Motion Picture Director. Most often billed as Reeves Eason. Born in Friar Point, Mississippi, he quit the produce business to become a vaudeville performer and entered films as a director with the Flying A studio in 1913. He went on to pilot over 150 low-budget westerns, serials, and adventure films, for Universal and most of the lower-echelon producers in Hollywood. Although he was a mediocre filmaker overall, Eason was brilliant at handling big-scale action scenes, a peculiar talent he seldom got to display in his Poverty Row epics. Consequently his best work was as a second-unit director on A films directed by others. In this capacity he was responsible for the chariot race in the silent version of "Ben-Hur" (1925), the charge sequence for "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1936), the climactic battle scenes in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938) and "They Died With Their Boots On" (1941), the burning of Atlanta in "Gone With the Wind" (1939), and the posse gathering in "Duel in the Sun" (1946). His own credits as director include "The Big Adventure" (1921), "The Vanishing Legion" (1931), "The Last of the Mohicans" (1932), "Murder in the Big House" (1939), and "Rimfire" (1949). He was the father of child actor Reaves Eason, Jr., whom he directed in several westerns. After his son's death in an accident in 1921, he adapted the boy's nickname, "Breezy", and from then on he appeared in movie credits as B. Reeves Eason or Breezy Eason. He retired in 1952.
Motion Picture Director. Most often billed as Reeves Eason. Born in Friar Point, Mississippi, he quit the produce business to become a vaudeville performer and entered films as a director with the Flying A studio in 1913. He went on to pilot over 150 low-budget westerns, serials, and adventure films, for Universal and most of the lower-echelon producers in Hollywood. Although he was a mediocre filmaker overall, Eason was brilliant at handling big-scale action scenes, a peculiar talent he seldom got to display in his Poverty Row epics. Consequently his best work was as a second-unit director on A films directed by others. In this capacity he was responsible for the chariot race in the silent version of "Ben-Hur" (1925), the charge sequence for "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1936), the climactic battle scenes in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938) and "They Died With Their Boots On" (1941), the burning of Atlanta in "Gone With the Wind" (1939), and the posse gathering in "Duel in the Sun" (1946). His own credits as director include "The Big Adventure" (1921), "The Vanishing Legion" (1931), "The Last of the Mohicans" (1932), "Murder in the Big House" (1939), and "Rimfire" (1949). He was the father of child actor Reaves Eason, Jr., whom he directed in several westerns. After his son's death in an accident in 1921, he adapted the boy's nickname, "Breezy", and from then on he appeared in movie credits as B. Reeves Eason or Breezy Eason. He retired in 1952.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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