Raoul Walsh

  1. Warner Baxter, In Old Arizona, 1928. Actor and assistant director on silent movie icon DW Griffith’s The Birth Of A Nation, 1915, Walsh’s acting career ended when losing an eye in (pick your legend) a shooting or car accident. One thing is sure, this happened after a few weeks directing and starring in the first “outdoor all-Talkie”  Western… Irving Cummings finished the film as actors queued to replace Walsh’s  Cisco Kid . First, Buddy Roosevelt (who immediately broke a leg!), then Baxter. Peter Bogdanovich called   Baxter’s performance amateurish. He won an Oscar  for it – after a decade in movies.  Walsh is still visible in long shots (almost a tradition as penny-pinching producers use as much of the old  footage as possible).  He continued his directing career, in his signature black eye-patch.

 Birth year: 1887 Death year: 1980 Other name:  Usual occupation: Film director Casting Calls:  1