Henry MacRae facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Henry MacRae
MacRae in 1921
Born	August 29, 1876 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died	October 2, 1944(1944-10-02) (aged 68) Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA
Occupation	Film director screenwriter film producer

Henry Alexander MacRae (born August 29, 1876 – died October 2, 1944) was a talented Canadian filmmaker. He worked as a film director, producer, and screenwriter during the early days of movies, when most films didn't have sound. He made many exciting film series, called "serials," for Universal Studios.

Henry MacRae was one of many Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood. He was known for creating new ways to make movies. For example, he used artificial lights for indoor scenes, invented the wind machine to create wind effects, and used double exposures to show two images at once. He also helped make it possible to film at night.

A Pioneer in Filmmaking

Henry MacRae was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on August 29, 1876. He passed away in Beverly Hills, California, USA, on October 2, 1944, when he was 68 years old.

Directing Many Movies

Henry MacRae was very busy as a director from 1912 to 1933. During this time, he made over 130 films! Most of these were "silent films," meaning they had no spoken dialogue, only music and sometimes text on screen.

He directed many westerns and adventure movies. He also directed a special film called Miss Suwanna of Siam in 1923. This movie was a unique project because it was the first time a film was made together by filmmakers from Thailand and Hollywood.

Bringing Sound to Serials

In 1929, Henry MacRae directed his first "talkie," which was a movie with sound. This was the very first Tarzan movie to have sound, called Tarzan the Tiger.

He also directed several westerns starring famous actors like Hoot Gibson and Tom Mix. He even directed movies featuring a popular animal star, Rex the Wonder Horse.

Producing Exciting Serials

Later in his career, in the 1940s, Henry MacRae worked as a producer. He helped create thrilling film serials like The Green Hornet and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe. These serials were like early TV shows, with new episodes released weekly, often ending on a cliffhanger!

Selected Film Serials and Movies

Henry MacRae worked on many memorable films and serials. Here are a few examples: