Back to prior page            Go to next page


Sam Newfield - stats, tidbits, best films ... and his "stable of regulars".


Sam's main western movie heroes ... and a singular sidekick.

Al 'Fuzzy' St. John
73 films from 1937-1946
(most are westerns)


Buster Crabbe
41 films from 1941-1947
(36 oaters, 4 non-westerns, and Columbia's THE SEA HOUND serial in 1947)


Tim McCoy
25 westerns from 1935-1941

Bob Steele
17 westerns from 1937-1941


George Houston
12 westerns from 1938-1942
(includes 11 Lone Riders)
Sam's other western movie heroes ... prior to and at PRC:

Art Davis, Lee Powell, and Bill 'Cowboy Rambler' Boyd did 6 films in PRC's short-lived 'Frontier Marshal' trio series.
Bob Livingston did 7 films from 1936-1943 (a 1936 Three Mesquiteers, 5 of PRC's 'Lone Rider' series, and a non-western).
Johnny Mack Brown in 7 westerns and one non-western in 1935-1937.
Fred Scott in 6 singin' cowboy oaters in 1937-1938 for Spectrum.
Kermit Maynard in 4 RCMP mountie adventures in 1935 for Ambassador/Maurice Conn.
Charles Starrett in the mountie film UNDERCOVER MEN (J. R. Booth/Dominion, 1935).
Ken Maynard in 2 films in 1939.
James Newill in a Renfrew mountie adventure in 1939.
Tex Fletcher in his only starring film in 1939.
Art Jarrett, Lee Powell, and Al St. John in TRIGGER PALS (Grand National, 1939), a failed attempt at creating a new trio series.
Rex Bell in 1 film in 1936.
Herb Jeffries in 1 film in 1937.
A Jack Randall Monogram oater in 1938.



Guys working in 20 films or more for Newfield as villains, lawmen, fathers, ranchers, henchmen, townsmen, etc.

The film quantities are mostly westerns, but these guys worked in other features for Newfield, and those are included in their film totals.  = quantity includes stunting and doubling.


Wally West
100 films from 1935-1947


Herman Hack
66 films from 1935-1956


George Morrell
64 films from 1928-1946


Charlie King
63 films from 1926-1950


Frank Ellis
61 films from 1935-1952


Jack Hendricks
61 films from 1935-1952


Karl Hackett
56 films from 1935-1946


Budd Buster
52 films from 1937-1948


Jack Evans
51 films from 1936-1946


Art Dillard
50 films from 1935-1956


Tex Palmer
48 films from 1937-1944


Jimmy Aubrey
47 films from 1936-1946


Carl Mathews
46 films from 1935-1956


Steve Clark
45 films from 1936-1946


'Curley' Dresden
40 films from 1940-1946


Ted Adams
37 films from 1936-1943


Sherry Tansey /
James Sheridan
34 films from 1935-1941


Milt/Milburn Morante
33 films from 1935-1946


Bert/Burt Dillard
33 films from 1936-1951


Kermit Maynard
32 films from 1935-1952


Kenne Duncan
31 films from 1934-1950

Augie Gomez
31 films from 1940-1956


Charles 'Slim' Whitaker
29 films from 1936-1946


Jack Ingram
29 films from 1937-1947


Oscar Gahan
28 films from 1936-1943


George Chesebro
27 films from 1936-1946


John Merton
26 films from 1936-1956


Hal Price
26 films from 1937-1945


Chick Hannan/Hannon
23 films from 1937-1944


Artie Ortego
23 films from 1935-1951


Milt Kibbee
23 films from 1941-1951


Frank McCarroll
22 films from 1935-1945


John Elliott
22 films from 1935-1944


Reed Howes
21 films from 1938-1944


Ed Cassidy
21 films from 1935-1950


Lew Meehan
21 films from 1936-1941


Hank Bell
21 films from 1936-1945


Horace B. Carpenter
21 films from 1935-1945


Frank La Rue
20 films from 1937-1943


Roy Bucko
20 films from 1936-1952


Forrest Taylor
20 films from 1937-1943


John 'Lefty' / Bob Cason
20 films from 1942-1946
Familiar faces that didn't meet the 20 films or more cut:

Dick Curtis did 18 films for Sam in the mid to late 1930s before becoming a fixture at Columbia Pictures. Others in the "less than 20" group are Dennis Moore, Dave O'Brien, I. Stanford Jolley, Benny Corbett, Glenn Strange, Edward Peil, Lloyd Ingraham, Henry Hall, Horace Murphy, Sam Flint, Bud Osborne, Fox O'Callahan, Ray Jones, Barney Beasley, Tom Smith, Jack Tornek, Ralph Bucko, Julian Rivero, Frank Hagney, Dan White, Tom London, and Merrill McCormick.




(From Old Corral collection)
As noted above, one face that turns up in about half of Sam Newfield's westerns is Al 'Fuzzy' St. John (real name: Alfred St. John) (1892 - 1963).

Fuzzy began his Newfield films circa 1937 in seven Fred Scott singing cowboy oaters for Spectrum and Newfield was the director on six. With Sam at PRC, Fuzz was the saddle pal in six Bob Steele/Billy the Kid adventures, sixteen Lone Riders with George Houston and Bob Livingston, and thirty six with Buster Crabbe.

Add appearances in the Jack Randall GUNSMOKE TRAIL (Monogram, 1938), George Houston in FRONTIER SCOUT (Grand National, 1938), TRIGGER PALS (Grand National, 1939), a few other oaters, and Fuzzy's movie work with Newfield amounts to 70+ B westerns.

After the Crabbe series ended, Fuzzy became the trail pard to Lash LaRue, but those weren't for Sam Newfield.

(From Old Corral collection)

Above from left to right are Hal Price, Al 'Fuzzy' St. John, Frank Hagney and George Houston as Tom Cameron, the 'Lone Rider', in a lobby card from THE LONE RIDER FIGHTS BACK (PRC, 1941).



What about all the films Sam made for Republic Pictures ... how come he didn't stay with them?

Sam Newfield's Republic credits amount to twenty two films during 1935 - 1938. However, those credits are misleading.

In actuality, he worked directly for Republic only one time, co-directing (with Mack V. Wright) the Three Mesquiteers' ROARIN' LEAD (Republic, 1936).

Republic Pictures was formed in 1935. During their formative years, the company contracted with outside producers for additional films to supplement their in-house production and bolster their release schedules.

A. William Hackel was the boss/owner of Supreme Pictures Corporation and had Johnny Mack Brown and Bob Steele doing westerns. Hackel signed a deal with the new Republic organization to continue both series, and eight Browns and sixteen Steeles were released by Republic during 1936 - 1938. Of those twenty four, seventeen were helmed by Sam Newfield (six Johnny Mack Browns and eleven Bob Steeles). Newfield got his paycheck from Hackel.

Republic also distributed RACING LUCK (1935), BURNING GOLD (1936), GO-GET-'EM HAINES (1936) and FEDERAL AGENT (1936), all starring William Boyd (and these were lensed prior to Boyd becoming Hopalong Cassidy). Newfield directed these for producer George Hirliman (Winchester Pictures).

In a nutshell, Sam Newfield did one real Republic production and twenty one "acquired by Republic" films.



(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above is the title lobby card from the Bob Steele THE COLORADO KID (A. W. Hackel/Republic, 1937). This was one of the Newfield directed westerns from producer A. W. Hackel which were released by Republic. That's battlin' Bob with Marion Weldon on the left. On the right, Steele is roughin' up Karl Hackett.



(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Another of Newfield's films for A. W. Hackel was RIDIN' THE LONE TRAIL (A. W. Hackel/Republic, 1937). Left to right in this lobby card are Bob Steele, Julian Rivero and Lew Meehan. Rivero and Meehan were henchmen in this.



Looking for Sam Newfield's best westerns. Here's two dozen good 'uns.
TitleStar
BRANDED A COWARD (A. W. Hackel/Supreme, 1935)Johnny Mack Brown
RIDIN' THE LONE TRAIL (A. W. Hackel/Republic, 1937)Bob Steele
GAMBLING TERROR (A. W. Hackel/Republic, 1937)Johnny Mack Brown
TRAIL OF VENGEANCE (A. W. Hackel/Republic, 1937)Johnny Mack Brown
COLORADO KID (A. W. Hackel/Republic, 1937)Bob Steele
ARIZONA GUNFIGHTER (A. W. Hackel/Republic, 1937)Bob Steele
GUNSMOKE TRAIL (Monogram, 1938)Jack Randall
CODE OF THE RANGERS (Monogram, 1938)Tim McCoy
PHANTOM RANGER (Monogram, 1938)Tim McCoy
DESERT PATROL (A. W. Hackel//Republic, 1938)Bob Steele
DURANGO VALLEY RAIDERS (A. W. Hackel//Republic, 1938)Bob Steele
FRONTIER CRUSADER (PRC, 1940)Tim McCoy
GUN CODE (PRC, 1940)Tim McCoy
BILLY THE KID OUTLAWED (PRC, 1940)Bob Steele
LAW AND ORDER (PRC, 1942)Buster Crabbe
BILLY THE KID TRAPPED (PRC, 1942)Buster Crabbe
DEVIL RIDERS (PRC, 1943)Buster Crabbe
WILD HORSE PHANTOM (PRC, 1944)Buster Crabbe
RUSTLER'S HIDEOUT (PRC, 1944)Buster Crabbe
PRAIRIE RUSTLERS (PRC, 1945)Buster Crabbe
GANGSTER'S DEN (PRC, 1945)Buster Crabbe
STAGECOACH OUTLAWS (PRC, 1945)Buster Crabbe
HIS BROTHER'S GHOST (PRC, 1945)Buster Crabbe
TERRORS ON HORSEBACK (PRC, 1946)Buster Crabbe



Back to prior page            Go to next page