Lew Landers (born Louis Friedlander, January 2, 1901 – December 16, 1962) was an American independent film and television director.

Biography

Born as Louis Friedlander in New York City, Lew Landers began his movie career as an actor. In 1914, he appeared in two features:

D.W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...

's drama ''

The Escape The Escape may refer to: Film and television * ''The Escape'' (1914 film), American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith * ''The Escape'' (1926 film), American silent film * ''The Escape'' (1928 film), American film * ''The Escape'' (1939 f ...

'' and the comedy short ''Admission – Two Pins'', under his birth name. He became an assistant director at

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

in 1922. He began making films in the 1930s, one of his early ones being the

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...

Bela Lugosi Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; ), was a Hungarian and American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic ''Dracula'', Ygor in ''S ...

thriller ''

The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a myste ...

'' (1935). After directing a few more features, he changed his name to Lew Landers and directed more than 100 films in a variety of genres, including Westerns, comedies, and horror movies. He worked for every major film studio—and many minor ones—during his career. Since 1943, he began to alternate his movie work with directing television series, including two episodes of '' Adventures of Superman'' and the

campy Camp is an aesthetic style and sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value. Camp aesthetics disrupt many of modernism's notions of what art is and what can be classified as high art by inverting aes ...

Captain John Smith and Pocahontas ''Captain John Smith and Pocahontas '' is a 1953 American historical film directed by Lew Landers. The distributor was United Artists. It stars Anthony Dexter, Jody Lawrance and Alan Hale. While most scenes were filmed in Virginia's Blue Ridge ...

''. On December 16, 1962, Landers died of a heart attack in

Palm Desert, California Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census. The city has bee ...

. His grave is located at

Chapel of the Pines Crematory Chapel of the Pines Crematory is a crematory and columbarium located at 1605 South Catalina Street, Los Angeles, in the U.S. state of California, in the historic West Adams District a short distance southwest of Downtown. It is beside Angelus-Ros ...

. Actor

Jim McKrell James MacKrell (October 12, 1937) is a retired American television personality, best known for emceeing television game shows such as '' Celebrity Sweepstakes'' and '' The Game Game''. He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. Published variations ...

played a TV news reporter named Lew Landers in two films directed by

Joe Dante Joseph James Dante Jr. (; born November 28, 1946) is an American film director, producer, editor and actor. His films—notably ''Gremlins'' (1984) alongside its sequel, '' Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990)—often mix 1950s-style B movies wit ...

: ''

The Howling ''The Howling'' is a 1977 horror novel by Gary Brandner. It was the inspiration for the movie ''The Howling'' (1981), although the plot of the movie was only vaguely similar to that of the book. Brandner published two sequels to the novel, '' T ...

'' (1981) and ''

Gremlins ''Gremlins'' is a 1984 American black comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante, written by Chris Columbus, and starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday, and Frances Lee McCain, with Howie Mandel providing the voice of ...

'' (1984).

Partial filmography

* ''

The Vanishing Shadow ''The Vanishing Shadow'' is a 1934 Universal science fiction film serial directed by Lew Landers. It features what is believed to be the first appearance of a hand-held ray gun in film. (apart from '' The Death Ray''). Many science fiction gadget ...

'' (1934) * ''

The Red Rider ''The Red Rider'' is a 1934 American Western film serial from Universal Pictures and starring Buck Jones. It has 15 chapters based on the short story "The Redhead from Sun Dog" by W. C. Tuttle, and is a remake of Buck Jones' earlier 1931 film '' ...

'' (1934) * ''

Tailspin Tommy (serial) ''Tailspin Tommy'' is a 12-episode 1934 Universal film serial based on the '' Tailspin Tommy'' comic strip by Hal Forrest. Directed by Lew Landers and produced by Milton Gatzert, the serial was the 97th serial of the 137 released by that stud ...

'' (1934) * ''

Rustlers of Red Dog ''Rustlers of Red Dog'' is a 1935 American Western film serial from Universal Pictures based on the book ''The Great West That Was'' by William "Buffalo Bill" Cody. It was a remake of the earlier, 1930 serial ''The Indians are Coming''. Plot J ...

'' (1935) * '' The Call of the Savage'' (1935) * ''

'' (1935) * ''

Without Orders ''Without Orders'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Lew Landers and starring Sally Eilers, Robert Armstrong, Frances Sage, Charley Grapewin and Vinton Haworth. It was produced by RKO Radio Pictures, who released the picture on October 2 ...

'' (1936) * ''

Night Waitress ''Night Waitress'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Lew Landers and written by Marcus Goodrich. The film stars Margot Grahame, Gordon Jones, Vinton Hayworth, Marc Lawrence and Billy Gilbert. The film was released on December 18, 1936 ...

'' (1936) * '' Flight From Glory'' (1937) * ''

Living on Love ''Living on Love'' (1937) is an American romantic comedy film released by RKO Radio Pictures. Directed by Lew Landers, it stars James Dunn, Whitney Bourne, and Joan Woodbury. The film is a remake of the RKO film ''Rafter Romance'' (1933). It is ...

'' (1937) * ''

Danger Patrol ''Danger Patrol'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by Lew Landers from a screenplay by Sy Bartlett based on a story by Helen Vreeland and Hilda Vincent. Produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, it was released on December 3, 1937 ...

'' (1937) * ''

You Can't Buy Luck ''You Can't Buy Luck'' is a 1937 murder mystery film directed by Lew Landers and starring Onslow Stevens and Helen Mack. Plot Superstitious New York gambler Joe Baldwin (Onslow Stevens), owner of the thoroughbred racing horse Sarcasm, believes th ...

'' (1937) * ''

The Man Who Found Himself ''The Man Who Found Himself'', also known as ''Wings of Mercy'', is a 1937 American aviation film based on the unpublished story "Wings of Mercy" by Alice F. Curtis. The film marked the first starring role for 19-year-old Joan Fontaine, who was b ...

'' (1937) * '' Border Cafe'' (1937) * ''

They Wanted to Marry ''They Wanted to Marry'' is a 1937 romantic comedy film directed by Lew Landers from a screenplay by Paul Yawitz and Ethel B. Borden, Ethel Borden, based on a story by Larry Bachmann and Daniel L. Teilhet. RKO produced and distributed the film, r ...

'' (1937) * ''Annabel Takes a Tour'' (1938) * ''

Blind Alibi ''Blind Alibi'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by Lew Landers and written by Lionel Houser, Harry Segall and Ron Ferguson. The film stars Richard Dix, Whitney Bourne, Eduardo Ciannelli, Frances Mercer and Paul Guilfoyle. The film was rele ...

'' (1938) * ''

The Affairs of Annabel ''The Affairs of Annabel'' is a 1938 comedy film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and starring Lucille Ball and Jack Oakie. The film was followed by the sequel ''Annabel Takes a Tour'' the same year, also starring Oakie, Ball and Donnelly. Plot Wond ...

'' (1938) * '' Crashing Hollywood'' (1938) * '' Double Danger'' (1938) * ''

Law of the Underworld ''Law of the Underworld'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by Lew Landers and written by Bert Granet and Edmund L. Hartmann. The film stars Chester Morris, Anne Shirley, Eduardo Ciannelli, Walter Abel and Richard Bond. The film was released ...

'' (1938) * ''

Smashing the Rackets ''Smashing the Rackets'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by Lew Landers, written by Lionel Houser, and starring Chester Morris, Frances Mercer, Rita Johnson, Bruce Cabot and Edward Pawley. It was released on August 19, 1938, by RKO Pict ...

'' (1938) * ''

Sky Giant ''Sky Giant'', also known as ''Ground Crew'' and ''Northern Flight'', is a 1938 drama film directed by Lew Landers. The film stars Richard Dix, Chester Morris and Joan Fontaine. The plot revolves around a love triangle with two pilots in love with ...

'' (1938) * ''

Condemned Women ''Condemned Women'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by Lew Landers and written by Lionel Houser. The film stars Sally Eilers, Louis Hayward, Anne Shirley, Esther Dale and Lee Patrick. The film was released on March 18, 1938. Plot Linda W ...

'' (1938) * ''

Fixer Dugan ''Fixer Dugan'' is a 1939 drama film starring Lee Tracy as a circus promoter who decides to help out an orphaned girl, played by Virginia Weidler. The film was directed by Lew Landers, released by RKO Radio Pictures and is based on the play ''Wha ...

'' (1939) * '' Bad Lands'' (1939) * ''

Conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...

'' (1939) * ''

The Girl and the Gambler ''The Girl and the Gambler'' is a 1939 Western film, from RKO Radio Pictures, starring Tim Holt. It was an early starring Western for Holt, who soon replaced George O'Brien as the studio's main Western star. The film was based on a play which ...

'' (1939) * ''

Twelve Crowded Hours ''Twelve Crowded Hours'' is a 1939 film directed by Lew Landers and starring Richard Dix and Lucille Ball. Plot When the brother of his girlfriend Paula Sanders is accused of murder, reporter Nick Green tries to clear him. He suspects gangster G ...

'' (1939) * ''

Pacific Liner ''Pacific Liner'' is a 1939 American action/adventure film directed by Lew Landers. The film stars Victor McLaglen, Chester Morris and Wendy Barrie. ''Pacific Liner'' is primarily set in the engineering section of the vessel, where a stowaway ha ...

'' (1939) * '' Enemy Agent'' (1940) * ''La Conga Nights'' (1940) * ''

Ski Patrol Ski patrols are organizations that provide medical, rescue, and hazard prevention services to the injured in ski area boundaries, or sometimes beyond into backcountry settings. Many have technical-medical certifications, such as Outdoor Emergen ...

'' (1940) * '' Harvard, Here I Come!'' (1941) * ''

Back in the Saddle "Back in the Saddle" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It is the first track on Aerosmith's hard rock album '' Rocks'' released in 1976. The song was also released as the thir ...

'' (1941) * ''

The Boogie Man Will Get You ''The Boogie Man Will Get You'' is a 1942 American comedy horror film directed by Lew Landers and starring Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre. It was the final film Karloff made under his contract with Columbia Pictures, and it was filmed in the wake ...

'' (1942) * ''

The Man Who Returned to Life ''The Man Who Returned to Life'' is a 1942 American black-and-white drama film directed by Lew Landers, written by Gordon Rigby and released by Columbia Pictures. Plot David Jameson lives in a rural town in Maryland. He is forced to flee after ...

'' (1942) * '' Junior Army'' (1942) * '' Stand By All Networks'' (1942) * ''Submarine Raider'' (1942) * ''

Atlantic Convoy ''Atlantic Convoy'' is a 1942 American war film directed by Lew Landers. The story follows naval patrols based on the Icelandic coast battling the German U-boats during World War II, and the German efforts to infiltrate their operations with s ...

'' (1942) * '' Power of the Press'' (1943) * '' After Midnight with Boston Blackie'' (1943) * ''

Doughboys in Ireland ''Doughboys in Ireland'' is a 1943 American musical war film directed by Lew Landers and starring Kenny Baker, Jeff Donnell and Lynn Merrick.Krutnik p.232 The film offered an early role for future star Robert Mitchum, who appeared in many fil ...

'' (1943) * ''

The Return of the Vampire ''The Return of the Vampire'' is a 1943 American horror film directed by Lew Landers and starring Bela Lugosi, Frieda Inescort, Nina Foch, Miles Mander, Roland Varno, and Matt Willis. Its plot follows a vampire named Armand Tesla, who has two en ...

'' (1943) * ''Stars on Parade'' (1944) * '' The Ghost That Walks Alone'' (1944) * ''

Crime, Inc. ''Crime, Inc.'' is a 1945 American film noir crime film directed by Lew Landers starring Leo Carrillo, Tom Neal and Martha Tilton. Plot summary The film, based on a story by former crime reporter Martin Mooney, is about a newspaper journalist ...

'' (1945) * ''

The Power of the Whistler ''The Power of the Whistler'' is a 1945 film noir thriller film based on the radio drama ''The Whistler''. Directed by Lew Landers, the production features Richard Dix. It is the third of Columbia Pictures' eight " Whistler" films produced in ...

'' (1945) * ''

The Mask of Diijon ''The Mask of Diijon'' is a 1946 American black-and-white film noir suspense film released from PRC Studios, directed by Lew Landers and featuring Erich von Stroheim, Jeanne Bates and William Wright. Plot Diijon, a tired magician, gives up his ...

'' (1946) * '' A Close Call for Boston Blackie'' (1946) * ''

The Truth About Murder ''The Truth About Murder'' is a 1946 American mystery film directed by Lew Landers, written by Lawrence Kimble, Hilda Gordon and Eric Taylor, and starring Bonita Granville, Morgan Conway, Rita Corday, Don Douglas and June Clayworth. It was rel ...

'' (1946) * ''

Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth. Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...

'' (1946) * ''

Devil Ship Devil Ship is a 1947 American crime film directed by Lew Landers and starring Richard Lane, Louise Campbell and William Bishop. It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Plot Cast *Richard Lane as Bill Brown *Louise Campbell ...

'' (1947) * ''

The Son of Rusty ''The Son of Rusty'' is a 1947 American drama film directed by Lew Landers and starring Ted Donaldson, Stephen Dunne and Ann Doran. It was part of Columbia Pictures' eight-film Rusty series about a boy and his valiant German Shepherd. Plot Dann ...

'' (1947) * ''

Public Prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...

'' (TV series, 1947–48) * ''

Adventures of Gallant Bess ''Adventures of Gallant Bess'' is a 1948 American contemporary Western film directed by Lew Landers and starring Cameron Mitchell, Audrey Long, Fuzzy Knight, James Millican, and John Harmon. It was filmed in Cinecolor. It has no connection to ...

'' (1948) * ''

My Dog Rusty ''My Dog Rusty'' is a 1948 American drama film directed by Lew Landers and starring Ted Donaldson, John Litel and Ann Doran. It was part of the eight-film Rusty series of films produced by Columbia Pictures, about a boy and his valiant German Sh ...

'' (1948) * '' Inner Sanctum'' (1948) * ''

Stagecoach Kid ''Stagecoach Kid'' is a 1949 American Western film directed by Lew Landers and starring Tim Holt, Jeff Donnell and Richard Martin. It was one of a number of B-Westerns Holt made for RKO.Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, ''The RKO Story.'' New Roc ...

'' (1949) * ''

Barbary Pirate The Barbary pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli. This area was known in Europe ...

'' (1949) * ''

Air Hostess A flight attendant, also known as steward/stewardess or air host/air hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are primar ...

'' (1949) * ''Law of the Barbary Coast'' (1949) * ''

Chain Gang A chain gang or road gang is a group of prisoners chained together to perform menial or physically challenging work as a form of punishment. Such punishment might include repairing buildings, building roads, or clearing land. The system was no ...

'' (1950) * ''

Davy Crockett, Indian Scout ''Davy Crockett, Indian Scout'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Lew Landers and starring George Montgomery and Ellen Drew. Wartime hero Johnny McKee had a small role in the film, as did Jim Thorpe. The film was shot at the Motion ...

'' (1950) * '' State Penitentiary'' (1950) * ''

Revenue Agent ''Revenue Agent'' is a 1950 American film directed by Lew Landers. Plot The accountant's wife is having an affair with his boss. In retribution the husband calls the Internal Revenue Service to expose a large tax evasion racket to smuggle gold bu ...

'' (1950) * ''

Last of the Buccaneers ''Last of the Buccaneers'' is a 1950 American Technicolor adventure film directed by Lew Landers and starring Paul Henreid as Jean Lafitte. Plot Swashbuckler about the adventures of pirate Jean Lafitte after he helped save New Orleans from a Br ...

'' (1950) * '' Beauty on Parade'' (1950) * ''

Dynamite Pass ''Dynamite Pass'' is a black and white 1950 Western film. It was described by the ''Los Angeles Times'' as being "very good of its type" and was released on a double bill with ''The Secret Fury''. Plot Near the Old West town of Clifton, New Mex ...

'' (1950) * ''

Tyrant of the Sea ''Tyrant of the Sea'' is a 1950 American historical war film set during the Napoleonic Wars and starring Ron Randell, Rhys Williams and Lester Matthews. It was directed by Lew Landers. Production The film began as a project titled ''The Return ...

'' (1950) * ''Girls' School'' (1950) * ''

Jungle Manhunt ''Jungle Manhunt'' is a 1951 adventure film written by Samuel Newman and directed by Lew Landers. It was the seventh entry in the "Jungle Jim" series of films starring Johnny Weissmuller as the title character. Based on the comic strip "Jungle ...

'' (1951) * ''

When the Redskins Rode ''When the Redskins Rode'' is a 1951 American historical Western film directed by Lew Landers and starring Jon Hall, Mary Castle and James Seay. The film is loosely based on the events leading up to the outbreak of the French and Indian War. I ...

'' (1951) * '' The Magic Carpet'' (1951) * ''The Big Gusher'' (1951) *“Arctic Flight” (1952) * ''

California Conquest ''California Conquest'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Lew Landers and starring Cornel Wilde and Teresa Wright.

'' (1952) * '' Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land'' (1952) * ''

Terry and the Pirates ''Terry and the Pirates'' is an action-adventure comic strip created by cartoonist Milton Caniff, which originally ran from October 22, 1934, to February 25, 1973. Captain Joseph Patterson, editor for the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate, ...

'' (9 episodes, 1953) * ''

Run for the Hills ''Run for the Hills'' is a 1953 American comedy film directed by Lew Landers and starring Sonny Tufts, Barbara Payton and Mauritz Hugo.Lewis p.168 The film's sets were designed by the art director Ernst Fegté. Cast * Sonny Tufts as Charlie J ...

'' (1953) * ''

'' (1953) * '' Tangier Incident'' (1953) * ''

Meet Corliss Archer ''Meet Corliss Archer'' is an American radio program from radio's Golden Age that ran from January 7, 1943, to September 30, 1956. Although it was CBS's answer to NBC's ''A Date with Judy'', it was also broadcast by NBC in 1948 as a summer repla ...

'' (1 episode, 1954) * ''

Science Fiction Theatre ''Science Fiction Theatre'' was an American science fiction anthology television series that was produced by Ivan Tors and Maurice Ziv and originally aired in syndication. It premiered on April 9, 1955 and ended on April 6, 1957, with a total of ...

'' (1 episode, 1955) * ''

Tales of the Texas Rangers ''Tales of the Texas Rangers'' is a 20th century Western old-time radio and television police procedural drama which originally aired on NBC Radio from 1950 to 1952 and later on CBS Television from 1955 to 1958. Film star Joel McCrea voiced the ...

'' (10 episodes, 1955–1957) * ''

Casey Jones John Luther "Casey" Jones (March 14, 1863 – April 30, 1900) was an American railroader who was killed when his passenger train collided with a stalled freight train at Vaughan, Mississippi. Jones was a locomotive engineer for the Illinois Ce ...

'' (4 episodes, 1957–1958) * ''

Highway Patrol A highway patrol, or state patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is prima ...

'' (10 episodes, 1955–1959) * ''

Mackenzie's Raiders ''Mackenzie's Raiders'' is an American Western television series starring Richard Carlson that aired thirty-nine episodes in syndication between 1958 and 1959. The series is narrated by Art Gilmore, and was produced by Ziv Television Programs. ...

'' (9 episodes, 1958–1959) * ''

Tombstone Territory ''Tombstone Territory'' is an American Western series starring Pat Conway and Richard Eastham. The series' first two seasons aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959. The first season was sponsored by Bristol-Myers (consumer products) and the second seaso ...

'' (2 episodes, 1959–1960) * ''

The Alaskans ''The Alaskans'' is a 1959–1960 ABC/Warner Bros. western television series set during the late 1890s in the port of Skagway, Alaska. The show features Roger Moore as "Silky Harris" and Jeff York as "Reno McKee", a pair of adventurers intent ...

'' (1 episode, 1960) * ''

Sugarfoot ''Sugarfoot'' is an American Western television series that aired for 69 episodes on ABC from 1957-1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating with ''Cheyenne'' (first season); ''Cheyenne'' and ''Bronco'' (second season); and ...

'' (2 episodes, 1961) * ''

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...

'' (4 episodes, 1959–1961) * ''Terrified'' (1963)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Landers, Lew 1901 births 1962 deaths American film directors American television directors American male silent film actors Male actors from New York City Horror film directors Burials at Chapel of the Pines Crematory 20th-century American male actors