Josef Shaftel (14 March 1919–9 March 1999) was an American film producer, director and writer. He made a number of films in England. Shaftel was particularly prolific in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1970 he raised seven million pounds to film a slate of six movies for Cinerama. This included ''The Statue'', ''

The Last Grenade ''The Last Grenade'' is a 1970 British war film directed by Gordon Flemyng and starring Stanley Baker and Alex Cord as two Mercenary, soldiers of fortune, formerly comrades, who now find themselves on opposite sides. The cast also includes Richa ...

'', ''

Goodbye Gemini ''Goodbye Gemini'' (also released as ''Twinsanity'') is a 1970 British psychological horror film directed by Alan Gibson and starring Judy Geeson, Michael Redgrave, and Martin Potter. Based on the novel ''Ask Agamemnon'' by Jenni Hall, it conce ...

'' (originally called ''Ask Agamemnon''), ''

The Assassination of Trotsky ''The Assassination of Trotsky'' is a 1972 British historical drama film, directed by Joseph Losey with a screenplay by Nicholas Mosley. It stars Richard Burton as Leon Trotsky, as well as Romy Schneider and Alain Delon. Plot Exiled from the ...

'' and ''

Say Hello to Yesterday ''Say Hello to Yesterday'' is a 1971 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Canadian Alvin Rakoff, on whose original story the film is based. Starring Jean Simmons and Leonard Whiting, it is 'a fast moving account of ten hours in the life ...

''. In April 1972 Shaftel announced he would make sixteen films worth $20 million. However by April 1973 he was in receivership. He declared bankruptcy in 1976.

Selected credits

Film

*''

The Man Who Watched Trains Go By ''The Man Who Watched Trains Go By'' (1952) is a crime drama film, based on the 1938 novel by Georges Simenon and directed by Harold French. It has an all-European cast, including Claude Rains in the lead role of Kees Popinga, who is infatuate ...

'' (1952) aka ''The Paris Express'' - producer *''

The Naked Dawn ''The Naked Dawn'' is a 1955 American Technicolor Western film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer starring Arthur Kennedy and Betta St. John. Plot The story focuses on a poor but proud farmer named Manuel and his wife Maria. When glib-tongued drifte ...

'' (1955) - producer *'' No Place to Hide'' (1956) - producer, director *''

The Naked Hills ''The Naked Hills'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Josef Shaftel, starring David Wayne, Keenan Wynn, and James Barton. Plot summary Tracy Powell, an Indiana farmer, gets the gold fever and heads for Stockton, California in 1849 ...

'' (1956) - producer, director, writer *''

The Biggest Bundle of Them All ''The Biggest Bundle of Them All'' is a 1968 American crime film set in Naples, Italy. The story is about a mobster and a novice gang of crooks who team up to steal $5 million worth of platinum ingots from a train. The film stars Robert Wagner ...

'' (1968) - producer, storyp. 19i Annakin, Ken ''so You Wanna Be a Director?'' Tomahawk Press 2001 *'' The Bliss of Mrs Blossom'' (1968) - producer, story *''

'' (1970) - producer *''

'' (1971) - producer *'' The Statue'' (1971) - producer *''

The Trojan Women ''The Trojan Women'' ( grc, Τρῳάδες, translit=Trōiades), also translated as ''The Women of Troy'', and also known by its transliterated Greek title ''Troades'', is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced in 415 BC during ...

'' (1971) - executive producer *''

'' (1972) - executive producer *''

Where Does It Hurt? ''Where Does it Hurt?'' is a 1972 American comedy film written and directed by Rod Amateau and starring Peter Sellers, Jo Ann Pflug, Rick Lenz, Pat Morita, and Harold Gould. The film is a darkly satirical look at capitalism in a hospital environ ...

'' (1972) - executive producer *''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a ...

'' (1972) - executive producer *'' The Spiral Staircase'' (1975) - executive producer *'' The Sell-Out'' (1976) - producer *''

Gulliver's Travels ''Gulliver's Travels'', or ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'' is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan ...

'' (1977) - executive producer *'' Erotic Images'' (1983) - executive producer *'' My Therapist'' (1983) - executive producer

Television

*'' The Californians'' (1957) - writer *''

General Electric Theatre ''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations. Radio After an audition show ...

'' - producer *''

The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...

'' (1959-61) - producer *''US Steel Hour'' (1961) - producer *'' Straightaway'' (1961–1962 television series) - producer *'' The Beachcomber'' (1962) - producer *''

Summer Playhouse ''Summer Playhouse'' is a 30-minute CBS television anthology series. It was a summer replacement series made up of unsold pilots for projected regular series, airing sporadically from 1964 to 1967. It was produced by Don Fedderson, and among its ...

'' (1964) - producer

References

External links

*
Joseph Shaftel Productions
at BGI
Josef Shaftel
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atl ...

Josef Shaftel
at BFI American film producers 1919 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-film-producer-stub