William F. Claxton

Biography

William Francis Claxton (October 22, 1914 – February 11, 1996) was an American film and television producer, editor and director. He made a number of films for Robert L. Lippert. He also directed and produced episodes of Bonanza, the NBC-TV series Little House on the Prairie, and also directed episodes of the NBC-TV series Father Murphy, The Rifleman, The Twilight Zone, Fame, and The High Chaparral. Claxton got his start in Hollywood as a film editor in the 1940s, where he was employed an editor for Edward Small Productions, as he would move into directing of second feature films by 1950s and 1960s, and also delve into television directing during this period. During World War II, Claxton served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps as a captain. Claxton worked under Frank Capra as a film editor on the Why We Fight series. Claxton worked alongside Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) in the animation and film department of the U.S. Army. Claxton's very first directorial effort was 1951's All That I Can Have. Claxton, who is best known for his TV work, enjoyed a long stint as producer/director of the syndicated Christian anthology series This is the Life (which was his first work in TV) from …

Directed

1. The Twilight Zone (1959) — Director
2. Little House on the Prairie (1974) — Director
3. Dallas (1978) — Director
4. Highway to Heaven (1984) — Director
5. Night of the Lepus (1972) — Director
6. Fame (1982) — Director
7. The Rifleman (1958) — Director
8. The High Chaparral (1967) — Director
9. The Rookies (1972) — Director
10. Route 66 (1960) — Director
11. Law of the Lawless (1964) — Director
12. Father Murphy (1981) — Director
13. The Quiet Gun (1957) — Director
14. Stagecoach To Fury (1956) — Director
15. Stage to Thunder Rock (1964) — Director
16. Young Jesse James (1960) — Director
17. Desire in the Dust (1960) — Director
18. Little House on the Prairie: A Merry Ingalls Christmas (2014) — Director
19. Black Saddle (1959) — Director
20. Young and Dangerous (1957) — Director
21. The Canterville Ghost (1985) — Director
22. Rockabilly Baby (1957) — Director
23. Bonanza: The Next Generation (1988) — Director
24. Law of the Plainsman (1959) — Director
25. The Cowboys (1974) — Director
26. Half Past Midnight (1948) — Director
27. Fangs of the Wild (1954) — Director
28. God Is My Partner (1957) — Director
29. Tucson (1949) — Director
30. All That I Have (1951) — Director
31. I'll Give My Life (1960) — Director
32. Shirley (1979) — Director
33. A Letter to Nancy (1965) — Director
34. The Christmas Spirit (1956) — Director
35. God's Christmas Gift (1958) — Director
36. Territorial Men (1976) — Director
37. Does Christ Live in Your Home? (1951) — Director
38. Teenage Challenge (1958) — Director
39. Giving Thanks Always (1953) — Director
40. This My Son (1954) — Director