Arthur Dreifuss

German-born choreographer Arthur Dreifuss emigrated to the US in 1928, eventually becoming a theatrical producer in New York City. He went to Hollywood, first as a dance director in the 1930s, then from 1939 directing a steady stream of B-movies, initially for Poverty Row company PRC (Producers Releasing Corporation), then for prolific low-budget producer Sam Katzman at Monogram. He also had a brief sojourn at Columbia, including an entry in the "Boston Blackie" series (Boston Blackie's Rendezvous (1945)). Dreifuss became especially adept at musicals (for which he occasionally wrote songs) and thrillers, filmed on a shoestring budget. During the 1960s his films became increasingly youth-oriented and exploitational. He is best known for his only A-grade feature, The Quare Fellow (1962), based on a play by Irish writer Brendan Behan.