John J. Mescall,

A.S.C. 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 cinema ...

(January 10, 1899 – February 10, 1962) 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 ...

. He photographed such

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

s as

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; ; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; a ...

's ''

The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg ''The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg'', also known as ''The Student Prince'' and ''Old Heidelberg'', is a 1927 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer silent drama film based on the 1901 play '' Old Heidelberg'' by Wilhelm Meyer-Förster. It was directed by Er ...

'' (1927), but he is best known for his work in the 1930s at

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

, where he often worked on the films of

James Whale James Whale (22 July 1889 – 29 May 1957) was an English film director, theatre director and actor, who spent the greater part of his career in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. He is best remembered for several horror films: ''Fra ...

. Mescall was famous for his elaborate, some might say grandiose, effective camera movements, in which the camera would often track completely across or around a set, or even one performer (as it does around

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

while he sings ''

Ol' Man River "Ol' Man River" is a show tune from the 1927 musical '' Show Boat'' with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote the song in 1925. The song contrasts the struggles and hardships of African Americans with the endless, ...

'' in the 1936 film version of ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the per ...

''). He did not always use these kinds of camera movements (''The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg'' has none), but his most famous films all have them.

Acclaimed works

Bride of Frankenstein ''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American Gothic science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring ...

'' (1935) and ''Show Boat'' (1936), both directed by James Whale, are generally named among Mescall's greatest achievements in cinematography. In the former, his distinctive angles added greatly to the scene depicting the creation of the bride. Mescall also did uncredited work for Whale's ''

The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is an 1897 science fiction novel by British writer H. G. Wells. Originally serialised in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a s ...

'' (1933). Mescall also filmed '' The Road Back'' (1937) for Whale, an ill-fated sequel to ''

All Quiet on the Western Front ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' () is a semi-autobiographical novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran of World War I. The book describes the German soldiers' extreme physical and mental trauma during the war as well as the detachme ...

'' (1930). Both are based on novels by

Erich Maria Remarque Erich Maria Remarque (; ; born Erich Paul Remark; 22 June 1898 – 25 September 1970) was a German novelist. His landmark novel '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1928), based on his experience in the Imperial German Army during World War ...

. Though visually compelling, ''The Road Back'' bombed at the box-office, in part due to a well-publicized editing dispute between Whale and Universal executives. The film's cast included Noah Beery Jr. and

Richard Cromwell Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who served as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1658 to 1659. He was the son of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. Following his father ...

Later work

After the 1939 "weepie" ''

When Tomorrow Comes "When Tomorrow Comes" is a song recorded by British pop music duo Eurythmics. It was written by group members Annie Lennox, David A. Stewart and guest keyboardist Pat Seymour. With this single and its parent album ''Revenge'', Lennox and Stewar ...

'', starring

Irene Dunne Irene Dunne (born Irene Marie Dunn; December 20, 1898 – September 4, 1990) was an American actress who appeared in films during Classical Hollywood cinema, the Golden Age of Hollywood. She is best known for her comedic roles, though she perf ...

and

Charles Boyer Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...

in their second film together, Mescall was limited to working in a series of forgettable films, except for the 1944

film-noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

'' Dark Waters'', starring

Merle Oberon Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress. She began her acting career in British cinema in the early 1930s, with a breakout role in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). She ...

Franchot Tone Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone (February 27, 1905 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor, producer, and director of stage, film and television. He was a leading man in the 1930s and early 1940s, and at the height of his career was known ...

and Thomas Mitchell. He photographed two

Sonja Henie Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 – 12 October 1969) was a Norway, Norwegian figure skating, figure skater and film star. She was a three-time List of Olympic medalists in figure skating, Olympic champion (Figure skating at the 1928 Winter Olympics, ...

films at

Twentieth Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Com ...

, and also did uncredited work on the 1944 film ''

The Bridge of San Luis Rey ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' is American author Thornton Wilder's second novel. It was first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and was the best-selling work of fiction that year. Premise ''The ...

''. He received his only

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination, oddly enough, not for his work on the Universal classics (which also included such films as Edgar G. Ulmer's '' The Black Cat''), but for the semi-forgotten 1942 romantic comedy ''

Take a Letter, Darling ''Take a Letter, Darling'' is a 1942 American romantic comedy film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Rosalind Russell. It was nominated for three Academy Awards; Best Cinematography, Best Score and Best Art Direction (Hans Dreier, Rol ...

'', starring

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 ...

and

Rosalind Russell Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907November 28, 1976) was an American actress, model, comedian, screenwriter, and singer,Obituary '' Variety'', December 1, 1976, p. 79. known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in ...

Partial filmography

* '' Hold Your Horses'' (1921) * ''

All's Fair in Love ''All's Fair in Love'' is a 1921 American silent romantic comedy film directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring May Collins, Richard Dix and Raymond Hatton.Munden p.15 It was produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures. It is based on the 1913 ...

'' (1921) * '' From the Ground Up'' (1921) * '' Watch Your Step'' (1922) * ''

The Wall Flower ''The Wall Flower'' is a 1922 American silent romantic drama film directed by Rupert Hughes and starring Colleen Moore, Richard Dix, Gertrude Astor, Laura La Plante, and Tom Gallery. The film was released by Goldwyn Pictures in May 1922. Plot As ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Glorious Fool ''The Glorious Fool'' is a 1922 American silent romantic comedy drama film directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Helene Chadwick, Richard Dix and Vera Lewis.Munden p.297 It was based on the short stories ''In the Pavillion'' and ''Twenty-Tw ...

'' (1922) * ''

Gimme Gimme may refer to: Music * "Gimme" (Alice Cooper song), 2000 * "Gimme" (Banks song), 2019 * "Gimme" (Boom Crash Opera song),1994 * "Gimme" (One song), by the Cypriot boy band One, 2002 * "Gimme" (Sam Smith, Koffee, and Jessie Reyez song), 2023 O ...

'' (1923) * '' Six Days'' (1923) * '' Three Weeks'' (1924) * '' Satan in Sables'' (1925) * ''

Oh! What a Nurse! ''Oh! What a Nurse!'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Charles Reisner and written by Darryl F. Zanuck. The film stars Sydney Chaplin, Patsy Ruth Miller, Gayne Whitman, Matthew Betz, Edith Yorke, and David Torrence. The fil ...

'' (1926) * ''

'' (1927) * ''

Walking Back ''Walking Back'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Rupert Julian and an uncredited Cecil B. DeMille. Prints of the film exist. Plot A young jazz hound, "Smoke" Thatcher (Richard Walling), is failing his academic studies due to ...

'' (1928) * '' Captain Swagger'' (1928) * ''

The Leopard Lady ''The Leopard Lady'' is a 1928 American silent horror film directed by Rupert Julian, written by Beulah Marie Dix, and starring Jacqueline Logan, Alan Hale and Robert Armstrong. The film, based on a play by Edward Childs Carpenter, is about a f ...

'' (1928) * ''

The Shady Lady ''The Shady Lady'' is a 1928 sound part-talkie American drama film directed by Edward H. Griffith and starring Phyllis Haver, Robert Armstrong and Louis Wolheim.Quinlan p.122 Although the film featured a few sequences with audible dialogue, the ...

'' (1928) * '' Love Over Night'' (1928) * ''

The Sophomore ''The Sophomore'' is a 1929 American sound all-talking pre-Code comedy film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Eddie Quillan, Sally O'Neil and Jeanette Loff. Made during the early sound era, it was shot using the RCA Photophone sound system. ...

'' (1929) * ''

His First Command ''His First Command'' is a 1929 American pre-Code comedy film, comedy action film directed by Gregory La Cava and starring William Boyd (actor), William Boyd, Dorothy Sebastian and Gavin Gordon (actor), Gavin Gordon.Munden p.352 Location shooting ...

'' (1929) * ''

Sin Takes a Holiday ''Sin Takes a Holiday'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code romantic comedy film, directed by Paul L. Stein, from a screenplay by Horace Jackson, based on a story by Robert Milton (director), Robert Milton and Dorothy Cairns. It sta ...

'' (1930) * '' Big Money'' (1930) * '' The Black Cat'' (1934) * ''

'' (1935) * ''

'' (1936) * '' Josette'' (1938) * ''

'' (1939) * ''

South of Pago Pago ''South of Pago Pago'' is a 1940 American South Seas adventure film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Victor McLaglen, Jon Hall and Frances Farmer. Plot In 1875 a group of adventurers meet in Singapore to look for pearls in the Pacific I ...

'' (1940) * ''

'' (1942) * '' Dark Waters'' (1944)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mescall, John J. American cinematographers 1899 births 1962 deaths