Clifton Crawford(1875-1920)

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to a theatrical family that comprised in part the troupe known as the Crawford-Hunter Party, Clifton Crawford spent most of his childhood traveling throughout Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. When his father realized Clifton had musical talent and perhaps a need for some greater stability than he was getting on the road, Clifton was apprenticed to a Presbyterian Church in Scotland to learn the trade of a church organist. He did well in that profession until the pastor overheard him practicing dance music on the church organ and summarily dismissed him. Without much in the way of viable prospects for his skills in Great Britain, he sailed for America where he had a sister and a chance at performing in vaudeville. He lasted two weeks at Keith's Theatre before parlaying his Scottish roots into a gig as a golf instructor. It seems that in some circles the Scottish were viewed as golf naturals and Clifton, true to form, was able to learn the game quickly and demonstrate reputable and marketable skill in the game at several golf clubs in New England. His true passion, however, was still the stage and, while not on the links, entertained club members with his musical abilities. Robert Barnet saw one of Clifton's performances and invited him to apply his musical skills to writing music for a show Mr. Barnet was then putting together for a group of amateur performers, a musical troupe formed from a voluntary Boston militia know as the First Corps of Cadets or, simply, the Boston Cadets. The show was "Miss Simplicity" and was eventually produced professionally on Broadway at the Casino Theatre in 1902, wherein Clifton also garnered a role as part of the chorus. This role lead to other Broadway works: e.g. "Foxy Grandpa" (his first speaking role in the 1902 production at Haverly's 14th Street Theatre), "The Three Twins" (his breakout role in 1908 at the Hearld Square Theatre where he wowed the audience with a recitation of Rudyard Kipling's "Gunga Din"), and "The Quaker Girl" (his first starring role occurring at the Park Theatre). There are only two entries in his resume for work in front of a camera: Animated Weekly, No. 43 (1913) (a newsreel wherein he portrays himself as a stage star) and The Galloper (1915) (based on the 1906 Broadway production of the same name, a play that revolves around the Greco-Turkish war in 1897). Clifton's last Broadway play was the 1920 Harry Frazee production of "My Lady Friends" (Mr. Frazee, you might recall, was also the owner of the Boston Red Sox, the man who sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for, among other reasons, the revenue to finance the production of "My Lady Friends"). The play was well received and slated for a good run until Clifton set off for England to fulfill a previous commitment on the London stage. He was due back 1 July 1920 to resume his role in "My Lady Friends." But on 3 June 1920 he fell from his 4th floor hotel room to his death. The death was ruled accidental; he was apparently under the influence of sedatives presumably to relax from a rather tense, hectic schedule. "My Lady Friends" closed permanently, but returned to the stage in 1925 as a musical titled "No, No, Nanette." It, too, was produced by Harry Frazee and had a much better outcome.