Sam Newfield
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Sam Newfield, born Samuel Neufeld, (December 6, 1899 - November 10, 1964), also known as Sherman Scott or Peter Stewart, was an American B-movie
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
, one of the most prolific in American film history—he is credited with directing over 250 feature films in a career which began during the silent era and ended in 1958. In addition to his staggering feature output, he also directed one -and two-reel comedy shorts,
training film A training film is a form of educational film – a short subject documentary movie, that provides an introduction to a topic. Both narrative documentary and dramatisation styles may be used, sometimes both in the same production. While most ...
s,
industrial film Sponsored film, or ephemeral film, as defined by film archivist Rick Prelinger, is a film made by a particular sponsor for a specific purpose other than as a work of art: the films were designed to serve a specific pragmatic purpose for a limited t ...
s, TV episodes and pretty much anything anyone would pay him for. Because of this massive output—he would sometimes direct more than 20 films in a single year—he has been called the most prolific director of the sound era. Many of Newfield's films were made for
PRC China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
Pictures. This was a film production company headed by his brother
Sigmund Neufeld Sigmund Neufeld (May 3, 1896 – March 21, 1979) was an American B movie producer. He spent many years at Poverty Row studio Producers Releasing Corporation where he mainly produced films directed by his brother Sam Newfield. When PRC was taken o ...
. The films PRC produced were low-budget productions, the majority being
westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...
, with an occasional horror film or
crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combin ...
.


Family and education

Newfield completed one year of high school, according to the 1940 US census. Brother Morris Neufeld was a stage actor, according to the 1930 US census.


Pseudonyms

Sam Newfield was credited as ''Sherman Scott'' and ''Peter Stewart'' on a number of films he made for PRC. He used these names in order to hide the fact that one person was responsible for so many of
PRC China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
's films.


Partial filmography

Partial filmography is listed below for the different names he used.


As Sam Newfield

*'' Big Time or Bust'' (1933) *''
Reform Girl ''Reform Girl'' is a 1933 American crime drama film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Noel Francis, Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher and Hale Hamilton.Pitts p.436 Shortly after being released from reform school, a young woman is recruited as the lo ...
'' (1933) *'' The Important Witness'' (1933) * ''
Beggar's Holiday ''Beggar's Holiday'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by John La Touche and music by Duke Ellington. History and background The project originated with black scenic designer Perry Watkins, who envisioned a jazz-driven adaptation of John G ...
'' (1934) *''
Undercover Men ''Undercover Men'' is a 1934 American-Canadian action film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Charles Starrett, Adrienne Dore and Kenne Duncan.Pitts p.376 It was made in Toronto by the B-movie company Booth Productions. With a plot following the ...
'' (1934) *''
Marrying Widows ''Marrying Widows'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Judith Allen, Johnny Mack Brown and Minna Gombell.Parish & Pitts, p. 286 Synopsis After the death of her sewing machine tycoon husband, a young w ...
'' (1934) *'' Bulldog Courage'' (1935) *'' Racing Luck'' (1935) *''
Timber War ''Timber War'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by Sam Newfield from a screenplay by Jos. O'Donnell and Barry Barringer. The film stars Kermit Maynard, Lucille Lund, and Lawrence Gray. Cast * Kermit Maynard as Jim Dolan * Lucille Lund a ...
'' (1935) *'' The Traitor'' (1936) * '' The Lion's Den'' (1936) *''
The Fighting Deputy ''The Fighting Deputy'' is a 1937 American western directed by Sam Newfield and produced by Jed Buell for Spectrum Pictures. Plot Sheriff Dan Bentley (Frank LaRue) and Deputy Tom Bentley ( Fred Scott) are after Scar Adams / Jim Denton ( Charles ...
'' (1937) *''
The Gambling Terror ''The Gambling Terror'' is a 1937 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Johnny Mack Brown, Iris Meredith and Charles King.Pitts p.121 Plot A town is effectively terrorised by a protection racket with no one knowing who th ...
'' (1937) *'' Trail of Vengeance'' (1937) *''
The Feud Maker ''The Feud Maker'' is a 1938 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield. Plot Cast * Bob Steele as Texas Ryan aka Wind River Kid *Marion Weldon as Sally Harbison * Karl Hackett as Rand Lassiter / Ross Landers * Frank Ball as Ben Harbison * ...
'' (1938) *''
The Terror of Tiny Town ''The Terror of Tiny Town'' is a 1938 American musical Western film produced by Jed Buell, directed by Sam Newfield and starring Billy Curtis. The film was shot at a sound studio in Hollywood and partly at Placeritos Ranch in Placerita Canyon, C ...
'' (1938) *'' Six-Gun Trail'' (1938) * ''
The Invisible Killer ''The Invisible Killer'' is a 1939 American mystery film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Grace Bradley, Roland Drew and William Newell.Gates p.96 It was one of the earliest films made by Producers Releasing Corporation, a low-budget outfi ...
'' (1939) *''
The Fighting Renegade ''The Fighting Renegade'' is a 1939 American western directed by Sam Newfield and produced by Sam Katzman for Katzman's Victory Pictures. Plot Framed for the murder of an archaeologist, Bill Carson (Tim McCoy) assumes the identity of "El Puma," ...
'' (1939) *'' Frontier Crusader'' (1940) *'' Marked Men'' (1940) * ''
Secrets of a Model ''Secrets of a Model'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Cheryl Walker, Harold Daniels and Phyllis Barry. It was made as an independent exploitation film on Poverty Row.Pitts p.196 Synopsis In order to raise mo ...
'' (1940) *'' Texas Renegades'' (1940) *'' The Mad Monster'' (1942) *''
Tiger Fangs ''Tiger Fangs'' is a 1943 American adventure/thriller film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Frank Buck and June Duprez. It was distributed Producers Releasing Corporation. The film's sets were designed by the art director Paul Palmentola. ...
'' (1943) *''
The Black Raven ''The Black Raven'' is a 1943 American mystery film directed by Sam Newfield. It was produced and released by Producers Releasing Corporation, a leading Poverty Row studio. Plot A heavy storm catches everybody, nearly all with good reasons fo ...
'' (1943) *''
I Accuse My Parents ''I Accuse My Parents'' is a 1944 American exploitation film dealing with juvenile delinquency. Produced by PRC, the film was used to teach morals, specifically that parents should take an interest in their children's lives, as well as the conse ...
'' (1944) *'' Swing Hostess'' (1944) *''
The Monster Maker ''The Monster Maker'' is a 1944 science-fiction horror film starring J. Carrol Naish and Ralph Morgan. Albert Glasser supplied the film score, his first, an assignment for which he was paid US$250. Plot Dr. Markoff (J. Carrol Naish) has conco ...
'' (1944) *''
His Brother's Ghost ''His Brother's Ghost'' is a 1945 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield. Plot When a group of gunmen are running sharecroppers off their land, rancher Andy Jones sends for his friend Billy Carson to organise the sharecroppers to fight ...
'' (1945) *''
Shadows of Death ''Shadows of Death'' is a 1945 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield. Premise Billy Carson tracks down the murderer of a man carrying news of the railroad traveling through the town of Red Rock, where Fuzzy Q. Jones is Justice of the ...
'' (1945) *'' The Lady Confesses'' (1945) *'' Rustlers' Hideout'' (1945) *''
Apology for Murder ''Apology for Murder'' is a 1945 American film noir directed by Sam Newfield and starring Ann Savage, Hugh Beaumont, Russell Hicks and Charles D. Brown. The plot of ''Apology for Murder'' is a blatant rip-off of the seminal film noir '' Double ...
'' (1945) *'' White Pongo'' (1945) * '' Gas House Kids'' (1946) *'' Fight That Ghost'' (1946) * '' House-Rent Party (film)'' (1946) * '' Outlaws of the Plains'' (1946) *''
Jungle Flight ''Jungle Flight'' is a 1947 American adventure film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Whitman Chambers. The film stars Robert Lowery, Ann Savage, Barton MacLane, Douglas Fowley, Robert Kent and Curt Bois. The film was released on August 2 ...
'' (1947) *'' Money Madness'' (1948) *'' Western Pacific Agent'' (1950) * ''
Skipalong Rosenbloom ''Skipalong Rosenbloom'' is a 1951 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Eddie Forman and Dean Riesner. Starring Max Rosenbloom, Max Baer, Jackie Coogan, Fuzzy Knight, Hillary Brooke and Jacqueline Fontaine, it was relea ...
'' (1951) *'' Lost Continent'' (1951) *''
Lady in the Fog ''Lady in the Fog'' is a 1952 British mystery film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Cesar Romero, Lois Maxwell and Bernadette O'Farrell. It is based on a BBC serial by Lester Powell as scripted by Orville H. Hampton, . It was made by Lipper ...
'' (aka ''Scotland Yard Inspector'') (1952) *'' The Gambler and the Lady'' (1952) * ''
Outlaw Women ''Outlaw Women'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and Ron Ormond and starring Marie Windsor, Richard Rober and Carla Balenda.Pitts p.239 It is set in a remote small town run entirely by women. The film was made in Cinec ...
'' (1952) *''Thunder over Sangoland'' (1955) *''The Wild Dakotas'' (1956) *'' The Three Outlaws'' (1956) *''
Frontier Gambler ''Frontier Gambler'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Orville H. Hampton. The film stars John Bromfield, Coleen Gray, Kent Taylor, Jim Davis, Margia Dean and Veda Ann Borg. The film was released on July ...
'' (1956) *''Last of the Desperadoes'' (1956) *'' Wolf Dog'' (1958) *''Flaming Frontier'' (1958)


As Sherman Scott

*'' Hitler, Beast of Berlin'' (1939) *''
I Take This Oath ''I Take This Oath'' is a 1940 American crime drama film directed by Sam Newfield under the pseudonym of Sherman Scott. Featuring Gordon Jones and Joyce Compton, it was the first release by Producers Releasing Corporation. In 1952, Pictorial Fil ...
'' (1940) *'' Billy the Kid's Gun Justice'' (1940) *''Billy the Kid's Fighting Pals'' (1941) *''Billy the Kid's Smoking Guns'' (1942) *'' The Flying Serpent'' (1946) *''
Lady at Midnight ''Lady at Midnight'' is a 1948 American mystery film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Richard Denning, Frances Rafferty, and Claudia Drake.Langman p.150 The film's sets were designed by the art director Edward C. Jewell. It was shot at the ...
'' (1948) *''The Strange Mrs. Crane'' (1948) *'' The Wild Weed'' (1949)


As Peter Stewart

* '' Gun Code'' (1940) *''Black Mountain Stage'' (1940) *'' Adventure Island'' (1947) *'' The Counterfeiters'' (1948) *'' State Department: File 649'' (1949)


Film statistics

Between 1923 and 1930 Newfield directed over 50 comedies. Feature films statistics per year, starting with 1933, are summarised in the following table.


See also

*
Fred Olen Ray Fred Olen Ray (born September 10, 1954) is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter of more than 200 low-to-medium-budget feature films in many genres, including horror, science fiction, action/adventure, erotic thrillers, crime d ...
, another B movie director who has used many of these pseudonyms


References


Review of ''Tiger Fangs''
*


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Newfield, Sam 1899 births 1964 deaths Film directors from New York City American Jews