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Lee Sholem

Lee Sholem

Director · Died August 19, 2000, aged 87 · Paris, Illinois, USA

Lee Tabor Sholem (born 25 May 1913 in Paris, Illinois and died 19 August 2000 in Los Angeles, California) was an American television and film director. Nicknamed ""Roll 'Em" Sholem", he is identified more than anyone else in the industry with speed and efficiency. He directed more than 1300 shows, including both features and TV episodes, without ever going over schedule. His achievements over a 40-year career have, as of yet, been unsurpassed in Hollywood history. Sholem's first film was Tarzan's Magic Fountain in 1949 and his last film was The Doomsday Machine in 1972. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lee Sholem, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 25, 1913
Died
August 19, 2000 (aged 87)
From
Paris, Illinois, USA
Works as
Director
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 30 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 27

What are Lee Sholem's films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 26th percentile
: 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
Morality
42%
Survival
32%
Society
15%
Power
7%
Ideas
4%
Survival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 6 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 5 · Intense 2

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 3 · 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 6 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Thrilling
3
Dread
2
Contemplative
3
Melancholic
3
Other
2

How their films linger

Feel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet4
  • 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 Lee Sholem's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Lee Sholem'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

30 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.

  • Doomsday Machine(1976)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Catalina Caper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director

  • Men Into Space (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

  • The Louisiana Hussy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • 77 Sunset Strip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Lawman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Bronco (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 15 episodes · Director

  • Hell Ship Mutiny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director

  • Maverick(1957)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

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

    Show 6 episodes · Director

  • Sierra Stranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director

  • The Adventures of Long John Silver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

  • Pharaoh's Curse(1957)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

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

    Show 4 episodes · Director

  • Official Detective (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 13 episodes · Director

  • Emergency Hospital(1956)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Crime Against Joe(1956)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Cheyenne(1955)

    Show 10 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director

  • Cannibal Attack (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Director

  • Tobor the Great (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Director

  • Jungle Man-Eaters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Director

  • The Stand at Apache River(1953)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Redhead from Wyoming(1953)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Cavalcade of America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Adventures of Superman(1952)

    Show 11 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Superman and the Mole-Men(1951)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Prince Who Was a Thief(1951)

    Dialogue Coach

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Tarzan and the Slave Girl(1950)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Tarzan's Magic Fountain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 30 titles from 1949 to 1972.

Highest rated

The Redhead from Wyoming (1953)

Midcredits 46th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing29 of 30: 29 only directing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score29thOther crew1 of 30: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1940s1 · crew1950s27 · crew1960s1 · crew1970s1 · 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 Lee Sholem's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 28th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 35th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

22ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

39thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 12 titles divides audiences: 5 are Broadly Agreed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed2

Most loved · director

Maverick (1957)

Midcredits 86th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 51/100 and the pacing 38/100 in their films, across 8 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 Lee Sholem work with?

People who share at least 2 of Lee Sholem's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; William Margulies shares the most, 3.

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers