James C. Crane

James C. Crane, born James Lyon Crane on August 8, 1889, in Rantoul, Illinois, was an American actor whose career spanned stage and screen across several decades. He died on June 3, 1968. His father was Frank Crane, a writer who left the ministry to work as an editorial writer for The New York Globe. Crane attended both Bowdoin College and Williams College, and during summer breaks from his studies he began building his acting experience with stock companies in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Crane made his New York stage debut in The Price at the Hudson Theatre. Following that appearance, he spent three years working in stock theater, during which time he operated his own troupes in four cities. His Broadway career included productions across the 1920s, among them The Varying Shore in 1921, The Stairs in 1922, Odd Man Out and All Dressed Up in 1925, Black Cockatoo in 1926, and both Lost and Revelry in 1927.

Crane's film work began in 1919, with early screen appearances including His Bridal Night, The Misleading Widow, Sadie Love, Wanted: A Husband, and Sinners. His later film credits included The Drake Case in 1929, One Night at Susie's in 1930, for which he signed with First National Pictures, Dude Ranch in 1931, and several 1932 releases including Two Kinds of Women, Lady and Gent, and the classic horror film The Mummy. He also appeared in Good Dame in 1934 and The Amazing Mr. Williams in 1939, both in uncredited roles.

In his personal life, Crane was married to actress Alice Brady from 1919 to 1922, and together they had a son named Donald Crane. In April 1927, Crane was arrested in his New York City hotel room for possession of a handgun, a violation of the state's Sullivan Act. He maintained that the pistol was a prop used in theatrical productions and that his valet had inadvertently packed it following the close of an engagement. The arresting patrolman noted that the automatic pistol's magazine was absent. Crane was acquitted on June 17, 1927.