Sam Newfield

Legendary "B" picture director Sam Newfield was born Samuel Neufeld in New York City. His brother was Sigmund Neufeld, later the head of PRC Pictures, where Sam made so many of his films (so many, in fact, that he had to use the pseudonyms "Peter Stewart" and "Sherman Scott" so audiences wouldn't notice that only one man directed so much of the studio's output). He entered the film business in 1919 and began his career as a director in 1926, shooting two-reel comedy shorts for virtually every production company in town, from fly-by-night independent producers to major studios like Universal Pictures. He made his first full-length feature in 1933, for independent "B"-picture production company Tower Pictures. He worked for many of the independent studios, making films for such prestigious-sounding but low-rent companies as Ambassador Pictures, Victory Pictures and Puritan Pictures. While much of his output seemed to be, shall we say, "rushed", he did in fact manage to turn out several i