James Anderson (filmmaker)
# James Anderson (filmmaker)

James Anderson (November 6, 1902 – November 26, 1960) was an American assistant director during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. In his twenty-five year career, Anderson worked on almost 75 pictures. He is sometimes confused with James K. Anderson, the actor, because their careers overlapped. He was also known as James A. Anderson or James H. Anderson.

Anderson began his career in film as an actor with a featured role in the silent era, in 1925's The Freshman, starring Harold Lloyd. After appearing in several silent films, with the advent of sound he moved behind the camera, where he was a perennial assistant director. He would spend almost his entire career with RKO Radio Pictures, from their inception in 1929 through 1949.

As an assistant director he would work with such famous directors as George Archainbaud, William A. Wellman, Walter Lang, Garson Kanin, Dorothy Arzner, Leo McCarey, and Ida Lupino. Late in his career he would also work as a unit or production manager on several films, including the classic Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House in 1948. His final film credit would be on the small screen, as the assistant director and production manager for the 1957 episode "The Mothers", on Lupino's television series, Mr. Adams & Eve. Anderson died on November 26, 1960, in Los Angeles, California.

## Filmography

(as per AFI's database)

| Year | Title | Role |
| - | - | - |
| 1925 | The Freshman | Actor - "Chester A. 'Chet' Trask" |
| 1926 | The College Boob | Actor - "Horatio Winston, Jr." |
| 1926 | Flying High | Actor - "Carson" |
| 1927 | Butterflies in the Rain | Actor - "Dennis Carteret" |
| 1928 | Fleetwing | Actor - "Mansoni" |
| 1930 | The Runaway Bride | Assistant director |
| 1931 | The Sin Ship | Assistant director |
| 1931 | The Public Defender | Assistant director |
| 1931 | Secret Service | Assistant director |
| 1931 | Young Donovan's Kid | Assistant director |
| 1932 | The Lost Squadron | Assistant director |
| 1932 | The Conquerors | Assistant director |
| 1932 | Hell's Highway | Assistant director |
| 1932 | Is My Face Red? | Assistant director |
| 1932 | The Roadhouse Murder | Assistant director |
| 1933 | Chance at Heaven | Assistant director |
| 1933 | No Other Woman | Assistant director |
| 1933 | No Marriage Ties | Assistant director |
| 1934 | Man of Two Worlds | Assistant director |
| 1935 | Hooray for Love | Assistant director |
| 1935 | A Dog of Flanders | Assistant director |
| 1935 | Star of Midnight | Assistant director |
| 1935 | In Person | Assistant director |
| 1936 | Yellow Dust | Assistant director |
| 1936 | Mummy's Boys | Assistant director |
| 1936 | The Last Outlaw | Assistant director |
| 1936 | Special Investigator | Assistant director |
| 1937 | We Who Are About to Die | Assistant director |
| 1937 | Criminal Lawyer | Assistant director |
| 1937 | New Faces of 1937 | Assistant director |
| 1937 | Stage Door | Assistant director |
| 1938 | Having Wonderful Time | Assistant director |
| 1938 | Tarnished Angel | Assistant director |
| 1938 | Mother Carey's Chickens | Assistant director |
| 1938 | Room Service | Assistant director |
| 1939 | Nurse Edith Cavell | Assistant director |
| 1939 | Love Affair | Assistant director |
| 1939 | Fixer Dugan | Assistant director |
| 1939 | Reno | Assistant director |
| 1939 | Three Sons | Assistant director |
| 1939 | The Girl and the Gambler | Assistant director |
| 1940 | Mexican Spitfire | Assistant director |
| 1940 | My Favorite Wife | Assistant director |
| 1940 | Dance, Girl, Dance | Assistant director |
| 1941 | A Girl, a Guy and a Gob | Assistant director |
| 1942 | Once Upon a Honeymoon | Assistant director |
| 1942 | Highways by Night | Assistant director |
| 1942 | Joan of Paris | Assistant director |
| 1942 | My Favorite Spy | Assistant director |
| 1946 | Crack-Up | Assistant director |
| 1946 | Dick Tracy vs. Cueball | Assistant director |
| 1946 | The Falcon's Alibi | Assistant director |
| 1946 | Lady Luck | Assistant director |
| 1946 | Nocturne | Assistant director |
| 1947 | Trail Street | Assistant director |
| 1947 | Out of the Past | Unit manager |
| 1948 | Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House | Unit manager |
| 1949 | Adventure in Baltimore | Assistant director |
| 1949 | They Live by Night | Production manager |
| 1950 | Borderline | Assistant director |
| 1950 | Never Fear | Assistant director |
| 1950 | Outrage | Assistant director |
| 1951 | Hard, Fast and Beautiful | Assistant director |
| 1951 | On the Loose | Assistant director |
| 1953 | The Bigamist | Production manager |
| 1953 | The Hitch-Hiker | Assistant to producer |
| 1953 | Main Street to Broadway | Assistant director |
| 1954 | Private Hell 36 | Assistant director, production manager |
| 1955 | Mad at the World | Associate producer |
| 1956 | Huk! | Production manager |
