Sam Newfield, born Samuel Neufeld (December 6, 1899 – November 10, 1964), also known as Sherman Scott or Peter Stewart, was an American
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
A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...
and ended in 1958. In addition to his staggering feature output, he also directed one- and two-reel comedy
shorts,
training films,
industrial films, 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
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...
.
Many of Newfield's films were made for
PRC
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the second-most populous country after India, representing 17.4% of the world population. China spans the e ...
Pictures. It was a film production company headed by his brother
Sigmund Neufeld. The films PRC produced were low-budget productions, the majority being
westerns
The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated wit ...
, with occasional
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
s or
crime drama
Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...
.
Family and education
Newfield completed one year of high school, according to the
1940 US census. His 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 the 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. With a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the second-most populous country after India, representing 17.4% of the world population. China spans the e ...
's films.
Partial filmography
Partial filmography is listed below for the different names he used.
As Sam Newfield
*''
Big Time or Bust
''Big Time or Bust'' is a 1933 American comedy-drama directed by Sam Newfield, which stars Regis Toomey, Gloria Shea, and Walter Byron (actor), Walter Byron.
Plot
Jimmy Kane is a high diver in a carnival, with his wife, Betty Roberts as his ass ...
'' (1933)
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Reform Girl'' (1933)
* ''
Under Secret Orders'' (1933)
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The Important Witness'' (1933)
* ''
Beggar's Holiday'' (1934)
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Undercover Men'' (1934)
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Marrying Widows'' (1934)
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Bulldog Courage'' (1935)
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Racing Luck'' (1935)
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Timber War'' (1935)
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The Traitor'' (1936)
* ''
The Lion's Den'' (1936)
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The Fighting Deputy'' (1937)
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The Gambling Terror'' (1937)
*''
Trail of Vengeance
''Trail of Vengeance'' is a 1937 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield, written by Fred Myton and George H. Plympton, and starring Johnny Mack Brown, Iris Meredith, Warner Richmond, Karl Hackett, Earle Hodgins and Frank LaRue. ...
'' (1937)
*''
The Feud Maker'' (1938)
*''
The Terror of Tiny Town'' (1938)
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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'' (1939)
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Frontier Crusader'' (1940)
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Marked Men'' (1940)
* ''
Secrets of a Model'' (1940)
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Texas Renegades'' (1940)
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The Mad Monster'' (1942)
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Tiger Fangs
''Tiger Fangs'' is a 1943 American adventure film, adventure/thriller film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Frank Buck (animal collector), Frank Buck and June Duprez. It was distributed Producers Releasing Corporation. The film's sets were de ...
'' (1943)
*''
The Black Raven'' (1943)
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I Accuse My Parents'' (1944)
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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 concoc ...
'' (1944)
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His Brother's Ghost'' (1945)
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Shadows of Death'' (1945)
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The Lady Confesses'' (1945)
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Rustlers' Hideout'' (1945)
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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 ''Doub ...
'' (1945)
*''
White Pongo
''White Pongo'', also known as ''Adventure Unlimited'' in the United Kingdom, is a 1945 American film directed by Sam Newfield released by Producers Releasing Corporation.
Plot summary
In the jungles of the Belgian Congo, a group of natives a ...
'' (1945)
* ''
Gas House Kids'' (1946)
*''
Fight That Ghost'' (1946)
* ''
House-Rent Party (film)'' (1946)
* ''
Outlaws of the Plains'' (1946)
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Jungle Flight'' (1947)
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Money Madness'' (1948)
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Western Pacific Agent'' (1950)
* ''
Skipalong Rosenbloom'' (1951)
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Lost Continent'' (1951)
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Lady in the Fog'' (aka ''Scotland Yard Inspector'') (1952)
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The Gambler and the Lady'' (1952)
* ''
Outlaw Women'' (1952)
*''Thunder over Sangoland'' (1955)
*''The Wild Dakotas'' (1956)
*''
The Three Outlaws'' (1956)
*''
Frontier Gambler'' (1956)
*''Last of the Desperadoes'' (1956)
*''
Wolf Dog'' (1958)
*''Flaming Frontier'' (1958)
As Sherman Scott
*''
Hitler, Beast of Berlin'' (1939)
*''
I Take This Oath'' (1940)
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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)
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Lady at Midnight'' (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-quality feature films in many genres, including Horror film, horror, science fiction, action film, action/adventure f ...
, another film 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
Jewish American film people