Ray Nazarro
Encyclopedia
Ray Nazarro was an American
film
and television director
, producer
, and screenwriter
, Massachusetts
, Nazarro entered the movie business during the silent era, and began directing short films in 1929 with In and Out (billed as "Nat Nazarro"). He spent the next 13 years working in two-reelers
, honing an approach to filmmaking that was quick, lean and eminently desirable--to producers, at least--before he became a feature film director at Columbia Pictures
, beginning with Outlaws of the Rockies (1945).
Nazarro did the vast majority of his work for Columbia, and was one of the busiest directors on the lot of any major studio--from 1945-1955 he worked at a furious pace, directing as many as 13 pictures in one year. These were almost all B-westerns, very quickly but also very well made, lean and uncluttered, with an emphasis on action but also a serious elegiac view of the west--among them were Al Jennings of Oklahoma (1951) and The Black Dakotas (1954).
At the end of the '50s, with the market for B-westerns drying up in America, Nazarro picked up his career in Europe with spaghetti westerns and also began working in television
. His last film was the German-made Jayne Mansfield
thriller Dog Eat Dog, released in 1964.
Nazarro died on September 8, 1986 and is buried in Chapel of the Pines Crematory
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and television director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
, producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
, and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
Biography
Born in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Nazarro entered the movie business during the silent era, and began directing short films in 1929 with In and Out (billed as "Nat Nazarro"). He spent the next 13 years working in two-reelers
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
, honing an approach to filmmaking that was quick, lean and eminently desirable--to producers, at least--before he became a feature film director at Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, beginning with Outlaws of the Rockies (1945).
Nazarro did the vast majority of his work for Columbia, and was one of the busiest directors on the lot of any major studio--from 1945-1955 he worked at a furious pace, directing as many as 13 pictures in one year. These were almost all B-westerns, very quickly but also very well made, lean and uncluttered, with an emphasis on action but also a serious elegiac view of the west--among them were Al Jennings of Oklahoma (1951) and The Black Dakotas (1954).
At the end of the '50s, with the market for B-westerns drying up in America, Nazarro picked up his career in Europe with spaghetti westerns and also began working in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. His last film was the German-made Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield was an American actress working both in Hollywood and on the Broadway theatre...
thriller Dog Eat Dog, released in 1964.
Nazarro died on September 8, 1986 and is buried in Chapel of the Pines Crematory
Chapel of the Pines Crematory
Chapel of the Pines Crematory is a crematory and columbarium located at 1605 South Catalina Street Los Angeles, California, in the historic West Adams District a short distance southwest of Downtown...
.
Selected filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Notes | |
| 1929 | In and Out | Credited as Nat Nazzaro | |
| 1930 | Darktown Follies | Credited as Nat Nazzaro | |
| 1932 | Runt Page | Credited as Raymond Nazarro | |
| 1934 | Jimmy the Gent | Writer, story "The Heir Chaser" | |
| 1945 | Texas Panhandle | ||
| 1946 | Laugh Jubilee | Credited as Nat Nazarro Writer |
|
| 1947 | West of Dodge City | ||
| 1948 | Phantom Valley | ||
| 1949 | Bandits of El Dorado | Alternative title: Tricked | |
| 1950 | Hoedown | ||
| 1951 | China Corsair China Corsair China Corsair is a 1951 adventure film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring Jon Hall and Lisa Ferraday. This film was the film debut of Ernest Borgnine.-Plot synopsis:Tamara rescues shipwrecked McMillen... |
||
| 1952 | The Rough, Tough West | ||
| 1953 | Kansas Pacific Kansas Pacific (film) Kansas Pacific is a 1953 U.S. Cinecolor western film released by Allied Artists Pictures and directed by Ray Nazarro. It stars Sterling Hayden and Eve Miller. The movie offers a fictionalized account of the struggle to build the Kansas Pacific Railway in the 1860s during the American Civil War... |
||
| 1954 | Southwest Passage | ||
| 1955 | Top Gun | ||
| 1956 | The White Squaw | ||
| 1957 | The Hired Gun | ||
| 1958 | Apache Territory Apache Territory Apache Territory is a 1958 Western film released by Columbia Pictures, directed by Ray Nazarro and produced by and starring Rory Calhoun. The story is based on the novel Last Stand at Papago Wells by Louis L'Amour.-Plot:... |
||
| 1964 | Dog Eat Dog | ||
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Notes | |
| 1951 | The Range Rider The Range Rider The Range Rider is an American Western television series that aired in syndication from 1951-1953. A single lost episode was first shown in 1959... |
Unknown episodes | |
| 1954–1956 | Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (TV series) Annie Oakley is an American Western television series which fictionalized the life of famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley. It ran from January 1954 to February 1957 in syndication. ABC showed reruns on Saturday and Sunday daytime from 1959–1960 and from 1964-1965... |
14 episodes | |
| 1955 | Buffalo Bill Jr. Buffalo Bill Jr. Buffalo Bill, Jr. is an American Western television series starring Dickie Jones that aired in syndication from March 1, 1955, until September 21, 1956.-Synopsis:... |
8 episodes | |
| 1955–1960 | Fury Fury (TV series) Fury is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1955–1960, starring Peter Graves as Jim Newton , Bobby Diamond as Jim's adopted son, Joey Clark Newton, and William Fawcett as ranch hand Pete Wilkey... |
8 episodes, produced two episodes | |
| 1959 | Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer | 3 episodes | |
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Academy Award | Nominated | Best Writing, Motion Picture Story | The Bullfighter and the Lady The Bullfighter and the Lady Bullfighter and the Lady is a 1951 drama film directed and written by Budd Boetticher. Filmed on location in Mexico, the film focused on the realities of the dangerous sport of bullfighting. During production, one stunt man died... (Shared with Budd Boetticher Budd Boetticher Oscar "Budd" Boetticher, Jr. was a film director during the classical period in Hollywood most famous for the series of low-budget Westerns he made in the late 1950s starring Randolph Scott.Known for their sparse style, dramatic rocky locations near Lone Pine, California, and recurring stories of... ) |