William T. Orr
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William T. Orr (September 27, 1917 – December 25, 2002) was an American television producer associated with a series of western and detective programs of the 1950s-1970s. On most of his Warner Bros. series, he was billed as "Wm. T. Orr".
Orr began his career as an actor; his film credits include The Mortal Storm, The Gay Sisters, and The Big Street.
As the first head of Warner Bros. Television department, Orr forged a fruitful alliance with ABC, which resulted in the network having a number of prime time hits, such as Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, and F Troop. At the height of this relationship in the early 1960s, Orr had nine programs in prime time simultaneously. Of these, no program was more significant than one of his earliest, Cheyenne. It was a groundbreaking series that was both the first hour-long western and the first series of any kind made by a major Hollywood film studio consisting entirely of content wholly exclusive to television.
A curator at The Paley Center for Media (previously named The Museum of Television and Radio) once encapsulated Orr's importance to Warner Bros. by saying, "Television began as a step-child. But because of Orr, it became equal with film in creating revenue and jobs for the studio." One of the key reforms he made to effect this change was to move Warner's nascent television department from cramped quarters in New York City to Los Angeles studios separate from the film division.
His impact on the genre of western fiction was recognized with a Golden Boot Award upon the announcement of his death.
Acting
Movie
The Mortal Storm
as Erich Von Rohn
1940
TV
The Lucy Show
as Mr. Frink
1962
Movie
The Big Street
as Decatur Reed
1942
TV
This Is Your Life
as Self
1952
Movie
The Gay Sisters
as Dick Tone
1942
Movie
My Love Came Back
as Paul Malette
1940
Movie
Service with the Colors
as Charles Corbin
1940
Movie
Honeymoon for Three
as Arthur Westlake
1941
Movie
The Hardys Ride High
as Dick Bannersly
1939
Movie
Unholy Partners
as Tommy Jarvis
1941
Movie
Meet the Fleet
as Kansas Potter
1940
Movie
Navy Blues
as 'Mac'
1941
Movie
He Hired the Boss
as Don Bates
1943
Movie
Brother Rat
as Member of the Guard
1938
Movie
Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul
as Self
1993
Movie
Thieves Fall Out
as George Formsby
1941
Movie
Three Sons o' Guns
as Kenneth Patterson
1941
Movie
Invitation to Happiness
as Bellboy (uncredited)
1939
Movie
Soldiers in White
as Johnny Allison
1942
Movie
Those Good Old Days
as Joe La Rue
1941
Movie
Young America Flies
as Jack
1940
Movie
Three Cadets
as Young Flier
1943
Movie
Land and Live in the Desert
as Phil
1945
Movie
Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1
as Self
1941
Crew
Movie
Sex and the Single Girl
Producer
1964
TV
Maverick
Producer
1957
TV
F Troop
Executive Producer
1965
TV
77 Sunset Strip
Producer
1958
TV
Cheyenne
Producer
1955
TV
Lawman
Producer
1958
TV
Hawaiian Eye
Producer
1959
TV
Bronco
Producer
1958
TV
Sugarfoot
Producer
1957
TV
The Dakotas
Producer
1963
TV
Mister Roberts
Producer
1965
TV
Surfside 6
Producer
1960