James Neilson: James Neilson. Director: General Electric Theater. James Neilson was born on 1 October 1909 in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. He was a director and actor, known for General Electric Theater (1953), Night Passage (1957) and Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958). He died on 9 December 1979 in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.