(From Old Corral image collection) Above - Tom Tyler in his Captain Marvel costume and Gene Autry on the Republic backlot, circa 1941. On the far left is director Lew Landers (real name: Lewis (Louis) Friedlander).

The Directors Western film expert Les Adams co-authored Shoot-Em-Ups with Buck Rainey.  About twenty years ago, Les also wrote and published a series of softcover 'zines titled Yesterday's Saturdays, and each issue highlighted a couple dozen B westerns and included cast lists, plot synopsis, ad cuts, etc. Les has a massive database on the B western and serial, and that database includes info on the heroes, heroines, supporting players, producers, et al. Also included in the database are the directors of each film --- men like Bill Witney, Sam Newfield, Al Herman, Harry Fraser, John (Jack) English, Robert Emmett Tansey, Harry S. Webb, and more. These were the folks who operated on shoestring budgets and churned out features for Republic, Monogram, Columbia and Universal as well as for poverty row outfits like Mascot, Reliable and Victory. Interestingly, several of these directors operated with 'aliases' (such as Newfield, Bernard B. Ray and Harry S. Webb), and Les has included their 'extra' names within the listing. We've also added photos and other tidbits.

If you wish to find a particular name, simply use your web browser's FIND function and that will allow you to search down this page for your keywords.  In the upper left of your screen, you should see the word 'EDIT'.  Click on that, and in the drop down menu, click on 'FIND' to do your search.  In web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera and others, you can also hit the Ctrl-F key combination to open the FIND box.

On the right is writer/actor/producer/director/film editor Albert 'Al' Herman (1887-1958). His real name was Adam Herman Foelker and his cinema career began in the silent era directing shorts with Buddy Messinger, and later, Mickey McGuire shorts starring Mickey Rooney. In the 1930s and 1940s, he helmed many of the Tex Ritter oaters as well as B westerns starring 'Big Boy' Williams, Kermit Maynard, the PRC Texas Rangers, Renfrew mountie adventures, more. He was also the director or co-director of several cliffhangers: THE WHISPERING SHADOW (Mascot, 1933), THE AMAZING EXPLOITS OF THE CLUTCHING HAND (Weiss/Stage & Screen, 1936), and THE BLACK COIN (Weiss/Stage & Screen, 1936).

(From Old Corral image collection)

(Courtesy of Bill Sasser)

On the left, Rex Allen has his arm around his favorite director, William 'Bill' Witney, at Knoxville, 1988. Witney co-directed many of Republic's greatest serials as well as a bunch of westerns. Bill's son, Jay Dee Witney, has a new website on his dad: http://www.williamwitney.com/

On the right is the husband and wife team of Rose Gordon, who was Writer-Script Supervisor and Vice President of Reliable Pictures, and director/producer Harry S. Webb, circa mid 1930s. Webb began his career in the silent era, and was in charge of many 'Poverty Row' westerns starring the likes of Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, Jack Randall, more.  Webb's credits are under his own name as well as 'Henri Samuels'.

(Courtesy of the Robert Webb Family)

(Courtesy of Lynn MacKaye Morgan)

On the left is director Alan James (1890-1952). James began work in Hollywood circa 1917 doing screen writing and then worked his way into directing jobs. During the silent era as well as early talkies, he used his real name of Alvin James Neitz. Around 1931-1932, he was directing B westerns using the moniker of Alan James. His last movie work was writing on Gene Autry's Columbia westerns in the early 1950s. James is probably best remembered for helming fourteen Ken Maynard sound oaters beginning in the early 1930s and ending with the Trail Blazers series at Monogram circa 1943.

Right is writer/actor/producer/director/film editor J. P. McGowan (1880-1952) and the image is from one of his 1930s acting roles at Republic Pictures. McGowan was married to silent serial heroine Helen Holmes, but the pair divorced in the mid 1920s. McGowan's full name was John Paterson McGowan.

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Left is Albert Victor Adamson (1890-1972), acting under the name Denver Dixon, in a bit role in a 1942 Range Busters oater at Monogram. Adamson was AKA Denver Dixon, Al Mix and Art Mix (but not to be confused with the 'other' Art Mix whose real name was George Kesterson). Adamson produced various ultra low budget silent and sound western shorts and features starring himself as well as Buffalo Bill, Jr., Wally Wales, Buddy Roosevelt, Wally West, and Art Mix/George Kesterson. His production companies had various names including California Motion Picture Enterprises and Security Pictures. Adamson/Dixon was also a prolific bit player in scores of westerns. There's a section on the Old Corral devoted to Adamson/Dixon and his films.

(Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Jack Randall, handling the movie camera, along with Peggy Keys and Robert North Bradbury in a publicity still included in the pressbook for RIDERS OF THE DAWN (Monogram, 1937), Randall's first starring oater. Jack Randall was the brother of Three Mesquiteers hero Bob Livingston. In DAWN, Peggy Keys was the heroine ... and the director of the film was Bradbury, Bob Steele's father. Bradbury's real name was Ronald Bradbury (1886-1949). (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above are Ethan Laidlaw and Jack Perrin in a lobby card for RAINBOW RIDERS (Reliable, 1934), one of the Bub 'n' Ben featurettes/shorts which starred Perrin and rotund Benny Corbett. Standing between Laidlaw and Perrin is Mack V. Wright.
Above - Mack V. Wright		In addition to occasional acting jobs, Mack V. Wright (1894 - 1965) spent time behind the camera as the director of oaters such as the Three Mesquiteers in ROARIN' LEAD and RIDERS OF THE WHISTLING SKULL. And he was co-director/assistant director/second unit director of THE VIGILANTES ARE COMING and THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF WILD BILL HICKOK serials, several of the Rough Riders films, more.

From L-to-R are Thomas Carr (1907-1997), Bobby Copeland and R. G. 'Bud' Springsteen (1904-1989). Carr helmed the Sunset Carson series at Republic, the Russell Hayden/Jimmy Ellison series for Lippert Pictures, and early TV shows like SUPERMAN, RAWHIDE, WILD BILL HICKOK, more. Springsteen's directing credits include many of Republic Red Ryder series as well as oaters with Monte Hale and Rex Allen.

(Courtesy of Bobby J. Copeland)

You'll find more info on some of these directors on the Old Corral website - look for sections:
Victor Adamson/Denver Dixon
The Tansey Family in Hollywood
The Webb Family - Harry S. Webb and Reliable Pictures
Fred MacKaye-Violet Neitz-Alan James
more on Robert North Bradbury is in the section on Bob Steele
and Yakima Canutt is in the Stuntmen's section

Jim Tipton's Find A Grave website has interment info and grave marker photos on the following:

Elmer Clifton (1890-1949)
J. P. (John Paterson) McGowan (1880-1952)
Spencer Gordon Bennet (1893-1987)
William Reaves "Breezy" Eason (1886-1956)
Lesley Selander (1900-1979)
George Sherman (1908-1991)
George Archainbaud (1890-1959)
George B. Seitz (1888-1944)
Fred Curtis Brannon (1901-1953)
Philip E. Rosen (1888-1951)
Richard Thorpe (1896-1991)
Benjamin Harrison Kline (1894-1974)
William Christy Cabanne (1888-1950)
Joseph H. Lewis (1907-2000)
Robert North Bradbury (1886-1949; Bob Steele's father)

At the Senses of Cinema website, Robert Keser authored a biography on prolific director Joseph H. Lewis (1907-2000): http://sensesofcinema.com/2006/great-directors/lewis_joseph/

and in 2000, Rick Thompson authored a perspective on Lewis: http://sensesofcinema.com/2000/10/lewis-2/

At the Senses of Cinema website, there's a lengthy article titled "Fast Worker: The Films of Sam Newfield" by author and film historian Wheeler Winston Dixon which covers the life and career of director Sam Newfield (1899 - 1964): http://sensesofcinema.com/2007/feature-articles/sam-newfield/

Director statistics and credits from Les Adams follows.

Before proceeding, please take a look at the 'ground rules' on what each of the columns includes and does not include:

• no silent film credits
• no TV credits
• no title-changed reissues or changed-for-TV titles
• no foreign language (not an issue with the vast majority on this list)
• no 'compilation' films
• the Westerns column includes both B and A grade films
• Serials and Shorts may be westerns or non-westerns
• Features contains no western films
• each column represents 'at least this many'
• the only column that may be short is the 'Shorts' segment which is a work-in-progress data base

Date of this database run: 11/12/99
The list is sorted in WESTERN film quantity order