James W. Neilson was born in
Shreveport, Louisiana, son of Edward Doremus and Clifford Bryant (née "Hall") Neilson and moved with his family to
New York City as a child. In January 1942, Neilson enlisted in the
U.S. Marine Corps directly following the entry of the United States into
World War II. He served two
tours of combat duty in the
South Pacific and attained the rank of
master sergeant. He was active as a
war photographer. Following the war, Neilson returned to the theatre and from 1948 to 1952, he directed numerous productions at the
La Jolla Playhouse, many of which featured well-known Hollywood performers including
Gregory Peck,
Charlton Heston and
Groucho Marx. His La Jolla Playhouse work and relationships helped him land an offer to direct for
Columbia Pictures in 1952. During the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Neilson directed over 100 television episodes, including multiple episodes of dramatic series such as
Adam-12,
Ironside, ''Walt Disney's Wonderful World
, Bonanza, Batman, Zorro, The Rifleman, Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', and others. Movies directed by Neilson include
Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow,
The Moon-Spinners,
Summer Magic,
Gentle Giant,
Bon Voyage!,
The First Time,
Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows,
Moon Pilot and
The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin. The Western genre features frequently in Neilson's work, most notably the film
Night Passage (1957) starring
James Stewart. Neilson's direction was nominated for a
1959 primetime Emmy Award for
General Electric Theater. He died in
Flagstaff, Arizona, and is buried in Flagstaff's
Citizens Cemetery. ==Other work==