Robert L. Lippert

Robert Lenard Lippert (March 31, 1909 – November 16, 1976) was an American film producer and cinema chain owner. He was president and chief operating officer of Lippert Theatres, Affiliated Theatres and Transcontinental Theatres, all based in San Francisco, and at his height, he owned a chain of 139 movie theaters. He helped finance more than 300 films, including the directorial debuts of Sam Fuller, James Clavell, and Burt Kennedy.

His films include I Shot Jesse James (1949) and The Fly (1958) and he was known as "King of the Bs". In 1962, Lippert said, "the word around Hollywood is: Lippert makes a lot of cheap pictures but he's never made a stinker".