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Robert Surtees (cinematographer)

December 28, 2022

Robert L. Surtees (August 9, 1906 – January 5, 1985) was an American cinematographer who won three Academy Awards for the films King Solomon's Mines, The Bad and the Beautiful and the 1959 version of Ben-Hur. Surtees worked at various studios, including Universal, UFA, Warner Brothers, and MGM, lighting for notable directors Howard Hawks, Mike Nichols, and William Wyler, gaining him a reputation as one of the most versatile cinematographers of his time.

Robert Surtees
Born(1906-08-09)August 9, 1906
Covington, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedJanuary 5, 1985(1985-01-05) (aged 78)
Monterey, California, U.S.
OccupationCinematographer
Years active1931–1978
Known forThe Bad and the Beautiful
Ben-Hur
The Graduate
King Solomon's Mines
The Last Picture Show
Oklahoma!
Same Time, Next Year
The Sting
Summer of '42
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
The Turning Point
Quo Vadis
SpouseMaydell Lois James (m. 1930)
Children4

Early life and education

Robert L. Surtees was born in Covington, Kentucky, on August 9, 1906. He grew up in Ohio where he got a job as a photographer and retoucher at a portrait studio in Cincinnati. Surtees then moved to New York City for a year to study photography, but always had a goal of becoming a cinematographer.[1]

Career

With an intention to attend college, Surtees moved to California in 1925. Roy C. Hunter at Universal offered him a job after some of his work was published in Towing Topics Automotive Club magazine. He assisted Harry Neumann, ASC, on a Hoot Gibson Western Hey, Hey Cowboy in 1925, Jerry Ash, ASC, on the Andy Gump comedies also in 1925, and Jackson Rose, ASC, on the Reginald Denny Leather Pushers series in 1926. The Man Who Laughs (1928), photographed by Gil Warrenton, ASC was Surtees' first high budget picture as an assistant.[1]

From 1928 to 1929 Surtees worked for Universal and UFA as an assistant to Charles Stumar in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.[1] Some sources say that he assisted Gregg Toland and Joseph Ruttenburg in the latter years of the 1920s before going abroad and this is what kick-started his career.[2] In 1930 Surtees returned to California and assisted Hal Mohr, ASC, on King of Jazz. He went on to shoot 36 pictures with Mohr at Universal, Warner Brothers, Pathé and Fox Studios over a period of 6 years from 1930 to 1936. In 1935, Surtees applied to be a member of the ASC as a camera operator just after completing 13 weeks as an operator at Warner Brother's Studios on the film A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935).

Surtees' first film as a director of photography was This Precious Freedom (1942), a propaganda film made for the US army, which was only released to the military.[3]

He shot a few more pictures with various directors such as Frank Buck and Ed Sutherland on Jacquerai in September 1942, and Les Goodwins on Ice Capades in October 1942. On October 20, 1942, Surtees submitted another application to ASC as a director of photography while employed at Freelance Independent Producers.

Shortly after this Surtees landed a job at MGM where he began his long tenure and produced his most notable work beginning with Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, shot alongside Harold Rosson, ASC and nominated for an Oscar in the category of Black and White Cinematography in 1944. Robert Surtees went on to film nearly 100 motion pictures in his 48-year career, including King Solomon's Mines (1950), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), and Ben Hur (1959), which each won an Oscar.[4] Not to mention his 13 other films that also received nomination for Best Cinematography, including The Graduate (1967), The Last Picture Show (1971), and The Sting (1973).

Legacy

Surtees was a sought-after cinematographer because of his versatility -— "I have liked doing all kinds of pictures—musical, comedies, and action-adventure".[3] He also gained a reputation for being a stickler for precise color control and proper exposure of the negative, arranging his lighting and camera angles so he could provide the lab with the best negative he could make.

Surtees enjoyed experimenting with lighting, and always found ways to properly light a scene, even without all the necessary equipment; for instance, on King Solomon's Mines (1950), when generators could not be transported throughout the dense African jungle, Surtees lit the whole film with reflectors.

He also played a role with regards to technological innovations, being one of the first to use a telephoto lens (500mm) in The Graduate (1967).

Personal life

Robert Surtees married Maydell Lois James in 1930 before moving to California. The couple had two daughters (Linda, later Linda Lowers, and Nancy, later Nancy Corby), as well as two sons (Thomas and Bruce).[1] Bruce was also a director of photography, working alongside his father on Lost Horizon (1973), as a first cameraman on a second camera unit.

Robert Surtees died on January 5, 1985, following a long illness.[citation needed]

Filmography

Academy Awards and nominations

Robert L. Surtees Best Cinematography [5]

Further reading

  • "On filming 'Quo Vadis'". Films in Review V. 19 no.2 (February 1968): 89. Print.
  • "The Graduate's photography". Films in Review V.3 no.4 (April 1952) 184. Print.
  • "Cinematographer with a 'Split Personality'". American Cinematographer (February 1968): 104-111. Print.
  • "The Turning Point". American Cinematographer (May 1978): 466. Print.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Robert Surtees Obituary." American Cinematographer (March 1985): 101. Print.
  2. ^ "Robert Surtees." International Photographer V. 37 no.5 (May 1965): 14-15. Print
  3. ^ a b "Robert Surtees: Same Time Next Year." American Cinematographer (May 1979): 468, 522-524. Print
  4. ^ "Creators of the Dream Machine." American Cinematographer (August 1986): 34A. Print.
  5. ^ "Awards for Robert Surtees". IMDb.

External links

  • Robert Surtees at IMDb
  • Surtees, Robert L. 1935–1985. American Society of Cinematographer's Collection, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

December 28, 2022
robert, surtees, cinematographer, robert, surtees, august, 1906, january, 1985, american, cinematographer, three, academy, awards, films, king, solomon, mines, beautiful, 1959, version, surtees, worked, various, studios, including, universal, warner, brothers,. Robert L Surtees August 9 1906 January 5 1985 was an American cinematographer who won three Academy Awards for the films King Solomon s Mines The Bad and the Beautiful and the 1959 version of Ben Hur Surtees worked at various studios including Universal UFA Warner Brothers and MGM lighting for notable directors Howard Hawks Mike Nichols and William Wyler gaining him a reputation as one of the most versatile cinematographers of his time Robert SurteesBorn 1906 08 09 August 9 1906Covington Kentucky U S DiedJanuary 5 1985 1985 01 05 aged 78 Monterey California U S OccupationCinematographerYears active1931 1978Known forThe Bad and the BeautifulBen HurThe GraduateKing Solomon s MinesThe Last Picture ShowOklahoma Same Time Next YearThe StingSummer of 42Thirty Seconds Over TokyoThe Turning PointQuo VadisSpouseMaydell Lois James m 1930 Children4 Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 3 Legacy 4 Personal life 5 Filmography 6 Academy Awards and nominations 7 Further reading 8 References 9 External linksEarly life and education EditRobert L Surtees was born in Covington Kentucky on August 9 1906 He grew up in Ohio where he got a job as a photographer and retoucher at a portrait studio in Cincinnati Surtees then moved to New York City for a year to study photography but always had a goal of becoming a cinematographer 1 Career EditWith an intention to attend college Surtees moved to California in 1925 Roy C Hunter at Universal offered him a job after some of his work was published in Towing Topics Automotive Club magazine He assisted Harry Neumann ASC on a Hoot Gibson Western Hey Hey Cowboy in 1925 Jerry Ash ASC on the Andy Gump comedies also in 1925 and Jackson Rose ASC on the Reginald Denny Leather Pushers series in 1926 The Man Who Laughs 1928 photographed by Gil Warrenton ASC was Surtees first high budget picture as an assistant 1 From 1928 to 1929 Surtees worked for Universal and UFA as an assistant to Charles Stumar in France Germany Switzerland and Italy 1 Some sources say that he assisted Gregg Toland and Joseph Ruttenburg in the latter years of the 1920s before going abroad and this is what kick started his career 2 In 1930 Surtees returned to California and assisted Hal Mohr ASC on King of Jazz He went on to shoot 36 pictures with Mohr at Universal Warner Brothers Pathe and Fox Studios over a period of 6 years from 1930 to 1936 In 1935 Surtees applied to be a member of the ASC as a camera operator just after completing 13 weeks as an operator at Warner Brother s Studios on the film A Midsummer Night s Dream 1935 Surtees first film as a director of photography was This Precious Freedom 1942 a propaganda film made for the US army which was only released to the military 3 He shot a few more pictures with various directors such as Frank Buck and Ed Sutherland on Jacquerai in September 1942 and Les Goodwins on Ice Capades in October 1942 On October 20 1942 Surtees submitted another application to ASC as a director of photography while employed at Freelance Independent Producers Shortly after this Surtees landed a job at MGM where he began his long tenure and produced his most notable work beginning with Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo shot alongside Harold Rosson ASC and nominated for an Oscar in the category of Black and White Cinematography in 1944 Robert Surtees went on to film nearly 100 motion pictures in his 48 year career including King Solomon s Mines 1950 The Bad and the Beautiful 1952 and Ben Hur 1959 which each won an Oscar 4 Not to mention his 13 other films that also received nomination for Best Cinematography including The Graduate 1967 The Last Picture Show 1971 and The Sting 1973 Legacy EditSurtees was a sought after cinematographer because of his versatility I have liked doing all kinds of pictures musical comedies and action adventure 3 He also gained a reputation for being a stickler for precise color control and proper exposure of the negative arranging his lighting and camera angles so he could provide the lab with the best negative he could make Surtees enjoyed experimenting with lighting and always found ways to properly light a scene even without all the necessary equipment for instance on King Solomon s Mines 1950 when generators could not be transported throughout the dense African jungle Surtees lit the whole film with reflectors He also played a role with regards to technological innovations being one of the first to use a telephoto lens 500mm in The Graduate 1967 Personal life EditRobert Surtees married Maydell Lois James in 1930 before moving to California The couple had two daughters Linda later Linda Lowers and Nancy later Nancy Corby as well as two sons Thomas and Bruce 1 Bruce was also a director of photography working alongside his father on Lost Horizon 1973 as a first cameraman on a second camera unit Robert Surtees died on January 5 1985 following a long illness citation needed Filmography EditHeavenly Music short 1943 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo 1944 A Date with Judy 1948 Act of Violence 1949 Quo Vadis 1951 The Wild North 1952 Scaramouche 1952 The Merry Widow 1952 The Bad and the Beautiful 1952 Ride Vaquero 1953 Mogambo 1953 Escape from Fort Bravo 1953 Valley of the Kings 1954 The Long Long Trailer 1954 Trial 1955 Oklahoma 1955 Tribute to a Bad Man 1956 The Swan 1956 Raintree County 1957 Les Girls 1957 Merry Andrew 1958 The Law and Jake Wade 1958 Ben Hur 1959 It Started in Naples 1960 Cimarron 1960 Mutiny on the Bounty 1962 Pt 109 1963 Kisses for My President 1964 The Third Day 1965 The Satan Bug 1965 The Hallelujah Trail 1965 The Collector 1965 Lost Command 1966 The Chase 1966 The Graduate 1967 Doctor Dolittle 1967 Sweet Charity 1969 The Arrangement 1969 The Liberation of L B Jones 1970 Summer of 42 1971 The Last Picture Show 1971 The Other 1972 The Cowboys 1972 The Sting 1973 Oklahoma Crude 1973 Lost Horizon 1973 The Hindenburg 1975 The Great Waldo Pepper 1975 A Star Is Born 1976 The Turning Point 1977 Same Time Next Year 1978 Bloodbrothers 1978 Academy Awards and nominations EditRobert L Surtees Best Cinematography 5 Nominee Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo 1944 Shared with Harold Rosson Winner King Solomon s Mines 1950 Nominee Quo Vadis 1951 Shared with William V Skall Winner The Bad and the Beautiful 1952 Nominee Oklahoma 1955 Winner Ben Hur 1959 Nominee Mutiny on the Bounty 1962 Nominee The Graduate 1967 Nominee Doctor Dolittle 1967 Nominee Summer of 42 1971 Nominee The Last Picture Show 1971 Nominee The Sting 1973 Nominee The Hindenburg 1975 Nominee A Star Is Born 1976 Nominee The Turning Point 1977 Nominee Same Time Next Year 1978 Further reading Edit On filming Quo Vadis Films in Review V 19 no 2 February 1968 89 Print The Graduate s photography Films in Review V 3 no 4 April 1952 184 Print Cinematographer with a Split Personality American Cinematographer February 1968 104 111 Print The Turning Point American Cinematographer May 1978 466 Print References Edit a b c d Robert Surtees Obituary American Cinematographer March 1985 101 Print Robert Surtees International Photographer V 37 no 5 May 1965 14 15 Print a b Robert Surtees Same Time Next Year American Cinematographer May 1979 468 522 524 Print Creators of the Dream Machine American Cinematographer August 1986 34A Print Awards for Robert Surtees IMDb External links EditRobert Surtees at IMDb Surtees Robert L 1935 1985 American Society of Cinematographer s Collection Margaret Herrick Library Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Robert Surtees cinematographer amp oldid 1105828765, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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