Samuel Fuller

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Lore & Background

Fuller began his career as a crime reporter in New York City at age 17, working for the New York Evening Graphic, and broke the story of actress Jeanne Eagels' death. He wrote pulp novels, including The Dark Page (1944), later adapted into the 1952 movie Scandal Sheet. After working as a reporter and pulp novelist, he wrote his first screenplay for Hats Off in 1936, and made his directorial debut with the Western I Shot Jesse James (1949). During World War II, Fuller served as an infantryman in the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, seeing heavy fighting in Africa, Sicily, Normandy, Belgium, and Czechoslovakia. He was present at the liberation of a German concentration camp in Falkenau and shot 16-mm footage, known as V-E +1, that was later integrated into the French documentary Falkenau: The Impossible (1988). For his military service, Fuller was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Infantryman Badge. He reached the rank of corporal. Fuller's third film, The Steel Helmet, was the first film about the Korean War, made just six months into that conflict, and established him as a major force. The film was attacked by reporter Victor Riesel for being 'pro-Communist' and 'anti-American.' Fuller had a major argument with the U.S. Army over a scene where American characters execute a prisoner of war; Fuller replied he had seen it done during his own military service. He continued directing Westerns and war films in the 1950s, then shifted genres in the 1960s with Shock Corridor (1963) and The Naked Kiss (1964). After a largely inactive period in the 1970s, he returned with the semi-autobiographical war epic The Big Red One (1980) and White Dog (1982), whose screenplay he co-wrote with Curtis Hanson.

Reader's Guide

Samuel Fuller's significance lies in his independent, low-budget filmmaking that tackled controversial subjects outside the Hollywood studio system. His films, such as Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss, explored themes of mental illness, prostitution, and racism, often with a raw, journalistic style drawn from his background as a reporter. His war films, particularly The Big Red One, drew directly from his own combat experiences, lending them a gritty authenticity. Fuller's influence extended to the French New Wave, with Jean-Luc Godard giving him a cameo in Pierrot le Fou (1965). Despite a career that saw him inactive for much of the 1970s, his later works like White Dog continued to provoke debate. After White Dog was shelved by Paramount Pictures, Fuller moved to France in 1982 and never directed another American film. He directed two theatrical French films, Les Voleurs de la nuit (1984) and Street of No Return (1989). His legacy is that of a fiercely independent auteur who made personal, often confrontational films on modest budgets, earning him a lasting reputation among cinephiles and filmmakers.

Did You Know?

• Fuller did not speak until he was almost five; his first word was 'Hammer!'
• He broke the story of actress Jeanne Eagels' death as a crime reporter at age 17.
• His 16-mm footage of the liberation of a concentration camp, V-E +1, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2014.
• Fuller's favorite film was Park Row, a story of American journalism, which he made on his own after refusing Darryl F. Zanuck's offer to adapt it into a musical.
• Jean-Luc Godard gave Fuller a cameo appearance in Pierrot le Fou (1965).