Richard E. Cunha
Encyclopedia
Richard Earl Cunha was a Hawaiian born cinematographer and film director. Cunha's father was Albert "Sonny" Cunha, a Hawaiian songwriter.
During World War II
, Cunha served as an aerial photographer for the military, and then was transferred to Hal Roach Studios
in Los Angeles
, where he made military training films, newsreels and documentaries.
After the war, Cunha worked as a TV photographer, eventually working his way to up directory of photography for the TV shows Death Valley Days
and Branded.
Cunha wrote and directed only a handful of films, with his four best-known ones all being low-budget, sci fi-horror B-movies
released in 1958 by Astor Pictures
-- Giant from the Unknown
, She Demons, Missile to the Moon
, and Frankenstein's Daughter
.
In an interview posted on the Web site for The Astounding B Monster Archive, Cunha said his low-budget films were completed for around $65,000 apiece and took about six days each to shoot.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Cunha served as an aerial photographer for the military, and then was transferred to Hal Roach Studios
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where he made military training films, newsreels and documentaries.
After the war, Cunha worked as a TV photographer, eventually working his way to up directory of photography for the TV shows Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
and Branded.
Cunha wrote and directed only a handful of films, with his four best-known ones all being low-budget, sci fi-horror B-movies
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....
released in 1958 by Astor Pictures
Astor Pictures
Astor Pictures was a motion picture distribution service in operation from 1930 to 1963, founded by Robert M. Savini...
-- Giant from the Unknown
Giant from the Unknown
Giant from the Unknown is a 1958 B movie released by Astor Pictures. The film stars Ed Kemmer, Sally Fraser, and Buddy Baer. Baer, who played Vargas, the Giant in this film, also played a giant in Jack and the Beanstalk , starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.-Plot:A giant, named Vargas , who was...
, She Demons, Missile to the Moon
Missile to the Moon
Missile to the Moon is a 1958 black-and-white science fiction film directed by Richard E. Cunha, and is a remake of the 1953 film Cat-Women of the Moon.-Plot:...
, and Frankenstein's Daughter
Frankenstein's Daughter
Frankenstein's Daughter was the third of four drive-in films crafted by producer Marc Frederic and director Richard E. Cunha in the late 1950s. In it, Victor Frankenstein's grandson repeats his grandfather's grisly experiments.-Plot:...
.
In an interview posted on the Web site for The Astounding B Monster Archive, Cunha said his low-budget films were completed for around $65,000 apiece and took about six days each to shoot.