A highly regarded editor (he cut the classic Sunrise (1927) ), Harold D. Schuster started out in films as an actor. It didn't take him long to abandon that career, and he turned to the production side of the business, working his way up to editor and eventually taking the reins as a director. While much of his directorial output is routine, there are some real gems scattered throughout. My Friend Flicka (1943) is a beautiful, serene tale of a boy and a spectacular horse and was a major success in its day. Although typed as an "outdoors" director, Schuster could turn out tough, gritty little thrillers when he wanted to, such as Loophole (1954), about a bank teller who gets framed for an embezzlement; it ranks right up there with the edgy crime dramas of Don Siegel and Phil Karlson. Schuster's western Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957), despite its potboiler title, is a sharp, well-paced effort about two disparate groups of travelers who must band together to fight off rampaging Indians. Good writing, a rousing score and Schuster's tight direction raise this several notches above the product normally churned out by its studio, the usually low-grade Allied Artists. Schuster eventually turned to series television, and finished out his career there.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- August 1, 1902
- July 19, 1986 (aged 83)
- Cherokee, Iowa, USA
- Director and editor
- 16 on MovieCove · 52 credits in all
What are Harold D. Schuster's films like?
Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
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 15
Light 9 · Serious 5 · Dark 1
A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 1
A split, not a type: Gentle 8 · Charged 6 · Intense 1
Steady 11 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 3
Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 1
Casual 10 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 9 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 1
Resolved 13 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy13
- Ambiguous2
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 Harold D. Schuster's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).
Subscription and free streaming for Harold D. Schuster'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
52 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
Dragoon Wells Massacre(1957)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Portland Exposé (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Courage of Black Beauty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Down Liberty Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
The Return of Jack Slade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Finger Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Tarzan's Hidden Jungle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Port of Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Security Risk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Loophole(1954)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Jack Slade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Kid Monk Baroni (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
So Dear to My Heart(1948)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
The Tender Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Breakfast in Hollywood(1946)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Marine Raiders(1944)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Bomber's Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
My Friend Flicka(1943)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Girl Trouble(1942)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
The Postman Didn't Ring(1942)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
On the Sunny Side(1942)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Small Town Deb (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)
A Very Young Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)
Diamond Frontier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
South to Karanga (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
Ma, He's Making Eyes at Me! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
Zanzibar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
Framed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
One Hour to Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
Exposed(1938)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Swing That Cheer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Queer Cargo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Dinner at the Ritz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
Wings of the Morning(1937)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
The Farmer Takes a Wife(1935)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Marie Galante(1934)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Berkeley Square (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Zoo in Budapest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Call Her Savage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Chandu the Magician (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Ambassador Bill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Skyline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
The Man Who Came Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Renegades (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
Women Everywhere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
Such Men Are Dangerous (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
South Sea Rose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
Frozen Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
4 Devils (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)
Sunrise(1927)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The Iron Horse(1924)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 51 titles from 1925 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.
How do Harold D. Schuster's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 52nd percentile, the median of all 16; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th7
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Broadly Agreed4
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the atmosphere 67/100 and the pacing 52/100 in their films, across 12 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 Harold D. Schuster work with?
People who share at least 2 of Harold D. Schuster's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Paul Dunlap shares the most, 3.
Writers
- Warren DouglasShared titles: Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957), Loophole (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Warren Douglas
- Lillie HaywardShared titles: My Friend Flicka (1943), On the Sunny Side (1942)See all 2 shared titles with Lillie Hayward
Actors
- Barry SullivanShared titles: Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957), Loophole (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Barry Sullivan
- Beulah BondiShared titles: So Dear to My Heart (1948), Breakfast in Hollywood (1946)See all 2 shared titles with Beulah Bondi
- Billie BurkeShared titles: Breakfast in Hollywood (1946), Girl Trouble (1942)See all 2 shared titles with Billie Burke
- Erville AldersonShared titles: My Friend Flicka (1943), The Postman Didn't Ring (1942)See all 2 shared titles with Erville Alderson
Composers and editors
- Paul DunlapShared titles: The Power of the Resurrection (1958), Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957), Loophole (1954)See all 3 shared titles with Paul Dunlap
- Robert FritchShared titles: The Power of the Resurrection (1958), My Friend Flicka (1943), Girl Trouble (1942)See all 3 shared titles with Robert Fritch
- Cyril J. MockridgeShared titles: My Friend Flicka (1943), On the Sunny Side (1942), The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935)See all 3 shared titles with Cyril J. Mockridge
- David ButtolphShared titles: My Friend Flicka (1943), Girl Trouble (1942), The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935)See all 3 shared titles with David Buttolph
Producers
- Lindsley ParsonsShared titles: Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957), Loophole (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Lindsley Parsons
- Ralph DietrichShared titles: My Friend Flicka (1943), The Postman Didn't Ring (1942)See all 2 shared titles with Ralph Dietrich
- William GoetzShared titles: My Friend Flicka (1943), Girl Trouble (1942)See all 2 shared titles with William Goetz
- Winfield R. SheehanShared titles: The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935), Marie Galante (1934)See all 2 shared titles with Winfield R. Sheehan
