Biography
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William T. Orr (September 27, 1917 β 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.
Filmography
all 48
Movies 24
TV Shows 24
Producer 23
self 3
Hank (1965)
Mister Roberts (1965)
F Troop (1965)
No Time for Sergeants (1964)
Wendy and Me (1964)
The Dakotas (1963)
The Gallant Men (1962)
The Lucy Show (1962)
Room for One More (1962)
The Roaring 20's (1960)
Surfside 6 (1960)
Hawaiian Eye (1959)
Bourbon Street Beat (1959)
The Alaskans (1959)
77 Sunset Strip (1958)
Lawman (1958)
Bronco (1958)
Maverick (1957)
Sugarfoot (1957)
Conflict (1956)
Casablanca (1955)
Cheyenne (1955)
Kings Row (1955)
He Hired the Boss (1943)
Three Cadets (1943)
The Big Street (1942)
The Gay Sisters (1942)
Soldiers in White (1942)
Unholy Partners (1941)
Those Good Old Days (1941)
Three Sons o' Guns (1941)
Thieves Fall Out (1941)
Honeymoon for Three (1941)
Meet the Fleet (1940)
Service with the Colors (1940)
My Love Came Back (1940)
The Mortal Storm (1940)
Invitation to Happiness (1939)
The Hardys Ride High (1939)
Brother Rat (1938)
Information
Known ForProduction
GenderMale
Birthday1917-09-27
Deathday2002-12-25 (85 years old)
Birth NameWilliam Ferdinand Quinn Jr.
Birth PlaceNew York City, United States
RelationshipsJoy Page (1945 - 1970)
ChildrenGregory Orr
CitizenshipsUnited States
Also Known AsWilliam Ferdinand Quinn Jr., William Turney Orr, Wm. T. Orr, William Orr, Bill Orr
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