. . . I got to thinking about putting together a little weekend festival made up of films directed by a person who made only one movie after watching BLAST OF SILENCE (1961) - however, now I cannot include the one that started the whole thing as the director is credited with three other feature films . . . I would like to restrict this to people who are no longer among us, or those for whom such a long period of time has passed since they made their single movie that it is unlikely they will make another . . . to kick things off, I believe these meet the requirement:

ELECTRA GLIDE IN BLUE (1973): James William Guercio

NONE BUT THE BRAVE (1965): Frank Sinatra

CARVIVAL OF SOULS (1962): Herk Harvey

THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955): Charles Laughton

THE HONEYMOON KILLERS (1969): Leonard Kastle

THE KENTUCKIAN (1955): Burt Lancaster

ONE-EYED JACKS (1961): Marlon Brando (fat chance of getting a decent print)

. . . any additions, from any genre, would be welcome - I suspect there are probably a few other actors who directed only one film (come to think of it, this might become an actor's vanity movie festival) . . .

KOTCH (1971): Jack Lemmon

GANGSTER STORY (1960): Walter Matthau

BEYOND REASON (1977): Telly Savalas (unless you count him directing episodes of KOJAK)

KINSKI PAGANINI (1989): Klaus Kinski

DER VERLORENE (1951): Peter Lorre

THE BUCCANEER (1958): Anthony Quinn

HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT (1980): James Caan (still very much alive, but it's been 28 years)

TIME LIMIT (1957): Karl Malden (still alive, but retired)

ZOMBIE DEATH HOUSE (1987): John Saxon (not likely he'll direct again, but who knows?)

TAM LIN (1971): Roddy McDowall


A couple of these are pretty obscure, but TCM is having a Matthau night next week and KOTCH and GANGSTER STORY are both on the schedule.

A BETTER PLACE- Vincent Pereira

Although hopefully (at least for me) this won't be for too much longer :)

Vincent

Burt Lancaster co-directed THE MIDNIGHT MAN (1974), so that's a second credit for him.

Others:
James Cagney: SHORT CUT TO HELL (1957)
Lew Ayres: HEARTS IN BONDAGE (1936)

A lot of actors directed only one film.
I guess they just wanted to try their hand at it.

HEARTS IN BONDAGE is actually pretty good for a low-budget Republic Picture from 1936. It's about the Civil War battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac. Frank McGlynn played Abraham Lincoln in a lot of films in the 1930s, but he has his biggest part as Lincoln in this one.

John Parker, DEMENTIA (aka DAUGHTER OF HORROR)
Douglas Fowley, MACUMBA LOVE

Oh, I got a good one.

One of the finest animated films ever made:

WHISPER OF THE HEART (Japan/1995, aka Mimi o Sumaseba) directed by Yoshifumi Kondo.

He was a character designer and protege of Hayao Miyazaki. He died in 1997 at the age of 47, having directed only the one film. But it's a beauty.

Yeah - what's up with that, anyway?!

Lots of personal crap, false starts, and whatnot...

But I'm writing something now that's very small and dear to me, hopefully it won't be too long before it comes to fruition.

Vincent

Michelle Manning, whose BLUE CITY was just released by Legend Films on DVD. It was like watching a new film, because I didn't remember a darned thing about it since paying to see it theatrically in 1986, besides it being bad. Well, it's still bad. There are clues that indicate Manning may have been replaced during production, but any movie that casts Judd Nelson as a two-fisted action hero is kinda asking for trouble anyway.

Larry Hagman - Beware! The Blob
Robert Riskin - When You're In Love
Stephen King - Maximum Overdrive
George S. Kaufman - The Senator Was Indiscreet
Dalton Trumbo - Johnny Got His Gun
Anne Bancroft - Fatso
William Shatner - Groom Lake

Shatner has also directed STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER

Joan Rivers-Rabbit Test
Aram Katcher-Right Hand Of The Devil

Carl Foreman - THE VICTORS (very underrated)

PHASE IV - Saul Bass

IN MY FATHER'S DEN - Brad McGann

Provided you mean full features and don't count short films, you could immediately add PHASE IV by Saul Bass.

Others:

HEAVENLY BODIES - Lawrence Dane

THE GARDENER - James H. Kay

FUTURE-KILL - Ronald W. Moore

RATCHET - John Johnson

WHATEVER - Susan Skoog

AMONGST FRIENDS - Rob Weiss

THE BOONDOCK SAINTS - Troy Duffy

CAN'T STOP THE MUSIC - Nancy Walker

THE CANDY SNATCHERS - Guerdon Trueblood

True Stories - David Byrne

. . . well, I'm the decider here - I think for the purposes of this study, I will overlook a co-direction credit and only count films with a single credit ("New Rules") . . . sort of like Gerard Depardieu who, to my knowledge, has only one credit as "the director" of LE TARTUFFE (1984), but he does have one or two co-director credits . . . gosh, I just looked him up on the IMDb and he has 18!!!! credits for movies completed or filming in 2008/2009 - wasn't this guy going to retire a few years ago . . .

Eddie Murphy - HARLEM NIGHTS (1989)

Laurence Harvey - WELCOME TO ARROW BEACH (1974)

Kurt Russell (uncredited) - TOMBSTONE (1993)

Ralph Waite - ON THE NICKEL (1980) (plus episodes of THE WALTONS)

Johnny Depp - THE BRAVE (1997)

Maya Angelou -- DOWN IN THE DELTA
Raymond St. Jacques -- BOOK OF NUMBERS

That's the good stuff right there! Good luck, man!

Harvey also directed THE CEREMONY (1963), as well as co-directing Anthony Mann's final film A DANDY IN ASPIC (uncredited).

Mariano Baino - DARK WATERS

Douglas McKeown - THE DEADLY SPAWN

Nathan J. White - THE CARRIER (1988)

Robert Scott - THE VIDEO DEAD (IMDb lists a second feature called RATDOG from 1990 but I don't think it was ever released/completed)

Byrne also directed the 51-minute Bahai documentary Îlé Aiyé (THE HOUSE OF LIFE). If that counts.

Robert Culp directed the very good crime thriller HICKEY & BOGGS, his only feature, though he also directed one fine I SPY and two peculiar GREATEST AMERICAN HERO episodes that stand out from the rest of the pack. He really should have done more directing, I believe.

John Mellencamp - FALLING FROM GARCE
Harold Clurman - DEADLINE AT DAWN
Martin Gabel - THE LOST MOMENT

. . . you are certainly right about this one - I only saw it once in 1963, but so many of the images and situations have stuck in my brain; I suspect it had a hand (along with PATHS OF GLORY [1957]) in being a strong, lasting influence on my life - perhaps being in the Army at the time might have increased the impact, but I suspect it would still be very powerful today . . . this would for sure be on my list of great single films by a director . . . is this one available on DVD anyplace at all - of course, the fact it was produced by Columbia Studio probably answers the question . . .

This is a particular heartbreaker. McGann's feature debut is an incredibly accomplished film with a couple stunning performances, and while I had a few minor quibbles with it I thought he was one of the most accomplished Kiwi directors, easily.

Sadly, his passing means we'll never see another one of his films. But I do urge people to give this a look, if they can.

Shane Carruth -- PRIMER

I thought that this was a shame for a while, but if you've only got one story to tell, then you've only got one. I felt the same way about A BETTER PLACE, but that's already been addressed in this thread. ;)

PRIMER is tied with 12 MONKEYS as the best movie I've ever seen about time travel. I like the idea that if it were possible, it wouldn't be easy and it would almost certainly take a terrible toll on time travellers. I can't say that I fully understand PRIMER, but I understand the implications and that is what makes it powerful for me.

Dave Allen PUPPETMASTER II (1991)
Leonard Kastle HONEYMOON KILLERS (1970)
Steven Segal ON DEADLY GROUND (1994)
Jeff Conaway BIKINI SUMMER II (1992)
Robert Forster HOLLYWOOD HARRY (1986)
Stella Stevens THE RANCH (1989)
Jean-Claude Van Damme THE QUEST (1996)
Morgan Freeman BOPHA! (1993)
Bruce Lee RETURN OF THE DRAGON (1972)
Richard Moore CIRCLE OF IRON (1978)
Gordon Willis WINDOWS (1980)
Jane Wagner MOMENT BY MOMENT (1978)
Chuck Barris THE GONG SHOW MOVIE (1980)

Philip S. Gilbert's only film was the 1971 trash classic BLOOD AND LACE.

A bit early to write Shane Carruth off - PRIMER was only 4 years ago, and it can take a long time to get features off the ground. I remember him talking about making a film about trade routes; hopefully that still surfaces.

If we open the field to those who have only made one thus far, there's tons of festival directors who haven't made second movies yet but I'm sure will. (Just saw an announcement of Miranda July's second film, for instance.)

Antonio Santean directed the low-budget, quasi-experimental 1964 mystery THE GLASS CAGE, but to my knowledge, no other films or TV shows.

Then, there's always "Kentucky Jones," who directed THE MANSON MASSACRE. I suspect that the name is a pseudonym for someone who has directed other films.

Yes, I know. Since it was a documentary under the standard feature length, I felt that he still counts as a "one-timer."

I fully agree.
I just watched IN MY FATHER'S DEN for the third time. Apart from the unnecessary asphxiation-sex-scene (cut in the UK I think) it's perfect.
The movie is available on Blu-ray Disc in Germany but to my eyes it seems to be upconverted from a standard definition master.

If you haven't seen it yet I recommend Christine Jeff's RAIN, another great kiwi-drama.

Disagree about the sex scene - I've seen the film both ways and I think it adds an even more unsettling edge to McFayden's character, particularly given his interactions with Emily Barclay and her intentions. But still worth seeing either way.

Wasn't a big fan of RAIN, though time has dimmed my recollection as to why. Beautifully shot, though. I do recommend OUT OF THE BLUE if you're looking for obscure recent Kiwi films that should have got more attention, it's based on the true story of a shooting spree in the South Island but is surprisingly non-sensationalist and gripping.

. . . I forgot all about CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' (ENDLESS) by Cristian Nemescu which I just saw at SIFF - the young director died in an auto crash just after his film finished shooting and he had accompoished his first edit . . .

Thanks, I will check it out. The DVD will be released tomorrow :-)

LOSING GROUND---Kathleen Collins

Found out this director had actually done 2 other films, but for a long time this was the only film I'd seen under her name---I have yet to this day to see it or find it---turns out it was one of only three she made before her passing in 1988.

PARTING GLANCES---Bill Sherwood

Finally rented out this surprisingly somewhat light,heartfelt, and breezy (in a good way, that is) drama about a circle of gay partners and friends in the late 1980's---it was also the debut of Steve Buscemi, looking appropriately goofy---he's just plain hilarious as an ex-boyfriend of one of the main characters dealing with life with AIDS. It was also the debut of Kathy Kinney (best known as the fashion-challenged hell-raising bully Mimi on THE DREW CAREY SHOW). It's a remarkably fresh,funny and fun indie film given some of the subject matter, which makes it even more poignant since it would be Sherwood's first and only film (he died of AIDS 4 years after it came out ). Really enjoyed it, though, and it's definitely worth tracking down.

TOP OF THE HEAP--Christopher St. John

Saw a clip on YouTube from this flick and posted it here recently, but unfortunately it's been taken down since. Too bad, because I enjoyed the clip that I did see---a surrealistic early '70's drama about the life of a black policeman (played by the director/writer, who also played in SHAFT) that seems to have been lost in between the cracks, so to speak. Another obscurity I'd love to track down one of these days.


WHATEVER--Susan Skoog

Mr. Sowers already posted at length about this film not long ago.

I don't think anyone has mentioned this one yet.

Gary Oldman's NIL BY MOUTH. Even though I own a copy I haven't watched it in years. Beautifully crafted but beyond depressing as well. I've always wanted Oldman to make another.

This film reminds me of Tim Roth's THE WAR ZONE, another one-time director's film. I guess the two films are linked in my mind as two actors who played hip violent characters but dredged the most harrowing personal material in his film. A decade later, the dedication of THE WAR ZONE still lingers. And not in a good way.

THE TELEPHONE (1988) is, apparently, actor Rip Torn's only directorial effort so far. And it seems like many people can tell you why.