William F. Claxton
William Francis Claxton (October 22, 1914 – February 11, 1996) was an American film and television producer, editor and director. He made a number of films for Robert L. Lippert. He also directed and produced episodes of Bonanza, the NBC-TV series Little House on the Prairie, and also directed episodes of the NBC-TV series Father Murphy, The Rifleman, The Twilight Zone, Fame, and The High Chaparral.
Claxton got his start in Hollywood as a film editor in the 1940s, where he was employed an editor for Edward Small Productions, as he would move into directing of second feature films by 1950s and 1960s, and also delve into television directing during this period.
During World War II, Claxton served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps as a captain. Claxton worked under Frank Capra as a film editor on the Why We Fight series. Claxton worked alongside Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) in the animation and film department of the U.S. Army.
Claxton's very first directorial effort was 1951's All That I Can Have. Claxton, who is best known for his TV work, enjoyed a long stint as producer/director of the syndicated Christian anthology series This is the Life (which was his first work in TV) from 1951 to 1980.
He spent much of the 1950s with 20th Century Fox's Regal Pictures subsidiary, turning out medium-budget films which included the films God Is My Partner (1956) and Desire in the Dust (1960); occasionally, as in the cast of Rockabilly Baby (1957), he produced as well as directed.
Claxton was a close friend to actor Michael Landon, with whom he worked on the NBC-TV series Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie and then Highway to Heaven, and who also enjoyed the This is the Life series, which Claxton was involved with. Claxton also directed the feature-length series pilot Bonanza: The Next Generation (1988).
Fotos
Filme (42)
Little House on the Prairie: A Merry Ingalls Christmas
2014 · Director
Bonanza: The Next Generation
1988 · Director
The Canterville Ghost
1985 · Director
Territorial Men
1976 · Director
Night of the Lepus
1972 · Director
A Letter to Nancy
1965 · Director
Stage to Thunder Rock
1964 · Director
Law of the Lawless
1964 · Director
Desire in the Dust
1960 · Director, Producer
Young Jesse James
1960 · Director
I'll Give My Life
1960 · Director
Pay the Piper
1959 · Director
God's Christmas Gift
1958 · Director
Teenage Challenge
1958 · Director
Young and Dangerous
1957 · Director
Rockabilly Baby
1957 · Director, Producer
The Quiet Gun
1957 · Director
God Is My Partner
1957 · Director
Stagecoach to Fury
1956 · Director
The Christmas Spirit
1956 · Director
This My Son
1954 · Director
Fangs of the Wild
1954 · Director
Giving Thanks Always
1953 · Director
All That I Have
1951 · Director
Does Christ Live in Your Home?
1951 · Director
Home Town Story
1951 · Editor
Tucson
1949 · Director
Miss Mink of 1949
1949 · Supervising Editor, Editor
Night Wind
1948 · Editor
Fighting Back
1948 · Editor
Arthur Takes Over
1948 · Supervising Editor
Half Past Midnight
1948 · Director
Dangerous Years
1947 · Supervising Editor
The Invisible Wall
1947 · Editor, Supervising Editor
The Crimson Key
1947 · Editor
Backlash
1947 · Editor
Dangerous Millions
1946 · Editor
Strange Journey
1946 · Editor
Deadline for Murder
1946 · Editor
The Corsican Brothers
1942 · Editor
International Lady
1941 · Editor
Kit Carson
1940 · Editor
Serien (14)
Highway to Heaven
1984 · Director, Creator
Fame
1982 · Director
Father Murphy
1981 · Director
Shirley
1979 · Director
Dallas
1978 · Director
Little House on the Prairie
1974 · Director, Producer
The Cowboys
1974 · Director
The Rookies
1972 · Director
The High Chaparral
1967 · Director, Producer
Route 66
1960 · Director
The Twilight Zone
1959 · Director
Law of the Plainsman
1959 · Director
Black Saddle
1959 · Director
The Rifleman
1958 · Director