episodes were based on novels by Zane Grey, to all of which Four Star ...

'', ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'', and ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

''. He did a feature, ''

The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond ''The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond'' is a 1960 neo-noir crime film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Ray Danton, Karen Steele and Elaine Stewart. The supporting cast features Warren Oates, Jesse White and Robert Lowery. The picture ...

'' (1960). Boetticher spent most of the 1960s south of the border pursuing his obsession, the documentary of his friend, the

bullfighter A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activity ...

, turning down profitable Hollywood offers and suffering humiliation and despair to stay with the project, including sickness, bankruptcy and confinement in both jail and asylum (all of which is detailed in his autobiography ''When in Disgrace''). '' Arruza'' was finally completed in 1968 and released in Mexico in 1971 and the US in 1972.

Return to Hollywood

Boetticher returned to Hollywood with the rarely seen ''

A Time for Dying ''A Time for Dying'' is a 1969 American Western film written directed by Budd Boetticher with a cameo role by Audie Murphy, who also produced the film, as Jesse James. It was Murphy's last film, as well as the final dramatic feature for Boetti ...

'', a collaboration with

shot in 1969 and not released widely until 1982. He provided the story for

Don Siegel Donald Siegel ( ; October 26, 1912 – April 20, 1991) was an American film and television director and producer. Siegel was described by ''The New York Times'' as "a director of tough, cynical and forthright action-adventure films whose taut ...

's ''

Two Mules for Sister Sara ''Two Mules for Sister Sara'' is a 1970 American-Mexican Western film in Panavision directed by Don Siegel and starring Shirley MacLaine (billed above Clint Eastwood in the film's credits, but not on the poster) set during the French interve ...

'' (1970). In later years, he was known for the documentary '' My Kingdom For...'' (1985) and his appearance as a judge in

Robert Towne Robert Towne (born Robert Bertram Schwartz;'' Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'' by Peter Biskind page 30, 1999 Bloomsbury edition November 23, 1934) is an American screenwriter, producer, director and actor. He started with writing films for Roger ...

's '' Tequila Sunrise'' (1988), and he was still actively attempting to get his screenplay "A Horse for Mr. Barnum" made, before his death in 2001. He and his wife Mary spent much of their later years traveling to film festivals around the world, especially in Europe. His last public appearance, less than three months before his death, was at Cinecon, a classic film festival held in Hollywood, California.

Filmography

*''

'' (1939) – horse wrangler *''

'' (1940)- crew *'' Blood and Sand'' (1941) – technical adviser *''Military Training'' (1941) (short) – assistant director *'' Submarine Raider'' (1942) – uncredited director *''

'' (1943) – assistant director *'' The Desperadoes'' (1943) – assistant director *'' Destroyer'' (1943) – assistant director *''

'' (1944) – assistant director *'' The Girl in the Case'' (1944) – assistant director *'' U-Boat Prisoner'' (1944) aka ''Dangerous Mists'' – uncredited *'' One Mysterious Night'' (1944) aka ''Behind Closed Doors'' – director *'' The Missing Juror'' (1944) – director *'' Youth on Trial'' (1945) – director *'' A Guy, a Gal and a Pal'' (1945) – director *''

'' (1945) – director *''The Fleet that Came to Stay'' (1945) (documentary) – director *'' Assigned to Danger'' (1948) – director *'' Behind Locked Doors'' (1948) – director *'' Black Midnight'' (1949) – director *'' The Wolf Hunters'' (1949) – director *'' Killer Shark'' (1950) – director *'' The Maganvox Theater'' (1950) (TV series) – episode "The Three Musketeers" – director *'' Bullfighter and the Lady'' (1951) – director, producer, story *''

'' (1952) – director *'' Bronco Buster'' (1952) – director *''

'' (1952) – director *''

'' (1953) – director *'' City Beneath the Sea'' (1953) – director *'' The Man from the Alamo'' (1953) – director *'' Wings of the Hawk'' (1953) – director *''

'' (1953) – director *''

'' (1954) (TV series) – director *''

'' (1955) aka ''The Brave and the Beautiful'' – director, story *'' Seven Men from Now'' (1956) – director *'' The Killer Is Loose'' (1956) – director *''

General Electric Summer Originals ''General Electric Summer Originals'' is an anthology series that aired on the American Broadcasting Company in the summer of 1956. The 30-minute episodes consisted of dramatic films never before seen on television.Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (200 ...

'' (1956) (TV series) – episode "Alias Mike Hecules" – director *'' The Count of Monte Cristo'' (1956) (TV series) – episode "The Affair of the Three Napoleons" – director *''

'' (1957) – director *''

(1957) – various episodes – director *'' Decision at Sundown'' (1957) – director *'' Buchanan Rides Alone'' (1958) – director *''

'' (1959) – director, producer *'' Westbound'' (1959) – director *''

'' (1960) – director, producer *''

'' (1960) (TV series)- episode "Colonel Cat" – director *''

'' (1960) – director *''

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater Dick, Dicks, or Dick's may refer to: Media * ''Dicks'' (album), a 2004 album by Fila Brazillia * Dicks (band), a musical group * ''Dick'' (film), a 1999 American comedy film * "Dick" (song), a 2019 song by Starboi3 featuring Doja Cat Names ...

'' (1960–61) (TV series) – director of various episodes *''

'' (TV series) – episode "South of Horror Flats" – director *''

'' (1961) (TV series) – episode "Stopover" – director *''

'' (1969) – director, writer *''

'' (1970) – story only *'' Arruza'' (1971) (documentary) – director, producer *'' My Kingdom For...'' (1985) (documentary) – director, producer *'' Tequila Sunrise'' (1988) – actor only

References

External links

*
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?

Bruce Hodsdon, 'Budd Boetticher and the Westerns of Ranown', ''Senses of Cinema'' 18 July 2001

John Flaus, 'Budd Boetticher', ''Senses of Cinema'' 18 September 2001

Budd Boetticher
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of A ...

Sean Axmaker, 'Budd Boetticher, Last of the Old Hollywood Two-Fisted Directors', ''Green Cine'', 16 December 2005

Sean Axmaker, 'Ride Lonesome: The Career of Budd Boetticher', ''Senses of Cinema'' 7 February 2006

at Film Reference
Literature on Budd Boetticher
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boetticher, Bud 1916 births 2001 deaths Western (genre) film directors Ohio State University alumni People from Evansville, Indiana Film directors from Indiana Culver Academies alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers