Carl Louis Gregory (1882–1951) was an American

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

and director.

Early life

Carl Louis Gregory was born in

Walnut, Kansas Walnut is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 187. History Walnut was originally called Glenwood, and under the latter name laid out in 1871. In 1874, it was renamed Walnut ...

, in 1882. He ventured into

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

while he was 11 years old. He grew up in

Geneva, Ohio Geneva is a city in northwestern Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,924 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area, northeast of Cleveland. The area which would become Geneva was originally se ...

, the only boy among many sisters, two of whom, Anne (Anna) and Fana (Fanny) would later act in his silent films. He received degrees in

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

and

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

from the Ohio State University in 1902 and 1904, respectively. He left the Thanhouser Company of New Rochelle to head Feature Film Manufacturing Co. in 1912, based on City Island, NY. (The Bioscope, June 27, 1912) He developed an optical printer in 1920 and as a result, his technical expertise was highly valued.

Career

Gregory was senior cameraman for the first major Thanhouser release, ''St. Elmo''. He photographed stills for a couple of advertisements. Gregory was the head instructor at the U. S. Signal School of Cinematography at Columbia University. He also filmed the 1914 serial called ''

The Million Dollar Mystery ''The Million Dollar Mystery'' is a 23-chapter film serial released in 1914, directed by Howell Hansel, and starring Florence La Badie and James Cruze. It is presumed lost. Plot A prologue for ''The Million Dollar Mystery'' introduced the ...

''. He was on the staff at the

National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...

from 1936 to 1946. During his tenure there, he modified a process optical printer and was successful in restoring paper prints with simple techniques. In 1946, Gregory was hired by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

, which was trying to acquire the film collection of

Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...

. Working in California, he created an inventory of Pickford's collection—films in which she had financial interest, and all of the films in which she appeared.

Death

He died on March 6, 1951, at his home in

Van Nuys Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1 ...

, California.

Filmography

* ''

Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'', or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'', is the third novel by English author Charles Dickens, originally published as a serial from 1838 to 1839. The character of Nickleby is a young man who must support his ...

'' (1912), cinematographer * '' The Cry of the Children'' (1912), cinematographer * ''An American in the Making'' (1913), cinematographer, director * ''Her Awakening'' (1914), director * ''The Woman Pays'' (1914), cinematographer * ''An Enemy to Society'' (1914), cinematographer * ''Thirty Leagues Under the Sea'' (1914) (derived from ''The Terrors of the Deep''), director, cinematographer, screenwriter * '' The Patriot and the Spy'' (1915), cinematographer * ''

Their One Love ''Their One Love'' is a 1915 American silent short action drama film, directed by Jack Harvey. It stars Madeline Fairbanks, Marion Fairbanks, and Robert Wilson. Plot Two sisters love the same man, who later dies in the American Civil War. Cas ...

'' (1915), cinematographer * ''

The Gulf Between ''The Gulf Between'' is a 1917 American comedy-drama film that was the first motion picture made in Technicolor, the fourth feature-length color film, and the first feature-length color film produced in the United States. A copy of the film wa ...

'' (1917), cinematographer * '' Queen of the Sea'' (1918), cinematographer * ''Love's Flame'' (1920), cinematographer, director * ''

The Fall of the House of Usher "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in ''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine'', then included in the collection ''Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque'' in 1840. The short stor ...

'' (1928), special effects cinematographer

References

External links

* *
Carl Louis Gregory
at

Thanhouser Company The Thanhouser Company (later the Thanhouser Film Corporation) was one of the first motion picture studios, founded in 1909 by Edwin Thanhouser, his wife Gertrude Thanhouser, Gertrude and his brother-in-law Lloyd Lonergan. It operated in New Yo ...

Film Preservation, Inc. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory, Carl Louis American cinematographers 1882 births 1951 deaths Film directors from Kansas People from Crawford County, Kansas