Quentin Tarantino Pays Tribute to William Beaudine; One of the Largest Retrospectives of the Director to Be Held in Los Angeles
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Quentin Tarantino plans to honor the lesser-known but prolific Hollywood filmmaker William Beaudine with an extensive retrospective; a director who made nearly 200 films over the course of his career.
While New Beverly Cinema had spent the past two months recreating a vintage adult-film theater vibe, screening titles such as Behind the Green Door and the Emmanuelle series, the venue will return to its usual diverse programming in April. This will include classic films like Casablanca and Raiders of the Lost Ark, midnight cult favorites such as Tenebrae and Shadow of the Vampire, as well as screenings of Tarantino’s own works, including Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair and Reservoir Dogs.
The centerpiece of the schedule, however, is the extensive William Beaudine retrospective at New Beverly and the Video Archives Club at Vista Theatre. This program features over 25 selected films from Beaudine’s career—a filmmaker whose vast body of work remains largely unknown to many contemporary audiences.
Tarantino explained on an episode of the Pure Cinema podcast that after reading books about Beaudine, he began seriously watching his films, often several per night. He concluded that the depiction of Beaudine in the 1980 book The Golden Turkey Awards as one of the worst directors in history was inaccurate, and that the filmmaker in fact possessed remarkable skill and taste, particularly in the comedy genre.
Beaudine began his career as a teenager at the Biograph Studio, working as an assistant to D.W. Griffith, a pioneer of silent cinema. By the end of the silent era, he had become a notable Hollywood director, collaborating with studios such as Warner Bros. and Metro Pictures. Key works from this period, including Little Annie Rooney, Sparrows, and The Canadian, will also be screened as part of the retrospective.
After the advent of sound in cinema, he successfully transitioned to directing comedies, such as The Old Fashioned Way starring W.C. Fields. However, upon returning from England, he lost his standing in Hollywood and was forced to work with low-budget and independent studios.
In the 1940s, Beaudine directed low-budget films for studios like Monogram Pictures, producing over 100 movies, including series such as Bowery Boys and Charlie Chan. His ability to deliver quality films quickly and on a limited budget also allowed him to work in television, contributing to projects like The Green Hornet, Lassie, and Mickey Mouse Club.
His later films, including the hybrid and eccentric Billy the Kid vs. Dracula and Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter, gave critics an excuse to dismiss his body of work.
Nevertheless, the new retrospective at New Beverly and Vista aims to redefine Beaudine’s true place in film history. The program includes screenings of celluloid prints, rare films such as Misbehaving Ladies and Heart to Heart, and cult favorites like The Ape Man and Bela Lugosi Meets the Brooklyn Gorilla.
This retrospective, considered the most comprehensive William Beaudine program in the United States—and possibly the world—covers only a portion of his enormous output but serves as an ideal starting point for the reappraisal of this prolific and influential filmmaker.
The event will take place throughout April at New Beverly and Vista Theatres.
