Victor Adamson
Encyclopedia
Victor Adamson was an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor most famous for directing and starring in B
and Z
grade westerns in the early days of motion pictures. Adamson often used pseudonyms to credit himself, most often using the name Denver Dixon. His son, Al Adamson
, would later follow his father in producing B movies during the 1960s and 1970s.
, Missouri
. His family moved early in his life to Auckland
, New Zealand
, where he spent most of his youth. In the late 1910s, Adamson returned to the United States with a home produced movie and managed to find a distributor. Adamson decided to continue making his own movies despite a lack of early success with his films.
With the advent of talking pictures, Adamson produced a series of Z grade westerns featuring actors from the silent age in the decline of their career, including Buffalo Bill, Jr., Wally Wales
and Buddy Roosevelt
, many of which were released by Superior Talking Pictures. Adamson's productions were of such low quality that the opening credits were often not proofread, leading to typographical errors, as in the case of the Buffalo Bill, Jr. film Lightning Bill, which was spelled Lighting Billon the title card.
In 1936, Adamson attempted to turn a young stuntman
, Wally West, into a star using the name Tom Wynn. Adamson himself costarred in the resulting film, Desert Mesa, using the pseudonym Art James. He was not able to find many companies willing to buy the film due its quality. Adamson would star in one additional film after Desert Mesa, the 1938 film Mormon Conquest.
Following Mormon Conquest, Adams would appear in numerous films, mostly in bit parts, though the late 1930s and 1940s, often credited using the moniker "Denver Dixon." During this stage of his career, Adamson appeared in 130 films. After a hiatus in his career, he briefly returned to film making when he produced two horror films with his son, Al Adamson
, Half Way to Hell in 1961 and Two Tickets to Terror in 1963. These films would inspire the younger Adamson to produce B movie
s of his own during the 1960s through the early 1980s.
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
and Z
Z movie
The term Z movie arose in the mid-1960s as an informal description of certain unequivocally non-A films. It was soon adopted to characterize low-budget pictures with quality standards well below those of most B movies and even so-called C movies...
grade westerns in the early days of motion pictures. Adamson often used pseudonyms to credit himself, most often using the name Denver Dixon. His son, Al Adamson
Al Adamson
Al Adamson was a prolific director of B-grade horror films throughout the 1960s and 1970s.After assisting his father, Victor Adamson, in making the 1963 movie Halfway to Hell, Adamson decided to work in the motion picture industry himself...
, would later follow his father in producing B movies during the 1960s and 1970s.
Early life
Victor Adamson was born in Kansas CityKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. His family moved early in his life to Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, where he spent most of his youth. In the late 1910s, Adamson returned to the United States with a home produced movie and managed to find a distributor. Adamson decided to continue making his own movies despite a lack of early success with his films.
Career
Adamson began producing films around 1920. He called his production company Art Mix Productions and named himself the star. Adamson, however, found himself increasingly drawn to work behind the camera. He hired actor George Kesterson to act in his films using the Art Mix moniker, a name that Kesterson used for the rest of his career.With the advent of talking pictures, Adamson produced a series of Z grade westerns featuring actors from the silent age in the decline of their career, including Buffalo Bill, Jr., Wally Wales
Wally Wales
Wally Wales was an American film actor who also appeared in many films under the name Hal Taliaferro. He appeared in over 220 films between 1921 and 1964.-Biography:...
and Buddy Roosevelt
Buddy Roosevelt
Buddy Roosevelt was an American film actor and stunt performer from Hollywood's early silent film years through the 1950s.-Biography:...
, many of which were released by Superior Talking Pictures. Adamson's productions were of such low quality that the opening credits were often not proofread, leading to typographical errors, as in the case of the Buffalo Bill, Jr. film Lightning Bill, which was spelled Lighting Billon the title card.
In 1936, Adamson attempted to turn a young stuntman
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
, Wally West, into a star using the name Tom Wynn. Adamson himself costarred in the resulting film, Desert Mesa, using the pseudonym Art James. He was not able to find many companies willing to buy the film due its quality. Adamson would star in one additional film after Desert Mesa, the 1938 film Mormon Conquest.
Following Mormon Conquest, Adams would appear in numerous films, mostly in bit parts, though the late 1930s and 1940s, often credited using the moniker "Denver Dixon." During this stage of his career, Adamson appeared in 130 films. After a hiatus in his career, he briefly returned to film making when he produced two horror films with his son, Al Adamson
Al Adamson
Al Adamson was a prolific director of B-grade horror films throughout the 1960s and 1970s.After assisting his father, Victor Adamson, in making the 1963 movie Halfway to Hell, Adamson decided to work in the motion picture industry himself...
, Half Way to Hell in 1961 and Two Tickets to Terror in 1963. These films would inspire the younger Adamson to produce B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s of his own during the 1960s through the early 1980s.