Christy Cabanne was, along with
Sam Newfield and
William Beaudine, one of the most
prolific directors in the history of American films.
Cabanne spent several years in the
navy, leaving the service in 1908. He decided on a career in the
theater, and became a director as well as an actor. Although acting was
his primary profession, when he finally broke into the film business it
was as a director. He joined the Fine Arts Co., then was employed as an
assistant to D.W. Griffith. Being
a published author, he found himself hired by Metro Pictures to write a
serial. After that he formed his own production company, but shut it
down a few years later and became a director for hire, mainly of low-
to medium-budget films for such studios as FBO, Associated Exhibitors,
Tiffany and Pathe. Although he worked in the rarefied atmosphere at MGM
on a few occasions, he was usually to be found toiling away at the
lower end of lower-level studios. In the 1930s his fortunes picked up a
bit and he did quite a bit of work at Universal, but from there his
career nosedived and he ended up cranking out cheap westerns, shoddy
jungle pictures and limp horror films for the likes of Monogram, PRC
and Screen Guild.
