Edward Colman (cinematographer)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Edward Colman (January 25, 1905 – January 24, 1995) was an American cinematographer. He had a prolific relationship with Walt Disney Studios; beginning his relationship with that studio in 1953 as cinematographer for the television series '' Dragnet''. He was nominated for an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
in 1956 for his work on that program. He also directed many live action films for Disney; notably earning
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nominations for his cinematography for the films ''
The Absent-Minded Professor ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' is a 1961 American science fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the short story "A Situation of Gravity" by Samuel W. Taylor, originally published in the May 22, 1943 issue of ''Li ...
'' (1961) and ''
Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...
'' (1964).


Career

He was born in Philadelphia on January 25, 1905. He started working in the film business in the early 1930s. He was one of the - unnamed - cameramen, the magnificent aerial views of the
Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...
produced war film '' Hell's Angels''. During this time he concentrated on the convincing design and photography of special effects. He completed his training primarily in Great Britain where he worked on during this time in the science fiction classics '' Things to Come'' and ''
The Man Who Could Work Miracles ''The Man Who Could Work Miracles'' is a 1937 London Films British fantasy-comedy film directed by Lothar Mendes and produced by Alexander Korda. The film stars Roland Young with a cast of supporting players including Sir Ralph Richardson. Pos ...
'', both of which were made in 1936 with a large star line-up based on models by H.G. Wells. During filming, he also met
Peter Ellenshaw William Samuel Cook "Peter" Ellenshaw (24 May 1913 – 12 February 2007) was an English matte designer and special effects creator who worked on many Disney features. Born in London, he moved to America in 1953. Career & Life He first worked ...
, with whom he would later work with in Hollywood. At the end of the 1930s Colman returned to the USA and worked as a camera operator on films such as ''
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
'' in 1939. After performing military service in World War II, he continued to work with films ''
Frontier Gal ''Frontier Gal'' is a 1945 American Western film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Yvonne De Carlo and Rod Cameron. Plot Johnny Hart heads for Red Gulch, looking for the mystery man who murdered his partner. He quickly meets Lorena Dumo ...
'' (1945), ''
Walk a Crooked Mile ''Walk a Crooked Mile'' is a 1948 America anti-communist, Cold War film noir crime film, directed by Gordon Douglas, starring Dennis O'Keefe and Louis Hayward. Plot Soon after solid leads come to light about a Communist spy ring infiltrating t ...
'' (1948), and ''
Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...
'' (1948). In 1951 he became a member of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...
. In 1953 he was a featured speaker and panelist at the
American Society of Cinematographers The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in Hollywood in 1919, is a cultural, educational, and professional organization that is neither a labor union nor a guild. The society was organized to advance the science and art of cinem ...
's symposium. In the following years Colman transitioned into television. Beginning in late 1953, he photographed 22 episodes of the successful television series '' Dragnet'' which was his first job at
Disney Studios The Walt Disney Studios is an American film and entertainment studio, and is the Studios Content segment of the Walt Disney Company. Based mainly at the namesake studio lot in Burbank, California, the studio is best known for its multifacete ...
. In 1956 he was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on that program. Disney also utilized Colman's talents in motion pictures; beginning with the lavish live action film ''
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (french: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre-J ...
'' (1954) under the direction of
Richard Fleischer Richard O. Fleischer (; December 8, 1916 – March 25, 2006) was an American film director whose career spanned more than four decades, beginning at the height of the Golden Age of Hollywood and lasting through the American New Wave. Though he ...
. Colman was employed as the head cameraman of the second unit team, which was a challenge, for example, with the complicated underwater shots. After Colman had worked as a shooter on five episodes of ''
The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised fo ...
'' television series in 1955 , Walt Disney finally offered him the photographic direction of '' The Shaggy Dog'' in 1959 with
Fred MacMurray Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series, in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...
. Colman benefited from the knowledge he had acquired in Great Britain before the war in the implementation of the numerous special effects for which the film that was shot in black and white. After the huge box office success this produced only a modest budget strip and the even more successful ''
The Absent-Minded Professor ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' is a 1961 American science fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the short story "A Situation of Gravity" by Samuel W. Taylor, originally published in the May 22, 1943 issue of ''Li ...
'' (1961), also with Fred MacMurray and many film tricks to Colman has established itself at Disney as one of the most important cameramen. He was helped by the fact that he had received an Oscar nomination for his original black and white photography. In the years that followed, Colman was involved in almost all of the studio's major real film projects and directed the shoots for numerous Disney hit films. He mainly worked with the directors Norman Tokar and Robert Stevenson. With the latter, he also made his most famous film, the musical ''
Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...
''. The film version of P.L. Travers' Stories, starring
Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...
in the title role, earned Colman another Academy Award nomination in 1965. Not only did he specialize in captivating intricate special effects, but he also had a talent for landscape photography, as evidenced by the atmospheric shots from Vermont for ''Those Calloways'', a story about a family of conservationists in New England. He combined both in 1967 in ''
The Gnome-Mobile ''The Gnome-Mobile'' is a 1967 American fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. Based on the 1936 book ''The Gnomobile'' by Upton Sinclair, it was one of the last films personally supervised by W ...
'', in which the “forced perspective” was used to make the interplay between humans and dwarfs believable. These for the Disney film ''
Darby O'Gill and the Little People ''Darby O'Gill and the Little People'' is a 1959 American fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, adapted from the ''Darby O'Gill'' stories of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh. Directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Lawrence Ed ...
'' makes use of the fact that, due to the two-dimensionality of the film image, the human eye cannot see how far things or people are really apart as long as the camera or the objects being filmed are do not move towards each other. After his work on ''
The Love Bug ''The Love Bug'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and the first in a franchise by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 1963 ...
'', Colman retired. He appeared in cameo in the ''Disneyland'' episode "Back Stage Party" (1961) and at the end of the filming of ''Babes in Toyland'', he can be seen once in the picture. Colman was a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). His brother Ben Colman (1907–1988) was also a cameraman. Edward Colman died on January 24, 1995 in Newport Beach, the day before his 90th birthday.


Oscar nominations

Both nominations were in Best Cinematography *
34th Academy Awards The 34th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1961, were held on April 9, 1962, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. They were hosted by Bob Hope; this was the 13th time Hope hosted the Oscars. Legendary ...
-Nominated in B/W cinematography for ''
The Absent-Minded Professor ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' is a 1961 American science fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the short story "A Situation of Gravity" by Samuel W. Taylor, originally published in the May 22, 1943 issue of ''Li ...
''. Lost to ''
The Hustler ''The Hustler'' is a 1961 American sports romantic drama film directed by Robert Rossen from Walter Tevis's 1959 novel of the same name, adapted by Rossen and Sidney Carroll. It tells the story of small-time pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson a ...
''. *
37th Academy Awards The 37th Academy Awards honored film achievements of 1964. For the first time, an award was presented in the field of makeup. The Best Picture winner of 1964, director George Cukor's ''My Fair Lady'', was about the transformative training o ...
-Nominated in color cinematography for ''
Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...
''. Lost to ''
My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons f ...
''.


Selected filmography

*''
The D.I. ''The D.I.'' (1957 in film, 1957) is a black-and-white military drama film starring and directed by Jack Webb. The film was produced by Webb's production company Mark VII Limited and distributed by Warner Bros. Webb's co-star was his future wife ...
'' (1957) *'' Black Patch'' (1957) *''
-30- -30- has been traditionally used by journalists in North America to indicate the end of a story or article that is submitted for editing and typesetting. It is commonly employed when writing on deadline and sending bits of the story at a time, v ...
'' (1959) *''
Donald in Mathmagic Land ''Donald in Mathmagic Land'' is a 1959 American animated-live-action featurette produced by Walt Disney Productions and featuring Donald Duck. The short was directed by Hamilton Luske (with Wolfgang Reitherman, Les Clark, and Joshua Meador as se ...
'' (1959) *'' The Shaggy Dog'' (1959) *''
The Absent-Minded Professor ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' is a 1961 American science fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the short story "A Situation of Gravity" by Samuel W. Taylor, originally published in the May 22, 1943 issue of ''Li ...
'' (1961) *'' Babes in Toyland'' (1961) *'' Big Red'' (1962) *'' Savage Sam'' (1963) *''
Son of Flubber ''Son of Flubber'' is a 1963 American science fiction comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. The sequel to ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' (1961), Fred MacMurray reprises his role from the first film as ...
'' (1963) *''
Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...
'' (1964) *''
The Misadventures of Merlin Jones ''The Misadventures of Merlin Jones'' is a 1964 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. The film stars Tommy Kirk as a college student who experiments with mind-reading and hypno ...
'' (1964) *''
Those Calloways ''Those Calloways'' is a 1964 American family drama film, adapted from the 1950 children's novel ''Swiftwater'' by Paul Annixter. The film was produced by Walt Disney and directed by Norman Tokar. It was the last credit for veteran film composer ...
'' (1964) *''
The Monkey's Uncle ''The Monkey's Uncle'' is a 1965 American comedy film starring Tommy Kirk as genius college student Merlin Jones and Annette Funicello (former Mouseketeer from ''The Mickey Mouse Club'') as his girlfriend, Jennifer. The title plays on the idiom ...
'' (1965) *''
That Darn Cat! ''That Darn Cat!'' is a 1965 American thriller comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson Robert Stevenson may refer to: * Robert Stevenson (actor and politician) (1915–1975), American actor and politician * Robert Stevenson (civil engineer) ...
'' (1965) *''
The Ugly Dachshund ''The Ugly Dachshund'' is a 1966 American comedy film directed by Norman Tokar, written by Albert Aley, and starring Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette in a story about a Great Dane who believes he is a dachshund. Produced by Walt Disney Production ...
'' (1966) *''
The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin ''The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin'' is a 1967 American Western comedy film directed by James Neilson, produced by Walt Disney Productions, starring Roddy McDowall, Suzanne Pleshette, Hermione Baddeley, and Karl Malden. The film's screenplay ...
'' (1967) *''
The Ambushers ''The Ambushers'' is a novel by Donald Hamilton first published in 1963, continuing the exploits of assassin Matt Helm. Plot introduction Matt Helm conducts a by-the-book assassination in the (fictional) Central American nation of Costa Verde. A ...
'' (1967) *''
The Gnome-Mobile ''The Gnome-Mobile'' is a 1967 American fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. Based on the 1936 book ''The Gnomobile'' by Upton Sinclair, it was one of the last films personally supervised by W ...
'' (1967) *''
The Happiest Millionaire ''The Happiest Millionaire'' is a 1967 American musical film starring Fred MacMurray, based upon the true story of Philadelphia millionaire Anthony Drexel Biddle. The film, featuring music by the Sherman Brothers, was nominated for an Academy A ...
'' (1967) *''
Blackbeard's Ghost ''Blackbeard's Ghost'' is a 1968 American Fantasy film, fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson (director), Robert Stevenson and starring Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones (actor), Dean Jones, and Suzanne Pleshette. It was produced by Walt Disne ...
'' (1968) *''
The Love Bug ''The Love Bug'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and the first in a franchise by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 1963 ...
'' (1968) *''
Big Bird in Japan ''Big Bird in Japan'' is a television special by the Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop), that aired on NHK in late fall of 1988, and on PBS on January 16, 1989. It is the sequel to ''Big Bird in China'' which was also based on ...
'' (1988)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Colman, Edward 1905 births 1995 deaths American cinematographers Photographers from Philadelphia Disney people