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James Neilson

Director · Died December 9, 1979, aged 70 · Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   James D. Neilson (October 1, 1909 – December 9, 1979) was an American television director, known for his work with Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color Description above from the Wikipedia article James D. Neilson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 1, 1909
Died
December 9, 1979 (aged 70)
From
Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
Works as
Director
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 39 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 38 days to Oct 27Down 26% in 30 days

What are James Neilson's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action 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
Bonds
35%
Morality
25%
Society
15%
Self
13%
Power
7%
Survival
5%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 9 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 5 · Charged 6 · Intense 0

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

Steady 8 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 4

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

A split, not a type: Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 10 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
5
Tense
5
Romantic
4
Warm
3
Thrilling
3
Other
9

How their films linger

Feel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet3

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 James Neilson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Neilson'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

39 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page.

  • Walt Disney Treasures - Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director

  • Tom Sawyer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Director · Writer

  • Ghost Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • San Francisco International Airport (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Flareup(1969)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • The First Time(1969)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Adam-12(1968)

    Show 19 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • The Name of the Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Where Angels Go Trouble Follows!(1968)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Gentle Giant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director

  • Return of the Gunfighter(1966)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin(1967)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Batman(1966)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Johnny Shiloh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Director

  • The Legend of Young Dick Turpin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Director

  • The Moon-Spinners(1964)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow(1963)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Fugitive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Summer Magic(1963)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Mooncussers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • Bon Voyage!(1962)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Moon Pilot(1962)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Barbara Stanwyck Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Shotgun Slade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Law of the Plainsman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Bonanza(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • The Donna Reed Show(1958)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Shirley Temple's Storybook(1958)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • The Percentage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Director

  • Leave It to Beaver(1957)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Night Passage(1957)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Blackwell Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director

  • The Country Husband (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • High Tor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents(1955)

    Show 12 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • The Wonderful World of Disney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Father Knows Best(1954)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Ford Television Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

Career shape

A full career of 39 titles from 1952 to 2008.

Highest rated

Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow (1963)

Midcredits 81st

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing39 of 39: 38 only directing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score64thWriting1 of 39: 0 only writing, 1 with another role

By decade

1950s16 · crew1960s19 · crew1970s3 · crew2000s1 · 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 James Neilson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 19 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · director

Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958)

60th percentile spread · 12% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)

Midcredits 96th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 63/100 and the pacing 38/100 in their films, across 11 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 James Neilson work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Neilson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Walt Disney shares the most, 6.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers