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E.W. Swackhamer

E.W. Swackhamer

Director, also cinematographer · Died December 5, 1994, aged 67 · Middletown, New Jersey, USA

E.W. Swackhamer was an American television and film director with an extensive career spanning several decades. His credits include directing episodes of popular TV series such as MASH*, L.A. Law, Murder, She Wrote, Bewitched, and Law & Order. Notably, he directed 27 pilots for television series, 18 of which went into regular production, including Eight Is Enough, Quincy, M.E., and S.W.A.T.. Swackhamer received an Emmy Award for directing the miniseries The Dain Curse during the 1977–78 season. He was married to actress Bridget Hanley and had two daughters.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 17, 1927
Died
December 5, 1994 (aged 67)
From
Middletown, New Jersey, USA
Works as
Director, also cinematographer
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 51 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 13% in 30 days

What are E.W. Swackhamer's films like?

Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 15th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 14th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 19th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
35%
Survival
20%
Bonds
19%
Self
10%
Society
7%
Power
5%
Ideas
4%
Justice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 11 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 12 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 7 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
16
Thrilling
6
Dread
4
Absurd
3
Warm
3
Other
9

How their films linger

Fun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch E.W. Swackhamer's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for E.W. Swackhamer's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

51 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page.

  • In the Fold(1996)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • MacShayne: The Final Roll of the Dice(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • MacShayne: Winner Takes All(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Perfect Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director

  • The Secret Passion of Robert Clayton(1992)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Are You Lonesome Tonight(1992)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Lookwell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director

  • Lookwell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Law & Order(1990)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Desperado: Badlands Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director

  • Desperado: The Outlaw Wars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director

  • The Return of Desperado(1988)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Terror at London Bridge(1985)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Command 5 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

  • Brothers-in-Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

  • The Sheriff and the Astronaut (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • Massive Retaliation(1984)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Murder, She Wrote(1984)

    Show Director

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Carpool(1983)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Rousters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Malibu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director

  • Cocaine and Blue Eyes(1983)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Peking Encounter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director

  • Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director

  • The Oklahoma City Dolls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director

  • Longshot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director

  • Reward (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director

  • The Death of Ocean View Park (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director

  • Vampire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director

  • $weepstake$ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Winds of Kitty Hawk(1978)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Dain Curse(1978)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Spider-Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director

  • Night Drive(1977)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Once an Eagle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 7 episodes · Director

  • Death at Love House(1976)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Crunch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Director

  • Death Sentence(1974)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The New Perry Mason (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • M*A*S*H(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Anna and the King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Movin' On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director

  • Gidget Gets Married (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director · Producer

  • Columbo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Man and Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director

  • Three for Tahiti (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director

  • McCloud(1970)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • In Name Only (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director · Producer

  • The Outcasts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • I Dream of Jeannie(1965)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Bewitched(1964)

    Show 7 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 48 titles from 1964 to 1994.

Highest rated

Murder, She Wrote (1984)

Midcredits 67th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing48 of 48: 46 only directing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score25thProducing2 of 48: 0 only producing, 2 with another role

By decade

1960s4 · crew1970s20 · crew1980s16 · crew1990s8 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do E.W. Swackhamer's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 18th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 22nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

22ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

16thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

31stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th10

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 21 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · director

Cocaine and Blue Eyes (1983)

83rd percentile spread · 44% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

M*A*S*H (1972)

Midcredits 95th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 45/100 and the pacing 43/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does E.W. Swackhamer work with?

People who share at least 2 of E.W. Swackhamer's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bernard Gribble shares the most, 4.

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers