Studying the Underappreciated Career of Joseph H. Lewis

 

Joseph H. Lewis is one name that is not mentioned in great director's lists. However, he has developed a cult following among cinephiles who appreciate the diversity that he has in his career. The genres in his career range from film noir, horror, adventure etc... etc. He flourished in B-movies throughout his career to where he was comfortable with making them without sacrificing his aforementioned versatility. In addition, he considered himself an artist without a diploma. He taught himself the filmmaking process in a dedicated way considering that he did not necessarily go to film school at all. 

As far as his personal life is concerned, Lewis was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 6, 1907. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants, and their names were Ernstine and Leopold Lewis. Lewis had ambitions of being an actor in the industry, but his brother Ben Lewis gave him a camera. Lewis became a camera assistant in the early sound era thus foreshadowing his future career in Hollywood. He began his career in 1937 directing B-movie westerns. As a result of directing westerns, his colleagues gave him the name Wagon-Wheel Joe since he used wagon wheels in the foreground in his compositions. 

Lewis enlisted in the army in World War II and was a part of the United States Army Signal Corps. He was directing training films at the Astoria Studios. There was one film about shooting M-1 rifle and it was constantly shown in the 1960s. When it came to his directorial career, Lewis continued to direct more B-movie Westerns including 1938's Border Wolves along with 1940's The Man from Tumbleweeds. Also, he directed films starring the East End Kids. The series included Boys of the City and That Gang of Mine to name a few. 

By the time Lewis became a Columbia Pictures Contract Director, he started to flourish by getting into the Film Noir genre. He directed Cult films that Cinephiles adore and love to this day. At Columbia, Lewis directed one of the Cult films that he is still known for today. The film is called My Name is Julia Ross. The film was Lewis's 25th directorial effort.  It stars Nina Foch (Vincente Minnelli's An American in Paris and Rudolph Mate's The Dark Past), Dame May Whitty (Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes) and George Macready (Charles Vidor's Gilda). My Name is Julia Ross would influence films like Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo as a result of its idea of Mistaken Identity. The movie was so successful that Columbia propelled it to be big budget in status. It is now considered to be one of the best films of Joseph H. Lewis's career. 

As Lewis continued to work at Columbia, he followed up My Name is Julia Ross with another film called So Dark the Night in 1946 starring Stephen Geray (Gilda). So Dark the Night did not have star power but later became another Cult Classic of Lewis's career. Lewis was given the job to direct the Jolson Story's musical numbers. However, Alfred E. Green (Dangerous (1935) with Bette Davis in an Oscar-winning role) ended up directing the film. Lewis once again directed the Swordsman with Larry Parks in 1948. His contract with Columbia ended after directing the Undercover Man with Columbia star Glenn Ford. Lewis left Columbia due to constant studio interference in order to direct films that he wanted to make.

Now a freelance director, Lewis was able to have creative control as an auteur and he was working on another cult favorite called Gun Crazy. Gun Crazy became another Lewis film that once again grew into a cult classic that still is well-reputed today. It starts John Dall and Peggy Cummins. By the way, it and another movie called They Live by Night influenced Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde. They Live by Night was directed by Nicholas Ray (Knock on Any Door, In a Lonely Place and Rebel Without a Cause).  It stars Farley Granger (Alfred Hitchcock's Rope and Strangers on a Train) along with Cathy O'Donnell (William Wyler's Best Years of Our Lives). Meanwhile, the Big Combo was made and continued to enhance Lewis's reputation as a great cult film director. He followed it up with more films like A Lawless Street and Terror in a Texas Town. He went to direct episodes of tv shows like Bonanza and the Rifle Man. He retired from directing in 1966 but continued to appear in film documentaries and lectures at film schools. He was married to Buena Vista Lewis with a daughter named Cathy Lewis Sangster. He died in 2000 in his home located in Los Angeles.

I gave knowledge of Joseph H. Lewis's career because I want to make sure that obscure directors and cinematographers among others should be explored by real cinephiles. Real cinephiles grow in film knowledge in terms of not only covering the popular stuff but also stuff that is lesser known as well. Studying Lewis's career is making me continue to expand and enrich my range by exploring cult films that are just as great as the popular ones. I am constantly becoming well-rounded in miraculous ways for the better. In addition, I want my audience to know that just because something is obscure does not mean that it should be ignored.  The obscure should be studied and appreciated by my audience in the process. I am not saying to stop covering the popular ones but what I am saying is to cover obscure ones in order to give respect to cast and crew members that are esoteric. In addition, study movies and movements that are usually overlooked. It is important to equally cover the popular and obscure stuff for the sake of having a wide range of material. Variety and nuance are key in being an aesthete when it comes to covering different forms of storytelling. I am going to continue to explore Joseph H. Lewis's career and the careers of other cast and crew members whether they are popular or obscure. I want to not only enhance my own varied and encyclopedic pallet but also the pallets of those who really want to grow as cinephiles as well. We as cinephiles should increase our knowledge of film jargon along with film timelines that are important in cinema. Growing our pallets at all times is important. God bless.