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and thus was among the first
Columbia serials in decades to be available for reappraisal. Latter-day serial fans and authors marveled at Horne's devil-may-care style, with tongue-in-cheek dialogue, quietly comic incongruities in the background, and six-against-one brawls photographed slightly faster
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Horne, now able to experiment with the usual serial format, freely indulged his sense of humor. He had his actors play their roles straight for the first three chapters; these would be the sample episodes used to sell the serial to exhibitors. Then, starting with
Chapter 4, Horne would stray farther
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defended Horne's approach: "Serial purists understandably resented this and have never liked Horne's serials. Yet he was too good a director, too much a past master of silent and sound comedy not to know precisely what he was doing... Playing them for comedy didn't make them better, but it did keep
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than normal. As author Alan G. Barbour observed, " set serial fans' funny bones in motion with their ludicrous sight gags and ridiculous situations (i.e., gangsters playing jacks, hanging out their laundry, wearing silly party hats, etc.)." Film historian
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Horne left Roach in 1932 during an economic downturn that eliminated many jobs. He returned to
Universal and directed the studio's now-obscure two-reel comedies for the next two years. When Universal closed its comedy unit, Horne worked briefly at
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Horne wrote: “Mr. Griffith’s great success has been in the simplicity, the reality, of his stories. Real human existence is in every one of his pictures. He is my master, and I am not ashamed to say I that I would imitate him as much as possible.”
266:“I feel the cameraman must be given equal credit with the director in any production. He can make or break the feature. While the director is watching the action, the cameraman has a hundred technical details to observe.” —Director James Horne in
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them lively, distinctive, and different." Horne did keep the thrill scenes serious enough to satisfy action fans, and many of his cliffhanging perils are staged very effectively. But the overall tone of Horne's serials is mock-serious, with
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The death of Horne's producer Larry
Darmour in March 1942 presaged the end of Columbia's irreverent serials. Horne himself died three months later on June 29, 1942, of a cerebral hemorrhage following a stroke. He was interred in the
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This solidified Horne's position in
Columbia's serial squad, and he directed Columbia cliffhangers exclusively for the rest of his life. His first two Columbia serials, directed in partnership with action specialist
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as a masked crimefighter. Today it is regarded as
Columbia's best serial; when first released, it was the most popular serial of 1938. It surpassed such well-received serials as
338:"Adventure Serials", but by 1938 Columbia wanted to produce serials with its own actors, technicians, and facilities. Former serial specialist James Horne co-directed
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Regarding speed and efficiency as a virtue in delivering quality films, Horne wrote “everyone works better under a bit of speed pressure than when taking one’s time.”
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In 1937 Columbia, noting the popularity of serials, decided to enter the field. At first the studio found it easier to release the independent productions of the
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and farther from the straight melodramatic path, encouraging his actors to exaggerate with overly dramatic readings, and staging larger-than-life fight scenes.
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When talking pictures arrived, Horne displayed an aptitude for directing Roach's foreign-language versions; the
American version might be staged by
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ranks James Horne among “the most important
American serial directors” during the heyday of serial production of the early to late teens. Horne’s
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late that year. Horne specialized in staging thrill scenes for features and serials. On the strength of Horne's work in
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Horne's collaboration with Keaton now established him as a comedy director. He signed with the all-comedy
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in 1913 and directed his first film for the company two years later. He then specialized in multi-chapter
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202:(1915) is among his most outstanding works in this genre. His other notable serials include
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Koszarski, 1976 p. 29: “early to late teens” i.e., from 1912-1920.
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Koszarski, 1976 p. 30: From his
February 1916 Photoplay essay.
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Kalem discontinued operations in 1917 when it was sold to the
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American actor, screenwriter, and film director (1881–1942)
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company. Horne remained in the serial field, signing with
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James Horne began his career as an actor under director
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Horne was among the most talented American directors of
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by a wide margin, according to a tally published in
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studio, where he worked with Roach's leading stars,
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773:(1915) - Jack Green - Westcott's Secretary
242:hired him to direct Keaton's 1927 comedy
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985:, Midnight Marquee Press, 2016, p. 263.
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449:Horne was featured briefly in the 2018
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906:(1929)...arguably best short” And: “
299:(credited to "J. Wesley Horne") and
293:. Horne's Laurel and Hardy comedies
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139:(1916-1942) (his death) (2 children)
97:Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
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440:Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery
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910:(1937)...arguably best feature.”
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44:Who's Who in the Film World
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1504:Holt of the Secret Service
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19:Not to be confused with
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235:Cruise of the Jasper B
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767:(1914) - Piano Player
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444:Glendale, California
1320:When the Wind Blows
1264:Youth and Adventure
856:Motion Picture News
765:The Invisible Power
702:; co-directed with
625:When the Wind Blows
553:Youth and Adventure
1488:The Spider Returns
1400:Thicker than Water
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1208:Blow Your Own Horn
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497:Blow Your Own Horn
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357:Dick Tracy Returns
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146:James Wesley Horne
21:James Welton Horne
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595:Black Butterflies
489:Dangerous Pastime
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330:Return to serials
324:Columbia Pictures
196:Richard Koszarski
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1055:Find a Grave
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154:screenwriter
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137:Cleo Ridgely
117:screenwriter
79:(1942-06-29)
43:
1573:1942 deaths
1568:1881 births
1480:White Eagle
1392:Mister Mugg
1296:The Big Hop
1272:Wife Tamers
957:Cliffhanger
771:The Pitfall
723:White Eagle
716:Victor Jory
700:Warren Hull
587:The Big Hop
382:(Dec. 1915)
351:Buck Rogers
346:Warren Hull
344:, starring
336:Weiss Bros.
194:Biographer
169:World War I
103:Occupations
1537:Categories
1448:The Shadow
1376:Beau Hunks
1360:Come Clean
1000:References
786:Beau Hunks
728:Buck Jones
711:The Shadow
704:Ray Taylor
652:Andy Clyde
637:Beau Hunks
389:Ray Taylor
308:Beau Hunks
175:Silent era
58:1881-12-14
1104:Stingaree
1008:. 1976. H
920:Ted Okuda
882:Photoplay
778:Stingaree
740:Jack Holt
380:Photoplay
279:Hal Roach
269:Photoplay
226:Vitagraph
209:Stingaree
128:1915-1942
42:Horne in
1352:Our Wife
1120:Hands Up
871:(1927).”
630:Our Gang
614:High C's
476:Director
291:Our Gang
218:(1916).
206:(1915),
1336:Be Big!
1288:College
1232:Alimony
1035:at the
869:College
809:. 1917.
575:College
545:Alimony
453:biopic
245:College
189:serials
165:serials
1523:(1942)
1515:(1942)
1507:(1941)
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492:(1922)
484:(1915)
425:Batman
289:, and
156:, and
133:Spouse
87:, U.S.
68:, U.S.
46:, 1914
794:Notes
759:Actor
150:actor
114:actor
1046:IMDb
1017:ISBN
987:ISBN
928:ISBN
364:and
354:and
74:Died
52:Born
1053:at
1044:at
442:in
183:at
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