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Joseph Kane

Joseph Kane

Director and producer, also editor and writer · Died August 25, 1975, aged 81 · San Diego, California, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jasper Joseph Inman Kane (19 March 1894, San Diego – 25 August 1975, Santa Monica, California) was a prolific American film director, film producer, film editor and screenwriter. He is best known for his extensive directorship and focus on western films. Kane began his career as a professional cellist. In 1934 he took an interest in film directing and, starting in 1935, he co-directed serials for Mascot Pictures and Republic Pictures. He soon became Republic's top Western film director. Kane's first directorial credit was for The Fighting Marines (1935). When Mascot Pictures and several other small film companies amalgamated into Republic Pictures in 1935, Kane became staff director, remaining at the studio until it ceased production in 1958. He piloted many Gene Autry and Roy Rogers movies and directed John Wayne in films such as The Lawless Nineties (1936) and Flame of Barbary Coast (1944), and Joseph Schildkraut on The Cheaters (1945). Between 1935 and his death in 1975 he directed 119 films and numerous television series episodes. Unlike most Republic house directors, Kane was also credited as associate producer on many of his films. Between 1939-57 he was a major film producer, producing over 60 films. Kane was also a film editor and screenwriter responsible for the editing process of over 20 of his films, and he had a brief stint as an actor. During the 1950s Kane worked steadily in television, with emphasis on Westerns and action series. He spent the last decade of his life as a second-unit director on such productions as Universal Studios Beau Geste (1966) and In Enemy Country (1968). Kane died on August 25, 1975, in Santa Monica, California.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 19, 1894
Died
August 25, 1975 (aged 81)
From
San Diego, California, USA
Works as
Director and producer, also editor and writer
Titles
87 on MovieCove · 140 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 17% in 30 days

What are Joseph Kane's films like?

Across their 85 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama64 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 35th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 28th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Western6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 39th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Western movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 15th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile
: browse their Crime 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
50%
Bonds
20%
Society
15%
Power
7%
Self
5%
Survival
3%
Ideas
0%
Justice57 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity31 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception22 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds16 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty13 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 85 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 73 · Serious 10 · Dark 2

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 61 · Stylized 24 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 39 · Charged 44 · Intense 2

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

Steady 64 · Shifting 20 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 17 · Some laughs 61 · Funny 7

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

Slow burn 30 · Even-paced 50 · Relentless 5

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 77 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 85 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Thrilling
46
Tense
37
Hopeful
45
Warm
28
Joyful
25
Other
38

How their films linger

Feel-good59 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun55 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy74
  • Bittersweet11

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 Joseph Kane's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 73 of their 87 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (63).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Joseph Kane'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

140 credits, 87 with a MovieCove page.

  • Western von gestern (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Smoke In The Wind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director

  • In Enemy Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Second Unit Director

  • Track of Thunder(1967)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • The Search for the Evil One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director

  • Bat Men of Africa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Director

  • Country Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Director

  • Laramie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 19 episodes · Director

  • The Man Who Died Twice(1958)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Notorious Mr. Monks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Director

  • Gunfire at Indian Gap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director

  • The Crooked Circle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director

  • 26 Men(1957)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows

  • Last Stagecoach West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director

  • The Lawless Eighties (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director

  • Spoilers of the Forest(1957)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Duel at Apache Wells (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director

  • Accused of Murder(1956)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Broken Arrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Thunder Over Arizona (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • The Maverick Queen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • The Vanishing American (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director

  • Cheyenne(1955)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • The Road to Denver(1955)

    Director · Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Timberjack (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director

  • Hell's Outpost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Director

  • Jubilee Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Director

  • Sea of Lost Ships(1953)

    Director · Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • San Antone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Director

  • Fair Wind to Java(1953)

    Director · Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Ride the Man Down(1952)

    Director · Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Woman of the North Country(1952)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Hoodlum Empire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Director

  • The Sea Hornet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Director

  • Fighting Coast Guard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Director

  • Oh! Susanna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Director · Producer

  • California Passage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Director

  • The Savage Horde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Director · Producer

  • Rock Island Trail(1950)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Brimstone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Director

  • The Last Bandit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Director

  • The Plunderers(1948)

    Director · Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Gallant Legion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Director

  • Old Los Angeles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Director

  • Wyoming (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Director

  • The Plainsman and the Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Director

  • In Old Sacramento (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Director

  • Dakota(1945)

    Director · Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Cheaters(1945)

    Director · Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Flame of Barbary Coast(1945)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Song of Nevada(1944)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Yellow Rose of Texas(1944)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Cowboy and the Senorita(1944)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Hands Across the Border(1943)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Man from Music Mountain(1943)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Silver Spurs(1943)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Song of Texas(1943)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • King of the Cowboys(1943)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Idaho(1943)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Ridin' Down the Canyon(1942)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Heart of the Golden West(1942)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Sunset Serenade(1942)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Sons of the Pioneers(1942)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Romance on the Range(1942)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Sunset on the Desert(1942)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • South of Santa Fe(1942)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Man from Cheyenne(1942)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Red River Valley(1941)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Jesse James at Bay(1941)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Bad Man of Deadwood(1941)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Rags to Riches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Director

  • Nevada City(1941)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Sheriff of Tombstone(1941)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • In Old Cheyenne(1941)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Great Train Robbery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Director

  • Robin Hood of the Pecos(1941)

    Director · Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Border Legion(1940)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Young Bill Hickok(1940)

    Director · Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Colorado(1940)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Ranger and the Lady(1940)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • The Carson City Kid(1940)

    Director · Producer · Story

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Young Buffalo Bill(1940)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Days of Jesse James(1939)

    Director · Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Saga of Death Valley(1939)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Arizona Kid(1939)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • In Old Monterey(1939)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Wall Street Cowboy(1939)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • In Old Caliente(1939)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Frontier Pony Express(1939)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Southward Ho!(1939)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Rough Riders' Round-up(1939)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Shine on Harvest Moon(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Come on, Rangers!(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Billy the Kid Returns(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Man from Music Mountain(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Gold Mine in the Sky(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Under Western Stars(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Arson Racket Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Director

  • Born to Be Wild(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Old Barn Dance(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Springtime in the Rockies(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Boots and Saddles(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Heart of the Rockies(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Public Cowboy No. 1(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Come On, Cowboys(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Gunsmoke Ranch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Director

  • Git Along Little Dogies(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Round-Up Time in Texas(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Paradise Express(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Old Corral(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Ride, Ranger, Ride(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Ghost Town Gold(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Oh, Susanna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Director

  • Guns and Guitars(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Undersea Kingdom(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • The Lonely Trail(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • King of the Pecos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Director

  • Darkest Africa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Director

  • The Lawless Nineties (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Director

  • The Big Show(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Sagebrush Troubadour(1935)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Fighting Marines (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Director

  • Melody Trail(1935)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Tumbling Tumbleweeds(1935)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • In Old Santa Fe(1934)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • I Love That Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Editor

  • Strictly Personal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Editor

  • 70,000 Witnesses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Editor

  • Young Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Editor

  • Suicide Fleet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Editor

  • The Big Gamble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Editor

  • Lonely Wives(1931)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Sweepstakes(1931)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Her Man(1930)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Pride of Pawnee (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Writer

  • The Bronc Stomper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Editor

  • The Boss of Rustler's Roost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Editor

  • The Cherokee Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Story

  • Riding for Life(1925)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

Career shape

A full career of 137 titles from 1925 to 1978.

Highest rated

The Cheaters (1945)

Midcredits 71st

Most popular right now

Sweepstakes (1931)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing123 of 137: 96 only directing, 27 with another role · typical Midcredits score35thWriting4 of 137: 3 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing26 of 137: 0 only producing, 26 with another role · typical Midcredits score36thEditing10 of 137: 10 only editing, 0 with another roleOther crew1 of 137: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

137 titles, 27 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 26 of them.

By decade

1920s5 · crew1930s50 · crew1940s43 · crew1950s32 · crew1960s5 · crew1970s2 · 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 Joseph Kane's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 33rd percentile, the median of all 85; across their 85 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 37th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

37thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 85

Approval · how many liked their films

29thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 85

Reach · how many have seen their films

13thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 85

Midcredits score across 87 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th15
  • 25th to 49th50
  • Below 25th21

Shape of the crowd

63 of their 87 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed10
  • Mixed63

Most divisive · director

Undersea Kingdom (1936)

73rd percentile spread · 45% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Cheyenne (1955)

Midcredits 79th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 55/100 and the pacing 54/100 in their films, across 81 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 Joseph Kane work with?

People who share at least 2 of Joseph Kane's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Roy Rogers shares the most, 44.

Directors

Writers

  • Jack Natteford12 titles    See all 12 shared titles with Jack Natteford
  • Gerald Geraghty11 titles    See all 11 shared titles with Gerald Geraghty
  • Bernard McConville9 titles    See all 9 shared titles with Bernard McConville
  • Olive Cooper8 titles    See all 8 shared titles with Olive Cooper

Actors

  • Roy Rogers44 titles    See newest 12 of 44 shared titles with Roy Rogers
  • George 'Gabby' Hayes30 titles    See newest 12 of 30 shared titles with George 'Gabby' Hayes
  • Smiley Burnette25 titles    See newest 12 of 25 shared titles with Smiley Burnette
  • Gene Autry18 titles    See newest 12 of 18 shared titles with Gene Autry

Cinematographers and editors

  • Lester Orlebeck30 titles    See newest 12 of 30 shared titles with Lester Orlebeck
  • Jack A. Marta29 titles    See newest 12 of 29 shared titles with Jack A. Marta
  • Murray Seldeen29 titles    See newest 12 of 29 shared titles with Murray Seldeen
  • William Nobles23 titles    See newest 12 of 23 shared titles with William Nobles

Producers

  • Nat Levine13 titles    See newest 12 of 13 shared titles with Nat Levine
  • Harry Grey9 titles    See all 9 shared titles with Harry Grey
  • Armand Schaefer9 titles    See all 9 shared titles with Armand Schaefer
  • Sol C. Siegel9 titles    See all 9 shared titles with Sol C. Siegel