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Kurt Neumann (director)

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Kurt Neumann
Born(1908-04-05)5 April 1908
Nuremberg,Germany
Died21 August 1958(1958-08-21)(aged 50)
Los Angeles
OccupationFilm director

Kurt Neumann(5 April 1908 – 21 August 1958) was a German-born film director who specialized inscience fictionmovies in his later career.[1]

Biography[edit]

Born in Nuremberg, he was the son of a manufacturer of tin stamps, and he studied music in several German cities, including Berlin. In 1926, he directed his first short movie.

Neumann came to the U.S. in the early sound era, hired to direct German-language versions of Hollywood films. Once he mastered English and established himself as technically proficient in filmmaking, Neumann directed movies such asThe Big Cage(1932),Secret of the Blue Room(1933) withPaul LukasandGloria Stuart,Hold 'Em Navy(1936),It Happened in New Orleans(1936) with child starBobby Breen,Wide Open Faces(1937) withJoe E. Brown,Island of Lost MenandEllery Queen: Master Detectivein 1939.

Neumann was signed by producerHal Roachin 1941 to direct a series of "streamliners",45-minute features designed to fill out short double bills. Among these four-reel comedies wereAbout Face(1942),Brooklyn Orchid(1942),Taxi, Mister?(1943) andYanks Ahoy(1943).Two Knights from Brooklyn(1949) is compiled from two of those streamliners:The McGuerins from BrooklynandTaxi, Mister.

In 1945, he joined the company of producerSol Lesser,who engaged Neumann as coproducer and principal director of theTarzanseries produced by Lesser from 1945 to 1954. The Tarzan films were produced forRKOand starredJohnny Weissmullerand laterGordon Scott.

Neumann became known as a specialist in science-fiction movies due to his producing and directingRocketship X-M(1950, about an expedition to the Moon and Mars) andThe Fly(1958, about a scientist's teleportation experiment that transforms him into a fly creature). Neumann directed other sci-fi and horror films such asKronos(1957) andShe-Devil(1957), and directed other films such asThe Ring(1952) an independent feature co-starringRita Moreno,Carnival Story(1954),Mohawk(1956), andThe Deerslayer(1957).

Contrary to some published reports, Neumann did not die as a result of suicide, but rather from natural causes in Los Angeles on 21 August 1958, five weeks after filming ofThe Flyconcluded. He was inurned at theChapel of the Pines Crematoryin Los Angeles.[2]

Partial filmography[edit]

(Neumann credited as director unless otherwise noted)

References[edit]

  1. ^Allmovie entry
  2. ^"Kurt neumann, director, dies in mystery".Los Angeles Times.Aug 22, 1958.ProQuest167255402.

External links[edit]

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