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James Cruze (born James Cruze Bosen; March 27, 1884 – August 3, 1942) was a
silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
actor and
film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...
.


Early years

Cruze's middle name came from the battle of Vera Cruz. He was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but did not practice the religion after his teenage years. Very little is certain about his childhood and teen years because he told a different story at every interview he granted.


Career

Cruze acted in, directed and or produced over 100 films mainly during the silent film era. His first known acting job was at
Lubin Manufacturing Company The Lubin Manufacturing Company was an American motion picture production company that produced silent films from 1896 to 1916. Lubin films were distributed with a Liberty Bell trademark. History The Lubin Manufacturing Company was formed in ...
in 1910. He started at
Thanhouser Company The Thanhouser Company (later the Thanhouser Film Corporation) was one of the first motion picture studios, founded in 1909 by Edwin Thanhouser, his wife Gertrude and his brother-in-law Lloyd Lonergan. It operated in New York City until 1920, ...
in 1911 with ''
She She most commonly refers to: *She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English. She or S.H.E. may also refer to: Literature and films *'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagga ...
'' (1911) which is where the majority of his body of work was produced, much of it as the leading man. After leaving Thanhouser in 1916, he worked for several other companies as director and producer, primarily for
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
, from 1918 to 1938. Cruze struggled to regain his successes of the silent era when sound came to film. His career declined as he descended further into alcoholism and he ended his directing career at
Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...
. He spent the last four years of his life unemployed before he killed himself in 1942.


Personal life

Cruze was first married to actress
Marguerite Snow Marguerite Snow (September 9, 1889 – February 17, 1958) was an American silent film and stage actress. In her early films she was billed as Margaret Snow. Early life Snow was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her father, Billy Snow, was a comedia ...
, and they had a daughter, Julie Jane.They divorced in 1923. He married actress
Betty Compson Betty Compson (born Eleanor Luicime Compson; March 19, 1897 – April 18, 1974) was an American actress and film producer who got her start during Hollywood's silent era. She is best known for her performances in '' The Docks of New York'' an ...
on October 14, 1924.


Filmography


As director

:''Partial list'' * ''
The Wrong Road ''The Wrong Road'' is a 1937 American crime drama film directed by James Cruze and starring Richard Cromwell, Helen Mack, and Lionel Atwill. The film is now in the public domain. Plot A young unmarried couple (Cromwell and Mack), whose plans ...
'' (1937) * '' Sutter's Gold'' (1936) * '' Two-Fisted'' (1935) * ''
David Harum ''David Harum; A Story of American Life'' is a best-selling novel of 1898 by Edward Noyes Westcott, whose principal legacy is the colloquial use of the term ''horse trading''. Literary significance and criticism Written by retired Syracuse, N ...
'' (1934) * '' Helldorado'' (1934) * '' Mr. Skitch'' (1933) with
Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahom ...
* '' I Cover the Waterfront'' (1933) with Claudette Colbert * '' Washington Merry-Go-Round'' (1932) with Lee Tracy * ''
If I Had a Million ''If I Had a Million'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code Paramount Pictures, Paramount Studios anthology film starring Gary Cooper, George Raft, Charles Laughton, W.C. Fields, Jack Oakie, Frances Dee and Charlie Ruggles, among oth ...
'' (1932) 8 directors; Cruze directed segment with Gene Raymond and Frances Dee * '' Salvation Nell'' (1931) based on the play by
Edward Sheldon Edward Brewster Sheldon (Chicago, Illinois, February 4, 1886 – April 1, 1946, New York City) was an American dramatist. His plays include ''Salvation Nell'' (1908) and ''Romance'' (1913), which was made into a motion picture with Greta Garbo. ...
* '' Once a Gentleman'' (1930) * '' The Great Gabbo'' (1929) with
Erich von Stroheim Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, actor and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of the silent era. H ...
and
Betty Compson Betty Compson (born Eleanor Luicime Compson; March 19, 1897 – April 18, 1974) was an American actress and film producer who got her start during Hollywood's silent era. She is best known for her performances in '' The Docks of New York'' an ...
* '' A Man's Man'' (1929) with William Haines * '' The Duke Steps Out'' (1929) * ''
The Mating Call ''The Mating Call'' is a 1928 American silent drama film about a soldier who returns home from World War I to find his marriage has been annulled and his wife has remarried. The film was produced by Howard Hughes for his Caddo Corporation, a ...
'' (1928) produced by
Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in t ...
starring
Thomas Meighan Thomas Meighan (April 9, 1879 – July 8, 1936) was an American actor of silent films and early talkies. He played several leading-man roles opposite popular actresses of the day, including Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson. At one point he comm ...
, Evelyn Brent, and Renée Adorée (Preserved by the
Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...
, in conjunction with UNLV, in 2016.) * '' The City Gone Wild'' (1927) with Louise Brooks—lost film * '' Old Ironsides'' (1926) partly filmed in experimental
widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratio (image), aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ...
process Magnascope * ''
Mannequin A mannequin (also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off different fabrics and textiles. ...
'' (1926) with
Alice Joyce Alice Joyce Brown ( Joyce; October 1, 1890 – October 9, 1955) was an American actress who appeared in more than 200 films during the 1910s and 1920s. She is known for her roles in the 1923 film '' The Green Goddess'' and its 1930 remake of ...
, Warner Baxter, Dolores Costello * '' The Pony Express'' (1925) * '' Beggar on Horseback'' (1925) based on the play by
George S. Kaufman George Simon Kaufman (November 16, 1889June 2, 1961) was an American playwright, theater director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals for the Marx Brothers and other ...
and Marc Connelly * '' Welcome Home'' (1925) with Lois Wilson * '' Merton of the Movies'' (1924) based on the novel by Harry Leon Wilson and the play by Kaufman and Connelly * '' The Enemy Sex'' (1924) * '' The Fighting Coward'' (1924) with
Cullen Landis James Cullen Landis (July 9, 1896 – August 26, 1975) was an American motion picture actor and director whose career began in the early years of the silent film era. Biography James Cullen Landis was the middle of three siblings (two sons and ...
, Mary Astor * '' The Covered Wagon'' (1923) * ''
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...
'' (1923) lost film * '' To the Ladies'' (1923) * '' One Glorious Day'' (1922) with
Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahom ...
* '' The Dictator'' (1922) with
Wallace Reid William Wallace Halleck Reid (April 15, 1891 – January 18, 1923) was an American actor in silent film, referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover". He also had a brief career as a racing driver. Early life Reid was born in St. Louis, M ...
, Lila Lee * ''
Leap Year A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year or ...
'' (1921) with
Fatty Arbuckle Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle (; March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked w ...
* ''
Crazy to Marry ''Crazy to Marry'' is a 1921 American silent comedy film directed by James Cruze and starring Fatty Arbuckle. Prints are held by Cinematheque Royale de Belgique, Brussels and Gosfilmofond, Russian State Archive, Moscow. Synopsis Dr. Hobart ...
'' (1921) with Arbuckle * ''
Gasoline Gus ''Gasoline Gus'' is a 1921 American comedy film directed by James Cruze and starring Fatty Arbuckle. Prints of ''Gasoline Gus'' held at the Gosfilmofond archive in Russia and Cinematheque Belgique. Cast * Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle as Gasoline G ...
'' (1921) with Arbuckle * ''
The Dollar-a-Year Man ''The Dollar-a-Year Man'' is a 1921 American comedy film starring Fatty Arbuckle.The Fast Freight'' (1921) with Arbuckle * '' The Charm School'' (1921) with
Wallace Reid William Wallace Halleck Reid (April 15, 1891 – January 18, 1923) was an American actor in silent film, referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover". He also had a brief career as a racing driver. Early life Reid was born in St. Louis, M ...
* '' Thirty Days'' (1922) with Reid and Hawley * '' Food for Scandal'' (1920) * ''
An Adventure in Hearts ''An Adventure in Hearts'' is a lost 1919 American silent adventure film directed by James Cruze and written by Elmer Blaney Harris based upon the 1918 novel ''Captain Dieppe'' by Anthony Hope and the resulting play by Hope and Harrison Garfiel ...
'' (1919) with Robert Warwick * '' Hawthorne of the U.S.A.'' (1919) with Reid * '' The Valley of the Giants'' (1919) with Reid * '' You're Fired'' (1919) with Reid and
Wanda Hawley Wanda Hawley (born Selma Wanda Pittack; July 30, 1895 – March 18, 1963) was an American actress during the silent film era. She entered the theatrical profession with an amateur group in Seattle, and later toured the United States and Can ...
Article at PopMatters about rediscovered silent movies including Cruze's ''You're Fired!'' (November 5, 2010)
/ref> * '' The Roaring Road'' (1919) with Reid * ''
The Dub ''The Dub'' is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by James Cruze and written by Edgar Franklin and Will M. Ritchey. The film stars Wallace Reid, Charles Ogle, Ralph Lewis, Raymond Hatton, Winter Hall, and Nina Byron. The film wa ...
'' (1919)


As actor

* ''
The Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is a historical romance written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It is the second book of the '' Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinde ...
(1911) * '' The Covered Wagon'' (1923) (scenes deleted) .... Indian (Cruze was also director) * ''The Slave Market'' (1921) * ''
Johnny Get Your Gun ''Johnny Get Your Gun'' is a 1919 American comedy silent film directed by Donald Crisp and written by Edmund Lawrence Burke and Gardner Hunting. The film stars Fred Stone, Mary Anderson, Casson Ferguson, James Cruze, Sylvia Ashton, Nina Byron ...
'' (1919) .... The Duke of Bullconia * '' Under the Top'' (1919) .... 'Foxy' Stillmore * ''
The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...
'' (1918) .... Langlois * '' Less Than Kin'' (1918) .... Jinx * ''
The City of Dim Faces ''The City of Dim Faces'' is a lost 1918 silent film directed by George Melford and starring Sessue Hayakawa. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Cast *Sessue Hayakawa – Jang Lung *Doris Pawn – Mar ...
'' (1918) .... Wing Lung * '' Believe Me, Xantippe'' (1918) .... Simp Calloway * '' Wild Youth'' (1918) .... Li Choo * '' The Hidden Pearls'' (1918) .... Koro Leon * '' Nan of Music Mountain'' (1917) .... Gale Morgan * '' The Call of the East'' (1917) .... Janzo * ''
On the Level ''On the Level'' is the eighth studio album by English rock band Status Quo. It features Francis Rossi, Richard Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan. The album's cover art features band members in an Ames room, and on the original vinyl rel ...
'' (1917) .... Ozmun * '' What Money Can't Buy'' (1917) .... Ferdinand Vaslof * ''The Web of Life'' (1917) .... Tom Wilson * ''Her Temptation'' (1917) .... Walton Maynard * '' The Snowbird'' (1916) .... Bruce Mitchell * ''
Armstrong's Wife ''Armstrong's Wife'' is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by George Melford and written by Margaret Turnbull. The film stars Edna Goodrich, Thomas Meighan, James Cruze, Hal Clements, Ernest Joy and Raymond Hatton. The film was released ...
'' (1915) .... Harvey Arnold * ''His Guardian Auto'' (1915) * ''The Patriot and the Spy'' (1915) .... Pietro * ''The Heart of the Princess Marsari'' (1915) * '' Zudora'' (1914) .... Hassam Ali/Jim Baird, Reporter (film was retitled ''The Twenty Million Dollar Mystery'') * ''From Wash to Washington'' (1914) * ''
The Million Dollar Mystery ''The Million Dollar Mystery'' is a 23-chapter film serial released in 1914, directed by Howell Hansel, and starring Florence La Badie and James Cruze. It is presumed lost. Plot A prologue for ''The Million Dollar Mystery'' introduced the cha ...
'' (1914) .... Jim Norton * ''Rivalry'' (1914) * ''A Dog of Flanders'' (1914) * ''A Debut in the Secret Service'' (1914) * ''The Cat's Paw'' (1914) * ''The Desert Tribesman'' (1914) * ''Cardinal Richelieu's Ward'' (1914) .... Richelieu * ''A Leak in the Foreign Office'' (1914) * ''Joseph in the Land of Egypt'' (1914) .... Joseph * ''Why Reginald Reformed'' (1914) * ''The Woman Pays'' (1914) * ''The Adventures of a Diplomatic Freelance'' (1914) * ''Frou Frou'' (1914) .... Comte Paul de Valreas * ''The Legend of Provence'' (1913) .... Sir Henry * ''The Silver-Tongued Orator'' (1913) * ''The Plot Against the Governor'' (1913) * ''A Daughter Worth While'' (1913) * ''Moths'' (1913) .... Undetermined Name, villain * ''
Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...
'' (1913) (uncredited) * ''The Message to Headquarters'' (1913) * ''The Ward of the King'' (1913) * ''An Unromantic Maiden'' (1913) * ''Tannhäuser'' (1913) * ''The Lost Combination'' (1913) * ''The Snare of Fate'' (1913) * ''Marble Heart'' (1913) .... Raphael * ''Her Sister's Secret'' (1913) * ''Rosie's Revenge'' (1913) * ''The Woman Who Did Not Care'' (1913) * ''Cymbeline'' (1913) .... Leonatus * ''For Her Boy's Sake'' (1913) * ''Her Gallant Knights'' (1913) * ''The Idol of the Hour'' (1913) * ''Good Morning, Judge'' (1913) * ''The Dove in the Eagle's Nest'' (1913) .... The Eagle * ''The Tiniest of Stars'' (1913) .... The Musician * ''A Poor Relation'' (1913) * ''When Ghost Meets Ghost'' (1913) * ''A Militant Suffragette'' (1912) .... John Strong, Mary's Fiancé * ''The Star of Bethlehem'' (1912) .... Micah, Joseph * ''The Other Half'' (1912) .... The Father * ''The Forest Rose'' (1912) .... Albert as an Older Man, Rose's Lover * ''The Thunderbolt'' (1912) .... The Dishonest Broker * ''Cross Your Heart'' (1912) .... The Little Boy Grown Up * ''The Ladder of Life'' (1912) * ''Put Yourself in His Place'' (1912) .... Edith's Husband * ''In a Garden'' (1912) .... Jack, as an Adult * '' The Woman in White'' (1912) .... Sir Percival * ''When Mercy Tempers Justice'' (1912) .... The Impoverished Father * ''Miss Robinson Crusoe'' (1912) .... Miss Crusoe's Rescuer and Lover * ''Letters of a Lifetime'' (1912) .... A Dying Bachelor * ''But the Greatest of These Is Charity'' (1912) .... The Rich Father * ''Undine'' (1912) .... Huldbrand, the Knight * ''Lucile'' (1912) .... Lord Alfred * ''Baby Hands'' (1912) .... The Husband * ''The Finger of Scorn'' (1912) .... The Minister * ''Nursie and the Knight'' (1912) .... The Father * ''Pa's Medicine'' (1912) .... The Doctor * ''Under Two Flags'' (1912) * ''Called Back'' (1912) .... Gilbert Vaughn * ''Whom God Hath Joined'' (1912) .... The Husband * ''The Ring of a Spanish Grandee'' (1912) * ''Jess'' (1912) .... Captain John Neil * ''Love's Miracle'' (1912) .... The Convict/Lover * ''Miss Arabella Snaith'' (1912) .... Harry Hargreaves, Novelist * ''The Cry of the Children'' (1912) .... The working father * ''Rejuvenation'' (1912) .... The Millionaire * ''Into the Desert'' (1912) .... The Arab * ''A Love of Long Ago'' (1912) * ''The Girl of the Grove'' (1912) * ''For Sale—A Life'' (1912) .... The Wealthy Young Clubman * ''he Golf Caddie's Dog'' (1912) .... The Lover * ''Flying to Fortune'' (1912) .... The Daughter's Sweetheart * ''The Arab's Bride'' (1912) .... The Wealthy Moor * ''On Probation'' (1912) * '' East Lynne'' (1912) .... Archibald Carlyle * '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1912) .... Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde * ''
She She most commonly refers to: *She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English. She or S.H.E. may also refer to: Literature and films *'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagga ...
'' (1911) .... Leo Vincey / Kallikrates * ''Brother Bob's Baby'' (1911) .... Bob's Brother * ''Beneath the Veil'' (1911) .... The Artist * ''A Mother's Faith'' (1911) .... The Errant Son * ''
The Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is a historical romance written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It is the second book of the '' Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinde ...
'' (1911) .... Uncas * ''The Higher Law'' (1911) * ''A Boy of the Revolution'' (1911) * ''Back to Nature'' (1911) * ''The Pied Piper of Hamelin'' (1911)


References


Bibliography

*Ray Starman, "James Cruze: Cinema's Forgotten Director", ''Films In Review'' (October 1985), p. 460-465


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruze, James 1884 births 1942 deaths American male silent film actors American male film actors English-language film directors German-language film directors Artists from Ogden, Utah Male actors from Utah Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery 20th-century American male actors Silent film directors 1942 suicides