Joseph H. Lewis
Personal Info
Known for
Directing
Gender
Male
Birthday
1907-04-06
Day of Death
2000-08-30 (93 years old)
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Joseph H. Lewis
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Joseph H. Lewis (April 6, 1907–August 30, 2000), was an American B-movie film director.
Although he worked with both Béla Lugosi (The Invisible Ghost) and Lionel Atwill in early 1940s horror, he is best known for his work in film noir from the late 40s and the 1950s. His most acclaimed feature, Gun Crazy (1949), is a dark romance about gun-obsession, and notable for its use of location photography.
At the dawn of his career (1937–1940), when Lewis was directing inexpensive westerns, he earned the derogatory nickname "Wagon-Wheel Joe" from the studio editors, because of his tendency to use wagon-wheels for constructing interesting visual compositions within the frame.
Lewis's offbeat and eye-catching compositions added style and value to inexpensive productions. His 1944 musical Minstrel Man, starring singer Benny Fields, is quite possibly the finest film ever made by low-budget PRC Pictures. Industry insiders noticed, prompting Columbia Pictures to hire Lewis to film the musical sequences for its blockbuster musical The Jolson Story.
Toward the end of Lewis's career, he worked in television, directing mostly westerns: The Rifleman, Bonanza, The Big Valley, Gunsmoke, and the pilot for Branded.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Joseph H. Lewis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Acting
(1997)
Lugosi: Hollywood's Dracula
as Self
Crew
(1966)
Bat Men of Africa
Supervising Editor
(1958)
Terror in a Texas Town
Director
(1957)
The Halliday Brand
Director
(1956)
7th Cavalry
Director
(1955)
The Big Combo
Director
(1955)
A Lawless Street
Director
(1955)
Man on a Bus
Director
(1953)
Cry of the Hunted
Director
(1952)
Desperate Search
Director
(1952)
Retreat, Hell!
Director
(1950)
A Lady Without Passport
Director
(1950)
Gun Crazy
Director
(1949)
The Undercover Man
Director
(1948)
The Return of October
Director
(1948)
The Swordsman
Director
(1946)
So Dark the Night
Director
(1945)
My Name Is Julia Ross
Director
(1945)
The Falcon in San Francisco
Director
(1944)
Minstrel Man
Director
(1942)
The Mad Doctor of Market Street
Director
(1942)
Bombs Over Burma
Director, Screenplay
(1942)
The Silver Bullet
Director
(1942)
Secrets of a Co-Ed
Director
(1942)
Boss of Hangtown Mesa
Director
(1941)
Invisible Ghost
Director
(1941)
Criminals Within
Director
(1941)
Arizona Cyclone
Director
(1940)
Pride of the Bowery
Director
(1940)
Boys of the City
Director
(1940)
The Man from Tumbleweeds
Director
(1940)
The Return of Wild Bill
Director
(1940)
Texas Stagecoach
Director
(1940)
That Gang of Mine
Director
(1940)
Blazing Six Shooters
Director
(1939)
Two-Fisted Rangers
Director
(1938)
The Singing Outlaw
Director
(1938)
The Spy Ring
Director
(1938)
The Last Stand
Director
(1938)
Border Wolves
Director
(1937)
Navy Spy
Director
(1937)
The Gold Racket
Director
(1937)
Courage of the West
Director
(1936)
Sharad of Atlantis
Supervising Editor
(1935)
Hitch Hike Lady
Editor
(1935)
(1935)
Streamline Express
Editor
(1935)
Waterfront Lady
Supervising Film Editor