Joe May(1880-1954)
- Director
- Producer
- Writer
A businessman and operetta director, Joe May, one of the founders of
the German cinema, started directing films in 1911 and started his own
production company a few years later. He gave famous German director
Fritz Lang his start in films,
employing him as a screenwriter in his early films. After the Nazi
takeover, May fled to the United States where he directed several
excellent action films for Universal, but never could quite break into
the ranks of the "A" picture directors. May never bothered to
completely learn the English language and was never popular with his
casts and crews due to his dictatorial nature. He ended his career by
directing his last film for Monogram in 1944 at the age of 64. He later
briefly owned a restaurant in Hollywood that failed because, in keeping
with his Teutonic roots, told customers what they should order.
