Sam Newfield
Born
Samuel Neufeld

(1899-12-06)December 6, 1899
New York City[1]
DiedNovember 10, 1964(1964-11-10) (aged 64)
Los Angeles, California[1]
NationalityAmerican
Other namesSherman Scott, Peter Stewart
OccupationDirector
Years active1923-1958[2]
Employermainly PRC
Known for"America's most prolific sound film director"
SpouseViolet Newfield [3]
ChildrenJacqueline Newfield, Joel Newfield [4]
Parent(s)Simon Neufeld (father), Josephine Neufeld (mother)[5]
RelativesMurray, Morris, Sadie and Sigmund Neufeld (siblings)

Sam Newfield, born Samuel Neufeld (December 6, 1899 – November 10, 1964), also known as Sherman Scott or Peter Stewart, was an American director, one of the most prolific in American film history—he is credited with directing over 250 feature films in a career which began during the silent era and ended in 1958. In addition to his staggering feature output, he also directed one -and two-reel comedy shorts, training films, industrial films, TV episodes and pretty much anything anyone would pay him for.[6] Because of this massive output—he would sometimes direct more than 20 films in a single year—he has been called the most prolific director of the sound era.[2]

Many of Newfield's films were made for PRC Pictures. It was a film production company headed by his brother Sigmund Neufeld. The films PRC produced were low-budget productions, the majority being westerns, with occasional horror films or crime drama.

Family and education

Newfield completed one year of high school, according to the 1940 US census. Brother Morris Neufeld was a stage actor, according to the 1930 US census.

Pseudonyms

Sam Newfield was credited as Sherman Scott and Peter Stewart on a number of films he made for the PRC. He used these names in order to hide the fact that one person was responsible for so many of PRC's films.[7]

Partial filmography

Partial filmography is listed below for the different names he used.

As Sam Newfield

As Sherman Scott

As Peter Stewart

Film statistics

Between 1923 and 1930 Newfield directed over 50 comedies. Feature films statistics per year, starting with 1933, are summarised in the following table.[6]

1933193419351936193719381939194019411942194319441945
34714171513141319181212
1946194719481949195019511952195319541955195619571958
15352483011311

See also

  • Fred Olen Ray, another film director who has used many of these pseudonyms

References

  1. 1 2 "B-Western - Sam Newfield". Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Wheeler Winston Dixon (November 2007). "Fast Worker: The Films of Sam Newfield". Senses of Cinema (45). Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  3. ↑ 1940 US Census
  4. ↑ 1940 US Census
  5. ↑ 1930 US Census
  6. 1 2 "The Films of Sam Newfield". Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Sam Newfield at Allmovie".
  8. ↑ Richards, Larry (September 17, 2015). African American Films Through 1959: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography. ISBN 9781476610528.
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