William Clemens

Directing

William Clemens

Born — Died

1905-09-10 — 1980-04-29

Place of birth

Saginaw, Michigan, USA

Known for

Directing

Credits

35 titles

William Clemens (September 10, 1905 – April 29, 1980) was an American director and editor known for his work in the detective genre, directing films for characters such as Nancy Drew, Perry Mason, The Falcon, Philo Vance and Torchy Blane.

Known for

Series credits

Behind the camera

Talent Scout poster
6.7

A Hollywood heartthrob helps a small-town girl achieve stardom.

Talent Scout

1937

Crime by Night poster
6.4

A private eye and his secretary probe a murder and find an international spy.

Crime by Night

1944

King of the Lumberjacks poster
3.7

Outdoor drama about a newly-hired lumberjack discovering that his former girlfriend is now his new boss's wife.

King of the Lumberjacks

1940

Torchy Blane in Panama poster
5.8

Torchy, Steve, and Gahagan are on the trail of a bank robber aboard an ocean liner traveling from New York to L.A. via the Panama Canal.

Torchy Blane in Panama

1938

She Couldn't Say No poster
7.5

Two big city lawyers are handed an important case but then find it requires them to deal with the oddball and very shrewd characters in a small town.

She Couldn't Say No

1940

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase poster
6.8

Nancy helps two aging spinsters fulfill the byzantine provisions of their father's will, but the murder of their chauffeur complicates matters.

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase

1939

Once a Doctor poster
6.5

Dr. Frank Brace (Joe King) is an important doctor with son Jerry (Gordon Oliver) as well as foster son Steven (Donald Woods). The sons are both interns at Frank's hospital. Steven is the better doctor who takes blame for Jerry's mistakes.Steven has his license revoked when he is blamed for two deaths. Steven goes through years of hell trying to redeem himself.

Once a Doctor

1937

The Falcon and the Co-Eds poster
6.8

The Falcon is called to a young woman's school to investigate a murder. When he arrives, another victim is discovered.

The Falcon and the Co-Eds

1943

Devil's Island poster
5.7

A French doctor sentenced for treason performs brain surgery on the prison commandant's daughter.

Devil's Island

1939

The Falcon Out West poster
5.4

When a Texas playboy is murdered in a New York City nightclub the Falcon investigates. When he learns that the victim was slipped rattlesnake venom, the trail leads to Texas, his own kidnapping and near death.

The Falcon Out West

1944

Down the Stretch poster
6.0

A jockey tries to overcome the reputation of his father, who once threw a race.

Down the Stretch

1936

Knockout poster
5.1

Johnny Rocket (Arthur Kennedy) needs to fight one more match to have enough money to get married to Angela (Olympe Bradna) and start on his dream to run and then own a gym. However, his manager makes sure that this does not happen and eventually Johnny embraces being a fighter, but Angela becomes increasingly unhappy.

Knockout

1941

The Falcon in Danger poster
6.1

Two industrialists disappear from an airplane while the plane is in the air. Also missing is $100,000. The Falcon investigates and discovers a plot against the government.

The Falcon in Danger

1943

Night in New Orleans poster
4.2

A policeman's family helps to exonerate him of murder charges in the death of a man he had under interrogation.

Night in New Orleans

1942

Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter poster
6.2

When a close friend of the Drew family is accused of murder in a rural community, Nancy, aided by boyfriend Ted, helps her lawyer father expose the real killers.

Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter

1939

Nancy Drew… Detective poster
6.5

After a wealthy dowager who has made a substantial donation to her alma mater suddenly disappears, Nancy Drew sets out to solve the mystery.

Nancy Drew… Detective

1938

Crime School poster
6.4

In the slums, teenager Frankie Warren hangs out with a rowdy gang who one day knock him out in a fight. In court, the boys refuse to reveal who struck the knockout blow, and all are subsequently sentenced to a reformatory, cruelly run by two corrupt guards. New deputy commissioner Mark Braden arrives determined to change things, but despite the help of Frankie's sister, Mark's reform plans -- and Frankie's future -- may be sabotaged from within.

Crime School

1938

The Case of the Velvet Claws poster
7.2

Perry and Della are finally married by his old friend, Judge Mary. They plan to go on a honeymoon, but before it can start, Perry is retained by a woman with a gun and $5000.

The Case of the Velvet Claws

1936

The Law in Her Hands poster
6.0

A female lawyer sets up her own practice but only achieves success as an attorney for the mob.

The Law in Her Hands

1936

Calling Philo Vance poster
6.0

Philo is in Vienna working for the US Government to see if Archer Coe is selling aircraft designs to foreign powers. He grabs the plans with Archer's signature, but is captured by police before he can escape. Deported he comes back to America and plans to confront Archer, but Archer is found dead in his locked bedroom with a gun in his hand. While it looks like a suicide, Vance knows better and the coroner finds that Archer has been shot, hit with a blunt instrument and stabbed - making suicide unlikely. But Vance is on the case and is looking to see if government secrets have been sold and who has murdered Coe. This is a remake of "The Kennel Murder Case" using aircraft designs and espionage instead of Chinese porcelain and dog shows.

Calling Philo Vance

1940

The Sunday Round-Up poster
8.0

The small church, pastored by Ted Burke, in a western town is struggling to stay alive as all the men gather at Jack Higgins' Mustang Saloon every Sunday. Burke decides to ask Higgins to close his business on Sunday, but Higgins only concern is to find a baritone to sing in the saloon's quartet, and has his henchies toss Ted out into the street. Ted decides to fight fire with fire, so he gathers up the down-and-out vaudeville act of Chase & Chase (who don't take long to show why they are down and out) and knife-thrower Steve Clemente, and a dozen or so western musicians from Gower Gulch as the before-the-sermon at his tabernacle. Higgins sends his rowdies over to bust up the Sunday morning competition.

The Sunday Round-Up

1936

Here Comes Carter poster
5.5

A radio commentator avenges an old wrong by blowing the whistle on Hollywood scandals

Here Comes Carter

1936

Nancy Drew... Reporter poster
6.0

While participating in a contest at a local newspaper in which high school students are asked to submit a news story, Nancy Drew intercepts a real story assignment concerning the death of a woman who was poisoned. Nancy doesn't think the young woman accused of the crime is guilty and corrals her neighbor Ted into searching for a vital piece of evidence and stumbles onto the identity of the real killer.

Nancy Drew... Reporter

1939

The Thirteenth Hour poster
6.0

In this drama, a trucker's business is nearly destroyed after he is wrongfully accused of killing a policeman with whom he recently quarreled.

The Thirteenth Hour

1947

The Night of January 16th poster
5.8

Accused of killing her employer, financier Bjorn Faulkner, Kit is championed by wisecracking sailor-on-leave Steve Van Ruyle, who has a vested interest in the outcome of the trial.

The Night of January 16th

1941

On Dress Parade poster
6.6

The final feature in the "Dead End Kids" film series finds a youth trying to adjust to life at a military school.

On Dress Parade

1939

Man Hunt poster
10.0

A bored small-town teacher gets mixed up with an escaped bank robber.

Man Hunt

1936

The Footloose Heiress poster
4.7

A rich businessman brings home a homeless man who promises to tame his willful 18-year-old daughter.

The Footloose Heiress

1937

The Case of the Stuttering Bishop poster
7.2

A Bishop from Australia comes to Perry to ask him to take a case of a woman wrongly accused of manslaughter 22 years before. The case would involve the wealthy Mr. Brownley and the fact that his alleged granddaughter may be an imposter. With that, the Bishop leaves and is clubbed in his hotel room. Soon after, he leaves on a boat and Perry meets the woman - Ida Gilbert. Perry goes to see Mr. Brownley, but gets nowhere. Later that night, Brownley is to meet Ida, but he is shot by a woman who drops Ida's gun. Ida is arrested for the murder of Mr. Brownley and Perry gets involved.

The Case of the Stuttering Bishop

1937

Lady Bodyguard poster
6.0

A.C.Baker, advertising executive for an insurance company, approaches test pilot Terry Moore with a proposition that in return for using his picture and endorsement he will get a paid-for-a-year $1000 policy. High-risk Terry agrees. George MacAlister fires his secretary, Miss Tracy, just as she is typing up the policy and she, for spite, changes the amount from a thousand dollars to one million dollars. A.C. delivers the policy, without noticing the difference, to Terry at a party at the Frolics Club, a cheap joint wedged between a burlesque house and a flop house hotel. Three characters, an elderly hat-check "girl" known as Mother Hodges; Avery Jamieson, a broken-down actor; and bartender Harry Gargan are named beneficiaries. When the company discovers the error, A.C. is sent to get back the policy and, pending that, don't let Terry make any test flights.

Lady Bodyguard

1943

Sweater Girl poster
5.3

College students attempt to solve a series of murders on campus while also trying to put together the school's big show.

Sweater Girl

1942

Missing Witnesses poster
7.0

A detective and his bumbling sidekick join the crackdown on racketeering in '30s New York City.

Missing Witnesses

1937

Accidents Will Happen poster
6.2

A married insurance claims adjuster investigates a gang of accident-fraud racketeers, but they retaliate by targeting his wife.

Accidents Will Happen

1938

Mr. Chump poster
10.0

A naive young trumpet player inadvertently becomes involved with bank embezzlers. Comedy.

Mr. Chump

1938