Alfred L. Werker

Alfred L. Werker (December 2, 1896 – July 28, 1975) was a film director whose work in movies spanned from 1917 through 1957. After a number of film production jobs and assistant directing, Werker co-directed his first film, Ridin' the Wind, in 1925 alongside director Del Andrews. He was brought in by Fox Film Corporation executives to re-shoot and re-edit Erich von Stroheim's film Hello, Sister!, co-starring Boots Mallory and ZaSu Pitts.

Most of Werker's work is unremarkable, but a few were well received by critics. Those films included House of Rothschild (1934) and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939); the latter film is considered one of the best in the Sherlock Holmes series. Lost Boundaries, inspired by a true story of a Black doctor passing as white, has grown in critical consensus.

During the early 1940s, he directed a number of comedies including Laurel & Hardy's A-Haunting We Will Go (1942).

In the late 1940s, Werker worked for the B-picture film studio Eagle-Lion Films. Notable films from that period include the unique mystery thriller Repeat Performance (1947) and He Walked by Night (1948). The latter film, however, was taken over by uncredited director Anthony Mann. In 1949 He Walked by Night won the Locarno International Film Festival's award for Best Police Film. The following year, Werker was nominated for, but did not win, the Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Lost Boundaries (1949).

Filmography YearFilmCredited asNotesDirectorAssistant Director 1917 The Firefly of Tough Luck 1917 The Regenerates 1919 The Hoodlum 1920 Pollyanna 1925 That Devil Quemado 1925 The Bandit's Baby 1925 The Wild Bull's Lair 1925 Ridin' the Wind Co-directed with Del Andrews 1926 The Tough Guy 1926 Lone Hand Saunders 1928 The Pioneer Scout Co-directed with Lloyd Ingraham 1928 The Sunset Legion Co-directed with Lloyd Ingraham 1928 Kit Carson 1929 Blue Skies 1929 Chasing Through Europe Co-directed with David Butler 1930 Double Cross Roads 1930 Last of the Duanes 1931 Fair Warning 1931 Annabelle's Affairs 1931 Heartbreak 1932 The Gay Caballero 1932 Bachelor's Affairs 1932 Rackety Rax 1933 It's Great to Be Alive 1933 Hello, Sister! 1933 Advice to the Lovelorn 1934 The House of Rothschild 1934 You Belong to Me 1935 Stolen Harmony 1936 Love in Exile 1937 We Have Our Moments 1937 Wild and Woolly 1937 Big Town Girl 1938 City Girl 1938 Kidnapped 1938 Gateway 1938 Up the River 1939 It Could Happen to You 1939 News Is Made at Night 1939 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1941 The Reluctant Dragon 1941 Moon Over Her Shoulder 1942 Whispering Ghosts 1942 A-Haunting We Will Go 1942 The Mad Martindales 1944 My Pal Wolf 1946 Shock 1947 Repeat Performance 1947 Pirates of Monterey 1948 He Walked by Night Co-directed with Anthony Mann (uncredited) 1949 Lost Boundaries 1951 Sealed Cargo 1952 Walk East on Beacon 1953 The Last Posse 1953 Devil's Canyon 1954 Three Hours to Kill 1955 Canyon Crossroads 1955 At Gunpoint 1956 Rebel in Town 1957 The Young Don't Cry