W. Merle Connell


William Merle Connell was born on January 7, 1905 in Yakima, Washington. In 1926, Connell married Jennie Ramsey. Connell died on November 25, 1963 in Los Angeles. Connell directed a number of American burlesque films, and exploitation films, including Untamed Women.

Career

Connell's "Quality Pictures" distributed a one-reel burlesque compilations, including: Juke-Box Follies, and Variety Girls.
"Quality Pictures, a small studio on Santa Monica Boulevard run by producer-director W. Merle Connell, was one of the preeminent companies putting out burlesque films for the peepshow and theatrical markets. Connell filmed Los Angeles burlesque dancers in short, two-to-three-minute performances and packaged the segments as single-reel compilations, producing twenty-five of these by 1947. Keeping a hand in the peepshow market, Quality also bought and sold Panorams and converted them for a fee. By the 1950s, Quality had begun focusing on narrative films as well; the Quality Pictures studio was even used for several Ed Wood movies, including Plan 9 from Outer Space."

Film director

Cinematographer