Frank Craven (24 August 1881 – 1 September 1945) was an American stage and film actor, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for originating the role of the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder's Our Town.Craven was a character actor who often portrayed wry, small-town figures. His first film role was in "We Americans" (1928), and he appeared in State Fair (1933), Penrod and Sam (1937), Jack London (1943), and Son of Dracula (1943), among many others. He wrote numerous screenplays, most notably for the Laurel and Hardy film Sons of the Desert (1933). His IMDB biography credits him with 16 writing credits and 2 directing credits.In 1938, Craven played the Stage Manager in Our Town on Broadway, and reprised the role in the 1940 film version of the play. His son John Craven starred as George Gibbs in the stage version, a role played by William Holden in the 1940 film.Craven died in 1945, shortly after finishing his work in Colonel Effingham's Raid.
For several years during the silent film era, Craven -- who had made his reputation in domestic comedies on Broadway -- had pestered Harold Lloyd to let him to sit in on the gag-writing sessions Lloyd held to write his movies. Craven wanted to make a contribution to Lloyd's movies, but after a particularly harrowing session with Lloyd's writers, who tossed gag ideas about at the tops of their voices, Craven admitted that slapstick wasn't his brand of humor and returned to Broadway.
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