various D. W. Griffith projects. Griffith and Joseph Henabery mentored him personally. Although Clifton was an actor with no prior directorial experience, Universal gave him the high-profile assignment of directing Bluebird films. The first film that Clifton bore the sole responsibility for directing was the Bluebird production of The Flame of Youth, released on June 16, 1917. His next film was Midnight Man, released on August 13, 1917. A Stormy Knight, released on September 9, 1917, would only be the third film Clifton directed. The movie starred veteran actor -year-old Franklyn Farnum and -year-old Brownie Vernon. It would become the last film Vernon made with Farnum before he would become a "lone star." Clifton's fifth film was Flirting with Death released on September 18, 1917, attempted to cash in on the previous successful pairing of -year-old Herbert Rawlinson and Vernon. During the filming of Flirting with Death, director Clifton set a new record for scenes in a five-reel film. Clifton was said to have filmed 927 scenes for the film, double the number normally found in a feature film of this length. In November, Universal released Fear Not featuring Rawlinson, directed by Allen Holubar, and reconnected Vernon with Murdock MacQuarrie (in a minor role). Holubar had directed only six films before this feature. The High Sign was released on December 16, 1917, starring Rawlinson and directed by Clifton. An article in The Motion Picture News dated September 29, 1917, states – the set was "one of the costliest settings ever erected for a five-reel motion picture." This movie was the last film Vernon made for Universal. In the mid-teens, the movie industry was realigning itself, including Universal. However, Vernon seemed to be getting all the work she could handle. The back page headline of an article published in The Moving Picture World dated September 15, 1917, read: "Brownie Vernon is a Busy Lady." Vernon's last two films were Butterflies. Many of the trade journals still called them Bluebirds. Some authors have suggested Butterflies were the new "Red Feather" films or that Butterflies were a step below Bluebirds. Universal promoted Bluebird as a prestige division – Butterfly was supposedly a little less prestigious Considering the star power, they assigned to the Butterfly line - "Butterfly's galaxy of stars will be found in the line-up either late in December or in January bills. Ella Hall, Harry Carey, Louise Lovely, Molly Malone, and