Edward Francis Cline (November 4, 1891 – May 22, 1961) was an American screenwriter, actor, writer and director best known for his work with comedians W.C. Fields and Buster Keaton.

[1] When Buster Keaton began making his own shorts, after having worked with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle for years, he hired Cline as his co-director.

Years later, he emerges from the hole which his fall created, accompanied by a Chinese wife and two small Chinese-American children.

[1] Although he worked mostly in comedy, Cline directed some melodramas and the musical Leathernecking (1930), Irene Dunne's film debut.

Then he demanded him..."[6] Cline's work on the film lasted 10 days during which he shot the party scene containing the ping pong game.

[8] Cline directed Fields's last two starring films, The Bank Dick (1940) and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941).

Cline directed many of the studio's musical comedies, starring Gloria Jean, The Ritz Brothers, and Olsen and Johnson.

Cline became a pioneer in television when his old crony, Buster Keaton, became one of the first movie comedians to succeed in the new medium.

Comic bandleader Spike Jones was famous for using wild visual gags in his band's performances, and his television show required even more material.

Jones found an ideal resource in Eddie Cline, whose knack for comedy (and long memory for old sight gags) made him a valuable assistant.