Raymond Edgar Taylor (1 December 1888 – 15 February 1952) was an American

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, p ...

. He directed 159 films between 1926 and

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

. His

debut Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to: * Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society * Debut novel, an author's first published novel Film and television * ''The Debu ...

was the 1926

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

Fighting with Buffalo Bill ''Fighting With Buffalo Bill'' is a 1926 American silent Western film serial directed by Ray Taylor for Universal Pictures. The film is now considered to be lost. Plot Cast * Wallace MacDonald as Ned Wheeler * Elsa Benham as Doris Carberry ...

''. Ray Taylor was one of the few Hollywood directors who specialized in a single type of film: he was an action specialist. Many action directors would be called upon at one time or another to helm a mainstream drama, romance, or mystery, but Ray Taylor established himself early in westerns and action fare, and he worked in this capacity throughout his career. Even a brief tenure directing the campus-capers "Collegians" shorts for

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

was appropriate for Taylor, as these two-reel subjects often emphasized visual action. In the 1920s he worked for

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

as an assistant, and soon moved to Universal, where he was given a chance to direct. His effective staging of action scenes earned him a permanent berth at Universal, where he was entrusted with the studio's popular westerns and serials. The project that won Taylor the most notice was ''

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' adve ...

'', the

Buster Crabbe Clarence Linden Crabbe II (; February 7, 1908 – April 23, 1983), known professionally as Buster Crabbe, was an American two-time Olympic swimmer and film and television actor. He won the 1932 Olympic gold medal for 400-meter freestyle swimmi ...

serial that was phenomenally successful in theaters; unlike most serials that were reserved for weekend juvenile matinees, ''Flash Gordon'' played to adult audiences on weeknights alongside prestigious feature films. Taylor's success with ''Flash Gordon'' earned him an invitation to direct serials for

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 an ...

, but his stay was short. Taylor's assistant,

William Witney William Nuelsen Witney (May 15, 1915 – March 17, 2002) was an American film and television director. He is best remembered for the action films he made for Republic Pictures, particularly serials: ''Dick Tracy Returns'', ''G-Men vs. the Black ...

, recalled in his 1996 memoir that Taylor had a drinking problem, which caused him to miss too much work. This was inexcusable on Republic's tight production schedules, and Witney was promoted to full-time director, replacing Taylor. Taylor's reputation for quality work took precedence over his personal problem, and in 1938 he joined Columbia's new serial unit to co-direct '' The Spider's Web'' with James W. Horne. Taylor and Horne joined forces to create one of the best serials of all time; it was easily the most popular serial of 1938, according to a tally of theater bookings.Martin Quigley, ''The Film Daily'' (January 2, 1940). Quigley Publishing, Inc. p. 2. Taylor's Columbia stay was also relatively brief; he returned to his home base at Universal. Universal kept Taylor extremely busy with westerns and serials for the next six years. Perhaps his best Universal serial is ''

Gang Busters ''Gang Busters'' is an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered on January 15, 1936, and was broadcast over 21 years through November 27, 1957. Histo ...

'', an action-packed police procedural and, like ''Flash Gordon'', a bid for adult audiences. When Universal had a change of management in 1946, it discontinued its "B" pictures, westerns, and serials, leaving Taylor idle. For the rest of his career Ray Taylor worked in the movies' minor leagues, making western features for

PRC China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

(which shut down in 1947) and

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

. He retired in 1949 and died in 1952.

Selected filmography

*''

Son of Billy the Kid ''Son of Billy the Kid'' is a 1949 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor starring Lash LaRue. Produced by Ron Ormond, the film was co-written by Ormond's wife June Carr who also plays a lead role in the film. This film was not part of th ...

'' (1949) *'' Stage to Mesa City'' (1947) *'' Law of the Lash'' (1947) *''

Black Hills The Black Hills ( lkt, Ȟe Sápa; chy, Moʼȯhta-voʼhonáaeva; hid, awaxaawi shiibisha) is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black Elk P ...

'' (1947) *''

Return of the Lash ''Return of the Lash'' is a 1947 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Ray Taylor (director), Ray Taylor and written by Joseph O'Donnell (screenwriter), Joseph O'Donnell. The film stars Lash LaRue, Al St. John, Mary Maynard, Buster ...

'' (1947) *''

Lost City of the Jungle ''Lost City of the Jungle'' is a 1946 Universal movie serial. Plot Recent atom tests show a certain element - Meteorium 245 - as a defense against the atomic bomb. The evil Eric Hazarias (Lionel Atwill) has traced a Meteorium deposit to the Him ...

'' (1946) *''

The Scarlet Horseman ''The Scarlet Horseman'' is a 1946 American Western film serial from Universal Pictures. It is directed by Lewis D. Collins and Ray Taylor. Paul Guilfoyle plays Jim Bannion, secret identity of The Scarlet Horseman, with Janet Shaw as Elise, hi ...

'' (1946) *''

The Royal Mounted Rides Again ''The Royal Mounted Rides Again'' is a 1945 Universal film serial. Adventure serials of this type were popular in the early days of cinema. The serial, often called cliffhangers, would show one episode per week, with an ending that would hide t ...

'' (1945) *''

Secret Agent X-9 ''Secret Agent X-9'' is a comic strip created by writer Dashiell Hammett ('' The Maltese Falcon'') and artist Alex Raymond (''Flash Gordon''). Syndicated by King Features, it ran from January 22, 1934 until February 10, 1996. Premise and publ ...

'' (1945) *'' The Master Key'' (1945) *'' Jungle Queen'' (1945) *''

Mystery of the River Boat ''Mystery of the River Boat'' is a 1944 Universal movie serial directed by Lewis D. Collins and Ray Taylor. It co-starred Lyle Talbot, Robert Lowery and Mantan Moreland. Cast * Robert Lowery as Steve Langtry * Eddie Quillan as Jug Jenks * Ma ...

'' (1944) *''

Raiders of Ghost City ''Raiders of Ghost City'' is a 1944 American Western film serial from Universal Pictures set in California during the American Civil War. Plot At the height of the Civil War, a gang of supposed Confederates, headed by Alex Morel, raid all gold ...

'' (1944) *''

Adventures of the Flying Cadets ''Adventures of the Flying Cadets'' is a 13-episode 1943 Universal film serial directed by Ray Taylor and Lewis D. Collins. Plot Flying students Danny Collins (Johnny Downs), "Jinx" Roberts (Bobby Jordan), "Scrapper" McKay (Ward Wood) and "Zom ...

'' (1943) *''

The Lone Star Trail ''The Lone Star Trail'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor and starring Johnny Mack Brown and Tex Ritter. The supporting cast features Fuzzy Knight and Jennifer Holt and, in a small role as a villain, Robert Mitchum (bille ...

'' (1943) *''

The Adventures of Smilin' Jack ''The Adventures of Smilin' Jack'' is an aviation comic strip that first appeared October 1, 1933, in the ''Chicago Tribune'' and ended April 1, 1973. After a run of 40 years, it was the longest-running aviation comic strip. The strip was created ...

'' (1943) *''

Don Winslow of the Coast Guard ''Don Winslow of the Coast Guard'' is a 1943 Universal Pictures Serial film based on the comic strip '' Don Winslow of the Navy'' by Frank V. Martinbek. Plot After service at Pearl Harbor, Naval Commander Don Winslow, and his friend and junior ...

'' (1943) *''

Junior G-Men of the Air ''Junior G-Men of the Air'' is a 1942 Universal film serial starring the Dead End Kids and the Little Tough Guys. A group of youthful flying enthusiasts join the "Junior G-Men" to help break up a planned attack on the United States. Plot During ...

'' (1942) *''

'' (1942, co-director, with

Noel M. Smith Noel Mason Smith (May 22, 1895 – September 20, 1955) was an American film director and writer. He directed more than 120 films between 1917 and 1952. He was born in Rockland, California, and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected fil ...

)) *'' Don Winslow of the Navy'' (1942) *'' Treat 'Em Rough'' (1942) *''

Law and Order In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...

'' (1940) *''

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe ''Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe'' is a 1940 American black-and-white science fiction 12-chapter movie serial from Universal Pictures, produced by Henry MacRae and co-directed by Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor. The serial stars Buster Crabbe, Ca ...

'' (1940) *''

Flying G-Men ''Flying G-Men'' is a 15-episode 1939 adventure film Film serial, directed by James W. Horne and Ray Taylor. The serial was the sixth of the 57 serials released by Columbia. Four "Flying G-Men" battle with enemy saboteurs intent on destroying A ...

'' (1939, co-director, with James W. Horne) *'' Rawhide'' (1938) *'' Frontier Town'' (1938) *'' The Spider's Web'' (1938, co-director, with James W. Horne) *''

Boss of Lonely Valley ''Boss of Lonely Valley'' is a 1937 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor and written by Frances Guihan. The film stars Buck Jones, Richard Holland, Muriel Evans, Harvey Clark, Walter Miller and Lee Phelps. The film was released on Dec ...

'' (1937) *''

The Three Mesquiteers ''The Three Mesquiteers'' is the umbrella title for a Republic Pictures series of 51 American Western B-movies released between 1936 and 1943. The films, featuring a trio of Old West adventurers, was based on a series of Western novels by W ...

'' (1936) *'' Chandu on the Magic Island'' (1935) *''

The Return of Chandu ''The Return of Chandu'' is a 1934 American 12-episode fantasy film serial based on the radio series '' Chandu the Magician''. It was produced by Sol Lesser and directed by Ray Taylor, and starred Béla Lugosi as Frank Chandler (aka Chandu the M ...

'' (1934) *'' Heroes of the West'' (1932) *''

Battling with Buffalo Bill ''Battling with Buffalo Bill'' is a 1931 American pre-Code Western serial film directed by Ray Taylor and starring Tom Tyler, Lucile Browne, William Desmond, Rex Bell, and Francis Ford. Based on the book ''The Great West That Was'' by Wi ...

'' (1931) *'' The Ace of Scotland Yard'' (1929) *''

The Pirate of Panama ''The Pirate of Panama'' is a 1929 American action film serial directed by Ray Taylor. The film is considered to be lost. Cast * Jay Wilsey (aka Buffalo Bill Jr.) as Karl * Natalie Kingston as Evelyn Wallace * Al Ferguson as Boris Bothwell * ...

'' (1929) *''

Tarzan the Mighty ''Tarzan the Mighty'' is a 1928 American action film serial directed by Jack Nelson and Ray Taylor. It was nominally based on the collection ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The film is now considered to be lost. Cast * ...

'' (1928) *'' The Avenging Shadow'' (1928) *''

A Final Reckoning ''A Final Reckoning'' is a 1928 American silent Western film serial directed by Ray Taylor, set in colonial Australia. The film is considered to be lost. It is based on an 1887 novel by G. A. Henty. Cast * Newton House as Ruben Whitney * L ...

'' (1928) *''

The Vanishing Rider ''The Vanishing Rider'' is a 1928 American silent Western film serial directed by Ray Taylor and featuring William Desmond and Ethlyne Clair. Boris Karloff was also in the cast. The film is now considered to be lost. Plot Cast * William ...

'' (1928) *'' Whispering Smith Rides'' (1927) *''

'' (1926)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Ray 1888 births 1952 deaths American film directors Film serial crew