William Castle

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William Castle (April 24, 1914 – May 31, 1977) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Orphaned at 11, Castle dropped out of high school at 15 to work in the theater.

He came to the attention of Columbia Pictures for his talent for promotion and was hired.

He learned the trade of filmmaking and became a director, acquiring a reputation for the ability to churn out competent B-movies quickly and on budget.

He eventually struck out on his own, producing and directing thrillers, which, despite their low budgets, were effectively promoted with gimmicks, a trademark for which he is best known.

He was also the producer for Rosemary's Baby.

Personal life

Castle was born in New York City, the son of Saidie (Snellenberg) and William Schloss. His family was Jewish. His mother died when he was nine. When his father followed a year later, he was left an orphan at the age of 11. He then lived with his older sister.

"Schloss" is German for "castle", and Castle later translated his surname into English as his professional name.

Castle married Ellen Falck, with whom he had two children.

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Career

Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi, was an attraction at 13, and Castle was entranced. He followed his progress after his appearance before meeting Lugosi himself. In his autobiography Step Right Up! He wrote the following: Step Right Up! "I knew what I wanted to do with my life then, but I wanted to scare the pants off viewers," Gonna Scare the Pants from America. "14 Lugosi recommended him for the role as assistant stage manager for the road company tour of the performance." 14 The 15-year-old boy graduated from high school to work in the industry. He spent his teenage years on Broadway, from set-up to acting, which provided solid preparation for the future filmmaker.

He called Orson Welles' phone number and advised Welles to rent the Stony Creek Theatre in Connecticut from Welles. (Welles was preparing to start filming Citizen Kane) Castle rented Ellen Schwanneke, a German actress, after finding out that under then-current theater guild rules, German-born actors could only appear in plays that had been performed in Germany, she said he had recruited her for the non-existent play Das ist not for Children (Not for Children). Castle seized the opportunity for an outrageous publicity stunt when Nazi Germany offered a toast to a Munich performance. He announced to the newspaper that he had received a telegram from him turning down the offer, portraying his star as "the girl who said no to Hitler." He covertly vandalized the theater and painted swastikas on the exterior to add to the drama's. It was a hit—the resulting publicity and exposure made the play's success.

At 23, he went to Hollywood to work for Columbia Pictures, where Harry Cohn was born. He and several others, including Fred Sears, Mel Ferrer, Henry Levin, and Robert Gordon, were selected as feature film producers for Music in My Heart (1940).

In the 2007 documentary Spine Tingler!

The William Castle Story, Castle's niece, reveals that he had a vivacious, outgoing personality that attracted others. He was one of Cohn's few followers. He learned film production and then moved to directing inexpensive B-movies, the first being The Chance of a Lifetime, which was released in 1943. He produced four films in the Whistler series and gained a reputation for making films on time and under budget. He also worked as an associate producer on Orson Welles' film noir The Lady from Shanghai (1947), doing much second unit location work.

Ambitions were unsatisfied, Castle began making films independently. Les Diaboliques, a French psychological thriller set the tone he would choose, was inspired by his 1955 French psychological thriller. Macabre (1958) was funded by mortgaging his house, financing his first film. In the event that someone dies of fright during the film, he suggested that every customer receive a certificate for a $1,000 life insurance policy from Lloyd's of London. With hears parked outside the theaters, he stationed nurses in the lobby. Macabre was a hit on 15–16.

Other films (and gimmicks) followed:

Castle had a 250,000-member fan club at the time of his fame.

According to Spine Tingler!

William Castle is a fictional tale about William Castle, who mortgaged his house (again) and obtained the film rights to the Ira Levin book before it was published, in the hopes of directing a prestigious A-movie himself. He signed a Paramount Pictures contract, but later under Robert Evans, who insisted on retaining Roman Polanski, he was fired. Castle had to pay for the film. He had a cameo, playing the grey-haired man outside Rosemary's phone booth where Mia Farrow, who played the obstetrician, was trying to contact him.

Castle was unable to capitalize on the film's success. Soon after being released, he had a heart arrest. By the time he recovered, all energy was lost, and he went back to making B-movies again. His most prominent acting role was also his last: as the producer of the doomed "Waterloo" epic in The Day of the Locust in 1975.

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