Career
Katzman produced low-budget genre films, including serials, which had proportionally high returns for the studios and his financial backers. Born to a Jewish family, Katzman went to work as a stage laborer at the age of 13 in the fledgling East Coast film industry and moved from prop boy to assistant director at Fox Films. He would learn all aspects of filmmaking and was a Hollywood producer for more than 40 years.
From 1935-1940 Victory produced two serials and 30 features, including Western film series starring Tom Tyler and Tim McCoy.
Monogram Pictures In 1940, Katzman moved to Monogram Pictures and produced, under the names Banner Productions, Clover Productions and Four Leaf Productions, the East Side Kids features of the "40s and several films starring Bela Lugosi. Columbia Pictures In 1945 he moved to Columbia Pictures Superman serial of 1948, the Jungle Jim series of the late 1940s to mid 1950s — acquiring the nickname "Jungle Sam" — a variety of second features, including many filmed in 3D, and a string of rock-"n"-roll musicals in the "50s.
His best known films are probably Earth versus the Flying Saucers and The Werewolf (1956). In 1947 he signed a $4 million contract to make six films and four features through his Esskay Pictures.
In 1948 Katzman signed a seven year contract to make four films a year through his Kay Pictures corporation, four serials a year via his Eskay Productions, as well as the Jungle Jim series.
In 1953 he was to make at least 15 films a year. In 1955 it was announced Clover Productions would make 15 films for Columbia. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer At Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the "60s, Katzman produced several Elvis Presley films, as well as the Herman"s Hermits film Hold On! and singer Roy Orbison"s only film, The Fastest Guitar Alive.
In 1967 he signed a new contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to make at least two films a year.
NME - February 1962.