American second feature director who arrived in California aboard the SS Mongolia (bound from New York) on which he served as a bellboy. Sherman began his career in the movie business in the mail room at Warner Brothers before working his way up to assistant director. By 1937, he had graduated to directing in his own right under contract with Republic. Sherman specialised almost exclusively in B-westerns, (including the "Three Mesqueteers" series, which featured a young John Wayne), with occasional forays into action and horror themes. He often achieved a sense of style over substance....
Panic Button
Faced with the ruinous prospect of having to pay income tax on $500,000, business executive Frank Pagano decides to invest the money in a project that he believes is doomed to financial ruin: a television pilot film based on the story of Romeo and Juliet. Pagano hires Pandowski, an eccentric disciple of Stanislavski, to direct the film and casts Philippe Fontaine, a faded French actor long forgotten in Hollywood, as Romeo. For the role of Juliet, Pagano hires Angela, a starlet with a voluptuous body but no talent. When the film is finished, Philippe and his ex-wife Louise steal a print and, disguised as nuns, take it to the Venice Film Festival. The film is mistaken for a satire by the festival jury and is awarded the Golden Lion for the best comedy. Fontaine swallows his wounded pride and accepts his new reputation as a comedian. Pagano arrives on the scene and, making the best of the situation, decides to become a film producer.
