B.F. Clinton

(b. San Francisco, 29/06/1879 – d. **/**/****) American director. In 1916, a B.F. Clinton came to South Africa to direct three short films for African Film Productions: A Kract Affair, The Water Cure and £20,000. The last of these was released in South Africa in August 1916 and on 25 September 1916 a Benjamin F. Clinton arrived back in the United States from Liverpool. Prior to this Ben F. Clinton directed one of the theatre companies that toured with Girl of the Underworld (1913), appearing at the La Salle Theatre in St. Louis. Some sources also credit a B.F. Clinton with supplying the story for The Enemy’s Baby, a short said to have been directed by D.W. Griffith, but one that is not listed in all of Griffith’s filmographies. Interestingly, between 1911 and 1913 a Mrs. B.F. Clinton, who also used the name Edith Clinton, acted in a number of shorts for Vitagraph, including Charles Kent’s version of Vanity Fair (1911). She may well have been Benjamin F. Clinton’s wife. (FO)

Sources

Le Roux, André I. & Fourie, Lilla – Filmverlede: geskiedenis van die Suid-Afrikaanse speelfilm

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