Biography
Raymond Edgar Taylor (1 December 1888 β 15 February 1952) was an American film director. He directed 159 films between 1926 and 1949. His debut was the 1926 film serial Fighting with Buffalo Bill.
Ray Taylor was one of the few Hollywood directors who specialized in a single type of film: he was an action specialist. Many action directors would be called upon at one time or another to helm a mainstream drama, romance, or mystery, but Ray Taylor established himself early in westerns and action fare, and he worked in this capacity throughout his career. Even a brief tenure directing the campus-capers "Collegians" shorts for Universal was appropriate for Taylor, as these two-reel subjects often emphasized visual action.
In the 1920s he worked for Fox as an assistant, and soon moved to Universal, where he was given a chance to direct. His effective staging of action scenes earned him a permanent berth at Universal, where he was entrusted with the studio's popular westerns and serials. The project that won Taylor the most notice was Flash Gordon, the Buster Crabbe serial that was phenomenally successful in theaters; unlike most serials that were reserved for weekend juvenile matinees, Flash Gordon played to adult audiences on weeknights alongside prestigious feature films.
Taylor's success with Flash Gordon earned him an invitation to direct serials for Republic Pictures, but his stay was short. Taylor's assistant, William Witney, recalled in his 1996 memoir that Taylor had a drinking problem, which caused him to miss too much work. This was inexcusable on Republic's tight production schedules, and Witney was promoted to full-time director, replacing Taylor.
Taylor's reputation for quality work took precedence over his personal problem, and in 1938 he joined Columbia's new serial unit to co-direct The Spider's Web with James W. Horne. Taylor and Horne joined forces to create one of the best serials of all time; it was easily the most popular serial of 1938, according to a tally of theater bookings. Taylor's Columbia stay was also relatively brief; he returned to his home base at Universal.
Universal kept Taylor extremely busy with westerns and serials for the next six years. Perhaps his best Universal serial is Gang Busters, an action-packed police procedural and, like Flash Gordon, a bid for adult audiences. When Universal had a change of management in 1946, it discontinued its "B" pictures, westerns, and serials, leaving Taylor idle.
For the rest of his career Ray Taylor worked in the movies' minor leagues, making western features for PRC (which shut down in 1947) and Monogram Pictures. He retired in 1949 and died in 1952.
Filmography
all 130
Movies 130
Director 128
Writer 1
The Naked Bunyip (1970)
Spaceship to the Unknown (1966)
Purple Death from Outer Space (1966)
Jungle Safari (1956)
Range Justice (1949)
West of El Dorado (1949)
Son of a Badman (1949)
Son of Billy the Kid (1949)
Law of the West (1949)
Shadows of the West (1949)
Crashing Thru (1949)
Outlaw Country (1949)
Frontier Revenge (1948)
Hidden Danger (1948)
Gunning for Justice (1948)
Dead Man's Gold (1948)
Mark of the Lash (1948)
The Return of Wildfire (1948)
The Tioga Kid (1948)
The Hawk of Powder River (1948)
The Westward Trail (1948)
Tornado Range (1948)
Check Your Guns (1948)
Cheyenne Takes Over (1947)
Shadow Valley (1947)
The Fighting Vigilantes (1947)
Black Hills (1947)
Return of the Lash (1947)
Stage to Mesa City (1947)
Michigan Kid (1947)
Ghost Town Renegades (1947)
Pioneer Justice (1947)
The Vigilantes Return (1947)
Border Feud (1947)
West to Glory (1947)
Range Beyond the Blue (1947)
Law of the Lash (1947)
Wild Country (1947)
Lost City of the Jungle (1946)
The Scarlet Horseman (1946)
The Daltons Ride Again (1945)
The Royal Mounted Rides Again (1945)
Secret Agent X-9 (1945)
The Master Key (1945)
Jungle Queen (1945)
Mystery of the Riverboat (1944)
Raiders of Ghost City (1944)
Boss of Boomtown (1944)
The Great Alaskan Mystery (1944)
Adventures of the Flying Cadets (1943)
The Lone Star Trail (1943)
Cheyenne Roundup (1943)
Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (1943)
The Adventures of Smilin' Jack (1943)
Mug Town (1942)
Destination Unknown (1942)
Dead End Kids Go To War (1942)
Junior G-Men of the Air (1942)
Gang Busters (1942)
Stagecoach Buckaroo (1942)
Treat 'Em Rough (1942)
Don Winslow of the Navy (1942)
Fighting Bill Fargo (1941)
Man from Montana (1941)
Rawhide Rangers (1941)
Riders of Death Valley (1941)
Law of the Range (1941)
Sky Raiders (1941)
Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie (1941)
Pony Post (1940)
Law and Order (1940)
Ragtime Cowboy Joe (1940)
Winners of the West (1940)
Bad Man from Red Butte (1940)
Riders of Pasco Basin (1940)
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)
Boss of Bullion City (1940)
West of Carson City (1940)
The Green Hornet (1940)
Flying G-Men (1939)
Scouts to the Rescue (1939)
The Spider's Web (1938)
Panamint's Bad Man (1938)
Flaming Frontiers (1938)
Rawhide (1938)
Rocket Ship (1938)
Frontier Town (1938)
Hawaiian Buckaroo (1938)
Sudden Bill Dorn (1937)
Tex Rides with the Boy Scouts (1937)
Boss of Lonely Valley (1937)
The Mystery of the Hooded Horsemen (1937)
Raw Timber (1937)
Drums of Destiny (1937)
The Painted Stallion (1937)
Dick Tracy (1937)
Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island (1936)
The Three Mesquiteers (1936)
The Vigilantes Are Coming (1936)
The Phantom Rider (1936)
The Cowboy and the Kid (1936)
Flash Gordon (1936)
Silver Spurs (1936)
Sunset of Power (1936)
The Ivory-Handled Gun (1935)
Tailspin Tommy in The Great Air Mystery (1935)
The Throwback (1935)
Outlawed Guns (1935)
The Roaring West (1935)
Chandu on the Magic Island (1935)
The Fighting Trooper (1934)
The Return of Chandu (1934)
Pirate Treasure (1934)
Perils of Pauline (1933)
Gordon of Ghost City (1933)
The Phantom of the Air (1933)
Jungle Mystery (1932)
Heroes of the West (1932)
The Airmail Mystery (1932)
Detective Lloyd (1932)
Battling with Buffalo Bill (1931)
The One Way Trail (1931)
Schoolmates (1930)
The Jade Box (1930)
The Ace of Scotland Yard (1929)
Come Across (1929)
Eyes of the Underworld (1929)
Tarzan the Mighty (1928)
The Vanishing Rider (1928)
The Courage of Collins (1927)
Ratings
Information
Known ForDirecting
GenderMale
Birthday1888-12-01
Deathday1952-02-15 (63 years old)
Birth PlacePerham, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
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