Samuel Fuller
Samuel Fuller was a notable American filmmaker and writer, recognized for his contributions to cinema from the 1930s onward. Born in 1912 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Fuller faced significant challenges early in life, including the death of his father, which forced him to leave high school and pursue work at a young age. He began his career as a crime and police reporter for the sensational New York Evening Graphic at just seventeen, later transitioning to writing novels and screenplays.
Fuller is particularly known for his low-budget films that often explored themes of violence and social outcasts, drawing on his own experiences, including his service in World War II. His most acclaimed works include "The Steel Helmet," which achieved significant box office success, and "The Big Red One," a deeply autobiographical film reflecting his wartime experiences. Fuller's storytelling was marked by irony and paradox, and he was one of the few directors who wrote and directed his own screenplays, positioning him among peers such as Orson Welles and Preston Sturges. His film "Park Row," which is rooted in his background as a journalist, received critical recognition, showcasing his multifaceted talent in both writing and directing.
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Samuel Fuller
- Born: August 12, 1912
- Birthplace: Worcester, Massachusetts
- Died: October 30, 1997
- Place of death: Hollywood, California
Biography
Samuel Fuller has the distinction of having become the youngest crime and police reporter in the United States when the New York Evening Graphic, New York’s most sensational tabloid, hired him in 1929 at age seventeen. Fuller was forced to quit high school and go to work early because his father, Samuel, died when he was ten. His family lived in Worcester, Massachusetts, where Fuller was born in 1912, and following his father’s death the family moved to New York City.
Fuller’s first job was selling newspapers on street corners. Once he left school, he became a copy boy for the editor of one of the newspapers published by William Randolph Hearst. In the early 1930’s, he moved to California to be a waterfront reporter for the San Diego Sun. He was a facile writer, and in 1935 he published a pulp novel, Burn, Baby, Burn!, which he quickly followed with two more novels, Test Tube Baby in 1936 and Make Up and Kiss in 1938.
Soon he was ghostwriting screenplays for some recognized Hollywood screenwriters. He was first credited for the screenplay for Hats Off in 1937 and in the eight years that followed was credited with eight more screenplays. He joined the countless other writers creating films for Warner Bros. studios, distinguishing himself by writing low-budget Westerns with a sharp eye always on the bottom line.
When producer Robert Lippert asked Fuller to write a script, Fuller agreed, provided that he be paid minimal scale as writer and director, his first plunge into directing. The result was I Shot Jesse James, which was filmed in ten days at a negligible cost. From that time forward, Fuller joined a select group of people, including Orson Welles, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and Preston Sturges, who directed and often produced the screenplays they wrote. Fuller’s screenplays often focused on violence. They had paradoxical outcomes and their dialogue dripped with irony. He like to write about social outcasts, those who lurked in the shadows on the fringes of society.
Having served in World War II in the First Infantry Division, nicknamed The Big Red One, Fuller drew on memories of his wartime experiences in producing some of his screenplays, notably The Steel Helmet and Fixed Bayonets!. The Steel Helmet was filmed for a mere $103,000 and brought in box office receipts of more than two million dollars in its American release. Fuller directed his screenplay for Park Row, released in 1952, which draws on his background in journalism and knowledge of journalists. It is among his finest films, receiving the Bronze Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival in 1953. Perhaps the most fully realized film produced by Fuller is The Big Red One, which is highly autobiographical and is drawn directly from his earlier infantry experience.
The filming of The Big Red One began in 1978, but after it was filmed there was a long delay while it was edited to a reasonable length. It was finally released in 1980 and that year was an entry at the Cannes Film Festival. Fuller wrote a novel based on his script that was published to coincide with the release of his film.