Directors
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
Key Films
Bart Tare is an ex-Army man who has a lifelong fixation with guns, he meets a kindred spirit in sharpshooter Annie Starr and goes to work at a carnival. After upsetting the carnival owner who lusts af…
An undercover U.S. Immigration agent falls in love with an immigrant attempting to enter the United States through Havana, Cuba in an illegal smuggling ring.
A prison convict escapes through the Louisiana swamps.
Police Lt. Leonard Diamond vies to bring a clever, well connected, and sadistic gangster to justice all the while obsessing over the gangster's girlfriend.
Noir Filmography
4 films · 1950–1955YearFilmSynopsis
1950Gun CrazyBart Tare is an ex-Army man who has a lifelong fixation with guns, he meets a kindred spirit in sharpshooter Annie Starr and goes to work at a carnival. After u…View Film →1950A Lady Without PassportAn undercover U.S. Immigration agent falls in love with an immigrant attempting to enter the United States through Havana, Cuba in an illegal smuggling ring.View Film →1953Cry of the HuntedA prison convict escapes through the Louisiana swamps.View Film →1955The Big ComboPolice Lt. Leonard Diamond vies to bring a clever, well connected, and sadistic gangster to justice all the while obsessing over the gangster's girlfriend.View Film →
