Harry J. Wild
Encyclopedia
Harry J. Wild, A.S.C. was a film and television cinematographer
. Wild worked at RKO Pictures
studios from 1931 through the 1950s. In total Wild was involved in 91 major film projects and two extended television series.
In 1931, he began his career and was hired as second cameraman and operator on nine projects, most notably Fred Niblo's Young Donovan'a Kid (1931). In 1936, Wild shot his first feature, Wallace Fox's sports drama The Big Game. Two years later he shared an Academy Award nomination for the Republic Pictures
film Army Girl (1938).
According to film critic Spencer Selby, Wild was a prolific film noir cinematographer, shooting 13 of them, including: Dmytryk's Murder, My Sweet
(1944), Johnny Angel
(1945), Nocturne
(1946), the Jean Renoir
-directed The Woman on the Beach
(1947), They Won't Believe Me
(1947), and others. He was also, in the early 1950s
, Jane Russell
's cinematographer; he worked on seven of her movies as an actress, three of which were released by other studios: His Kind of Woman
(1951) and Son of Paleface
(1952) for Paramount
, and, his most widely seen movie, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) for Twentieth Century-Fox.
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...
. Wild worked at RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
studios from 1931 through the 1950s. In total Wild was involved in 91 major film projects and two extended television series.
In 1931, he began his career and was hired as second cameraman and operator on nine projects, most notably Fred Niblo's Young Donovan'a Kid (1931). In 1936, Wild shot his first feature, Wallace Fox's sports drama The Big Game. Two years later he shared an Academy Award nomination for the Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
film Army Girl (1938).
According to film critic Spencer Selby, Wild was a prolific film noir cinematographer, shooting 13 of them, including: Dmytryk's Murder, My Sweet
Murder, My Sweet
Murder, My Sweet is a 1944 American film noir directed by Edward Dmytryk, and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, and Anne Shirley. The film was released in the United Kingdom under the title Farewell, My Lovely, which is the title of the 1940 Raymond Chandler novel it is based on, and also the...
(1944), Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel is a film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin, written by Frank Gruber and Steve Fisher from the novel Mr. Angel Comes Aboard by Charles Gordon Booth. The movie features George Raft, Claire Trevor, Signe Hasso, and Hoagy Carmichael....
(1945), Nocturne
Nocturne (1946 film)
Nocturne is a black-and-white film noir starring George Raft and Lynn Bari. The film was produced by longtime Alfred Hitchcock associate Joan Harrison, scripted by Jonathan Latimer, and directed by Edwin L. Marin.-Plot:...
(1946), the Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent era to the end of the 1960s...
-directed The Woman on the Beach
The Woman on the Beach
The Woman on the Beach is a film noir directed by Jean Renoir, released by RKO Radio Pictures, and starring Robert Ryan, Joan Bennett, and Charles Bickford.-Overview:...
(1947), They Won't Believe Me
They Won't Believe Me
They Won't Believe Me is a 1947 drama film starring Susan Hayward. The black-and-white film noir was directed by Irving Pichel. The film was produced by Alfred Hitchcock's longtime assistant and collaborator, Joan Harrison.-Plot:...
(1947), and others. He was also, in the early 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
, Jane Russell
Jane Russell
Jane Russell was an American film actress and was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s....
's cinematographer; he worked on seven of her movies as an actress, three of which were released by other studios: His Kind of Woman
His Kind of Woman
His Kind of Woman is a black-and-white 1951 film noir starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell. The film features supporting roles by Vincent Price, Raymond Burr, and Charles McGraw...
(1951) and Son of Paleface
Son of Paleface
Son of Paleface , is a western comedy film and sequel to The Paleface , directed by Frank Tashlin and written by Tashlin, Joseph Quillan and Robert L. Welch. It stars Bob Hope, Jane Russell and Roy Rogers.-Plot:...
(1952) for Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, and, his most widely seen movie, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) for Twentieth Century-Fox.
Filmography
- The Big Game (1936)
- Racing Lady (1937)
- Don't Tell the Wife (1937)
- Portia on Trial (1937)
- Lady Behave! (1938)
- Painted Desert (1938)
- Army Girl (1938)
- Lawless Valley (1938)
- The Renegade RangerThe Renegade RangerThe Renegade Ranger is a 1938 American film directed by David Howard.- Cast :*George O'Brien as Captain Jack Steele*Rita Hayworth as Judith Alvarez*Tim Holt as Larry Corwin*Ray Whitley as Happy*Lucio Villegas as Don Juan Campielo...
(1938) - Arizona Legion (1939)
- The Rookie Cop (1939)
- Racketeers of the Range (1939)
- Timber Stampede (1939)
- The Fighting GringoThe Fighting Gringo (1939 film)The Fighting Gringo is a 1939 Western film directed by David Howard and featuring William Royle, George O'Brien and Lupita Tovar. It was produced under the RKO Pictures banner. Ben Johnson had a small uncredited early role as a Mexican barfly and did some work as a stuntman.-Cast:*George O'Brien...
(1939) - The Marshal of Mesa City (1939)
- Trouble in Sundown (1939)
- The Fargo KidThe Fargo Kid- Cast :*Tim Holt as The Fargo Kid*Ray Whitley as Johnny*Emmett Lynn as Whopper*Jane Drummond as Jenny Winters*Cy Kendall as Nick Kane*Ernie Adams as Bush Cleveland*Paul Fix as Deuce Mallory*Paul Scardon as Caleb Winters*Glenn Strange as Sheriff Dave...
(1940) - Bullet Code (1940)
- Millionaires in Prison (1940)
- Laddie (1940)
- Legion of the Lawless (1940)
- Prairie Law (1940)
- Wagon Train (1940)
- The Bandit Trail (1941)
- Dude Cowboy (1941)
- The Saint in Palm SpringsThe Saint in Palm SpringsThe Saint in Palm Springs is the name of a crime thriller motion picture released by RKO Pictures in early 1941. The film continued the screen adventures of the Robin Hood-inspired anti-hero, Simon Templar, alias The Saint, created by Leslie Charteris. The film itself was based upon a story by...
(1941) - Cyclone on Horseback (1941)
- Robbers of the Range (1941)
- Come on Danger (1942)
- Riding the Wind (1942)
- Valley of the Sun (1942)
- Land of the Open Range (1942)
- Six-Gun Gold (1942)
- Rookies in Burma (1943)
- So This is Washington (1943)
- Tarzan TriumphsTarzan TriumphsTarzan Triumphs is a 1943 adventure film in which Tarzan fights the Nazis. Johnny Weismuller had portrayed the popular Edgar Rice Burroughs character in six films with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but this was his first with the producer Sol Lesser at RKO Pictures...
(1943) - Stage Door CanteenStage Door CanteenStage Door Canteen is a musical film produced by Sol Lesser Productions and distributed by United Artists. It was directed by Frank Borzage and features many cameo appearances by celebrities, and the majority of the film is essentially a filmed concert although there is also a storyline to the...
(1943)
- Tarzan's Desert MysteryTarzan's Desert MysteryTarzan's Desert Mystery is a 1943 film starring Johnny Weismuller and Nancy Kelly. The movie was directed by Wilhelm Thiele.Like its immediate predecessor, "Tarzan Triumphs," this movie makes reference to Tarzan's mate, Jane, played in earlier Weissmuller films by Maureen O'Sullivan, but it does...
(1943) - NevadaNevada (film)Nevada is a 1944 western movie based on a Zane Grey novel and starring a 27-year-old Robert Mitchum, with Anne Jeffreys, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, and Richard Martin in supporting roles. The film was written by Norman Houston from Grey's popular novel and directed by Edward Killy...
(1944) - Mademoiselle FifiMademoiselle Fifi (film)Mademoiselle Fifi is a 1944 RKO period film directed by Robert Wise, in his solo directorial debut. It was written by Josef Mischel and Peter Ruric based on two short stories by Guy de Maupassant, "Mademoiselle Fifi" and "Boule de Suif"...
(1944) - Murder, My SweetMurder, My SweetMurder, My Sweet is a 1944 American film noir directed by Edward Dmytryk, and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, and Anne Shirley. The film was released in the United Kingdom under the title Farewell, My Lovely, which is the title of the 1940 Raymond Chandler novel it is based on, and also the...
(1944) - The Falcon Out West (1944)
- Radio Stars on Parade (1945)
- CorneredCornered (film)Cornered is a film noir starring Dick Powell and directed by Edward Dmytryk. This is the second teaming of Powell and Dmytryk .Many scenes shot by cinematographer Harry J. Wild and Dmytryk stand out as classic film noir...
(1945) - Johnny AngelJohnny AngelJohnny Angel is a film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin, written by Frank Gruber and Steve Fisher from the novel Mr. Angel Comes Aboard by Charles Gordon Booth. The movie features George Raft, Claire Trevor, Signe Hasso, and Hoagy Carmichael....
(1945) - West of the Pecos (1945)
- Wanderer of the Wasteland (1945)
- First Yank Into TokyoFirst Yank into TokyoFirst Yank into Tokyo is a 1945 United States war film; it takes place within World War II. It was directed by Gordon Douglas.-Plot:In the film, the U.S. government assigns Major Steve Ross to receive plastic surgery to appear Japanese; Ross had lived in Japan and is well versed with Japanese culture...
(1945) - The Woman on the BeachThe Woman on the BeachThe Woman on the Beach is a film noir directed by Jean Renoir, released by RKO Radio Pictures, and starring Robert Ryan, Joan Bennett, and Charles Bickford.-Overview:...
(1946) - Till the End of TimeTill the End of Time (film)Till the End of Time is a 1946 drama film directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Dorothy McGuire, Guy Madison, Robert Mitchum, and Bill Williams. Released the same year as the better known The Best Years of Our Lives, it covers much the same topic: the adjustment of World War II veterans to...
(1946) - NocturneNocturne (1946 film)Nocturne is a black-and-white film noir starring George Raft and Lynn Bari. The film was produced by longtime Alfred Hitchcock associate Joan Harrison, scripted by Jonathan Latimer, and directed by Edwin L. Marin.-Plot:...
(1946) - The Falcon's Adventure (1946)
- They Won't Believe MeThey Won't Believe MeThey Won't Believe Me is a 1947 drama film starring Susan Hayward. The black-and-white film noir was directed by Irving Pichel. The film was produced by Alfred Hitchcock's longtime assistant and collaborator, Joan Harrison.-Plot:...
(1947) - TycoonTycoon (1947 film)Tycoon is a 1947 Technicolor romance film starring John Wayne based on the 1934 novel by C.E. Scoggins.-Plot:Johnny Munroe travels to South America to build a mountain railroad tunnel for Frederick Alexander , a wealthy industrialist...
(1947) - PitfallPitfall (1948 film)Pitfall is a black-and-white 1948 film noir drama directed by André De Toth. The film was based on a novel of the same name by Jay Dratler, and was titled Tragedia a Santa Monica for its Italian release...
(1948) - Station WestStation WestStation West is a black-and-white 1948 film based on a Western novel by Luke Short. The film, considered film noir as well as a Western, was directed by Sidney Lanfield, who was known for directing comedies such as The Lemon Drop Kid. Station Wests cinematographer was Harry J. Wild...
(1948) - Strange Bargain (1949)
- The Big StealThe Big StealThe Big Steal is a 1949 black-and-white film noir/comedy reteaming Out of the Past stars Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer. The film was directed by Don Siegel, based on the short story "The Road to Carmichael's" by Richard Wormser.-Plot:...
(1949) - Easy Living (1949)
- The ThreatThe ThreatThe Threat is a 1949 American film noir directed by Felix E. Feist and starring Charles McGraw. The film features Michael O'Shea, Virginia Grey, Charles McGraw, among others.-Plot:...
(1949) - Walk Softly, StrangerWalk Softly, StrangerWalk Softly, Stranger is a 1950 film that tells the story of a small-time crook on the run who later becomes reformed by the love of a crippled woman. This would be the last RKO credit for famed film producer Dore Schary, who would leave the studio soon after the completion of the film. Privately,...
(1950) - Gambling House (1950)
- His Kind of WomanHis Kind of WomanHis Kind of Woman is a black-and-white 1951 film noir starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell. The film features supporting roles by Vincent Price, Raymond Burr, and Charles McGraw...
(1951) - Two Tickets to Broadway (1951)
- My Forbidden Past (1951)
- The Las Vegas StoryThe Las Vegas Story (film)The Las Vegas Story is a 1952 suspense film noir directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Robert Sparks and Howard Hughes with Samuel Bischoff as the executive producer. The screenplay was by Paul Jarrico, Earl Felton, and Harry Essex from a story by Jay Dratler. The music score was by Leigh...
(1952) - MacaoMacao (film)Macao is a 1952 black-and-white film noir adventure film directed by Josef von Sternberg and Nicholas Ray. Producer Howard Hughes fired director von Sternberg during filming and hired Nicholas Ray to finish it...
(1952) - Son of PalefaceSon of PalefaceSon of Paleface , is a western comedy film and sequel to The Paleface , directed by Frank Tashlin and written by Tashlin, Joseph Quillan and Robert L. Welch. It stars Bob Hope, Jane Russell and Roy Rogers.-Plot:...
(1952) - She Couldn't Say No (1952)
- The French LineThe French LineThe French Line is a 1954 musical film starring Jane Russell made by RKO Pictures, directed by Lloyd Bacon and produced by Edmund Grainger, with Howard Hughes as executive producer. The screenplay was by Mary Loos and Richard Sale, based on a story by Matty Kemp and Isabel Dawn...
(1953) - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
- Affair with a StrangerAffair with a StrangerAffair with a Stranger is a 1953 American comedy-drama starring Jean Simmons and Victor Mature. It was directed by Roy Rowland, and was originally to be released as Kiss and Run....
(1953) - Top of World (1955)
- Underwater!Underwater!Underwater! is a 1955 adventure film directed by John Sturges and starring Jane Russell and Richard Egan.-Plot synopsis:Johnny and his wife Theresa , along with mercenary Dominic Quesada , priest Father Cannon and Gloria , the boat owner, go searching for sunken treasure in the Caribbean...
(1955)
Television
- The Bob Cummings ShowThe Bob Cummings ShowThe Bob Cummings Show is an American sitcom starring Robert "Bob" Cummings which was produced from January 2, 1955 to September 15, 1959, and originally sponsored by R.J. Reynolds' Winston cigarettes...
(1955–1958) - Law of the PlainsmanLaw of the PlainsmanLaw of The Plainsman is a Western television series starring Michael Ansara that aired on the NBC television network from October 1, 1959, until May 5, 1960. The character of Native American U.S...
(1959) - Wanted: Dead or Alive (1959–1960)
- The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
(1960 ("Third from the SunThird from the Sun"Third from the Sun" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It is based on a short story of the same name by Richard Matheson.-Synopsis:...
" episode)