Sam Newfield
Sam Newfield, born Samuel Neufeld (December 6, 1899 – November 10, 1964), also known as Sherman Scott or Peter Stewart, was an American director, 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 films, industrial films, TV episodes and pretty much anything anyone would pay him for.[6] 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.[2]
Sam Newfield | |
|---|---|
| Born | Samuel Neufeld December 6, 1899 |
| Died | November 10, 1964 (aged 64) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Sherman Scott, Peter Stewart |
| Occupation | Director |
| Years active | 1923-1958[2] |
| Employer | mainly PRC |
| Known for | "America's most prolific sound film director" |
| Spouse | Violet Newfield [3] |
| Children | Jacqueline Newfield, Joel Newfield [4] |
| Parent(s) | Simon Neufeld (father), Josephine Neufeld (mother)[5] |
| Relatives | Murray, Morris, Sadie and Sigmund Neufeld (siblings) |
Many of Newfield's films were made for PRC 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, with occasional horror films or crime drama.
Family and education edit
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 edit
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's films.[7]
Partial filmography edit
Partial filmography is listed below for the different names he used.
As Sam Newfield edit
- Big Time or Bust (1933)
- Reform Girl (1933)
- Under Secret Orders (1933)
- The Important Witness (1933)
- Beggar's Holiday (1934)
- Undercover Men (1934)
- Marrying Widows (1934)
- Bulldog Courage (1935)
- Racing Luck (1935)
- Timber War (1935)
- The Traitor (1936)
- The Lion's Den (1936)
- The Fighting Deputy (1937)
- The Gambling Terror (1937)
- Trail of Vengeance (1937)
- The Feud Maker (1938)
- The Terror of Tiny Town (1938)
- Six-Gun Trail (1938)
- The Invisible Killer (1939)
- The Fighting Renegade (1939)
- Frontier Crusader (1940)
- Marked Men (1940)
- Secrets of a Model (1940)
- Texas Renegades (1940)
- The Mad Monster (1942)
- Tiger Fangs (1943)
- The Black Raven (1943)
- I Accuse My Parents (1944)
- Swing Hostess (1944)
- The Monster Maker (1944)
- His Brother's Ghost (1945)
- Shadows of Death (1945)
- The Lady Confesses (1945)
- Rustlers' Hideout (1945)
- Apology for Murder (1945)
- White Pongo (1945)
- Gas House Kids (1946)
- Fight That Ghost (1946)
- House-Rent Party (film) (1946)[8]
- Outlaws of the Plains (1946)
- Jungle Flight (1947)
- Money Madness (1948)
- Western Pacific Agent (1950)
- Skipalong Rosenbloom (1951)
- Lost Continent (1951)
- Lady in the Fog (aka Scotland Yard Inspector) (1952)
- 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 edit
- Hitler, Beast of Berlin (1939)
- I Take This Oath (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 (1948)
- The Strange Mrs. Crane (1948)
- The Wild Weed (1949)
As Peter Stewart edit
- Gun Code (1940)
- Black Mountain Stage (1940)
- Adventure Island (1947)
- The Counterfeiters (1948)
- State Department: File 649 (1949)
Film statistics edit
Between 1923 and 1930 Newfield directed over 50 comedies. Feature films statistics per year, starting with 1933, are summarised in the following table.[6]
| 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 18 | 12 | 12 |
| 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 |
| 15 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
See also edit
- Fred Olen Ray, another film director who has used many of these pseudonyms
References edit
- ^ a b "B-Western - Sam Newfield". Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ a b Wheeler Winston Dixon (November 2007). "Fast Worker: The Films of Sam Newfield". Senses of Cinema (45). Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ 1940 US Census
- ^ 1940 US Census
- ^ 1930 US Census
- ^ a b "The Films of Sam Newfield". Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ "Sam Newfield at Allmovie".
- ^ Richards, Larry (September 17, 2015). African American Films Through 1959: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography. ISBN 9781476610528.
- Review of Tiger Fangs
- Video: clip from Tiger Fangs on YouTube
External links edit
- Sam Newfield at IMDb