Menu
Kurt Neumann

Kurt Neumann

Known For Directing
Birthday Apr 05, 1908
Died Aug 21, 1958 (50)
Birthplace Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany
Popularity 0.2 (history)
Updated Aug 05, 2025 (Update)
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
Biography

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 mast ... ered English and established himself as technically proficient in filmmaking, Neumann directed such low-budget 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", 45-minute features designed to fill out short double bills. Among these 4-reel 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 1945-1954. 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 X-M (1950) and The Fly (1958). Neumann directed other sci-fi and horror films such as Kronos (1957) and She-Devil (1957), and directed non-scifi films such as The Ring (1952) an independent feature co-starring 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 CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Known For

Filmography

Above Suspicion

Above Suspicion

1943

as Gestapo Man (Uncredited)

Action in the North Atlantic

Action in the North Atlantic

1943

as German (uncredited)

The Stranger Who Looks Like Me

The Stranger Who Looks Like Me

1974

Production Manager

99 and 44/100% Dead

99 and 44/100% Dead

1974

Assistant Director

The Brotherhood of the Bell

The Brotherhood of the Bell

1970

Assistant Director

Enter Laughing

Enter Laughing

1967

Assistant Director

The President's Analyst

The President's Analyst

1967

Assistant Director

Machete

Machete

1958

Screenplay

The Deerslayer

The Deerslayer

1957

Screenplay

She Devil

She Devil

1957

Screenplay

Apache Warrior

Apache Warrior

1957

Story, Screenplay

The Desperados Are in Town

The Desperados Are in Town

1956

Screenplay

Carnival Story

Carnival Story

1954

Screenplay

They Were So Young

They Were So Young

1954

Screenplay

Rocketship X-M

Rocketship X-M

1950

Writer

Dracula's Daughter

Dracula's Daughter

1936

treatment

Trapped

Trapped

1931

Writer

Watusi

Watusi

1959

Director

Counterplot

Counterplot

1959

Director

The Fly

The Fly

1958

Director

Machete

Machete

1958

Director

The Deerslayer

The Deerslayer

1957

Director

Kronos

Kronos

1957

Director

She Devil

She Devil

1957

Director

Mohawk

Mohawk

1956

Director

Carnival Story

Carnival Story

1954

Director

They Were So Young

They Were So Young

1954

Director

Tarzan and the She-Devil

Tarzan and the She-Devil

1953

Director

Son of Ali Baba

Son of Ali Baba

1952

Director

The Ring

The Ring

1952

Director

Hiawatha

Hiawatha

1952

Director

Cattle Drive

Cattle Drive

1951

Director

Reunion in Reno

Reunion in Reno

1951

Director

The Kid from Texas

The Kid from Texas

1950

Director

Rocketship X-M

Rocketship X-M

1950

Director

Bad Boy

Bad Boy

1949

Director

Bad Men of Tombstone

Bad Men of Tombstone

1949

Director

The Dude Goes West

The Dude Goes West

1948

Director

Tarzan and the Huntress

Tarzan and the Huntress

1947

Director

Tarzan and the Amazons

Tarzan and the Amazons

1945

Director

Yanks Ahoy

Yanks Ahoy

1943

Director

Taxi, Mister

Taxi, Mister

1943

Director

The Unknown Guest

The Unknown Guest

1943

Director

Fall In

Fall In

1942

Director

About Face

About Face

1942

Director

Brooklyn Orchid

Brooklyn Orchid

1942

Director

Unmarried

Unmarried

1939

Director

Ambush

Ambush

1939

Director

All Women Have Secrets

All Women Have Secrets

1939

Director

Island of Lost Men

Island of Lost Men

1939

Director

Touchdown, Army

Touchdown, Army

1938

Director

Wide Open Faces

Wide Open Faces

1938

Director

Espionage

Espionage

1937

Director

Hold 'Em Navy

Hold 'Em Navy

1937

Director

Make a Wish

Make a Wish

1937

Director

Let's Sing Again

Let's Sing Again

1936

Director

Rainbow on the River

Rainbow on the River

1936

Director

Violets in Spring

Violets in Spring

1936

Director

Alias Mary Dow

Alias Mary Dow

1935

Director

The Affair of Susan

The Affair of Susan

1935

Director

Let's Talk It Over

Let's Talk It Over

1934

Director

Half a Sinner

Half a Sinner

1934

Director

Wake Up and Dream

Wake Up and Dream

1934

Director

Secret of the Blue Room

Secret of the Blue Room

1933

Director

The Big Cage

The Big Cage

1933

Director

King for a Night

King for a Night

1933

Director

Fast Companions

Fast Companions

1932

Director

My Pal, the King

My Pal, the King

1932

Director

The Red Shadow

The Red Shadow

1932

Director

Trapped

Trapped

1931

Director

Sealed Lips

Sealed Lips

1931

Director

House of Mystery

House of Mystery

1931

Director

The Fly

The Fly

1958

Producer

Machete

Machete

1958

Producer

The Deerslayer

The Deerslayer

1957

Producer

Kronos

Kronos

1957

Producer

She Devil

She Devil

1957

Producer

They Were So Young

They Were So Young

1954

Producer

Rocketship X-M

Rocketship X-M

1950

Producer

Tarzan and the Huntress

Tarzan and the Huntress

1947

Associate Producer

Tarzan and the Leopard Woman

Tarzan and the Leopard Woman

1946

Associate Producer

Tarzan and the Amazons

Tarzan and the Amazons

1945

Associate Producer

Tarzan's Desert Mystery

Tarzan's Desert Mystery

1943

Associate Producer

Organization Category Movie
BAFTA Awards Best Director The Fly Nominated
Television Credits

No data available

No data available

Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 6 6 12 3
2024 7 9 18 1
2024 8 7 17 1
2024 9 6 13 2
2024 10 2 4 1
2024 11 1 2 1
2024 12 3 6 1
2025 1 5 16 2
2025 2 2 4 1
2025 3 2 3 1
2025 5 1 2 1
2025 6 1 1 1
2025 7 0 0 0
2025 8 2 6 0

Trending Rank


Year Month Avg Rank Max Rank
No trending metrics available.

Return to Top