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Malcolm St. Clair (filmmaker)

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Malcolm St. Clair (May 17, 1897 – June 1, 1952) was a Hollywood film director, writer, producer and actor.[1]

Malcolm St. Clair
St. Clair, circa 1940, 20th Century Fox
Born(1897-05-17)May 17, 1897
DiedJune 1, 1952(1952-06-01) (aged 55)
Occupation(s)Film director, writer, producer, and actor
Notable workYankee Doodle in Berlin

St. Clair’s film career spanned the silent and sound era during the Hollywood Golden Age. His work is characterized by a “dynamic visual style” evident in all the genres he treated.[2]

The zenith of St. Clair’s filmmaking occurred during the silent film era, demonstrating his flexibility in wielding the medium as a director of comedies. His films included slapstick for Sennett, outrageous gag routines with Keaton and sophisticated comic-romances for Paramount.[3]

His performance as a director declined with the advent of sound, suffering from the increased censorship, and his difficulty adapting to a less mobile camera and studio editing of his work. His later films were often limited to B movie “family” comedies, such as the Jones Family series, Lum and Abner and the later Laurel and Hardy features.[4]

Most of St. Clair's silent films are lost or have limited access in archives.[5]

Biography

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Woodcut of St. Clair

Hired by comedy pioneer Mack Sennett, St. Clair was an actor in many films, primarily comedies. At 6' 3" he can be seen in such Sennett films as Yankee Doodle in Berlin, towering over the other actors, playing Crown Prince Wilhelm. He later directed almost 100 films, as well as producing five others, between 1915 and 1948.[1] His brother, Eric St. Clair, was a writer and actor.[6]

Between assignments at Sennett, St. Clair worked for the Buster Keaton company, serving as actor and co-director.

St. Clair joined 20th Century-Fox in 1936 and directed an assortment of comedies and dramas, including the Jones Family series of domestic comedies and a Milton Berle feature. He also accepted freelance assignments, including two Lum and Abner features. Mal St. Clair is perhaps best known as the director of four Laurel and Hardy comedies, released by Fox between June 1943 and May 1945.

Fox closed its B unit in December 1944,[7] leaving St. Clair inactive unt il 1948, when he directed two low-budget features for Fox release. In 1950, he wanted to direct Buster Keaton in a television series, but ill health prevented him from directing again.[8]

He died on June 1, 1952, at age 55.

Filmography[9]

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Actor

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Triangle Keystone

Note: All films as actor were made at Triangle-Keystone studios.[10]

  • My Valet (1915)
  • Dollars and Sense” (1916)
  • A la Cabaret (1916)
  • Her Circus Knight (1917)
  • “The Camera Cure” (1917)
  • His Perfect Day (1917)
  • An Innocent Villain” (1917)
  • Their Domestic Deception (1917)
  • His Baby Doll (1917)
  • Lost - A Cook (1917)
  • Yankee Doodle in Berlin (1919)

Director

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Film studios are listed next to each film title.[11]

Silent films

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1919

  • Rip & Stitch Tailors - Triangle-Keystone
  • The Little Widow - Triangle-Keystone
  • No Mother to Guide Him - Triangle-Keystone

1920

  • He Loved Like He Lied - Rainbow/ Universal
  • Young Man’s Fancy - Triangle-Keystone
  • A Kitchen Cinderella - Triangle-Keystone
  • Welcome Home - Reelcraft

1921

1922

1923

  • Fighting Blood - FBO

1924

1925

1926

1927

1928

1929

Sound films

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1929

1930

1931

1933

1936

1937

1938

1939

1940

1942

1943

1944

1945

1948

References

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  1. ^ a b Dwyer, Rauth Anne (March 20, 1997). Malcolm St. Clair: His Films 1915–1948. The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-2709-7.
  2. ^ Dwyer, 1996 p 1, p. 2: “...the peak of his career in 1926…” And p. 5: On Keaton
  3. ^ Dwyer, 1996 p 1, p. 2: “...the peak of his career in 1926…” And p. 5: On Keaton
  4. ^ Dwyer, 1996 p. 2: “...his career as a ‘B’ director in the 1930s at 20th Century Fox…” And p. 160-161
  5. ^ Dwyer, 1996 p. 2: “many films are lost, and some, surviving only on delicate nitrate stock, are unavailable for viewing.” And p. 160
  6. ^ Vazzana, Eugene Michael (July 16, 2001). Silent Film Necrology. McFarland & Company. p. 464. ISBN 978-0-7864-1059-0.
  7. ^ Scott MacGillivray, Laurel & Hardy: From the Forties Forward, Second Edition, iUniverse, 2009, p. 160. ISBN 978-1-4401-7237-3
  8. ^ Erickson, Hal (2014). "Malcolm St Clair". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  9. ^ Dwyer, 1996 pp. xiii-xviii: List of Film Titles, studio, chronological
  10. ^ Dwyer, 1996 pp. xiii-xviii: List of Film Titles, chronological
  11. ^ Dwyer, 1996 pp. xiii-xviii: List of Film Titles and studios, chronological
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