George Louis Schaefer (December 16, 1920 – September 10, 1997) was an American director of television and Broadway theatre, who was active from the 1950s to the 1990s. Schaefer was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, and lived in Oak Park, Illinois for much of his boyhood and young adulthood. He was the son of Elsie (née Otterbein) and Louis Schaefer, who worked in sales. Schaefer studied stage directing at the Yale School of Drama. He began his directing career while serving in the U.S. Army Special Services during World War II. He directed over 50 plays for the troops. After being discharged, he directed for the Broadway theatre. His first production was of Shakespeare's Hamlet starring Maurice Evans. In 1953, Schaefer won a Tony Award for his production of The Teahouse of the August Moon which he co-produced with Evans. During the Golden Age of Television, Schaefer directed numerous live TV adaptations of Broadway plays for NBC's Hallmark Hall of Fame. His first episode for Hallmark was an adaptation of his Broadway staging of Hamlet starring Evans. In the 1980s, several of his productions for Hallmark aired in syndication under the title George Schaefer Showcase Theatre. His television work garnered him five Emmy wins out of 21 total nominations. He also won four Directors Guild of America Awards out of 17 nominations. He holds the record for the most DGA Award nominations. He also directed five theatrical films, but to limited success.
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 16, 1920
- September 10, 1997 (aged 76)
- Wallingford, Connecticut, USA
- Director and producer, also writer
- 22 on MovieCove · 90 credits in all
What are George Schaefer's films like?
Across their 20 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
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 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 20
A split, not a type: Light 8 · Serious 6 · Dark 6
Grounded 14 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 0
Gentle 7 · Charged 11 · Intense 2
Steady 16 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 1
Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0
Casual 13 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 1
A split, not a type: Easy watch 8 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 6
Resolved 16 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy9
- Bittersweet9
- 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 George Schaefer's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for George Schaefer'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, 22 with a MovieCove page.
Harvey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Beverly Hills Cop III(1994)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
The Man Upstairs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Laura Lansing Slept Here (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Stone Pillow(1985)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Answers(1985)
Children in the Crossfire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Right of Way(1983)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
The Deadly Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
A Piano for Mrs. Cimino(1982)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
The Bunker(1981)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all filmsBarry Manilow: One Voice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Blind Ambition (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
First, You Cry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
An Enemy of the People(1978)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The Second Barry Manilow Special (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Girl Called Hatter Fox (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Our Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Amelia Earhart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
The Last of Mrs. Lincoln (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Truman at Potsdam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
The Land of Hope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
In This House of Brede(1975)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Lincoln (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Once Upon a Scoundrel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
A Time for Love(1973)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
A War of Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Gideon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Doctors' Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Generation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
The File on Devlin(1969)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Pendulum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
The Admirable Crichton (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Elizabeth the Queen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Saint Joan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Soldier in Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
CBS Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Blithe Spirit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Barefoot in Athens (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Inherit the Wind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Eagle in a Cage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
The Holy Terror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
The Fantasticks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Little Moon of Alban (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Macbeth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Abe Lincoln in Illinois (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
A Cry of Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Patriots (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Invincible Mr. Disraeli (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Pygmalion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Cyrano De Bergerac (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Arsenic & Old Lace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Victoria Regina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Alcoa Premiere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Kraft Mystery Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Give Us Barabbas! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Captain Brassbound's Conversion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
The Tempest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
A Doll's House(1959)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)Winterset (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
NBC Sunday Showcase (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Meet Me in St. Louis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
The Gift of the Magi(1958)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Kiss Me, Kate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Johnny Belinda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Little Moon of Alban (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
On Borrowed Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
The Yeomen of the Guard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
The Lark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
The Little Foxes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
The Taming of the Shrew(1956)
THe Good Fairy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
The Corn is Green (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Dream Girl(1955)
The Devil's Disciple (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Alice in Wonderland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
One Touch of Venus(1955)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Macbeth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
King Richard II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Hamlet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Fallen Angel(1945)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 90 titles from 1945 to 1996.
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 George Schaefer's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 72nd percentile, the median of the 19 of 22 with a score; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up9
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
8 of their 19 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved2
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the atmosphere 62/100 and the pacing 46/100 in their films, across 13 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 George Schaefer work with?
People who share at least 2 of George Schaefer's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Adrienne Luraschi shares the most, 6.
Writers
- James CostiganShared titles: In This House of Brede (1975), F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'the Last of the Belles' (1974), A Doll's House (1959)See all 3 shared titles with James Costigan
- John GayShared titles: A Piano for Mrs. Cimino (1982), The Bunker (1981)See all 2 shared titles with John Gay
- Henrik IbsenShared titles: An Enemy of the People (1978), A Doll's House (1959)See all 2 shared titles with Henrik Ibsen
Actors
- Priscilla MorrillShared titles: Right of Way (1983), The People vs. Jean Harris (1981), Dream Girl (1955)See all 3 shared titles with Priscilla Morrill
- William Converse-RobertsShared titles: Stone Pillow (1985), Mayflower: The Pilgrims' Adventure (1979)See all 2 shared titles with William Converse-Roberts
- Bette DavisShared titles: Right of Way (1983), A Piano for Mrs. Cimino (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Bette Davis
- Janet WrightShared titles: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1983), Who'll Save Our Children? (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Janet Wright
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Brad FiedelShared titles: Right of Way (1983), The Bunker (1981), The People vs. Jean Harris (1981), Mayflower: The Pilgrims' Adventure (1979)See all 4 shared titles with Brad Fiedel
- Andy BlumenthalShared titles: Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry (1986), Stone Pillow (1985), The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1983)See all 3 shared titles with Andy Blumenthal
- Edward R. BrownShared titles: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1983), A Piano for Mrs. Cimino (1982), F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'the Last of the Belles' (1974)See all 3 shared titles with Edward R. Brown
- Sidney KatzShared titles: Right of Way (1983), Who'll Save Our Children? (1978), F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'the Last of the Belles' (1974)See all 3 shared titles with Sidney Katz
Producers
- Adrienne LuraschiShared titles: Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry (1986), Stone Pillow (1985), The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1983), A Piano for Mrs. Cimino (1982), The Bunker (1981), Who'll Save Our Children? (1978)See all 6 shared titles with Adrienne Luraschi
- Merrill H. KarpfShared titles: Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry (1986), Stone Pillow (1985), Right of Way (1983), The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1983)See all 4 shared titles with Merrill H. Karpf
- Philip L. ParslowShared titles: Right of Way (1983), An Enemy of the People (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Philip L. Parslow
- David SusskindShared titles: The Bunker (1981), Who'll Save Our Children? (1978)See all 2 shared titles with David Susskind
Mixed roles
- Ernest ThompsonShared titles: Answers (1985), F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'the Last of the Belles' (1974)See all 2 shared titles with Ernest Thompson
