William Bowers

Writing

William Bowers

Born January 17, 1916 · Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA

Died March 27, 1987 · aged 71

William Bowers (Las Cruces, 1916 - Woodland Hills, California, 1987) 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. His career noticeably picked up after his Oscar nomination for the gritty Gregory Peck Western The Gunfighter in 195…

Known For

The Godfather Part IIThe Godfather Part II · 1974
The Godfather Part II
8.61974
MovieDramaCrime
In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.
Support Your Local Sheriff!Support Your Local Sheriff! · 1969
Support Your Local Sheriff!
7.01969
MovieComedyWestern
In the old west, a man becomes a Sheriff just for the pay, figuring he can decamp if things get tough.
The GunfighterThe Gunfighter · 1950
The Gunfighter
7.41950
MovieWestern
The fastest gun in the West tries to escape his reputation.
Alias Jesse JamesAlias Jesse James · 1959
Alias Jesse James
6.11959
MovieComedyWestern
Insurance salesman Milford Farnsworth sells a man a life policy only to discover that the man in question is the outlaw Jesse James. Milford is sent to buy back the policy, but is robbed by Jesse. And when Jesse learns that Milford's boss is on the way out with more cash, he plans to rob him too and have Milford get killed in the robbery while dressed as Jesse, and collect on the policy.
Criss CrossCriss Cross · 1949
Criss Cross
7.11949
MovieCrimeThriller
An armored-car guard must join a robbery after being caught with his ex-wife by her gangster husband.
The Law and Jake WadeThe Law and Jake Wade · 1958
The Law and Jake Wade
6.71958
MovieWestern
Jake Wade breaks Clint Hollister out of jail to pay off an old debt, though it's clear there is some pretty deep hostility between them. They part, and Jake returns to his small-town marshal's job and his fiancée only to find he has been tracked there by Hollister. It seems they were once in a gang together and Jake knows where the proceeds of a bank hold-up are hidden. Hollister and his sidekicks make off into the hills, taking along the trussed-up marshal and his kidnapped bride-to-be to force the lawman to show them where the loot is.
My Man GodfreyMy Man Godfrey · 1957
My Man Godfrey
6.51957
MovieComedy
The eccentric Bullock household again need a new butler. Daughter Irene encounters bedraggled Godfrey Godfrey at the docks and, fancying him and noticing his obviously good manners, gets him the job. He proves a great success, but keeps his past to himself. When an old flame turns up Irene's sister Cordelia starts making waves.
The SheepmanThe Sheepman · 1958
The Sheepman
6.91958
MovieWesternComedy
A stranger in a Western cattle-town behaves with remarkable self-assurance, establishing himself as a man to be reckoned with. The reason appears with his stock: a herd of sheep, which he intends to graze on the range. The horrified inhabitants decide to run him out at all costs.

Filmography

Sort
Four Star PlayhouseFour Star Playhouse · 1952
Four Star Playhouse
6.81952
SeriesDramaComedy
Four Star Playhouse is an American television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953. The original premise was that Charles Boyer, Ida Lupino, David Niven, and Dick Powell would take turns starring in episodes. However, several other performers took the lead from time to time, including Ronald Colman and Joan Fontaine. Blake Edwards was among the writers and directors who contributed to the series. Edwards created the recurring character of illegal gambling house operator Willie Dante for Dick Powell to play on this series. The character was later revamped and spun off in his own series starring Howard Duff, then-husband of Lupino. The pilot for Meet McGraw, starring Frank Lovejoy, aired here, as did another episode in which Lovejoy recreated his role of Chicago newspaper reporter Randy Stone, from the radio drama Nightbeat.

Writer