Joseph H. Lewis

Personal Info

Known For Directing

Known Credits 54

Gender Male

Birthday April 6, 1907

Day of Death August 30, 2000 (93 years old)

Place of Birth New York City, New York, USA

Also Known As

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Content Score 

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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

​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

Directing

1965
1965
1964
1961
1959
1958
1958
1957
1956
1955
1955
1955
1955
1953
1952
1952
1950
1950
1949
1948
1948
1946
1945
1945
1944
1942
1942
1942
1942
1942
1941
1941
1941
1940
1940
1940
1940
1940
1940
1940
1939
1938
1938
1938
1938
1937
1937
1937

Editing

1936
1935
1935
1935
1935

Acting

1997

Writing

1942

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