Biography
Chicago-born William Marshall worked as a vocalist for orchestra leader Fred Waring before forming his own band in 1937. Marshall came to Hollywood as an actor in 1940; during his Tinseltown years, he was married to actresses
Michèle Morgan and
Ginger Rogers respectively. In 1950, he became a producer through the auspices of Errol Flynn, with whom he'd acted in
Santa Fe Trail. Marshall and Flynn's newly formed Silver Productions came forth with
Hello God, a 64-minute semi-documentary starring Flynn and produced, directed, written and narrated by Marshall. While looking for a distributor for
Hello God (they never found one), the Flynn-Marshall team commenced work on the 1951 costume drama The Adventures of Captain Fabian; Robert Florey was slated to direct, but he dropped out of the project, obliging Marshall to finish the direction himself. Silver Productions was dissolved during an acrimonious legal battle, and Marshall was not heard from professionally for several years. William Marshall re-emerged in 1961 as director of the undistinguished sci-fier
Phantom Planet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide