Kurt Neumann

Kurt Neumann 5 April 1908 Nuremberg Germany 21 August 1958 Los Angeles was a german Hollywood film director who specialized in science fiction movies in his later career Neumann came to the US in the early talkie era hired to direct German language versions of Hollywood films Once he mastered English and established himself as technically proficient in filmmaking Neumann directed such lowbudget programmers as The Big Cage 1932 Secret of the Blue Room 1933 with Paul Lukas and Gloria Stuart Hold Em Navy 1936 It Happened in New Orleans 1936 with child star Bobby Breen Wide Open Faces 1937 with Joe E Brown and Ellery Queen Master Detective 1939 Neumann was signed by producer Hal Roach in 1941 to direct a series of streamliners 45minute features designed to fill out short double bills Among these 4reel comedies were About Face 1942 Brooklyn Orchid 1942 Taxi Mister 1943 and Yanks Ahoy 1943 In 1945 he joined the company of producer Sol Lesser who engaged Neumann as coproducer and principal director of the Tarzan series produced by Lesser 19451954 The Tarzan films were produced for RKO and starred Johnny Weissmuller and later Gordon Scott Neumann became known as a specialist in science fiction movies due to his producing and directing such productions as Rocketship XM 1950 and The Fly 1958 Neumann directed other scifi and horror films such as Kronos 1957 and SheDevil 1957 and directed nonscifi films such as The Ring 1952 an independent feature costarring Rita Moreno Carnival Story 1954 Mohawk 1956 and The Deerslayer 1957 Contrary to some published reports Neumann did not die as a result of suicide but rather from natural causes in Los Angeles on 21 August 1958 shortly after a preview screening of The Fly but before the official premiere Thus Neumann never knew what a boxoffice hit The Fly was He was entombed at Utter McKinley Cemetery in Los Angeles Description above from the Wikipedia article Kurt Neumann director licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia