James Crane (actor)

James Lyon Crane (1889–1968) was an American stage and screen actor.

James Crane
Crane, pointing, with Billie Burke in The Misleading Widow 1919
Born
James Lyon Crane

August 9, 1889
Rantoul, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJune 3, 1968(1968-06-03) (aged 78)
San Gabriel, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
SpouseAlice Brady (m.1919–div.1922)
Children1

Early years

Crane was born in Rantoul, Illinois, and was the son of writer Frank Crane, who left the ministry and became an editorial writer for The New York Globe. He attended Bowdoin College and Williams College. During summer vacations, he began acting with stock companies in Worcester, Massachusetts.[1]

Career

Crane's New York debut came in The Price at the Hudson Theatre, after which he spent three years in stock theater, including having his own troupes in four cities.[1] His Broadway credits included The Varying Shore (1921), Odd Man Out (1925), All Dressed Up (1925), Black Cockatoo (1926), Lost (1927), and Revelry (1927).[2] In 1930, Crane signed with First National to make the film One Night at Susie's.[3]

Personal life

Crane was married to actress Alice Brady from 1919 to 1922. Together they had a son Donald Crane. He began in films in 1919 with one of his last films being the classic horror movie The Mummy (1932).[4][5]

Arrest

On April 27, 1927, Crane was arrested for having a handgun in his hotel room in New York City, a violation of the state's Sullivan Act. He said that the gun was one that he had used in theatrical productions.[6] He was acquitted on June 17, 1927, after he reiterated the entertainment use of the weapon, saying that his valet had packed the pistol by mistake after a theatrical engagement ended. The patrolman who arrested him said the automatic pistol's magazine was missing.[7]

Filmography

References
  1. "James Crane, the Actor". The Standard Union. New York, Brooklyn. February 6, 1921. p. 29. Retrieved July 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "James L. Crane". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  3. "James Crane Signed". The Tampa Tribune. February 6, 1930. p. 15. Retrieved July 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. James Crane bio; allmovie.com
  5. Silent Film Necrology, p110 2nd Edition c.2001 by Eugene Michael Vazzana ISBN 0-7864-1059-0
  6. "Dr. Crane's son held". The New York Times. May 11, 1927. p. 17. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  7. "Pistol a Stage Property". The New York Times. June 18, 1927. p. 15. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
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