Lewis Teague
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Lewis Teague (born March 8, 1938) is an American film director, whose work includes ''
Alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...
'', '' Cat's Eye'', ''
Cujo ''Cujo'' () is a 1981 psychological horror novel by American writer Stephen King about a rabid Saint Bernard. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1982 and was made into a film in 1983. Background Cujo's name was based on the alias of Wi ...
'', ''
The Jewel of the Nile ''The Jewel of the Nile'' is a 1985 American Action film#Action-adventure, action-adventure romantic comedy film directed by Lewis Teague and produced by Michael Douglas, who also starred in the lead role, and reunites with co-stars Kathleen Tur ...
'', '' The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!'', ''
Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy, U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command, Naval Special Wa ...
'' and '' Wedlock''.


Biography

Teague was born in Brooklyn, New York. Teague fell in love with films at age 14 when he saw ''
The Steel Helmet ''The Steel Helmet'' is a 1951 American war film directed, written, and produced by Samuel Fuller during the Korean War. The cast stars Gene Evans, Robert Hutton, Steve Brodie, James Edwards, and Richard Loo. It was the first American film abo ...
'' (1951) He dropped out of high school at age 17 and enrolled in the army, serving for three years in Germany. He studied film at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...
, where his short films included ''Sound and the Painter'' (1962) and ''It's About a Carpenter'', which was circulated through public libraries. In 1963 he won a scholarship for being the most promising student at the school. He left the school in 1963 without completing a degree when he was offered a job working on ''
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was re ...
''. (Teague returned to NYU to complete his degree in 2016, at the age of 78.)


Early career

Teague had an early directing credit with the episode "The Second Verdict" on ''
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was re ...
'' (1964). He later said he "dropped out" and ran the Cinemateque 16, an underground movie theater in L.A., for a couple of years until he "got bored, and returned to filmmaking." He provided a film segment for a theatre production of '' The Disenchanted'' (1968), which the ''Los Angeles Times'' described as "effective". Teague was a production assistant on '' Loving'' (1970) and a production manager on the rock concert documentary
Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...
(1970). He was cinematographer on '' Bongo Wolf's Revenge'' (1970). He was announced as director for ''Loves as a Cop'' but it appears to have not been made. He edited a surfing documentary '' Forgotten Island of Santosha'' (1974) and made his debut as a feature director with ''
Dirty O'Neil ''Dirty O'Neil'' is a 1974 American film directed by Leon Capetanos and Lewis Teague. Plot Jimmy O'Neil ( Morgan Paull), a cop in a small California town with a fondness for women, is forced into action when a trio of homicidal thugs invade th ...
'' (1974), which he co-directed.


Roger Corman

In 1974 Teague was employed by
Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...
at
New World Pictures New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment and New World Communications Group, Inc.) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia company. It was founded in 197 ...
at the recommendation of
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...
who had also been to NYU. He edited ''
Cockfighter ''Cockfighter'' (also known as ''Born to Kill'', ''Gamblin' Man'' and ''Wild Drifter'') is a 1974 drama film by director Monte Hellman, starring Warren Oates, Harry Dean Stanton and featuring Laurie Bird and Ed Begley Jr. The screenplay is based ...
'' (1974); was second unit director and assistant editor on ''
Death Race 2000 ''Death Race 2000'' is a 1975 American science fiction action film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where the murderous Transco ...
'' (1975); edited ''
Crazy Mama ''Crazy Mama'' is a 1975 American action comedy film directed by Jonathan Demme, produced by Julie Corman and starring Cloris Leachman. It marked the film debut of Bill Paxton and Dennis Quaid. Plot In 1958 Long Beach, California, Melba Stokes ...
'' (1975) for
Jonathan Demme Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker. Beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film ''Caged Heat'', before ...
; assistant director on '' Thunder and Lightning'' (1977) (made for Corman but at
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
); and was responsible for the avalanche sequence in ''
Avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...
'' (1978). Teague later said, "The main things you learn by working for Corman are how to get every nickel on the screen, how to be as expedient as possible, and how to work very quickly. Also, Roger is an extremely clever person. Even though most of his material was exploitive, he always had a very intelligent approach. I learned a lot from the way he dealt with directors and editors. He was extremely well-organized, very insightful, very quick to make decisions." Outside of New World he edited '' Summer Run'' (1974) and the Oscar-winning short documentary '' Number Our Days'' (1976).


Director

Teague returned to directing with '' The Lady in Red'' (1979), for New World Pictures, based on a script by
John Sayles John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, for ''Passion Fish'' (1992) and ''L ...
. It starred Robert Conrad, who got Teague a job directing an episode of the TV series ''
A Man Called Sloane ''A Man Called Sloane'' is an American secret agent adventure television series that aired on NBC during the 1979–1980 television season. It was a Woodruff Production in association with QM Productions and became the final series produced by ...
''. He also did episodes of ''
Vega$ ''Vegas'' (stylized as ''Vega$'') is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 20, 1978, to June 3, 1981, with the pilot episode airing April 25, 1978. ''Vegas'' was produced by Aaron Spelling and created by Mich ...
'' and ''
Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law, who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, California. The show was or ...
'' and was the Second-Unit Director on
Samuel Fuller Samuel Michael Fuller (August 12, 1912 – October 30, 1997) was an American film director, screenwriter, novelist, journalist, and World War II veteran known for directing low-budget B movie, genre movies with controversial themes, often ...
's World War II movie, ''
The Big Red One ''The Big Red One'' is a 1980 American epic war film written and directed by Samuel Fuller, and starring Lee Marvin alongside an ensemble supporting cast, including Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Siegfried Rauch, Bobby Di Cicco, and Kelly Ward. ...
'' (1980). Teague's second feature as sole credit was ''
Alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...
'' (1980), based on a script by Sayles. He did an episode of '' Riker'' then helmed the vigilante film '' Fighting Back'' (1982) and was called in at the last minute to do a
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
adaptation, ''
Cujo ''Cujo'' () is a 1981 psychological horror novel by American writer Stephen King about a rabid Saint Bernard. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1982 and was made into a film in 1983. Background Cujo's name was based on the alias of Wi ...
'' (1983). It was popular and Teague was offered a second King script, '' Cat's Eye'' (1985). Teague had his biggest budget to date with ''
The Jewel of the Nile ''The Jewel of the Nile'' is a 1985 American Action film#Action-adventure, action-adventure romantic comedy film directed by Lewis Teague and produced by Michael Douglas, who also starred in the lead role, and reunites with co-stars Kathleen Tur ...
'' (1985), a sequel to ''
Romancing the Stone ''Romancing the Stone'' is a 1984 action-adventure romantic comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Diane Thomas and produced by Michael Douglas, who also starred in the film. The film co-stars Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. The fi ...
'' (1984). There was a gap in films, before Teague returned with ''
Collision Course {{wiktionary A collision course, also known as a ''kamikaze run'', is the deliberate maneuver by the operator of a moving object (or often in Sci-Fi a spaceship) to collide with another object. It is a desperate maneuver since it often damages ...
'' (1989), which he was brought on to at the last minute. He returned to television with ''
Shannon's Deal ''Shannon's Deal'' is an American legal drama that aired on NBC from April 16, 1990, until May 21, 1991. The series was created by John Sayles and executive produced by Stan Rogow. The show centers on a successful Philadelphia corporate lawyer na ...
'' (1989), based on a script by Sayles.


1990s

Teague directed ''
Navy Seals The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy, U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command, Naval Special Wa ...
'' (1990), followed by '' Wedlock'' (1991) and '' T Bone N Weasel'' (1992). He did episodes of ''
Time Trax ''Time Trax'' is a science fiction television series that first aired in 1993. A police officer, sent two centuries into the past to a parallel Universe, must apprehend and return convicted criminals who have escaped prison in the future. This ...
'' (the pilot), ''
Fortune Hunter Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...
'', '' Profiler'', and ''
Nash Bridges ''Nash Bridges'' is an American police procedural television series created by Carlton Cuse. The show stars Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The seri ...
'', and did some TV movies: '' OP Center'' (1995), ''
Saved by the Light ''Saved by the Light'' is a 1994 nonfiction book by Dannion Brinkley describing his purported near-death experience (NDE). It is co-authored by Paul Perry. The book was adapted for a 1995 FOX TV film of the same name starring Eric Roberts. ...
'' (1995),''
Justice League of America The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
'' (1997) (doing uncredited work), '' The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!'' (1997), '' Love and Treason'' (2001), and '' The Triangle'' (2001).


Later career

After a five-year absence from directing, Teague directed (as well as wrote and produced) the dramatic short ''
Cante Jondo ''Cante jondo'' (Andalusian ) is a vocal style in flamenco, an unspoiled form of Andalusian folk music. The name means "deep song" in Spanish, with ''hondo'' ("deep") spelled with J () as a form of eye dialect, because traditional Andalusian pro ...
'' (2007). Teague has experimented with digital filmmaking, working on a reality-based
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
series in digital format about CharlottaTS (a transsexual from Barcelona), '' Carlotta T-S'' (2010). He was the Director of Photography and Co-Editor on the 2014 short, ''Clifford Goes Boom''.


Filmography


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Teague, Lewis Film directors from New York City Horror film directors 1938 births Living people People from Brooklyn