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Sam Newfield

For other people named Peter Stewart, see Peter Stewart (disambiguation).

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.[5] 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]

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]
Children2[4]

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

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

Pseudonyms

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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.[6]

Partial filmography

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

As Sam Newfield

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As Sherman Scott

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As Peter Stewart

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Film statistics

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Between 1923 and 1930 Newfield directed over 50 comedies. Feature films statistics per year, starting with 1933, are summarised in the following table.[5]

1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945
3 4 7 14 17 15 13 14 13 19 18 12 12
1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958
15 3 5 2 4 8 3 0 1 1 3 1 1

See also

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

References

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  1. ^ a b "B-Western - Sam Newfield". Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  2. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "The Films of Sam Newfield". Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  6. ^ "Sam Newfield at Allmovie".
  7. ^ Richards, Larry (September 17, 2015). African American Films Through 1959: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography. ISBN 9781476610528.
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