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Elmer Clifton
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 | Directing |
---|---|
Most Rating | 3.149 |
Birthday | 1890-03-12 |
Place of Birth | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Also Known As | Elmer Clifford, Elmer S. Pond, Elmer Pond, Elmer Clifton Forsyth, |
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1915
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The Birth of a Nation
6/542
Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron is capture...
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The Birth of a Nation
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1916
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Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
7.1/341
The story of a poor young woman, separated by prejudice from her husband and baby, is interwoven with tales of intolerance from throughout history.
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Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
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1915
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The Fox Woman
0/0
According to Japanese legend, the Fox Woman was not possessed of a soul. To exist, she was obliged to steal the soul of others.
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The Fox Woman
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2019
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I Am Not a Racist
0/0
A parody of D. W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation", "I Am Not a Racist" rearranges the scenes of the classic movie and recreates its dialogues to cr...
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I Am Not a Racist
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1914
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John Barleycorn
0/0
Based on the autobiographical novel of the same name. Jack London has struggled with alcoholism most of his life. At age five he was instructed to bri...
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John Barleycorn
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1914
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The Folly of Anne
0/0
A picture from the short story of Ellen Farley in "The Cavalier," and screened by John O'Brian. The story is of a girl who tries to be an author and h...
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The Folly of Anne
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1915
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The Lost House
0/0
Before his niece and ward, Dosia Dale, comes of age, her uncle, who has spent her entire fortune, must think of a way to account for his actions. He p...
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The Lost House
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1915
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The Lily and the Rose
0/0
To the dismay of Allison Edwards, her bookworm, adoring neighbor, Mary Randolph, falls in love with and marries Jack Van Norman, a rich and handsome f...
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The Lily and the Rose

1914
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The Sisters
0/0
May and her younger sister, Carol, live in a small town. May is the more lovely of the two, but Carol is wooed by Frank, a country boy. George, a city...
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The Sisters

1914
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Burning Daylight: The Adventures of 'Burning Daylight' in Alaska
0/0
Elam Harnish, known as "Burning Daylight," is a leader among the men of Circle City, Alaska in the days before the gold rush. Nell, a dance hall girl,...
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Burning Daylight: The Adventures of 'Burning Daylight' in Alaska
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1914
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A Duel for Love
0/0
A Duel for Love is a 1914 dramatic short.
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A Duel for Love
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1916
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The Missing Links
0/0
A 1916 film directed by Lloyd Ingraham.
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The Missing Links
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1914
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Martin Eden
0/0
A sad story about how a working-class man tries, and succeeds, to become a writer, but finds difficulty in fitting into that world.
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Martin Eden
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1915
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The Sable Lorcha
0/0
In China, a man is arrested and tortured for a crime committed years before by his twin brother.
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The Sable Lorcha

1917
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Nina, the Flower Girl
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Nina, a blind girl, lives with her grandmother, who has taught her to make artificial flowers, which she sells at a flower-stand. Nina, and Jimmie, a...
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Nina, the Flower Girl
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1916
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Acquitted
0/0
Hard-working insurance company bookkeeper John Carter, comes home Easter eve to his suburban cottage with a potted lily for his loving wife and two da...
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Acquitted
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1914
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A Lucky Disappointment
0/0
Hoping to elope, farmer's daughter Myrtle Fairley and her beau Jack Holt are forced to return home after finding the minister not at home. Upon arriva...
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