About

Known credits:
97
Birthday:
1908-04-05
Place of birth:
Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany
Website:
N/A

Kurt Neumann

Overview

Kurt Neumann (5 April 1908, Nuremberg, Germany - 21 August 1958, Los Angeles) was a german Hollywood film director who specialized in science fiction movies in his later career. Neumann came to the US in the early talkie era, hired to direct German language versions of Hollywood films.

Once he mastered English and established himself as technically proficient in filmmaking, Neumann directed such low-budget programmers as The Big Cage (1932), Secret of the Blue Room (1933) with Paul Lukas and Gloria Stuart, Hold 'Em Navy (1936), It Happened in New Orleans (1936) with child star Bobby Breen, Wide Open Faces (1937) with Joe E. Brown, and Ellery Queen: Master Detective (1939).

Neumann was signed by producer Hal Roach in 1941 to direct a series of "streamliners", 45-minute features designed to fill out short double bills. Among these 4-reel comedies were About Face (1942), Brooklyn Orchid (1942), Taxi, Mister? (1943) and Yanks Ahoy (1943).

In 1945, he joined the company of producer Sol Lesser, who engaged Neumann as coproducer and principal director of the Tarzan series produced by Lesser 1945-1954. The Tarzan films were produced for RKO and starred Johnny Weissmuller and later Gordon Scott.

Neumann became known as a specialist in science fiction movies due to his producing and directing such productions as Rocketship X-M (1950) and The Fly (1958). Neumann directed other sci-fi and horror films such as Kronos (1957) and She-Devil (1957), and directed non-scifi films such as The Ring (1952) an independent feature co-starring Rita Moreno, Carnival Story (1954), Mohawk (1956), and The 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, shortly after a preview screening of The Fly but before the official premiere. Thus, Neumann never knew what a boxoffice hit The Fly was. He was entombed at Utter McKinley Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Kurt Neumann (director), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Known for

Acting
1943 Action in the North Atlantic Actor German (uncredited) 60
Fair
1943 Above Suspicion Actor Gestapo Man (Uncredited) 59
Average

Directing
1974 99 and 44/100% Dead Directing Assistant Director 58
Average
1970 The Brotherhood of the Bell Directing Assistant Director 59
Average
1967 The President's Analyst Directing Assistant Director 58
Average
1967 Enter Laughing Directing Assistant Director 58
Average
1959 Counterplot Directing Director 58
Average
1959 Watusi Directing Director 59
Average
1958 Machete Directing Director 58
Average
1958 The Fly Directing Director 64
Fair
1957 The Deerslayer Directing Director 58
Average
1957 She Devil Directing Director 58
Average
1957 Kronos Directing Director 58
Average
1956 The Desperados Are in Town Directing Director N/A
N/A
1956 Mohawk Directing Director 58
Average
1955 Adventure in Rio Directing Director N/A
N/A
1954 Three from Variety Directing Director 59
Average
1954 They Were So Young Directing Director 58
Average
1954 Circus of Love Directing Director N/A
N/A
1954 Carnival Story Directing Director 58
Average
1954 Regina Amstetten Directing Director N/A
N/A
1953 Tarzan and the She-Devil Directing Director 58
Average
1952 Hiawatha Directing Director N/A
N/A
1952 The Ring Directing Director 58
Average
1952 Son of Ali Baba Directing Director 58
Average
1951 Reunion in Reno Directing Director 59
Average
1951 Cattle Drive Directing Director 59
Average
1950 Rocketship X-M Directing Director 58
Average
1950 The Kid from Texas Directing Director 58
Average
1949 Bad Boy Directing Director 59
Average
1949 Bad Men of Tombstone Directing Director 59
Average
1948 The Dude Goes West Directing Director 59
Average
1947 Tarzan and the Huntress Directing Director 58
Average
1946 Tarzan and the Leopard Woman Directing Director 58
Average
1945 Tarzan and the Amazons Directing Director 59
Average
1943 The Unknown Guest Directing Director N/A
N/A
1943 Yanks Ahoy Directing Director 59
Average
1943 Taxi, Mister Directing Director 58
Average
1942 The McGuerins from Brooklyn Directing Director 59
Average
1942 Fall In Directing Director 59
Average
1942 About Face Directing Director 58
Average
1942 Brooklyn Orchid Directing Director N/A
N/A
1940 A Night at Earl Carroll's Directing Director 58
Average
1940 Ellery Queen, Master Detective Directing Director 59
Average
1939 All Women Have Secrets Directing Director 58
Average
1939 Island of Lost Men Directing Director 58
Average
1939 Unmarried Directing Director 58
Average
1939 Ambush Directing Director 58
Average
1938 Touchdown, Army Directing Director N/A
N/A
1938 Wide Open Faces Directing Director 59
Average
1937 Hold 'Em Navy Directing Director 58
Average
1937 Make a Wish Directing Director 59
Average
1937 Espionage Directing Director 59
Average
1936 Rainbow on the River Directing Director 58
Average
1936 Violets in Spring Directing Director 59
Average
1936 Let's Sing Again Directing Director 58
Average
1935 The Affair of Susan Directing Director N/A
N/A
1935 Alias Mary Dow Directing Director 59
Average
1934 Wake Up and Dream Directing Director 58
Average
1934 Let's Talk It Over Directing Director N/A
N/A
1934 Half a Sinner Directing Director N/A
N/A
1933 King for a Night Directing Director 59
Average
1933 Secret of the Blue Room Directing Director 58
Average
1933 The Big Cage Directing Director 59
Average
1932 Fast Companions Directing Director 59
Average
1932 My Pal, the King Directing Director N/A
N/A
1932 The Red Shadow Directing Director N/A
N/A
1931 House of Mystery Directing Director 59
Average
1931 Sealed Lips Directing Director N/A
N/A
1931 Trapped Directing Director N/A
N/A

Writing
1958 Machete Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1957 The Deerslayer Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1957 Apache Warrior Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1957 Apache Warrior Writing Story 58
Average
1957 She Devil Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1956 The Desperados Are in Town Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
1954 They Were So Young Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1954 Circus of Love Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1954 Carnival Story Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1950 Rocketship X-M Writing Writer 58
Average
1943 The Return of the Vampire Writing Story 58
Average
1931 Trapped Writing Writer N/A
N/A

Production
1975 Fear on Trial Production Production Manager 58
Average
1974 The Stranger Who Looks Like Me Production Production Manager 58
Average
1958 Machete Production Producer 58
Average
1958 The Fly Production Producer 64
Fair
1957 The Deerslayer Production Producer 58
Average
1957 She Devil Production Producer 58
Average
1957 Kronos Production Producer 58
Average
1956 The Desperados Are in Town Production Producer N/A
N/A
1954 They Were So Young Production Producer 58
Average
1950 Rocketship X-M Production Producer 58
Average
1947 Tarzan and the Huntress Production Associate Producer 58
Average
1946 Tarzan and the Leopard Woman Production Associate Producer 58
Average
1945 Tarzan and the Amazons Production Associate Producer 59
Average
1943 Tarzan's Desert Mystery Production Associate Producer 59
Average

Crew
1936 Dracula's Daughter Crew Treatment 58
Average