Boston-born Ray Nazarro began his movie career in the silent-film era, where he often worked as an assistant director. He started his directing career in 1932, beginning with shorts and graduating to low-budget quickie features for Poverty Row studios. He alternated between directing shorts and an assistant director on features--often on westerns at Columbia--for years. By 1945 he fell into directing westerns for that studio, a genre and a studio in which Nazarro would spent the vast majority of his career. He worked steadily for the next 20 years, churning out dozens and dozens of Columbia's westerns, including many in the "Durango Kid" series with Charles Starrett, and was at the helm of a slew of Columbia's musical westerns and low-budget hillbilly musicals, which featured such acts as The Hoosier Hotshots. As the era of the B western ended, Nazarro journeyed to Europe, where he turned out some "spaghetti westerns" and was one of several directors to work on a bizarre and trouble-plagued Jayne Mansfield film, Einer frisst den anderen (1964). He also returned to directing television series, a medium in which he had occasionally worked since the early 1950s -- again, mostly in westerns.
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Biography from IMDb.
- September 25, 1902
- September 8, 1986 (aged 83)
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Director, also writer
- 17 on MovieCove · 90 credits in all
What are Ray Nazarro's films like?
Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 13
A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 5 · Dark 2
A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 1
Gentle 0 · Charged 13 · Intense 1
Steady 8 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 1
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 2
Casual 8 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 11 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1
Resolved 14 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy10
- Bittersweet2
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous1
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 Ray Nazarro's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Ray Nazarro'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
90 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page.
Einer frisst den anderen(1964)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
Apache Territory(1958)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Return to Warbow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Domino Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
The Hired Gun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
The Phantom Stagecoach (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
The White Squaw (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
State Trooper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Fremont: The Trailblazer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Top Gun(1955)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Fury(1955)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows
The Black Dakotas(1954)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
The Lone Gun(1954)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Southwest Passage(1954)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Gun Belt(1953)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
The Bandits of Corsica(1953)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Kansas Pacific(1953)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Junction City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Cripple Creek(1952)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
The Rough, Tough West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Montana Territory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Laramie Mountains (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Indian Uprising (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
The Kid from Amarillo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Cyclone Fury (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
China Corsair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Bullfighter and the Lady(1951)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Fort Savage Raiders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Flame Of Stamboul (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Al Jennings of Oklahoma(1951)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Frontier Outpost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
The Tougher They Come (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Streets of Ghost Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
The Gene Autry Show(1950)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows
David Harding, Counterspy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Hoedown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Texas Dynamo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Outcasts of Black Mesa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
The Palomino (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Trail of the Rustlers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Renegades of the Sage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Bandits of El Dorado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
South of Death Valley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
The Blazing Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Laramie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Home in San Antone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Challenge of the Range (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Smoky Mountain Melody (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Quick on the Trigger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
El Dorado Pass (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Singin' Spurs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Trail to Laredo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
The Arkansas Swing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Blazing Across the Pecos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
West of Sonora (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Phantom Valley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Six-Gun Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Rose of Santa Rosa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)
Last Days of Boot Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)
Buckaroo from Powder River (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)
Law of the Canyon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)
West of Dodge City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)
The Lone Hand Texan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)
Over the Santa Fe Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)
Lone Star Moonlight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Terror Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Singing on the Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Heading West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Cowboy Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
The Desert Horseman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Buck and Bubbles Laff Jamboree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Two-Fisted Stranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
That Texas Jamboree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Galloping Thunder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Gunning for Vengeance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Throw a Saddle on a Star (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Roaring Rangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Texas Panhandle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
Song of the Prairie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
Outlaws of the Rockies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
Over 21(1945)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
I Love a Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
Eadie Was a Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
Cyclone Prairie Rangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
Exile Express (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
Suicide Squad(1935)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
Roaring Roads (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
Jimmy the Gent(1934)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Runt Page (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Darktown Follies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
Career shape
A full career of 89 titles from 1930 to 1958.
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.
Awards
Nominated for an Oscar in 1952, Best Writing, Motion Picture Story.
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Ray Nazarro's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 29th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 38th percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th7
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 17 titles are Broadly Agreed.
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Broadly Agreed7
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the atmosphere 57/100 and the pacing 60/100 in their films, across 14 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 Ray Nazarro work with?
People who share at least 2 of Ray Nazarro's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Dehner shares the most, 6.
Writers
- Richard SchayerShared titles: Top Gun (1955), The Lone Gun (1954), Gun Belt (1953), The Bandits of Corsica (1953), Cripple Creek (1952)See all 5 shared titles with Richard Schayer
Actors
- John DehnerShared titles: Apache Territory (1958), Top Gun (1955), Southwest Passage (1954), Gun Belt (1953), Cripple Creek (1952), Al Jennings of Oklahoma (1951)See all 6 shared titles with John Dehner
- James MillicanShared titles: Top Gun (1955), Gun Belt (1953), Al Jennings of Oklahoma (1951)See all 3 shared titles with James Millican
- William BishopShared titles: Top Gun (1955), Gun Belt (1953), Cripple Creek (1952)See all 3 shared titles with William Bishop
- Douglas FowleyShared titles: Southwest Passage (1954), The Lone Gun (1954), Kansas Pacific (1953)See all 3 shared titles with Douglas Fowley
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Irving GertzShared titles: Top Gun (1955), The Lone Gun (1954), Gun Belt (1953), The Bandits of Corsica (1953)See all 4 shared titles with Irving Gertz
- Grant WhytockShared titles: Southwest Passage (1954), Gun Belt (1953), The Bandits of Corsica (1953)See all 3 shared titles with Grant Whytock
- Lester WhiteShared titles: Top Gun (1955), The Lone Gun (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Lester White
- W. Howard GreeneShared titles: Gun Belt (1953), Al Jennings of Oklahoma (1951)See all 2 shared titles with W. Howard Greene
Producers
- Edward SmallShared titles: Top Gun (1955), Southwest Passage (1954), The Lone Gun (1954), Gun Belt (1953), Cripple Creek (1952)See all 5 shared titles with Edward Small
