William P. McGivern
Writer · Died November 18, 1982, aged 63 · Chicago, Illinois, USA
William Peter McGivern (December 6, 1918 – November 18, 1982) was an American novelist and television scriptwriter. He published more than 20 novels, mostly mysteries and crime thrillers, some under the pseudonym Bill Peters.
Biography from TMDB.
- December 6, 1918
- November 18, 1982 (aged 63)
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Writer
- 11 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
What are William P. McGivern's films like?
Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 5
Grounded 4 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1
A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 6
Steady 4 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1
Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 1
Casual 4 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 2
Resolved 9 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet4
- Tragic2
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 P. McGivern's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for William P. McGivern'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
23 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page.
Night of the Juggler(1980)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Brannigan(1975)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Kojak(1973)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows
Banyon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
San Francisco International Airport (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
The Wrecking Crew(1968)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Adam-12(1968)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows
A Choice of Killers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
I Saw What You Did(1965)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
The Last Judgment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Slattery's People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Nightmare in Chicago (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Kraft Suspense Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Defeat the Boss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Virginian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Ben Casey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Checkmate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Odds Against Tomorrow(1959)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Hell on Frisco Bay(1955)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Rogue Cop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Shield for Murder(1954)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
The Big Heat(1953)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 23 titles from 1953 to 1980.
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 P. McGivern's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th3
Shape of the crowd
None of their 11 titles divides audiences: 6 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the dialogue 57/100 and the plot and story 50/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
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.
Is William P. McGivern's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does William P. McGivern work with?
People who share at least 2 of William P. McGivern's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; William W. Norton shares the most, 2.
Writers
- William W. NortonShared titles: Night of the Juggler (1980), Brannigan (1975)See all 2 shared titles with William W. Norton
- Sydney BoehmShared titles: Hell on Frisco Bay (1955), The Big Heat (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Sydney Boehm
Actors
- Gloria GrahameShared titles: Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), The Big Heat (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Gloria Grahame
