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IMDbPro

Joseph M. Newman(1909-2006)

  • Director
  • Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
  • Additional Crew
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Joseph M. Newman in Red Skies of Montana (1952)
Joseph M. Newman worked his way up from office boy and clerk to writer and assistant director under George Cukor, Ernst Lubitsch and others. In 1937 he was briefly assigned to MGM's British section as a second unit director, but returned home within the year to direct short features. His occasional involvement in bigger productions included shooting the famous "Donkey Serenade" from The Firefly (1937), for which he did not receive screen credit. Indeed, he received two Oscar nominations as assistant director (a short-lived category in the awards). After directing his first full-length motion picture, Northwest Rangers (1942), Newman served in the war, rising to the rank of major, making documentaries and newsreels for the Signal Corps. The sense of realism and attention to detail he gained during this time served him in later years.

Many of his films, almost all second features and shot on modest budgets, use character actors rather than stars for the lead roles. They have a gritty, semi-documentary look, particularly his two best offerings: the film noir 711 Ocean Drive (1950) and the outdoor drama Red Skies of Montana (1952). Many also share an overriding preoccupation with technology, as in "711 Ocean Drive", in which an electronically-minded telephone repairman (Edmond O'Brien) becomes entangled with a shady bookmaking syndicate. Newman's most famous film would have to be the cult sci-fi This Island Earth (1955)--in which the main stars, it must be said, were the special effects--which features clever matte paintings and lush three-strip Technicolor photography. Newman's contribution to the film is somewhat diminished, however, by the fact that nearly half of it (set on the planet Metaluna) was re-shot by director Jack Arnold because the studio was unhappy with the initial result. Arnold, in the end, shot some of the most famous scenes, including the mutant attack and the escape through the tunnels.

After "This Island Earth", Newman's work was competent, if routine: a few westerns, a minor swashbuckler and a couple of crime pictures. Sci-fi fans will remember his four entries into The Twilight Zone (1959), though none were among the most compelling of the series.
BornAugust 7, 1909
DiedJanuary 23, 2006(96)
BornAugust 7, 1909
DiedJanuary 23, 2006(96)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 2 Oscars
    • 2 nominations total

Known for

Joanne Dru and Edmond O'Brien in 711 Ocean Drive (1950)
711 Ocean Drive
6.8
  • Director
  • 1950
Flight to Hong Kong (1956)
Flight to Hong Kong
5.5
  • Director
  • 1956
Red Skies of Montana (1952)
Red Skies of Montana
6.4
  • Director
  • 1952
The Twilight Zone (1959)
The Twilight Zone
9.1
TV Series
  • Director

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Director

  • Lee Majors, Barbara Stanwyck, Linda Evans, Peter Breck, and Richard Long in The Big Valley (1965)
    The Big Valley
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1965
  • The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962)
    The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1963–1965
  • The Twilight Zone (1959)
    The Twilight Zone
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1963–1964
  • The Great Adventure (1963)
    The Great Adventure
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1963
  • Neville Brand, Barrie Chase, Ray Danton, Brad Dexter, Frank Gorshin, Julie London, Jayne Mansfield, Margo Moore, and Barbara Nichols in The George Raft Story (1961)
    The George Raft Story
    • Director
    • 1961
  • George Hamilton, Richard Boone, and Luana Patten in A Thunder of Drums (1961)
    A Thunder of Drums
    • Director (as Joseph Newman)
    • 1961
  • Robert Douglas, Arch Johnson, Vera Miles, and Jack Warden in The Lawbreakers (1961)
    The Lawbreakers
    • Director
    • 1961
  • Jeanne Crain and David Janssen in Twenty Plus Two (1961)
    Twenty Plus Two
    • Director
    • 1961
  • Mickey Rooney, Diana Dors, Jack Carson, William Demarest, Dianne Foster, David Janssen, Dan O'Herlihy, Joseph Schildkraut, Mickey Shaughnessy, and Keenan Wynn in King of the Roaring 20's: The Story of Arnold Rothstein (1961)
    King of the Roaring 20's: The Story of Arnold Rothstein
    • Director
    • 1961
  • The Asphalt Jungle (1961)
    The Asphalt Jungle
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1961
  • Lori Martin in National Velvet (1960)
    National Velvet
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1961
  • Dan Raven (1960)
    Dan Raven
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1960
  • Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1958)
    Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1960
  • Robert Douglas, Joanna Barnes, and Denny Miller in Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959)
    Tarzan, the Ape Man
    • Director (as Joseph Newman)
    • 1959
  • Red Buttons, Victor Mature, Kathryn Grant, David Nelson, and Gilbert Roland in The Big Circus (1959)
    The Big Circus
    • Director
    • 1959

Second Unit or Assistant Director

  • Wallace Beery, George Bancroft, Marjorie Main, and Lewis Stone in The Bugle Sounds (1942)
    The Bugle Sounds
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1942
  • Maureen O'Sullivan and Johnny Weissmuller in Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941)
    Tarzan's Secret Treasure
    • second unit director (uncredited)
    • 1941
  • Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Leo Carrillo, and Walter Pidgeon in Too Hot to Handle (1938)
    Too Hot to Handle
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1938
  • Allan Jones and Jeanette MacDonald in The Firefly (1937)
    The Firefly
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1937
  • Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald in Maytime (1937)
    Maytime
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1937
  • Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Taylor, and Joseph Calleia in His Brother's Wife (1936)
    His Brother's Wife
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1936
  • Clark Gable and Jeanette MacDonald in San Francisco (1936)
    San Francisco
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1936
  • Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald in Rose-Marie (1936)
    Rose-Marie
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1936
  • Brian Aherne and Joan Crawford in I Live My Life (1935)
    I Live My Life
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1935
  • Clark Gable, Wallace Beery, and Jean Harlow in China Seas (1935)
    China Seas
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1935
  • David Copperfield (1935)
    David Copperfield
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1935
  • Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald in The Merry Widow (1934)
    The Merry Widow
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • Robert Montgomery and Norma Shearer in Riptide (1934)
    Riptide
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • Bing Crosby and Marion Davies in Going Hollywood (1933)
    Going Hollywood
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1933
  • Maureen O'Sullivan and Alice Brady in Stage Mother (1933)
    Stage Mother
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1933

Additional Crew

  • Jean Harlow and Norma Shearer in Complicated Women (2003)
    Complicated Women
    • additional consultant
    • TV Movie
    • 2003
  • Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story (2002)
    Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story
    • source: archival materials (as Joseph Newman)
    • TV Movie
    • 2002
  • Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)
    Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie
    • director: archive footage
    • 1996

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • Joe Newman
  • Born
    • August 7, 1909
    • Logan, Utah, USA
  • Died
    • January 23, 2006
    • Simi Valley, California, USA(undisclosed)

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