William A. Seiter

Former Keystone Cop who graduated to assistant director and screenwriter before making his directorial debut in 1918. Seiter developed into a proficient and prolific technician in a number of genres and was especially adept at light, breezy fare, such as the wonderful Laurel and Hardy romp, "Sons of the Desert" (1933), the underrated Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers vehicle "Roberta" (1935), and the engaging romantic drama, "This is My Affair" (1937). He also helmed the Marx Brothers escapade, "Room Service" (1938) but, like the anarchic trio, was too constrained by the conventional stage original. Formerly married to actresses Laura La Plante and Marian Nixon.