Conrad Wells (1892 New York, New York – January 2, 1930

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...

) was an American cinematographer and

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film ed ...

Biography

Wells began his film career as a camera assistant, becoming a full cameraman in 1919. He specialized in outdoor cinematography often on

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

and action-adventure films. Conrad Wells was born as Abraham Fried but began using "Conrad Wells" in 1927. On January 2, 1930, while filming aerial scenes for the film '' Such Men Are Dangerous'', he was killed in a plane crash over the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

along with 9 others: pilot Walter Ross Cook, cameraman George Eastman, assistant director Ben Frankel, assistant director Max Gold, Tom Harris, Harry Johannes, Otho Jordan, director

Kenneth Hawks Kenneth Neil Hawks (August 12, 1898 – January 2, 1930) was an American film director and producer. Life and career Hawks served in the United States Army Air Service during World War I. He then graduated from Yale University in 1919. He so ...

, and pilot Halleck Rouse. The planes that crashed into each other were identical Stinson SM-1F Detroiters, sun glare was listed as a probable cause. He is buried at the Home of Peace Memorial Park in East

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Filmography

* '' The Lost Battalion'' (1919) * '' Even as Eve'' (1920) * ''The Good-Bad Wife'' (1920) * '' Man and Woman'' (1920) * ''

The Man from Hell's River ''The Man from Hell's River'', also known as simply ''Hell's River'', is a 1922 American silent Western film starring Irving Cummings, Eva Novak, and Wallace Beery. The screenplay was written by Cummings based upon the story "God of Her People" ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Woman Who Fooled Herself ''The Woman Who Fooled Herself'' is a 1922 American silent romantic drama film directed by Charles A. Logue and starring May Allison, Robert Ellis and Frank Currier.Munden p.920 Cast * May Allison as Eva Lee * Robert Ellis as Fernando Penn ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Tents of Allah ''The Tents of Allah'' is a 1923 American silent drama film written and directed by Charles A. Logue and starring Monte Blue, Mary Alden, and Frank Currier. Synopsis While visiting her uncle, the American consul in Tangier, Morocco, a young w ...

'' (1923) * ''

The Galloping Fish ''The Galloping Fish'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by Del Andrews and starring Louise Fazenda, Syd Chaplin, Ford Sterling, Chester Conklin, Lucille Ricksen, and John Steppling. It is based on the 1917 novel ''Friend Wife'' ...

'' (1924) * ''

His Forgotten Wife ''His Forgotten Wife'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Warner Baxter, Madge Bellamy, and Tom Guise.Munden p. 352 Plot As described in a film magazine review, Donald Allen is reported killed in Fr ...

'' (1924) * ''

Three in Exile ''Three in Exile'' is a 1925 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by Fred Windemere and starring Louise Lorraine, Art Acord, and Tom London. Plot As described in a film magazine review, a dog that is chased by a ...

'' (1925) * '' With This Ring'' (1925) * ''

Wreckage Wreckage may refer to: * Debris Music * ''Wreckage'' (album), a 2002 album by Overseer * ''Wreckage'' (1969 band), a late 1960s band notable for featuring future Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury as a member * ''Wreckage'', a 1997 EP by the band E ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Silent Guardian ''The Silent Guardian'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by Billy Bletcher and starring Louise Lorraine, Harry Tenbrook, and Art Acord Arthemus Ward "Art" Acord (April 17, 1890 – January 4, 1931) was an American silent fil ...

'' (1925) * '' The Phantom Express'' (1925) * ''

Rustling for Cupid ''Rustling for Cupid'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Irving Cummings and starring George O'Brien, Anita Stewart, and Russell Simpson.Langman, p. 386 Cast * George O'Brien as Bradley Blatchford * Anita Stewart as Sybi ...

'' (1926) * ''

The Midnight Kiss ''The Midnight Kiss'' is a lost 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Janet Gaynor. It was produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation. Cast *Richard Walling as Thomas H. Atkins Jr. *Janet Gaynor as Mildr ...

'' (1926) * '' The Country Beyond'' (1926) * '' Bertha, the Sewing Machine Girl'' (1926) * '' The Brute'' (1927) * ''

The Black Diamond Express ''The Black Diamond Express'' is a 1927 silent railroad feature film drama directed by Howard Bretherton and starring Monte Blue. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. It is not to be confused with several early short actuality style ...

'' (1927) * '' The Swell-Head'' (1927) * '' The Desired Woman'' (1927) *'' Dressed to Kill (1928) * '' Chicken a La King'' (1928) * ''

Dry Martini The martini is a cocktail made with gin and vermouth, and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist. Over the years, the martini has become one of the best-known mixed alcoholic beverages. A popular variation, the vodka martini, uses vodka in ...

'' (1928) * '' Romance of the Underworld'' (1928) * '' Captain Lash'' (1929) * '' True Heaven'' (1929) * '' New Year's Eve'' (1929) * ''

The Woman from Hell ''The Woman from Hell'' newly renamed as ''The Woman from Luna'' was a 1929 American silent film drama produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation and starring Mary Astor. This film had a Movietone sound system, Movietone sound track of musi ...

'' (1929) * ''

Behind That Curtain ''Behind That Curtain'' (1928) is the third novel in the Charlie Chan series of mystery novels by Earl Derr Biggers. Plot summary It is set almost exclusively in California (as opposed to Chan's native Hawaii), and tells the story of the form ...

'' (1929) * ''

The Sky Hawk ''The Sky Hawk'' is a 1929 American pre-Code adventure film, produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation and directed by John G. Blystone. The screenplay was adapted by Llewellyn Hughes from his article "Chap Called Bardell" and novelized ...

'' (1929) * ''

Let's Go Places ''Let's Go Places'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code musical film made by the Fox Film Corporation. Directed by Frank R. Strayer, the film uses a screenplay by William K. Wells which is based on a story by Andrew Bennison. It was choreographed by Dan ...

'' (1930) * '' Such Men Are Dangerous'' (1930)

References

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External links

Parker v. Granger case details plane crash that killed Conrad Wells, Kenneth Hawks et al
* ttp://mlsandy.home.tsixroads.com/Corinth_MLSANDY/rt066.html An account of the plane crash that killed Conrad Wells, Kenneth Hawks et al
Conrad Wells
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Conrad 1892 births 1930 deaths Accidental deaths in California Artists from New York City American cinematographers Burials at Home of Peace Cemetery Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1930 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States