American second-feature director and occasional producer. Began as a scenario writer in 1916. In the course of a half-century-long career he
turned out scores of low-budget westerns, melodramas and serials, including the classic
Buck Rogers (1939) and
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940). Until 1934 he worked primarily for independent producers and Poverty Row companies like Mascot. After a brief spell at Columbia, he spent the better part of his career at Universal (1936-45) and Monogram (1947-52), where he directed various installments of the "Bomba the Jungle Boy" series.