William James Craft began his career in film as a cameraman and rose to become a mainstay of action films at Universal. His specialty seems to have been two-reel Westerns and pre-television series, which are known as serials in the film world. Just two that he worked on were With Stanley in Africa (1922) and Beast of Paradise (1923). Switching from B-Westerns to comedy in the late 1920s, Craft directed several of the then popular Cohens and Kelly farces. We do not have an exact date for his birthday, but know he was born in July 1886 and we have decided that he was born on Canada Day. He was 44 when he died from injuries when his car ran off a cliff in Pacific Palisades, California in 1931.
Features & TV Movies:
VR indicates Direct-to-Video Release
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and Pawnee Bill’s Far East (1910)
Canada’s Work for Wounded Soldiers (1918)
The White Rider (1920)
Love’s Battle (1920)
The Showdown (1921)
A Fighting Actor (1921)
Another Man`s Boots (1922)
With Stanley in Africa (serial, 1922)
Saved by Radio (1922)
Headin’ West (1922)
False Brands (1922)
Wolf Pack (1922)
The Way of the Transgressor (1923)
In The Days of Daniel Boone (1923)
The Flash (1923)
Beasts of Paradise (serial, 1923)
The Power Devine (1923)
The Riddle Rider (1924)
Pride of Sunshine Alley (1924)
Reckless Speed (1924)
South of the Equator (1924)
Battling Mason (1924)
The Showdown (1925)
The Range Terror (1925)
Galloping Vengeance (1925)
The Bloodhound (1925)
That Man Jack! (1925)
The Silent Flyer (1926)
The Radio Detective (1926)
King of the Saddle (1926)
The Galloping Cowboy (1926)
The Power of the Weak (1926)
The Clown (1927)
The Wreck (1927)
Birds of Prey (1927)
The Arizona Whirlwind (1927)
Poor Girls (1927)
Painting the Town (1927)
Hot Heels (1928)
How to Handle Women (1928)
The Gate Crasher (1928)
The Cohens and Kellys in Atlantic City (1929)
Kid’s Clever (1929)
One Hysterical Night (1929)
Skinner Steps Out (1929)
Little Accident (1930)
Embarrassing Moments (1930)
Dames Ahoy (1930)
The Cohens and Kellys in Scotland (1930)
Czar of Broadway (1930)
See America Thirst (1930)
The Runaround (1931)
Honeymoon Lane (1931)
Credits as a Screenwriter:
Saved by Radio (1922)
False Brands (1922)
Wolf Pack (1922)
The Power of the Weak (1926)
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First published as Northernstars.net February 1, 1998
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