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H. Bruce Humberstone

H. Bruce Humberstone

Director · Died October 11, 1984, aged 82 · Buffalo, New York, USA

H. Bruce 'Lucky' Humberstone (b. November 18, 1901, Buffalo, New York - d. October 11, 1984, Los Angeles, California) was a movie actor (as a child), a script clerk, an assistant director, working with directors such as King Vidor, Edmund Goulding and Allan Dwan and, ultimately, a director. One of twenty-eight founders of the Directors Guild of America, Humberstone worked on several silent movie films for 20th Century Fox. Humberstone did not specialize; he worked on comedies, dramas, and melodramas. Humberstone is best known today for his work on some of the Charlie Chan films. In the 1950s, Humberstone worked mostly on TV. He retired in 1962, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He died in 1984, aged 82. Description above from the Wikipedia article H. Bruce Humberstone, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 18, 1901
Died
October 11, 1984 (aged 82)
From
Buffalo, New York, USA
Works as
Director
Titles
24 on MovieCove · 57 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 26% in 30 days

What are H. Bruce Humberstone's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 12th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Musical2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Musical movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
38%
Bonds
27%
Self
13%
Power
11%
Survival
6%
Society
5%
Justice9 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 21 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 18 · Serious 2 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 9 · Charged 12 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 11 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 12 · Funny 5

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 2

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 14 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 21 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Joyful
9
Thrilling
8
Warm
7
Romantic
8
Other
7

How their films linger

Feel-good18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy19
  • Bittersweet2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch H. Bruce Humberstone's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 24 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for H. Bruce Humberstone's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

57 credits, 24 with a MovieCove page.

  • Daniel Boone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Valentine's Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Madison Avenue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Director · Producer

  • Tarzan and the Trappers(1960)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Tarzan's Fight for Life(1958)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Sugarfoot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Tarzan and the Lost Safari(1957)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Purple Mask(1955)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Ten Wanted Men(1955)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Desert Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Director

  • She's Working Her Way Through College(1952)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Happy Go Lovely(1951)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • South Sea Sinner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Director

  • Fury at Furnace Creek(1948)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Homestretch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Director

  • Three Little Girls in Blue(1946)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Within These Walls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Director

  • Wonder Man(1945)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Pin Up Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Director

  • Hello Frisco, Hello(1943)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Iceland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Director

  • To the Shores of Tripoli(1942)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • I Wake Up Screaming(1941)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Sun Valley Serenade(1941)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Tall, Dark and Handsome(1941)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Quarterback (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Director

  • Lucky Cisco Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Director

  • Pack Up Your Troubles(1939)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Pardon Our Nerve (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Director

  • Charlie Chan in Honolulu(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • While New York Sleeps (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Director

  • Time Out for Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Director

  • Rascals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Director

  • Checkers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Director

  • Charlie Chan at the Olympics(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at the Opera(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at the Race Track(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Three Live Ghosts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Director

  • Silk Hat Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Director

  • Ladies Love Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Director

  • The Dragon Murder Case (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • Merry Wives of Reno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • Good-bye Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • King of the Jungle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • If I Had a Million(1932)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Crooked Circle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Hot Spot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Bird of Paradise(1932)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Strangers of the Evening (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Raffles(1930)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Two Lovers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Assistant Director

  • The Devil Dancer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Assistant Director

  • My Best Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Assistant Director

  • Camille (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Assistant Director

  • The Temptress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Assistant Director

  • The City of Stars: A Reporters Visit to the Universal Studios (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Director · Writer

Career shape

A full career of 57 titles from 1924 to 1964.

Biggest box office

Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957)

$5M worldwide

Highest rated

I Wake Up Screaming (1941)

Midcredits 85th

Most popular right now

Ten Wanted Men (1955)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing50 of 57: 48 only directing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score61stWriting1 of 57: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing1 of 57: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew7 of 57: 7 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1920s6 · crew1930s23 · crew1940s14 · crew1950s10 · crew1960s4 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do H. Bruce Humberstone's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 23; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 24 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 24 titles divides audiences: 13 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser13
  • Broadly Agreed6
  • Mixed3

Most loved · director

I Wake Up Screaming (1941)

Midcredits 85th · 77% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 61/100 and the pacing 54/100 in their films, across 21 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does H. Bruce Humberstone work with?

People who share at least 2 of H. Bruce Humberstone's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Helen Logan shares the most, 5.

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers