Sam Hersh

Samuel Hersh (November 20, 1906 - January 24, 1969) was an American film producer and distributor who founded Family Films in 1948. The company produced and distributed films for churches and religious organizations, including the Southern Baptist Convention and the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.

Early life and career Sam Hersh was born in New York City on November 20, 1906, the son of Hungarian Jewish immigrants. He married Ruth Mond in 1927, and worked in a variety of occupations during the Great Depression including bookmaking and real estate. He moved to California along with his family in 1941.

Before entering the film industry, he initially had no interest in religious filmmaking. His involvement in film distribution began around 1940 when, in lieu of repaying a debt, an associate transferred to him the distribution rights to a series of short films on the life and music of American composer Stephen Foster. Hersh distributed The Life and Songs of Stephen Foster in 1940. He later entered the production of religious and family-oriented films. It is unclear if this film was ever made and distributed.

Family Films

Hersh founded Family Films in 1948 to produce films for general family audiences rather than exclusively denominational use. According to historian Harvey Marks, Hersh was not a Christian at the time but later converted to Christianity and increasingly emphasized Christian themes in his productions. Hersh also worked with Southern Baptists on This Is the Answer, and with Methodists on The Way.

Production output

During the 1950s and 1960s, Family Films became one of the most prolific religious film studios in the United States, producing more than 150 films and approximately 800 filmstrips. Its output ranged from contemporary social dramas to biblical dramatizations.

Major biblical series included The Living Bible (1952) and The Book of Acts Series (1957), directed primarily by Eddie Dew and featuring Nelson Leigh as Jesus. These productions were noted for their economical staging and didactic style. and I’ll Give My Life (1960). Other notable productions included As We Forgive (1952), directed by Sam White, which addressed juvenile delinquency and church-based rehabilitation,

Like many Hollywood producers, some of Hersh's planned projects and television shows did not make it beyond the first pilot. One example was The Adventures of Tom Mix, starring William Campbell and directed by Frank McDonald. This pilot was filmed by Hersh and Family Films in 1957 but was never picked up by the studios to be produced as a television series. Another example was the 1954 planned feature film Christ is My Cellmate, which was never distributed. His sons, Melvin Hersh and Stanley Hersh, continued operating Family Films, which later released the teen-oriented video series The Goosehill Gang (1980) before being transferred to Concordia Publishing.

Select Filmography

Films A Boy and His Prayer (1949) – producer Yesterday, Today, and Forever (1949) – producer Unto Thyself Be True (1949) – producer In His Name (1950) – producer Speak No Evil (1950) – producer (credited as S. M. Hershey) Rim of the Wheel (ca. 1950) – producer (credited as S. M. Hershey) Dedicated Men (1950) – producer Bible on the Table (1950) – producer All That I Have (1951) – producer Talents (1953) – producer God Is My Partner (1957) – producer Lure of the Swamp (1957) – producer Our Children: King of the Block (1958) – producer The Power of the Resurrection (1958) – producer I’ll Give My Life (1960) – producer A Letter to Nancy (1965) – producer

Television / Series This Is the Life (1956–1969) – producer The Living Bible (1952–55) – producer