# Felix E. Feist

Felix Ellison Feist (/faɪst/; February 28, 1910 – September 2, 1965) was an American film and television director and writer born in New York City. He is probably best remembered for Deluge (1933), for writing and directing the film noirs The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947) and The Threat (1949), and for helming the second screen version of the Curt Siodmak sci-fi tale Donovan's Brain (1953), which starred Nancy Davis before she became known as Nancy Reagan.
He directed Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin in their first significant screen appearances, in the 1936 short film Every Sunday.

## Life

Feist was the son of a MGM sales executive, Felix F. Feist (1884–1936), and nephew of a publishing house magnate, Leo Feist. He was educated at Columbia University. In the late 1920s he found work as a newsreel cameraman, and he was on staff at MGM from 1929 to 1932, directing screen tests and producing one-reel travelogues.
In 1931, Feist married Dorothy Hart Jacobs. The two met in New York, NY, and traveled to Los Angeles together where Feist began his career with MGM. They had two daughters, Marjory and Jacqueline Ellison.
His second marriage was to Lisa Howard, a pioneering female journalist and television news anchor, who briefly had an acting career. She appeared in a few of his films such as The Man Who Cheated Himself, Guilty of Treason, and Donovan's Brain. They had a daughter, Fritzi.
In 1955, he married Lulu Estelle "Barbara" Allen, whose son, Raymond, he adopted. Raymond became a fantasy author.
Feist died of cancer on September 2, 1965, at the age of 55. In his obituary, it was reported that he had three sons and three daughters.

## Filmography

| Year | Film | Functioned as | Functioned as | Functioned as | Functioned as | Functioned as |
| Year | Film | Director | Producer | Screenwriter | Music | Actor |
| 1930 | The Sea Bat | | | | Yes | |
| 1932 | Football Footwork | Yes | | | | |
| 1933 | Deluge | Yes | | | | |
| 1934 | My Grandfather's Clock | Yes | | Yes | Yes | |
| 1934 | Strikes and Spares | Yes | | | | |
| 1934 | MGM's March on in 1934-35 with Metro Goldwyn Mayer: Convention of the Century | | | | | Yes |
| 1935 | Football Teamwork | Yes | | | | |
| 1936 | Every Sunday | Yes | | | | |
| 1936 | Hollywood Extra! | Yes | | | | |
| 1936 | Hollywood - The Second Step | Yes | | | | |
| 1936 | How to Train a Dog | | | Yes | | |
| 1936 | How to Vote | Yes | | | | |
| 1936 | How to Be a Detective | Yes | | | | |
| 1937 | The Romance of Digestion | Yes | | Yes | | |
| 1937 | Give Till It Hurts | Yes | | | | |
| 1937 | Decathlon Champion: The Story of Glenn Morris | Yes | | | | |
| 1937 | What Do You Think? | Yes | | | | |
| 1938 | The Magician's Daughter | Yes | | Yes | | |
| 1938 | Follow the Arrow | Yes | | | | |
| 1939 | Double Diving | Yes | | | | |
| 1939 | Happily Buried | Yes | | Yes | | |
| 1939 | Prophet Without Honor | Yes | | | | |
| 1939 | Radio Hams | Yes | | | | |
| 1939 | Take a Cue | Yes | | | | |
| 1939 | Set 'em Up | Yes | | | | |
| 1939 | Let's Talk Turkey | Yes | | | | |
| 1940 | Pound Foolish | Yes | | | | |
| 1940 | Golden Gloves | Yes | | | | |
| 1940 | Dreams | Yes | | | | |
| 1943 | All by Myself | Yes | | | | |
| 1943 | You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith | Yes | | | | |
| 1944 | Pardon My Rhythm | Yes | | | | |
| 1944 | This Is the Life | Yes | | | | |
| 1944 | Reckless Age | Yes | Yes | | | |
| 1945 | George White's Scandals | Yes | | | | |
| 1947 | The Devil Thumbs a Ride | Yes | | Yes | | |
| 1948 | The Winner's Circle | Yes | | | | |
| 1949 | The Threat | Yes | | | | |
| 1950 | Guilty of Treason | Yes | | | | |
| 1950 | The Golden Gloves Story | Yes | | Yes | | |
| 1950 | The Man Who Cheated Himself | Yes | | | | |
| 1951 | Fixin' Fool | | | Yes | | |
| 1951 | Tomorrow Is Another Day | Yes | | | | |
| 1951 | The Basketball Fix | Yes | | | | |
| 1952 | The Big Trees | Yes | | | | |
| 1952 | This Woman Is Dangerous | Yes | | | | |
| 1952 | Babes in Bagdad | | | Yes | | |
| 1952 | Battles of Chief Pontiac | Yes | | | | |
| 1953 | The Man Behind the Gun | Yes | | | | |
| 1953 | Donovan's Brain | Yes | | Yes | | |
| 1955 | Pirates of Tripoli | Yes | | | | |
^ I Credited for the lyrics of "Lo-Lo" ^ II Credited for the screenplay ^ III Credited as a composer ^ IV Credited as a writer ^ V Uncredited ^ VI Credited for the story ^ VII Credited for the original screenplay

## Television

| Year | Title | Title | Credited as | Credited as |
| Year | Series | Episode | Director | Producer |
| 1953 | The Revlon Mirror Theater | "Lullaby" | Yes | |
| 1953 | General Electric Theater | "The Eye of the Beholder" | Yes | |
| 1956 | Star Stage | "The Mountain That Moved" | Yes | |
| 1956 | Telephone Time | "The Man in the Black Robe" | Yes | |
| 1956 | The Jane Wyman Show | "Father Forgets” | Yes | |
| 1956–1957 | Zane Grey Theater | 5 episodes | Yes | |
| 1957 | Highway Patrol | "Gem Robbery" | Yes | |
| 1957 | Dr. Christian | "Amnesia" | Yes | |
| 1957 | Tombstone Territory | unknown episodes | Yes | |
| 1958 | Sea Hunt | "Sixty Feet Below" | Yes | |
| 1958 | Harbourmaster | "Strangers in Town" | Yes | |
| 1958 | The Texan | unknown episodes | Yes | |
| 1958–1959 | The Californians | 5 episodes directed, 3 episodes produced | Yes | Yes |
| 1959 | The Deputy | "Back to Glory" | Yes | |
| 1959 | Riverboat | 2 episodes | Yes | |
| 1960 | Bonanza | "Blood on the Land" | Yes | |
| 1960–1961 | Adventures in Paradise | 17 episodes | Yes | |
| 1961–1962 | Follow the Sun | 2 episodes | Yes | |
| 1962 | Bus Stop | "Verdict of 12" | Yes | |
| 1964 | Peyton Place | unknown episodes | | Yes |
| 1964–1965 | Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea | 6 episodes | Yes | |
| 1965 | The Outer Limits | "The Probe" | Yes | |