Elwood Bailey Bredell (24 December 1902 – 26 February 1969) was an American

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

and child silent screen actor. He is sometimes credited as Woody Bredell or Elwood Dell. Although he worked in many genres, mostly at

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...

, Bredell is best known for his

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

cinematography on such movies as '' Phantom Lady'' (1944), ''

Lady on a Train ''Lady on a Train'' is a 1945 American film noir crime film directed by Charles David and starring Deanna Durbin, Ralph Bellamy, and David Bruce. Based on a story by Leslie Charteris, the film is about a woman who witnesses a murder in a nea ...

'' (1945) ''

The Killers The Killers are an American rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingd ...

'' (1946), and '' The Unsuspected'' (1947).

Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

. editor

George Amy George Joseph Amy (October 15, 1903 – December 18, 1986) was an American film editor. He was born in Brooklyn, New York on October 15, 1903, and started his career at the age of 17, finding his niche at Warner Brothers in the 1930s. It was Amy ...

said Bredell could "light a football stadium with a single match".Flynn, Charles and Todd McCarthy. ''Kings of the Bs: Working Within the Hollywood System: an Anthology of Film History and Criticism''. E.P. Dutton, 1975.

Early life

Bredell was born Jesse B. Bredell, Jr., after his father, who was married to stage actress Mary Palmer Nields. She later married Vaughn "Val" Paul, a silent film actor turned production manager. (Paul's son with Nields, Vaughn Jr., was Deanna Durbin's first husband.)

Career

After working as an adolescent actor in silent films, Bredell took a job as a studio lab technician while he cultivated a talent for photography. From about 1929 to 1934, Bredell worked as a still photographer at

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...

and

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

, coinciding with his stepfather's tenures at those studios. At Paramount, Bredell apprenticed under veteran cinematographers Charles Lang and

Arthur C. Miller Arthur Charles Miller, A.S.C. (July 8, 1895 – July 13, 1970) was an American cinematographer. He was nominated for the Oscar for Best Cinematography six times, winning three times: for ''How Green Was My Valley'' in 1941, '' The Song of B ...

. In 1936, Paul brought Bredell to Universal, where he continued his training under the studio's best cinematographer,

Joseph Valentine Joseph A. Valentine (July 24, 1900 in New York City, as ''Giuseppe Valentino'' – May 18, 1949 in (Cheviot Hills, California) was an Italian-American cinematographer, five-time nominee for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, and co-winner ...

. Bredell was promoted to cinematographer the next year, when Paul produced '' Reckless Living'' (1938). Bredell's work on horror films such as '' Black Friday'' (1940), '' The Mummy's Hand'' (1940), and ''

Ghost of Frankenstein ''The Ghost of Frankenstein'' is a 1942 American horror film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi. It is the fourth film in the ''Frankenstein'' series by Universal Pictures, and the follow-up t ...

'' (1942), anticipated his film noir cinematography. He also photographed Deann Durbin musicals and comedies such as ''

Hold That Ghost ''Hold That Ghost'' is a 1941 horror comedy film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello and featuring Joan Davis, Evelyn Ankers and Richard Carlson. On August 1, 1941, Abbott and Costello performed a half-hour live version of the film ...

'' (1941), '' Hellzapoppin''' (1941) and '' The Inspector General'' (1949). His final credit was on the 1955 B-movie ''

Female Jungle ''Female Jungle'' is a 1955 black-and-white film noir directed by Bruno VeSota and starring Kathleen Crowley, Lawrence Tierney, John Carradine and Jayne Mansfield. The production was Mansfield's first film, as well as the only American Internati ...

''.

Selected filmography

Actor

* ''

Southern Justice ''Southern Justice'' is a reality based television series which follows the activities and exploits of two southern Sheriff's departments in the Appalachian Mountains of the southern United States. These departments are the Sullivan County Sherif ...

'' (1917) * ''A Young Patriot'' (1917) * ''Your Boy and Mine'' (1917) * ''

Up or Down? ''Up or Down?'' is a 1917 American silent Western film directed by Lynn Reynolds and starring George Hernandez, Fritzi Ridgeway and John Gilbert. Cast * George Hernandez as Mike * Fritzi Ridgeway as Esther Hollister * John Gilbert as Allan ...

'' (1917) * ''

The Magic Eye ''The Magic Eye'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Rae Berger and starring Henry A. Barrows, Claire Du Brey and Zoe Rae.American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913-1929 p.267 Cast * Henry A. Barrows as ...

'' (1918)

Cinematographer

* '' Snowbound'' (1927) * ''That's My Story!'' (1937) * ''

Little Tough Guy ''Little Tough Guy'' is a 1938 crime film that starred several of the ''Dead End Kids''. In the follow-up films, the studio began using the group name '' The Little Tough Guys'', and later '' The Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys''. This was ...

'' (1938) * ''Two Bright Boys'' (1939) * ''

Ex-Champ ''Ex-Champ'' is a 1939 American drama film, directed by Phil Rosen. It stars Victor McLaglen, Tom Brown, and Nan Grey, and was released on June 16, 1939. Cast list * Victor McLaglen as Tom Grey * Tom Brown as Bob Hill * Nan Grey as Joan Grey * ...

'' (1939) * '' Black Friday''(1940) * '' The Mummy's Hand'' (1940) * ''

The Invisible Woman The Invisible Woman (Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four and was the first female superhero created by Marvel dur ...

'' (1940) * ''

'' (1941) * '' Man Made Monster'' (1941) * '' South of Tahiti'' (1941) * '' The Ghost of Frankenstein'' (1942) * ''The Amazing Mrs. Holliday'' (1943) * ''

His Butler's Sister ''His Butler's Sister'' is a 1943 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Deanna Durbin. The supporting cast includes Franchot Tone, Pat O'Brien, Akim Tamiroff, Evelyn Ankers and Hans Conried. The film was nominate ...

'' (1943) * '' Phantom Lady'' (1944) * ''

Christmas Holiday ''Christmas Holiday'' is a 1944 American film noir crime film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly. Based on the 1939 novel of the same name by W. Somerset Maugham, the film is about a woman who marries a South ...

'' (1944) * ''

'' (1945) * '' Smooth as Silk'' (1946) * ''

'' (1946) * '' The Unsuspected'' (1947) * '' Romance on the High Seas'' (1948) * ''

The Adventures of Don Juan ''Adventures of Don Juan'' is a 1948 American Technicolor swashbuckling adventure romance film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Errol Flynn and Viveca Lindfors, with Robert Douglas, Alan Hale, Ann Rutherford, and Robert Warwick. Also in ...

'' 1948 * '' The Inspector General'' (1949) * ''Journey into Light'' (1951) * ''Christmas Hymns'' (1954) * ''

'' (1955)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bredell, Elwood 1902 births 1969 deaths Male actors from Indianapolis American male silent film actors American cinematographers 20th-century American male actors