Frank Radford "Budge" Crawley, (November 14, 1911 – May 13, 1987) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

. Along with his wife

Judith Crawley Judith Rosemary (Sparks) Crawley (April 21, 1914 – September 16, 1986) was a Canadian film producer, cinematographer, director, and screenwriter. She and her husband Frank Radford "Budge" Crawley co-founded the production company Crawley Film ...

, he co-founded the production company Crawley Films in 1939."Judith (Rosemary) Sparks Crawley."
''Library and Archives Canada''. Retrieved: April 23, 2016. Crawley is best known for producing the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning documentary ''

The Man Who Skied Down Everest ''The Man Who Skied Down Everest'' is a documentary about Yuichiro Miura, a Japanese alpinist who skied down Mount Everest in 1970. The film was produced by Canadian film maker F. R. "Budge" Crawley. Miura skied 2,000 m (6,600 ft) ...

''. During his 40-year career, he produced hundreds of films. Film historian Peter Morris described Crawley as "... the Godfather of Canadian film and Canada's answer to

Sam Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (born Szmuel Gelbfisz; yi, שמואל געלבפֿיש; August 27, 1882 (claimed) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor an ...

Early life

Frank Radford "Budge" Crawley was born November 14, 1911 in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. His early interest in

filmmaking Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...

was shared by his next-door neighbour, Judith Sparks. The pair married on October 1, 1938, beginning a long working relationship as a filmmaking team.

Career

While on their honeymoon, Judith wrote the script and edited ''Île d'Orléans'' (1938), the first film she worked on with her husband. Crawley shot and directed the film that won the Hiram Percy Maxim Award from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society for Best Amateur Film in 1939, making their collaboration the first Canadian film to receive this type of recognition. Crawley was a pioneer in the creation of an independent Canadian film sector. Although he worked intermittently as an independent filmmaker on contract with the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

(NFB), Crawley chose to work independently rather than with NFB or the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

. Crawley was known for making

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

films with his wife Judith Crawley. Together they owned the Crawley Films company which produced numerous

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

feature films A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

television commercial A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

animated cartoon Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...

s and other productions. The first Canadian Film Award (a precursor to the contemporary Canadian Screen Awards) in 1949 went to Crawley Films for ''

The Loon's Necklace ''The Loon's Necklace'' is a Canadian film, directed by F. R. Crawley and released in 1948. The film recounts the Tsimshian legend of how the loon received the distinctive band of white markings on its neck, by granting the gift of restored sight t ...

'' (1948), a film based on a

Tsimshian The Tsimshian (; tsi, Ts’msyan or Tsm'syen) are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace, British Columbia, Terr ...

legend. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the company grew quickly and provided a great training ground for young Canadian filmmakers eager to launch film careers. At that time, the NFB was the only other major filmmaking body, until CBC television went live in 1952.Siegel. Lois
"Frank Radford 'Budge' Crawley."
''siegelproductions.ca''. Retrieved: April 23, 2016. During the 50 years that the company operated, from 1939 until its sale to Atkinson Film Arts in 1982, Crawley Films made thousands of films and received hundreds of film awards. After separating from her husband in 1965, Judith Crawley founded another film production company with two of her children, Michal and Jennifer."Judith Crawley."
''Canadian Women Film Directors Database''. Retrieved: April 23, 2016.

Awards and recognition

'' won the 1975

for

Best Documentary Feature Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation, ...

, becoming the first Canadian-produced film to win an Oscar in this category. The Crawleys won several Canadian Film Awards and a

Special Achievement Genie The Special Achievement Genie is a special award given irregularly by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television at the Genie Awards. It is mainly a Lifetime Achievement Award but can also mark a career milestone. List of past recipients *(198 ...

for Outstanding Contributions to the Canadian Film Industry in 1986. In 1980, Crawley was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

"in recognition of a unique contribution to film in Canada". The Canadian Film Institute in Ottawa premiered ''Budge: The One True Happiness of F. R. 'Budge' Crawley'' (2003), a one-hour documentary examining the career of the maverick Canadian film producer, Budge Crawley. The film is based in part on interviews contained in the Information Research Services (IRS) publication: ''Budge: F. R. Crawley and Crawley Films, 1939-1982''. Produced and directed by Michael Ostroff and written by Seaton Findlay, the Cine Metu video was developed in association with Bravo! Canada for broadcast."Budge: The One True Happiness of F. R. 'Budge' Crawley."
''Telefilm'', 2003. Retrieved: April 23, 2016.

Partial filmography

* 1938: '' Ile d'Orléans'' * 1942: '' Quebec – Path of Conquest'' * 1948: ''

'' * 1950: ''

Newfoundland Scene ''Newfoundland Scene'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by F. R. Crawley and released in 1951. Shot in 1949 to mark the admission of Newfoundland to Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, li ...

'' * 1953: ''The Power Within'' * 1958: '' The Legend of the Raven'' * 1961: '' Tales of the Wizard of Oz'' (animated series for Videocraft- Rankin/Bass) * 1963: ''

Amanita Pestilens ''Amanita Pestilens'' is a 1963 Canadian-American psychological horror-fantasy /drama film produced by F. R. Crawley, and directed by René Bonnière. It was "the first Canadian feature film to be shot in both English and French with the sam ...

'' * 1964: '' The Luck of Ginger Coffey'' * 1964: '' Return to Oz (television special)'' (for Videocraft- Rankin/Bass) * 1966: '' 1966 Marine Drive'' * 1967: ''The Entertainers'' * 1971: ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' (television) * 1972: ''

The Rowdyman ''The Rowdyman'' is a 1972 comedy film with moralistic overtones, set in Newfoundland.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 185. It was written by and starred native Newfoundlander Gordon Pinsent. The film is a ...

'' (

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

) * 1973: '' August and July'' * 1975: ''

'' * 1975: '' Janis'' * 1982: '' Heartland Reggae''

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Armatage, Kay, Kass Banning,

Brenda Longfellow Brenda Longfellow (born 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker known for her biographies of female historic figures. Since 2007, Longfellow's focus in her films has been on environmental issues. Biography Brenda Longfellow was born in Copper Cliff, On ...

and

Janine Marchessault Janine Marchessault is a professor of Cinema and Media Studies and Canada Research Chair (2003-2013) at York University in Toronto, Canada. Her main fields of research are Ecologies of Media and Mediation, (sub)urban cultures, the works of Mars ...

, eds. ''Gendering the Nation: Canadian Women's Cinema''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999. . * Khouri, Malek. ''Filming Politics: Communism and the Portrayal of the Working Class at the National Film Board of Canada, 1939-46.'' Calgary, Alberta, Canada: University of Calgary Press, 2007. . * McInnes, Graham. ''One Man's Documentary: A Memoir of the Early Years of the National Film Board''. Winnipeg, Manitoba: University of Manitoba, 2004. . * Morris, Peter. ''The Film Companion''. Toronto, Ontario: Clarke, Irwin & Company, 1984. . * Rose Wade, Barbara. ''Budge: What Happened to Canada's King of Film''. Toronto:

ECW Press ECW Press is a Canadian book publisher located in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded by Jack David and Robert Lecker in 1974 as a Canadian literary magazine named ''Essays on Canadian Writing''. They started publishing trade and scholarly book ...

, 1998. . * Wise, Wyndham.
''Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film''.
Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2015. .

External links

Northern Stars: Frank "Budge" Crawley
*
The Canadian Encyclopedia: Frank Radford Crawley
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crawley, F.R. 1911 births 1987 deaths Film producers from Ontario Canadian cinema pioneers Officers of the Order of Canada Film directors from Ottawa Canadian Screen Award winners Canadian film production company founders