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William Keighley

William Keighley

Director, also writer · Died June 24, 1984, aged 94 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. William Jackson Keighley  (August 4, 1889, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - June 24, 1984, New York, New York) was an American stage actor and Hollywood film director. After graduating from the Ludlum School of Dramatic Art, Keighley began acting at the age of 23. By the 1910s and 1920s, he was acting and directing on Broadway. With the advent of talking pictures, he relocated to Hollywood. He eventually signed with Warner Bros., where he proved adept at directing in a wide variety of genres. He was the initial director of The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn, but was replaced by Michael Curtiz. During World War II, he supervised the U.S. Army Signal Corp's motion picture unit. He retired in 1953 and moved to Paris with his actress wife Genevieve Tobin. Description above from the Wikipedia article William Keighley, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 4, 1889
Died
June 24, 1984 (aged 94)
From
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Director, also writer
Titles
32 on MovieCove · 47 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 17% in 30 days

What are William Keighley's films like?

Across their 28 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
39%
Bonds
27%
Self
16%
Society
6%
Survival
6%
Ideas
3%
Power
3%
Justice8 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 28 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 13 · Serious 6 · Dark 9

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 12 · Stylized 15 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 6 · Charged 16 · Intense 6

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 16 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 5

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 16 · Relentless 3

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 16 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 27 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
15
Joyful
10
Thrilling
8
Melancholic
10
Warm
6
Other
23

How their films linger

Feel-good12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy17
  • Bittersweet8
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch William Keighley's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 32 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Subscription and free streaming for William Keighley's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

47 credits, 32 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Master of Ballantrae(1953)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Close to My Heart(1951)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Rocky Mountain(1950)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Rebecca (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Director

  • The Street with No Name(1948)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Honeymoon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Director

  • Target for Today(1944)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • George Washington Slept Here(1942)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Man Who Came to Dinner(1941)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Bride Came C.O.D.(1941)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Four Mothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Director

  • No Time for Comedy(1940)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Torrid Zone(1940)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Fighting 69th(1940)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • 'Til We Meet Again(1940)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Each Dawn I Die(1939)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Yes, My Darling Daughter(1939)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Brother Rat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Director

  • Valley of the Giants(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Secrets of an Actress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Director

  • The Adventures of Robin Hood(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Varsity Show(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Prince and the Pauper(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • God's Country and the Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Director

  • The Green Pastures(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Bullets or Ballots(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Singing Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Director

  • Stars Over Broadway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Director

  • Special Agent(1935)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • 'G' Men(1935)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Mary Jane's Pa(1935)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Right to Live(1935)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Babbitt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • Big Hearted Herbert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • Kansas City Princess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • Dr. Monica (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • Journal of a Crime(1934)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Easy to Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • Mary Stevens, M.D.(1933)

    Dialogue

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Picture Snatcher(1933)

    Dialogue Coach · Writer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Ladies They Talk About(1933)

    Director · as Man Getting a Shoeshine (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Match King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Scarlet Dawn(1932)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Cabin in the Cotton(1932)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Jewel Robbery(1932)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Resurrection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Captain Schoenbock

  • The Third Degree(1926)

    Dialogue Coach

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

Career shape

A full career of 46 titles from 1926 to 1953.

Biggest box office

Bullets or Ballots (1936)

$8.6K worldwide

Highest rated

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Midcredits 97th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 46: 1 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting39 of 46: 38 only directing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score67thWriting2 of 46: 1 only writing, 1 with another roleOther crew5 of 46: 4 only other crew, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score69th

By decade

1920s1 · crew1930s31 · 2 acting · 30 crew1940s10 · crew1950s4 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do William Keighley's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 32; across their 28 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 67th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Approval · how many liked their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Reach · how many have seen their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Midcredits score across 32 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th14
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

23 of their 32 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser23
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed3

Most loved · director

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Midcredits 97th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 66/100 and the pacing 59/100 in their films, across 28 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does William Keighley work with?

People who share at least 2 of William Keighley's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hal B. Wallis shares the most, 16.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers