Lewis Allen (25 December 1905 – 3 May 2000) was a British-born director whose credits included classic television series and a diverse range of films. Allen worked mainly in the United States, working on Broadway and directing 18 feature films between 1944 and 1959. From the mid-1950s he moved increasingly into television and worked on a number of the most popular shows of the time in the US.

Career

Allen was born in the small Shropshire town of Oakengates and attended Tettendan Hall in Staffordshire. On leaving school he joined the Merchant Navy for four years.Obituary: Lewis Allen Vallance, Tom. The Independent 11 May 2000: 6. After leaving the service he became, briefly, an actor, before moving into London theatrical management, first for

Raymond Massey Raymond Hart Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983) was a Canadian actor known for his commanding stage-trained voice. For his lead role in '' Abe Lincoln in Illinois'' (1940), Massey was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He r ...

and later for Gilbert Miller.

Broadway

In 1935 he began working on Broadway. His credits include directing the U.S. premieres of J.B. Priestley's '' Laburnum Grove'' (1935) (131 performances) and '' The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse'' (1937) with

Cedric Hardwicke Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned over 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and hi ...

. He was general stage director (i.e.: in charge of the stage management team) on '' Victoria Regina'' (1935–36) (a big hit, with

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur (; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress. Often referred to as the "First Lady of American Theatre", she was the second person and first woman to win EGOT, the EGOT (an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and ...

and

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor. He was known for his work in the horror film genre, mostly portraying villains. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price ...

), ''Tovarich'' (1936–37) (another success, 356 performances) and ''

French Without Tears ''French Without Tears'' is a comic play written by a 25-year-old Terence Rattigan in 1936. Setting It takes place in a cram school for adults needing to acquire French for business reasons. Scattered throughout are Franglais phrases and sc ...

'' (1937–38). He then directed Priestley's ''

I Have Been Here Before ''I Have Been Here Before'' is a play by J. B. Priestley, first produced by Lewis Casson at the Royalty Theatre, London, on 22 September 1937. The play is one of Priestley's J. B. Priestley's Time Plays, ''Time Plays'', and in 1947 the script w ...

'' (1938) and

Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplays and play ...

and Charles MacArthur's '' Ladies and Gentleman'' with Helen Hayes (1939–40). Allen then received an offer to direct for Paramount. Allen went to London to direct a production of '' The Women'' in 1940, then in May 1941 he signed a contract at

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

Paramount

Allen went to Paramount in 1941. They trained him for a number of years. He directed a wartime propaganda short '' Freedom Comes High'' (1944) and was dialogue director in ''

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas have shifted over the years), or the extent of the area i ...

'' (1943). He was given his first chance to direct a feature film in 1943. He made a highly auspicious debut with '' The Uninvited'', an atmospheric and memorable ghost story set on the misty coast of south-west England, starring

Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. He is often remembered for his portrayal of an alcoholic writer in Billy Wilder's ''The Lost Weekend'' (1945), which wo ...

and Gail Russell. The film was very favourably received and subsequently acquired the status of a classic of its genre. Allen again worked with Russell twice, in '' Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'' (1945), a comedy, and on '' The Unseen'' (1945), a film with a similar supernatural theme which is often considered the unofficial follow-up to ''The Uninvited''. He was borrowed by RKO in '' Those Endearing Young Charms'' (1945) - a big hit at the time. In January 1946 Allen signed a new contract with Paramount. For that studio he directed a romantic comedy '' The Perfect Marriage'' (1947) with

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was an English actor, soldier, raconteur, memoirist and novelist. Niven was known as a handsome and debonair leading man in Classic Hollywood films. His accolades include an Academ ...

and

Loretta Young Loretta Young (born Gretchen Michaela Young; January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) was an American actress. Starting as a child, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1989. She received numerous honors including an Academy Awards ...

; '' The Imperfect Lady'' (1947) with

and

Teresa Wright Muriel Teresa Wright (October 27, 1918 – March 6, 2005) was an American actress. She won the 1942 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Carol Beldon in ''Mrs. Miniver''. She was nominated for the same award in 1941 for her ...

and ''

Desert Fury ''Desert Fury'' is a 1947 American film noir crime film directed by Lewis Allen (director), Lewis Allen, and starring Lizabeth Scott, John Hodiak and Burt Lancaster. Its plot follows the daughter of a casino owner in a small Nevada town who become ...

'' (1947), a noir-ish Western drama starring Lizabeth Scott and

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...

. In 1948 Allen returned to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

to film '' So Evil My Love'', a lavishly mounted, melodramatic period thriller set in Victorian London, which reunited him with Milland, playing an out-and-out bad lot ruining the lives of Ann Todd and

Geraldine Fitzgerald Geraldine Mary Fitzgerald (November 24, 1913 – July 17, 2005) was an Irish actress. She received the Daytime Emmy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. She was a member of the American T ...

. Allen later said that he found Milland a pleasure to work with, and the two teamed up again in '' Sealed Verdict'' (1948), a topical drama dealing with the prosecution of Nazi war criminals in the American-occupied zone of post-war Germany. Allen did some second unit directing on ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...

'' (1949) with

Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake in ...

. He then made a pair of

vehicles, '' Chicago Deadline'' (1950) and '' Appointment with Danger'' (1951). RKO hired Allen to direct a swashbuckler ''

At Sword's Point ''At Sword's Point'', also known as ''Sons of the Three Musketeers'', is a 1952 American historical action adventure film directed by Lewis Allen and starring Cornel Wilde and Maureen O'Hara. It was shot in Technicolor by RKO Radio Pictures. T ...

'', filmed 1949 and released 1951. He was borrowed by Edward Small to direct the biopic '' Valentino'' (1951). He then left Paramount.

Television

Allen began directing TV, episodes of '' Your Favorite Story'' (1953–54) (which he also produced) and '' Meet Corliss Archer''. In 1954 he directed the tense and claustrophobic

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

vehicle '' Suddenly'' which became, alongside ''The Uninvited'', his most widely known and highly regarded film. In 1955 Allen directed two Edward G. Robinson films, '' A Bullet for Joey'' and '' Illegal''. He continued to direct episodes of TV, such as '' I Led 3 Lives'', '' Mr. District Attorney'', ''

Screen Directors Playhouse ''Screen Directors Playhouse'' (sometimes written as ''Screen Directors' Playhouse'') is an American radio and television anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949. The radio program broadca ...

'', '' The Ford Television Theatre'', '' The 20th Century-Fox Hour'' ("

Cavalcade A cavalcade is a procession or parade on horseback, or a mass distance ride by a company of riders. Sometimes the focus of a cavalcade is participation rather than display and the participants do not wear costumes or ride in formation. ...

"), '' Telephone Time'', '' Goodyear Theatre'', ''

Alcoa Theatre ''Alcoa Theatre'' is a half-hour American anthology series sponsored by the Alcoa Corporation and telecast on NBC at 9:30 pm on Monday nights from September 30, 1957 to May 23, 1960. For its first four months on the air, the title ''Turn o ...

'' and '' Decision''. He directed the DuMont television series '' Ethel Barrymore Theater'', filmed in 1953 and shown in syndication as ''Stage 8'' in 1958. In Britain, he produced and directed

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

and

Lana Turner Julia Jean "Lana" Turner ( ; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over a career spanning nearly five decades, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized personal life. ...

in the soapy melodrama '' Another Time, Another Place'' (1958). He directed ''

Whirlpool A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...

'' (1959), a woman-on-the-run drama made for the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation (founded as the J. Arthur Rank Organisation) is a British entertainment conglomerate founded in 1937 by industrialist J. Arthur Rank. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the Uni ...

but filmed on location in Germany.

Later career

Allen's later career was focused on television, where he directed episodes of '' The David Niven Show'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'', ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television series starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

'', ''

Zane Grey Theater ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' is an American Westerns on television, Western anthology television series broadcast on CBS from October 5, 1956 until May 18, 1961. Synopsis Many episodes were based on novels by Zane Grey, to all of which ...

'', ''

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

'', '' Perry Mason'', '' The Barbara Stanwyck Show'', '' The Detectives'', '' The Dick Powell Theatre'', ''

Checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

'', and '' Target: The Corruptors''. His last film as director was '' Decision at Midnight'' (1963) which he also produced. Later TV credits included ''

Arrest and Trial ''Arrest and Trial'' is a 90-minute American crime/legal drama series that ran during the 1963–1964 season on ABC, airing Sundays from 8:30-10 pm Eastern. Overview The majority of episodes consists of two segments. Set in Los Angeles, the ...

'', '' Burke's Law'', '' The Rogues'', ''

The Big Valley ''The Big Valley'' is an American Western television series that originally aired from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969 on ABC. The series is set on the fictional Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The one-hour epis ...

'', '' The Long, Hot Summer'', '' A Man Called Shenandoah'', ''

Court Martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...

'', '' The Fugitive'', '' The Invaders'', '' The F.B.I.'', '' My Friend Tony'', '' The Guns of Will Sonnett'', '' The Survivors'', '' Paris 7000'', '' Dan August'', ''

Cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

'', '' Mission: Impossible'', ''

Griff Griff may refer to: People * Griff (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Griff (singer), stage name of English singer and songwriter Sarah Faith Griffiths (born 2001) * Nickname of Guy Griffiths (1915–1999), British Secon ...

'', ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books comprise a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adulthood in the Midwestern United States, Americ ...

'', and '' The Oregon Trail''. Most notably, he directed 42 episodes of long-running series ''

'', spanning the show's entire 14-year run. He retired in 1977.

Andy Warhol Robot

In 1981, Allen worked on a project with

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

and

Peter Sellars Peter Sellars (born September 27, 1957) is an American theatre director, noted for his unique stagings of classical and contemporary operas and plays. Sellars is a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he teaches ...

that would create a traveling stage show with a life-sized animatronic robot in the exact image of Warhol. The '' Andy Warhol Robot'' would then be able to read Warhol's diaries as a theatrical production. Warhol was quoted as saying, "I’d like to be a machine, wouldn’t you?" This was also made in part by Alvaro Villa, a robotics expert who worked as a Disney Imagineer.

Personal life

Allen was married twice: to English literary agent Dorothy Skinner (died 1969 – one son) and Trudy Colmar, who survived him. Allen died in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

on 3 May 2000, aged 94. He was survived by one son.

Filmography

* '' Freedom Comes High'' (1944) * '' The Uninvited'' (1944) * '' Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'' (1944) * '' Those Endearing Young Charms'' (1945) * '' The Unseen'' (1945) * '' The Perfect Marriage'' (1947) * '' The Imperfect Lady'' (1947) * ''

'' (1947) * '' So Evil My Love'' (1948) * '' Sealed Verdict'' (1948) * '' Chicago Deadline'' (1949) * '' Valentino'' (1951) * '' Appointment with Danger'' (1951) * ''

'' (1952) * '' Suddenly'' (1954) * '' A Bullet for Joey'' (1955) * '' Illegal'' (1955) * '' Another Time, Another Place'' (1958) * ''

'' (1959)

Television credits (main)

* '' Your Favorite Story'' (1953–1954) * '' Meet Corliss Archer'' (1954) * ''

The 20th Century Fox Hour ''The 20th Century Fox Hour'' is an American drama anthology series televised in the United States on CBS from 1955 to 1957. Some of the shows in this series were restored, remastered and shown on the Fox Movie Channel in 2002 under the title ...

'' (1955–1957) * ''

Ethel Barrymore Theatre The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 243 West 47th Street (Manhattan), 47th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1928, it ...

'' (1956) * '' Telephone Time'' (1956–1957) * '' Perry Mason'' (1958–1961) * ''

'' (1959–1960) * ''

'' (1960–1973) * '' The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor'' (1961–1962) * ''

'' (1963–1964) * '' Burke's Law'' (1964) * '' The Rogues'' (1965) * '' The F.B.I.'' (1966–1968) * '' The Fugitive'' (1967) * '' Mission: Impossible'' (1967–1973) * '' The Invaders'' (1968) * '' Dan August'' (1970) * ''

'' (1973) * ''

'' (1975)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Lewis 1905 births 2000 deaths English film directors English television directors People from Oakengates British expatriates in the United States