Frank Radford "Budge" Crawley, (November 14, 1911 – May 13, 1987) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

film producer,

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. Along with his wife

Judith Crawley Judith Rosemary (Sparks) Crawley (April 21, 1914 – September 16, 1986) was a Canadian film producer, cinematographer, director, and screenwriter. She and her husband Frank Radford "Budge" Crawley co-founded the production company Crawley Fil ...

, he co-founded the production company Crawley Films in 1939."Judith (Rosemary) Sparks Crawley."
''Library and Archives Canada''. Retrieved: April 23, 2016. Crawley is best known for producing the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning documentary ''

The Man Who Skied Down Everest ''The Man Who Skied Down Everest'' is a Canadian documentary about Yuichiro Miura, a Japanese alpinist who skied down Mount Everest in 1970. The film was produced by Crawley Films' "Budge" Crawley and directed by Crawley and Bruce Nyznik. Miur ...

''. During his 40-year career, he produced hundreds of films. Film historian Peter Morris described Crawley as "the Godfather of Canadian film and Canada's answer to

Sam Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (; born Szmuel Gelbfisz; ; July 1879 (most likely; claimed to be August 27, 1882) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer and pioneer in the American film industry, who produce ...

Early life

Frank Radford "Budge" Crawley was born November 14, 1911, in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. His early interest in

filmmaking Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

was shared by his next-door neighbour, Judith Sparks. The pair married on October 1, 1938, beginning a long working relationship as a filmmaking team.

Career

While on their honeymoon, Judith wrote the script and edited ''Île d'Orléans'' (1938), the first film she worked on with her husband. Crawley shot and directed the film that won the Hiram Percy Maxim Award from the

Royal Canadian Geographical Society The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS; French: ''Société géographique royale du Canada'') is a Canadian nonprofit educational organization. It has dedicated itself to spreading a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada, i ...

for Best Amateur Film in 1939, making their collaboration the first Canadian film to receive this type of recognition. Crawley was a pioneer in the creation of an independent Canadian film sector. Although he worked intermittently as an independent filmmaker on contract with the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

(NFB), Crawley chose to work independently rather than with NFB or the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

. Crawley was known for making

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

films with his wife Judith Crawley. Together they owned the Crawley Films company which produced numerous

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

feature films A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film ( motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation ...

television commercial A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

animated cartoon Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

s and other productions. The first

Canadian Film Award The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

(a precursor to the contemporary

Canadian Screen Awards The Canadian Screen Awards () are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series) productions. Given annually by the Academy ...

) in 1949 went to Crawley Films for '' The Loon's Necklace'' (1948), a film based on a

Tsimshian The Tsimshian (; ) are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace, British Columbia, Terrace and ...

legend. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the company grew quickly and provided a great training ground for young Canadian filmmakers eager to launch film careers. At that time, the NFB was the only other major filmmaking body, until CBC television went live in 1952.Siegel. Lois
"Frank Radford 'Budge' Crawley."
''siegelproductions.ca''. Retrieved: April 23, 2016. During the 50 years that the company operated, from 1939 until its sale to Atkinson Film Arts in 1982, Crawley Films made thousands of films and received hundreds of film awards. After separating from her husband in 1965, Judith Crawley founded another film production company with two of her children, Michal and Jennifer."Judith Crawley."
''Canadian Women Film Directors Database''. Retrieved: April 23, 2016.

Awards and recognition

'' won the 1975

for Best Documentary Feature, becoming the first Canadian-produced film to win an Oscar in this category. The Crawleys won several

Canadian Film Awards The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

and a

Special Achievement Genie The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculptor ...

for Outstanding Contributions to the Canadian Film Industry in 1986. In 1977, the

City of Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core of the Ottawa–Gatinea ...

awarded Crawley the Key to the City. In 1980, Crawley was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

"in recognition of a unique contribution to film in Canada". The

Canadian Film Institute The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) () involves Canada in the film production, study, appreciation process of film/moving images for cultural and educational purposes. The Canadian Film Institute organizes ongoing public film programming and artist ...

in Ottawa premiered ''Budge: The One True Happiness of F. R. 'Budge' Crawley'' (2003), a one-hour documentary examining the career of the maverick Canadian film producer, Budge Crawley. The film is based in part on interviews contained in the Information Research Services (IRS) publication: ''Budge: F. R. Crawley and Crawley Films, 1939-1982''. Produced and directed by Michael Ostroff and written by Seaton Findlay, the Cine Metu video was developed in association with

Bravo! Canada CTV Drama Channel is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Bell Media. The channel primarily broadcasts drama series and films. The channel was founded as the Canadian version of the American channel Bravo (which ...

for broadcast."Budge: The One True Happiness of F. R. 'Budge' Crawley."
''Telefilm'', 2003. Retrieved: April 23, 2016.

Partial filmography

* 1938: '' Ile d'Orléans'' * 1942: '' Quebec – Path of Conquest'' * 1948: '' The Loon's Necklace'' * 1950: ''

Newfoundland Scene ''Newfoundland Scene: A Tale of Outport Adventure'' is a 1951 Canadian documentary film, directed by F. R. Crawley. The film, which was sponsored by Imperial Oil, was shot in 1949 to mark the admission of Newfoundland to Canadian Confederation a ...

'' * 1953: ''The Power Within'' * 1958: ''

The Legend of the Raven ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' ...

'' * 1961: ''

Tales of the Wizard of Oz ''Tales of the Wizard of Oz'' is a 1961 animated television series produced by Crawley Films for Videocraft (later known as Rankin/Bass Productions). This is the second animated series produced by the studio and the first by Rankin/Bass to featur ...

'' (animated series for Videocraft-

Rankin/Bass Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City. It was known for its seasonal television specials, ...

) * 1963: ''

Amanita Pestilens ''Amanita Pestilens'' is a 1963 Canadian-American psychological horror-fantasy /drama film produced by F. R. Crawley, and directed by René Bonnière. It was "the first Canadian feature film to be shot in both English and French with the sam ...

'' * 1963: ''Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD)'' * 1964: '' The Luck of Ginger Coffey'' * 1964: '' Return to Oz (television special)'' (for Videocraft-

) * 1966: '' 1966 Marine Drive'' * 1967: ''The Entertainers'' * 1971: ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' (television) * 1972: ''

The Rowdyman ''The Rowdyman'' is a 1972 comedy film with moralistic overtones, set in Newfoundland.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 185. It was written by and starred native Newfoundlander Gordon Pinsent. The film is ab ...

'' (

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

) * 1973: '' August and July'' * 1975: ''

'' * 1975: '' Janis'' * 1982: ''

Heartland Reggae Heartland or Heartlands may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Heartland Bank, a New Zealand-based financial institution * Heartland Inn, a chain of hotels based in Iowa, United States * Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization i ...

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Armatage, Kay, Kass Banning, Brenda Longfellow and

Janine Marchessault Janine Marchessault is a professor of Cinema and Media Studies and Canada Research Chair (2003-2013) at York University in Toronto, Canada. Her main fields of research are Ecologies of Media and Mediation, (sub)urban cultures, the works of Mars ...

, eds. ''Gendering the Nation: Canadian Women's Cinema''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999. . * Khouri, Malek. ''Filming Politics: Communism and the Portrayal of the Working Class at the National Film Board of Canada, 1939-46.'' Calgary, Alberta, Canada: University of Calgary Press, 2007. . * McInnes, Graham. ''One Man's Documentary: A Memoir of the Early Years of the National Film Board''. Winnipeg, Manitoba: University of Manitoba, 2004. . * Morris, Peter. ''The Film Companion''. Toronto, Ontario: Clarke, Irwin & Company, 1984. . * Rose Wade, Barbara. ''Budge: What Happened to Canada's King of Film''. Toronto:

ECW Press ECW Press is a Canadian book publisher located in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded by Jack David and Robert Lecker in 1974 as a Canada, Canadian literary magazine named ''Essays on Canadian Writing''. They started publishing trade and scholar ...

, 1998. . * Wise, Wyndham.
''Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film''.
Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2015. .

External links

Northern Stars: Frank "Budge" Crawley
*
The Canadian Encyclopedia: Frank Radford Crawley
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crawley, F.R. 1911 births 1987 deaths Film producers from Ontario Canadian cinema pioneers Officers of the Order of Canada Film directors from Ottawa Producers of Best Picture Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Canadian film production company founders