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Fred F. Sears
Director 1913 - 1957

Fred F. Sears

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Frederick Francis Sears (1913-1957) was an American film actor and director. Though a marginalized figure in 1950s cinema, he created 52 feature films in a number of genres for Columbia Pictures from 1949 to 1957, before his premature... Read full bio →

Directed Films

Every film this person directed

28 titles
Crash Landing

Crash Landing

Fred F. Sears 1958 1h 16m

Airplane passengers prepare for a crash landing in the ocean.

The Night the World Exploded

The Night the World Exploded

Fred F. Sears 1957 1h 4m 6.0

Dr. Conway has perfected a machine that predicts earthquakes, and has determined that one will strike California within 24 hours. A computer analysis determines that the entire world would explode within a little more than 28 days.

The Giant Claw

The Giant Claw

Fred F. Sears 1957 1h 14m 6.3

Scientists ponder a buzzard--like big bird able to lift a train.

Escape from San Quentin

Escape from San Quentin

Fred F. Sears 1957 1h 21m 5.0

An escaped convict decides to quit running and turn himself and his fellow escapee in to the authorities - but not without complications.

The Werewolf

The Werewolf

Fred F. Sears 1956 1h 19m 6.0

Two scientists inject an unsuspecting auto accident victim with a mysterious serum causing horrible results.

Rumble on the Docks

Rumble on the Docks

Fred F. Sears 1956 1h 22m 6.0

Crime drama concerning the coming-of-age of a Brooklyn-born 17-year old whose loyalty is torn between his parents' old-fashion values and a local gangster's flashy lifestyle.

Rock Around the Clock

Rock Around the Clock

Fred F. Sears 1956 1h 17m 6.0

A frustrated big-band promoter bumps into rock-and-rollers Bill Haley and the Comets.

Miami Exposé

Miami Exposé

Fred F. Sears 1956 1h 13m

A police detective baits killer gamblers with a mob witness (Patricia Medina) in the Everglades.

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

Fred F. Sears 1956 1h 23m 7.2

Test space rockets exploding at liftoff and increased reporting of UFO sightings culminate in a direct attempt by alien survivors of a dead, extra-galactic civilization to invade Earth from impervious flying saucers, using ray-weapons of mass destruction.

Don't Knock the Rock

Don't Knock the Rock

Fred F. Sears 1956 1h 24m 6.0

Rock-and-roller Arnie Haynes returns to his hometown as a hero to the teenagers. However, the mayor and other concerned adults have banned him from performing in his hometown because they consider him and his music a negative influence on the youth.

Chicago Syndicate

Chicago Syndicate

Fred F. Sears 1955 1h 23m 6.0

An ex-military accountant is recruited by the FBI to infiltrate the mob in Chicago in an attempt to break open the rackets. To complicate his job, two women stand in his way, each with their own agenda.

Cell 2455, Death Row

Cell 2455, Death Row

Fred F. Sears 1955 1h 17m 6.5

A Death Row inmate uses his prison law studies to fight for his life. Based on a true story.

Wyoming Renegades

Wyoming Renegades

Fred F. Sears 1954 1h 13m 5.0

Brady Sutton, ex-convict and former Butch Cassidy gang member, gets wrongly accused of bank robbery. Escaping mob, he rejoins Cassidy's gang to prove innocence and bring them to justice.

The Miami Story

The Miami Story

Fred F. Sears 1954 1h 15m 5.0

Fed up with the raising crime in Miami, the police chief and the leading members of the city council hire a former Miami gangster, gone straight, to help eliminate the biggest crime syndicate in the city.

Ambush at Tomahawk Gap

Ambush at Tomahawk Gap

Fred F. Sears 1953 1h 13m

Hodiak, Brian, Derek and Teal have just been released from prison. They return to Tomahawk Gap, now a ghost town, to retrieve the money that they stole and was buried by a partner somewhere in the town. While hunting, the Indians attack, and a life and death battle ensues.

The Kid from Broken Gun

The Kid from Broken Gun

Fred F. Sears 1952 55m

Charles Starrett makes his final appearance as The Durango Kid, this time as Steve Reynolds, a postal inspector who has gone underground to catch the bad guys. His longtime sidekick, Smiley Burnette appears as an itinerant optometrist who is hardly in the plot line of the film.

The Hawk of Wild River

The Hawk of Wild River

Fred F. Sears 1952 53m

Steve Martin is sent to Wild River to recover stolen gold and finds the town is being terrorized by The Hawk and his outlaw gang. The Hawk attempts to murder Sheriff Jack Mahoney and is captured and jailed. Steve helps the Hawk break jail and thus makes contact with the bandit gang.

Smoky Canyon

Smoky Canyon

Fred F. Sears 1952 55m

Mahoney is a sheep man who's framed for the murder of a rancher. It's all part of a scheme by a dishonest cattleman who hopes to extenuate a range war for his own profit. The Durango Kid helps clear Mahoney's name.

Snake River Desperadoes

Snake River Desperadoes

Fred F. Sears 1951 54m

Starrett tries to prevent a range war between settlers and the Native Americans. Blue and his fellow scoundrels think they can profit from the bloodshed,but the Durango Kid along with a couple of precocious youngsters put an end to Blue's terrorism.

Ridin' the Outlaw Trail

Ridin' the Outlaw Trail

Fred F. Sears 1951 56m

Charles Starrett plays lawman Steve Forsythe in Ridin' the Outlaw Trail. Somewhere along the line, of course, Steve is obliged to don the mask of The Durango Kid, mysterious righter of wrongs. The "wrongs" in this instance include the theft of $20,000 in gold, and the "kidnapping" of a blacksmith's forge!

Prairie Roundup

Prairie Roundup

Fred F. Sears 1951 55m

In Prairie Roundup, Fred F. Sears' direction brings a welcome jolt of vitality to Columbia's aging "Durango Kid" western series. Once again, Charles Starrett stars as Steve Carson, a lawman who is forced to assume the identity of masked do-gooder Durango. Framed for murder, Carson escapes to locate the real killer.

Pecos River

Pecos River

Fred F. Sears 1951 55m

Steve is a Government Agent looking for the gang that stole the U.S. Mail. He goes undercover...

Bonanza Town

Bonanza Town

Fred F. Sears 1951 56m

Using marked bills, Steve is looking for the supposedly dead Henry Hardison. Coming to Bonanza Town he gets a job with the town boss Crag Bozeman and gets paid with marked bills. He suspects Hardison is Boseman's boss and he is right as Hardison and his men are now planning to get rid of both him and the Durango kid.

Raiders of Tomahawk Creek

Raiders of Tomahawk Creek

Fred F. Sears 1950 55m

Charles Starrett, aka "The Durango Kid", is back in Raiders of Tomahawk Creek. Starrett plays Steve Blake, a novice Indian agent, sent out to investigate a series of mysterious murders.

Lightning Guns

Lightning Guns

Fred F. Sears 1950 55m

The Durango Kid rides again in Lightning Guns. As ever, the masked Durango (alias Steve Brandon) is played by Charles Starrett, who this time around is on the trail of a gang of cold-blooded killers. Rancher Dan Saunders (Edgar Dearing) is held responsible for the killings because of his opposition to a politically expedient dam project.

Across the Badlands

Across the Badlands

Fred F. Sears 1950 55m

Charles Starrett once more hits the trail as "The Durango Kid" in Columbia's Across the Badlands. By now, the formula was a well-oiled machine: Starrett becomes a lawman, is challenged by the local criminal element, and ultimately goes beyond the law as the masked Durango.

Horsemen of the Sierras

Horsemen of the Sierras

Fred F. Sears 1949 56m

When Robin Grant inherits a valuable range, certain evil interests try their best to kill off Robin and claim the land for themselves. US Marshall Steve Saunders comes to the boy's rescue.

Desert Vigilante

Desert Vigilante

Fred F. Sears 1949 56m

Silver is being smuggled across the border and the secret passage goes through Betty Long's basement. When Steve arrives he gets tangled up with the rustlers who are now going to have the Durango Kid to contend with.

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