Charles G. Clarke
Encyclopedia
Charles G. Clarke ASC
(19 March 1899 – 1 July 1983) an American cinematographer who worked in Hollywood for over 40 years and was treasurer and president (twice - 1948-50 and 1951-53) of the American Society of Cinematographers
.
in 1915. After serving overseas with the US Army during World War I
, he returned to work as as assistant cameraman with the National Film Company and Oliver Morosco Company.
Subsequently promoted to cinematographer
on the 15-part silent serial The Son of Tarzan
(1920), he worked across a broad spectrum of film, including standard movie serials at the independents, to showcase musicals and major-studio epics. From 1927 to 1933 he was first cameraman at the Jesse Lasky Company.
He was responsible for all of the China location footage and much of the studio work for MGM's The Good Earth
(1937) but was uncredited. After working on a number of movies for Fox Films in the 1930s, he moved MGM. In 1938 he returned to the now 20th Century-Fox and worked the majority of his subsequent career at the studio.
He worked on low-budget Mr. Moto
and Charley Chan pictures to helped produce propaganda material such as Guadalcanal Diary
(1943) to pictures Thunderhead, Son of Flicka
(1945) and Miracle on 34th Street
(1947)) to big CinemaScope
musicals Marching Along (1952).
He was married to Marian Bowden and died at his home in Beverly Hills, California, in 1983.
in Japan, Clarke suffered a minor heart attack and retired from work. However, former friend and Fox producer Kenneth Macgowan
persuaded Clarke to join the Theater Arts Department at UCLA Clarke taught film school and wrote a book called Professional Cinematography at the urging of his students in 1964. In 1976 he published Early Film Making in Los Angeles which recounted his time during the early years of Hollywood and how the technology of cinematography changed.
American Society of Cinematographers
The American Society of Cinematographers is an educational, cultural, and professional organization. It is not a labor union, and it is not a guild. Membership is by invitation and is extended only to directors of photography and special effects experts with distinguished credits in the film...
(19 March 1899 – 1 July 1983) an American cinematographer who worked in Hollywood for over 40 years and was treasurer and president (twice - 1948-50 and 1951-53) of the American Society of Cinematographers
American Society of Cinematographers
The American Society of Cinematographers is an educational, cultural, and professional organization. It is not a labor union, and it is not a guild. Membership is by invitation and is extended only to directors of photography and special effects experts with distinguished credits in the film...
.
Career
Clarke started his career as an assistant cameraman to Allen Siegler at Universal PicturesUniversal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
in 1915. After serving overseas with the US Army during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he returned to work as as assistant cameraman with the National Film Company and Oliver Morosco Company.
Subsequently promoted to cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
on the 15-part silent serial The Son of Tarzan
The Son of Tarzan
The Son of Tarzan is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fourth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was written between January 21 and May 11, 1915, and first published in the magazine All-Story Weekly as a six-part serial from December 4, 1915-January 8, 1916. It...
(1920), he worked across a broad spectrum of film, including standard movie serials at the independents, to showcase musicals and major-studio epics. From 1927 to 1933 he was first cameraman at the Jesse Lasky Company.
He was responsible for all of the China location footage and much of the studio work for MGM's The Good Earth
The Good Earth
The Good Earth is a novel by Pearl S. Buck published in 1931 and awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1932. The best selling novel in the United States in both 1931 and 1932, it was an influential factor in Buck winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938...
(1937) but was uncredited. After working on a number of movies for Fox Films in the 1930s, he moved MGM. In 1938 he returned to the now 20th Century-Fox and worked the majority of his subsequent career at the studio.
He worked on low-budget Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto is a fictional Japanese secret agent created by the American author John P. Marquand. He appeared in six novels by Marquand published between 1935 and 1957. Marquand initially created the character for the Saturday Evening Post, which was seeking stories with an Asian hero after the death...
and Charley Chan pictures to helped produce propaganda material such as Guadalcanal Diary
Guadalcanal Diary (film)
Guadalcanal Diary is a 1943 World War II war film starring Preston Foster, Lloyd Nolan, William Bendix, Richard Conte, Anthony Quinn and the film debut of Richard Jaeckel...
(1943) to pictures Thunderhead, Son of Flicka
Thunderhead, Son of Flicka (film)
Thunderhead, Son of Flicka is a 1945 Technicolor family film directed by Louis King. It was adapted to screen by Dwight Cummins and Dorothy Yost from the novel by Mary O'Hara, and is based on the second book in the series, following Flicka, which was filmed in 1943 and remade in 2006...
(1945) and Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street is a 1947 Christmas film written by George Seaton from a story by Valentine Davies, directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn...
(1947)) to big CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
musicals Marching Along (1952).
He was married to Marian Bowden and died at his home in Beverly Hills, California, in 1983.
Teacher
Whilst on the shoot for Marines, Let's GoMarines, Let's Go
Marines, Let's Go is a 1961 CinemaScope colour Korean War film about three Marine buddies on shore leave in Japan and at war in Korea. It was produced and directed by Raoul Walsh who also wrote the story. Walsh had previously had successes with films about the U.S...
in Japan, Clarke suffered a minor heart attack and retired from work. However, former friend and Fox producer Kenneth Macgowan
Kenneth Macgowan
Kenneth Macgowan was an American film producer. He won an Academy Award for Best Color Short Film for La Cucaracha , the first live-action short film made in the three-color Technicolor process....
persuaded Clarke to join the Theater Arts Department at UCLA Clarke taught film school and wrote a book called Professional Cinematography at the urging of his students in 1964. In 1976 he published Early Film Making in Los Angeles which recounted his time during the early years of Hollywood and how the technology of cinematography changed.
Selected filmography
- The Half Breed (1922)
- Salomy Jane (The Law of the Sierras) (1923)
- The Top of the World (1924)
- Without Mercy (1925)
- SingedSingedSinged is a 1927 silent film drama produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation. The film was directed by John Griffith Wray and starred Blanche Sweet, the two had collaborated on 1923's Anna Christie...
(1927) - UpstreamUpstream (film)Upstream is a comedy film directed by John Ford. A "backstage drama", the movie is about a Shakespearean actor and a woman from a knife-throwing act. The film was considered to be a lost film, but in 2009 it was discovered in the New Zealand Film Archive.It is considered the first Ford film to...
(1927) - Sharp ShootersSharp ShootersSharp Shooters is a 1928 comedy film directed by John G. Blystone and starring George O'Brien. A print survives in the UCLA Film and Television Archive...
(1928) - Riley the CopRiley the CopRiley the Cop is a 1928 comedy film directed by John Ford. It was a silent film with a synchronized music track.-Cast:* J. Farrell MacDonald - James 'Aloysius' Riley * Nancy Drexel - Mary Coronelli...
(1928) - Words and MusicWords and Music (1929 film)Words and Music is a 1929 American musical comedy film, directed by James Tinling, and starring Lois Moran, David Percy, Helen Twelvetrees, and Frank Albertson...
(1929) - The Veiled Woman (1929)
- Oh, For a Man!Oh, For a Man!Oh, For a Man! is a 1930 American black-and-white musical comedy film. Filming of this film began on September 13, 1930.-Cast:*Jeanette MacDonald - Carlotta Manson*Reginald Denny - Barney McGann*Warren Hymer - 'Pug' Morini...
(1930) - Girls Demand ExcitementGirls Demand ExcitementGirls Demand Excitement is a 1931 film starring Virginia Cherrill, John Wayne, and Marguerite Churchill. Wayne and Churchill had starred in the widescreen Western epic The Big Trail the previous year...
(1931) - Second Hand Wife (The Illegal Divorce) (1932)
- Hot PepperHot Pepper (1933 film)Hot Pepper is a comedy film starring Lupe Vélez, Edmund Lowe, and Victor McLaglen, directed by John G. Blystone and released by Fox Film Corporation...
(1933) - The Cat and the Fiddle (1934)
- Tarzan and His MateTarzan and His MateTarzan and His Mate is a Tarzan film based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was the second in the Tarzan film series to star Johnny Weissmuller....
(1934) - Viva Villa!Viva Villa!Viva Villa! is a 1934 American film starring Wallace Beery as Pancho Villa and was written by Ben Hecht, adapted from a biography by Edgecumb Pinchon and Odo B. Stade. The picture was directed by Jack Conway. There was special, uncredited help with the script by Howard Hawks, James Kevin...
(1934) - The Winning Ticket (1935)
- The Casino Murder CaseThe Casino Murder CaseThe Casino Murder Case is a 1934 novel written by S. S. Van Dine in the series about fictional detective Philo Vance. In this outing, a murder investigation is connected with a private casino on New York's upper west side, and the wealthy and unorthodox family that operates it...
(1935) - Woman Wanted (1935)
- The Perfect Gentleman (1935)
- The Garden Murder CaseThe Garden Murder CaseThe Garden Murder Case is the ninth in a series of mystery novels by S. S. Van Dine about fictional detective Philo Vance.-Plot outline:...
(1936) - Every SundayEvery SundayEvery Sunday is a 1936 American short musical film. It tells the story of two young girls and their efforts to save a public concert series, which was being threatened by poor attendance.Directed by Felix E...
(1936) - The Thirteenth Chair (1937)
- Charlie Chan in HonoluluCharlie Chan in HonoluluCharlie Chan in Honolulu is a 1938 American film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, starring Sidney Toler as the fictional Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan...
(1938) - Pardon Our Nerve (1939)
- Frontier MarshalFrontier Marshal (1939 film)Frontier Marshal is a 1939 western film starring Randolph Scott as Wyatt Earp. It is the second film produced by Sol M. Wurtzel based on Stuart N. Lake's highly fictionalized account of Earp, Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal. An earlier version was Wurtzel's Frontier Marshal, filmed in 1934...
(1939) - The Return of the Cisco KidThe Cisco KidThe Cisco Kid refers to a character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in the collection Heart of the West...
(1939) - Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (1939)
- Viva Cisco KidThe Cisco KidThe Cisco Kid refers to a character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in the collection Heart of the West...
(1940) - Street of Memories (1940)
- Romance of the Rio Grande (1941)
- Dead Men TellDead Men Tell-Cast:* Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan* Sen Yung as Jimmy Chan* Sheila Ryan as Kate Ransome* Robert Weldon as Steve Daniels* Don Douglas as Jed Thomasson* Katharine Aldridge as Laura Thursday* Paul McGrath as Charles Thursday / Mr. Parks...
(1941) - The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941)
- The Bride Wore Crutches (1941)
- MoontideMoontideMoontide is a 1942 drama film about a man who fears he has committed a murder when he was drunk. It stars Jean Gabin, Ida Lupino, and Thomas Mitchell. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by Willard Robertson.Charles G...
(1942) - A Gentleman at Heart (1942)
- Time to KillTime to Kill (1942 film)Time to Kill is the first screen adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel The High Window, which was remade five years later as The Brasher Doubloon. The detective was changed from Philip Marlowe to Michael Shayne for this version, with Lloyd Nolan playing the part and Heather Angel in a rare turn...
(1942) - Hello, Frisco, HelloHello, Frisco, HelloHello, Frisco, Hello is a film starring Alice Faye, John Payne, Lynn Bari, and Jack Oakie. The film was made in Technicolor and released by 20th Century-Fox. This was one of the last musicals made by Faye for Fox, and in later interviews Faye said it was clear Fox was promoting Betty Grable as her...
(1943) - Guadalcanal DiaryGuadalcanal Diary (film)Guadalcanal Diary is a 1943 World War II war film starring Preston Foster, Lloyd Nolan, William Bendix, Richard Conte, Anthony Quinn and the film debut of Richard Jaeckel...
(1943) - Thunderhead, Son of FlickaThunderhead, Son of Flicka (film)Thunderhead, Son of Flicka is a 1945 Technicolor family film directed by Louis King. It was adapted to screen by Dwight Cummins and Dorothy Yost from the novel by Mary O'Hara, and is based on the second book in the series, following Flicka, which was filmed in 1943 and remade in 2006...
(1945) - Smokey (1946)
- Miracle on 34th StreetMiracle on 34th StreetMiracle on 34th Street is a 1947 Christmas film written by George Seaton from a story by Valentine Davies, directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn...
(1947) - Captain from CastileCaptain from CastileCaptain from Castile is an action historical drama and swashbuckler film released by 20th Century Fox in 1947. Directed by Henry King, the Technicolor film starred Tyrone Power, Jean Peters, and Cesar Romero. Shot on location in Michoacán, Mexico, the film includes scenes of the Parícutin...
(1947) - That Wonderful UrgeThat Wonderful UrgeThat Wonderful Urge is a 1948 20th Century Fox screwball comedy film, a remake of Love is News , directed by Robert Sinclair starring Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney.- Plot :...
(1948) - The Iron CurtainThe Iron Curtain (film)The Iron Curtain is a 1948 black-and-white thriller film starring Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. The film was supposedly based on the memoirs of Igor Gouzenko . The film was directed by William Wellman with photography done on location in Ottawa, Canada by Charles G. Clarke. The film was later...
(1948) - Green Grass of WyomingGreen Grass of WyomingGreen Grass of Wyoming is a 1948 film starring Peggy Cummins and Charles Coburn. The film is based on the third book in the popular, "My Friend Flicka" trilogy, written by Mary O'Hara...
(1948) - Slattery's HurricaneSlattery's HurricaneSlattery's Hurricane is a 1949 drama film based on a story submitted by Herman Wouk to Twentieth Century Fox. The film tells the story of an anti-hero ex-navy pilot who discovers that he works for a dope-smuggling ring, but ultimately attempts to redeem himself during a violent hurricane. It stars...
(1949) - I'll Get ByI'll Get By (film)I'll Get By is a 1950 Technicolor musical directed by Richard Sale, and starring June Haver and William Lundigan.-Plot synopsis:This work follows themes explored in 1940's Tin Pan Alley, with updated characters and music...
(1950) - The Big LiftThe Big LiftThe Big Lift is a 1950 drama film shot on location in the city of Berlin, Germany, that tells the story of "Operation Vittles", the 1948-1949 Berlin Airlift, through the experiences of two U.S...
(1950) - Golden GirlGolden GirlGolden Girl is the name of two fictional superheroine characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics, the first of them during the 1930-1940s period known to historians and collectors as the Golden Age of Comic Books.-Golden Girl :...
(1951) - Red Skies of MontanaRed Skies of MontanaRed Skies of Montana is a 1952 adventure drama in which smoke jumper Cliff Mason, Richard Widmark, attempts to save his crew while being over-run by a forest fire, not only to save his men, but to redeem himself after his last fire when he was the only survivor.The film was very loosely based on...
(1952) - KangarooKangaroo (1952 film)Kangaroo is a 1952 American film directed by Lewis Milestone.The film is also known as The Australian Story .- Plot summary :...
(1952) - Marching Along (1952)
- Stars and Stripes Forever (1952)
- City of Bad Men (1953)
- Destination GobiDestination GobiDestination Gobi is a 1953 Technicolor war film in which Sam McHale heads a group of US Navy men, sent to Mongolia for weather observation. McHale must lead his men across the treacherous Gobi desert to the freedom of the seacoast...
(1953) - Night People (1954)
- SuddenlySuddenly (1954 film)Suddenly is an American film noir directed by Lewis Allen with a screenplay written by Richard Sale. The drama features Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, James Gleason and Nancy Gates, among others....
(1954) - Black WidowBlack Widow (1954 film)Black Widow is a 1954 mystery color film noir, written, produced and directed by Nunnally Johnson and starring Van Heflin, Ginger Rogers, Gene Tierney, and George Raft.-Plot:...
(1954) - Prince of PlayersPrince of PlayersPrince of Players is a 1955 20th Century Fox biographical film about the 19th century American actor Edwin Booth. The film was directed and produced by Philip Dunne from a screenplay by Moss Hart, based on the book by Eleanor Ruggles. The music score was by Bernard Herrmann and the cinematography...
(1955) - Violent SaturdayViolent SaturdayViolent Saturday is a 1955 American crime drama directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Victor Mature, Lee Marvin, Richard Egan and Stephen McNally. The film, set in a mining town, depicts the planning of a bank robbery as the nexus in the personal lives of several townspeople.Prominent actors...
(1955) - The Virgin QueenThe Virgin Queen (film)The Virgin Queen is a 1955 historical drama film starring Bette Davis, Richard Todd, Joan Collins, Herbert Marshall and Dan O'Herlihy. It focuses on the relationship between Elizabeth I of England and Sir Walter Raleigh....
(1955) - The Man in the Gray Flannel SuitThe Man in the Gray Flannel SuitThe Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, by Sloan Wilson, is a 1955 novel about the American search for purpose in a world dominated by business. Tom and Betsy Rath share a struggle to find contentment in their hectic and material culture while several other characters fight essentially the same battle,...
(1956) - CarouselCarousel (film)Carousel is a 1956 film adaptation of the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of the same name which, in turn, was based on Ferenc Molnár's non-musical play Liliom. The 1956 Carousel film stars Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones, and was directed by Henry King...
(1956) - Stopover TokyoStopover TokyoStopover Tokyo is a 1957 American espionage drama directed by Richard L. Breen and starring Robert Wagner, Joan Collins, Edmond O'Brien and Ken Scott. Filmed in Japan in CinemaScope, the film is set in Tokyo and follows a US counterintelligence agent foiling a communist assassination plot.The film...
(1957) - The Wayward BusThe Wayward Bus (film)The Wayward Bus is a 1957 drama film released by 20th Century Fox that starred Jayne Mansfield, Joan Collins, Dan Dailey and Rick Jason. The film was based on the novel of the same name by John Steinbeck.-Production background:...
(1957) - The Barbarian and the GeishaThe Barbarian and the GeishaThe Barbarian and the Geisha is a 1958 film starring John Wayne, Sam Jaffe and Japanese American actress Eiko Ando set in 1850s Japan. Shot largely on location, it was directed by John Huston.-Plot:...
(1958) - The Hunters (1958)
- These Thousand HillsThese Thousand HillsThese Thousand Hills is a 1959 Western film starring Patricia Owens, Alfred Hayes and Richard Egan, and based on the novel of the same name by A. B. Guthrie Jr.....
(1959) - Holiday for LoversHoliday for LoversHoliday for Lovers is a 1959 comedy film directed by Henry Levin. Based on a 1957 play by Ronald Alexander, the film stars Clifton Webb, Jane Wyman, Jill St. John and Carol Lynley.-Plot:...
(1959) - The Sound and the FuryThe Sound and the FuryThe Sound and the Fury is a novel written by the American author William Faulkner. It employs a number of narrative styles, including the technique known as stream of consciousness, pioneered by 20th century European novelists such as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. Published in 1929, The Sound and...
(1959) - Flaming StarFlaming StarFlaming Star is a 1960 western film starring Elvis Presley, based on the book Flaming Lance by Clair Huffaker. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his best acting performances as the mixed-blood "Pacer Burton", a dramatic role. The film was directed by Don Siegel, and had a working title of...
(1960) - Return to Peyton PlaceReturn to Peyton Place (film)Return to Peyton Place is a 1961 drama film produced by Jerry Wald and directed by José Ferrer. The screenplay by Ronald Alexander is based on the 1959 novel Return to Peyton Place by Grace Metalious...
(1961) - Madison Avenue (1961)