Directing
Elmer Clifton
EN, FR, XX cinema · 133 credits
Born
12 March 1890
Died
15 October 1949 (aged 59)
Birthplace
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Also known as Elmer Clifford · Elmer S. Pond · Elmer Pond · Elmer Clifton Forsyth
Born in Chicago, he was an actor in touring stock companies before making his screen debut in 1912. Joining D.W. Griffith's Fine Arts Studio in 1914, he was cast as Union officer Phil Stoneman in "The Birth of a Nation" (1915) and as The Rhapsodie in the Babylonian story of "Intolerance" (1916). He was also a second-unit director for those films. Promoted to director in 1917, Clifton supervised several successful Fine Arts comedies starring Dorothy Gish while continuing to serve as Griffith's assistant. Their association culminated with the blockbuster "Way Down East" (1920). Clifton shot much of its famous "Rescue from the ice" sequence and doubled for star Richard Barthelmess in the riskier scenes. He then left Griffith to form his own production company and had a smash hit with "Down to the Sea in Ships" (1922), a colorful whaling saga made on location in New England. It made a star of future "It Girl" Clara Bow, who appeared as a cross-dressing stowaway. In 1923 Clifton signed a lucrative seven-year contract with Fox and was poised to become one of Hollywood's major directors. Then tragedy struck. He was filming "The Warrens of Virginia" in Texas when his lead actress died from burns in an accident on the set. Although Clifton was blameless in the incident, he was fired by Fox and his career never regained its momentum.
Known for
Filmography
I Am Not a Racist
as Phil (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Kid from Gower Gulch
Screenplay
The Silver Bandit
Story, Screenplay, Director
The Judge
Director, Screenplay
Not Wanted
Director
Red Rock Outlaw
Director, Screenplay
Quick on the Trigger
Screenplay
West to Glory
Screenplay
Rainbow Over the Rockies
Screenplay
Lightning Raiders
Original Story, Screenplay
Song of the Sierras
Screenplay
Swing, Cowboy, Swing
Director, Writer
Frontier Fugitives
Screenplay
Marked for Murder
Director, Screenplay
Three in the Saddle
Screenplay
Captain America
Director
Gangsters of the Frontier
Director, Screenplay
Youth Aflame
Screenplay, Director
Seven Doors to Death
Director, Screenplay
Spook Town
Director, Screenplay
The Whispering Skull
Director
Guns of the Law
Director, Screenplay
The Pinto Bandit
Director, Screenplay, Story
Teen Age
1944
Teen Age
Screenplay, Story
Brand of the Devil
Screenplay
Dead or Alive
Director
Gunsmoke Mesa
Screenplay
Outlaw Roundup
Screenplay
Boss of Rawhide
Director, Story, Screenplay
The Blocked Trail
Director
Raiders of San Joaquin
Screenplay
Cheyenne Roundup
Screenplay, Story
Frontier Law
Screenplay, Director
The Return of the Rangers
Story, Director, Screenplay
The Old Chisholm Trail
Screenplay, Director
The Sundown Kid
Director
Hard Guy
Director
I'll Sell My Life
Director, Screenplay
Swamp Woman
Director
Isle Of Destiny
Director
Crashing Thru
Director
Assassin of Youth
Director, Story, Screenplay
The Secret of Treasure Island
Director, Screenplay
Law of the Texan
Director
California Frontier
Director
Slaves in Bondage
Director
Mile a Minute Love
Director
Pilot X
Director
Wildcat Trooper
Director
Wolves of the Sea
Director, Story
Custer's Last Stand
Director
Ten Laps to Go
Director
Custer's Last Stand
Director
Gambling with Souls
Director
Cyclone of the Saddle
Writer, Director
Skull and Crown
Director
Rough Riding Ranger
Director, Screenplay
Captured in Chinatown
Director, Writer
Fighting Caballero
Director, Writer
Pals of the Range
Director, Writer
Rip Roaring Riley
Director
Let 'Er Go Gallegher
Director
Tropical Nights
Director
Virgin Lips
Director
Six Cylinder Love
Director
Down to the Sea in Ships
Director, Producer
Boots
Director
Peppy Polly
Director
Nugget Nell
Director
I'll Get Him Yet
Director
Turning the Tables
Director
Nobody Home
Director
Kiss or Kill
Writer, Director
The Hope Chest
Director
Battling Jane
Director
Brace Up
Director, Story
The Eagle
Director
The Two-Soul Woman
Writer, Director
The Flash of Fate
Director
The High Sign
Director
The Man Trap
Director
The Flame of Youth
Director
High Speed
Director
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
as The Rhapsode (Babylonian Story), First Assistant Director
The Missing Links
as Horace Gaylord
Acquitted
1916
Acquitted
as Ned Fowler
The Little School Ma'am
1916
The Little School Ma'am
as Wilbur Howard
The Old Folks at Home
as Steve Coburn
The Birth of a Nation
as Stoneman's Elder Son Phil, Assistant Director
The Fox Woman
1915
The Fox Woman
as Marashida
The Lost House
as Cuthbert
The Lily and the Rose
as Allison Edwards
The Sable Lorcha
as Phillip Clyde - Evelyn's Fiancé
John Barleycorn
1914
John Barleycorn
as Jack, 3rd period
The Folly of Anne
1914
The Folly of Anne
as The Sympathtic Publisher
The Sisters
as Frank (Carol's country lover)
Martin Eden
as Cub Reporter