Ernest Jacob Haller (May 31, 1896 – October 21, 1970), sometimes known as Ernie J. Haller, was an American
cinematographer.
He was most notable for his involvement in ''
Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind most often refers to:
* ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell
* ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel
Gone with the Wind may also refer to:
Music
* ''Gone with the Wind'' ...
'' (1939), and his close professional relationships with prominent actresses of the time, such as
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...
,
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was si ...
, and
Ingrid Bergman.
Haller was nominated for the
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 ...
for
Best Cinematography seven times for ''
,
All This, and Heaven Too
''All This, and Heaven Too'' is a 1940 American drama film made by Warner Bros.-First National Pictures, produced and directed by Anatole Litvak with Hal B. Wallis as executive producer. The screenplay was adapted by Casey Robinson from the 193 ...
,
Mildred Pierce,
The Flame and The Arrow
''The Flame and the Arrow'' is a 1950 American Technicolor swashbuckler film made by Warner Bros. and starring Burt Lancaster, Virginia Mayo and Nick Cravat. It was directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Harold Hecht and Frank Ross from ...
,
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' and ''
Lilies of the Field;'' winning once for ''Gone with the Wind.''
He was killed in a car accident in
Marina Del Rey, California on October 21, 1970, at the age of 74, and was buried at Freedom Mausoleum,
Forest Lawn, Glendale, CA.
Early life and education
Ernest Haller was born in Los Angeles, California on May 31, 1896. He went to
Hollywood High School and graduated after four years. With his photographic training and a year of laboratory experience, Haller dove straight into the film industry after graduating. His initial interest was in acting; although none of his parents or other relatives were theatrical people, he managed to pursue acting both on stage and screen.
[Haller, Ernest. "A.S.C. Application Form." March 3, 1924. American Society of Cinematographers Collection. Margaret Herrick Library Digital Collection, Los Angeles.]
Career
In 1914 with his older brother's help, Haller first joined the
American Mutoscope and Biograph Company
The Biograph Company, also known as the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1916. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition ...
, also known as the
Biograph Studio or Biograph, as an actor. However, he realized his true passion fairly quickly, for he switched to the camera department within a year of joining the studio.
At the time, Biograph's prized director was
D.W. Griffith
David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...
, and Haller began as an assistant cameraman to Griffith's great cameraman
Billy Bitzer.
His first job as a cameraman was ''
The Hazards of Helen
''The Hazards of Helen'' is an American adventure film serial (or possibly a film series) of 119 twelve-minute episodes released over a span of slightly more than two years by the Kalem Company between November 7, 1914, and February 24, 1917.
At 2 ...
'' (1914), which was an early adventure
serial film
A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...
that was released by the
Kalem Company
The Kalem Company was an early American film studio founded in New York City in 1907 in film, 1907. It was one of the first companies to make films abroad and to set up winter production facilities, first in Florida and then in California. Kalem ...
.
When D.W. Griffith left Biograph due to a disagreement between him and the studio regarding his feature film ''
Judith of Bethulia
''Judith of Bethulia'' (1914 in film, 1914) is an American film starring Blanche Sweet and Henry B. Walthall, and produced and directed by D. W. Griffith, based on the play "Judith and the Holofernes" (1896) by Thomas Bailey Aldrich, which itself ...
'' (1914), the company gradually met its end. Eventually, the Biograph was bought by the
First National Pictures, and First National was later bought by
Warner Brothers
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. D ...
. When Warner Brothers took over the First National, a number of the company's finest cameramen including Haller followed.
Upon the launch of his career as a cinematographer, Haller worked vigorously in every department of silent film, photographing approximately 50 films in the next decade. The first motion picture that he was officially credited as a cinematographer was ''Mothers of Men'' in 1920.
Some of Haller's recognized works after that include ''
Weary River
''Weary River'' is a 1929 American romantic drama film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Richard Barthelmess, Betty Compson, and William Holden (no relation to William Holden, star of such films as '' Sunset Boulevard''). Produced and dist ...
'' (1928), ''
Dawn Patrol'' (1930), ''
The Rich Are Always with Us
''The Rich Are Always with Us'' is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic comedy-drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Ruth Chatterton, George Brent, and Bette Davis. The screenplay by Austin Parker is based on the novel of the same n ...
'' (1932)— a film where he first photographed
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...
—, ''
The Emperor Jones
''The Emperor Jones'' is a 1920 tragic play by American dramatist Eugene O'Neill that tells the tale of Brutus Jones, a resourceful, self-assured African American and a former Pullman porter, who kills another black man in a dice game, is jailed, ...
'' (1933), and
''Dangerous'' (1935). In 1938, Haller received his first Academy Awards nomination for Best Cinematography for the film ''Jezebel''. This recognition caught the eye of
David O. Selznick who was impressed with Haller's work in ''Jezebel'' enough to borrow him from Warner Bros. to participate in ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939), which garnered Haller his first and only Oscar for Best Cinematography.
A year later, Haller received his third nomination for ''All This, and Heaven Too'' (1940), then his fourth for ''Mildred Pierce'' (1945), and his fifth for ''The Flame and the Arrow'' (1950).
With the coming of
independent cinema, Haller and many other cameramen decide to continue their careers as freelancers. ''
Jim Thorpe— All American'' (1951) was his last film, Haller left Warner Bros. after 26 years.
After little work on films as a freelancer, Haller returned to Warner Bros. as an independent contractor for ''
Rebel Without a Cause
''Rebel Without a Cause'' is a 1955 American coming-of-age drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Filmed in the then recently introduced CinemaScope format and directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social com ...
'' (1955). With this as a start, he continued to work on a few films for Warner Bros. including ''
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' (1962), which earned him his sixth nomination. His seventh and final nomination was only a year later with his work on ''
Lilies of the Field'' (1963).
Haller initially announced his retirement in 1965 but briefly came out of it in July 1965 upon the request of director
James Goldstone
James Goldstone (June 8, 1931 – November 5, 1999) was an American film and television director whose career spanned over thirty years.
Career
Goldstone was noted for the momentum and "fifteen-minute cliffhangers" that he brought to TV pilots ...
to film the second pilot of the ''
Star Trek'' episode "
Where No Man Has Gone Before
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" is the third episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series, ''Star Trek''. Written by Samuel A. Peeples and directed by James Goldstone, it first aired on September 22, 1966.
In t ...
".
With this as his final credit, Haller retired from the motion pictures industry.
Legacy
''Jezebel'' and Bette Davis
Haller's relationship with Bette Davis was ardent and long-lasting. They met on the film ''
The Rich Are Always with Us
''The Rich Are Always with Us'' is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic comedy-drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Ruth Chatterton, George Brent, and Bette Davis. The screenplay by Austin Parker is based on the novel of the same n ...
'' (1932), and frequently worked together. He was the director of photography when she won her first Oscar for ''
Dangerous'' (1935). With ''Jezebel'', Haller was nominated alongside her. Davis was extremely fond of Haller and his style, “Ernest Haller had always been my favorite cameraman. I never told him what to do, but I put my trust in him to do what he knew how to do, to make me look my best.”
His work on ''Jezebel'' led to his involvement in ''Gone with the Wind''.
''Gone with the Wind''
Producer, David O. Selznick, was impressed with Haller's work on ''Jezebel,'' replacing the former cinematographer
Lee Garmes
Lee Garmes, A.S.C. (May 27, 1898 – August 31, 1978) was an American cinematographer. During his career, he worked with directors Howard Hawks, Max Ophüls, Josef von Sternberg, Alfred Hitchcock, King Vidor, Nicholas Ray and Henry Hathaway, whom ...
, who left the production after a month over creative differences.
Haller's work earned him his first and only Academy Awards along with the
Technicolor
Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades.
Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...
Associates
Ray Rennahan
Ray Rennahan, A.S.C. (May 1, 1896 – May 19, 1980) was a motion picture cinematographer.
Biography
For his work in films, he became one of the only six cinematographers to have a "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the other five being Ha ...
and
Wilfred M. Cline.
''Gone with the'' ''Wind'' (1939) was a success, also winning awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Supporting Actress.
''Mildred Pierce'' and Joan Crawford
Working closely with Bette Davis and earning two nominations for photographing her in ''Jezebel'' and ''All This, and Heaven Too'', Haller also developed a strong relationship with
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was si ...
. He received his fourth nomination for ''
Mildred Pierce'', and Crawford won the award for Best Actress. Haller continued to photograph Crawford in several other films, including
''Humoresque'' (1946) and both actresses in ''What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' (1962).
''What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?''
Although Haller terminated his contract with Warner Bros. in 1951, he was the best choice to photograph Bette Davis and Joan Crawford— two of the closest actresses that Haller has worked with and the ex-Warner stars. He was brought back to photograph the only film the two would appear in together. In ''What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'', Davis made the decision to embrace the unflattering qualities of the character while Crawford remained with her glamour.
Awards and nominations
Best Cinematography
* ''
'' (1938) - nominated
* ''
Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind most often refers to:
* ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell
* ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel
Gone with the Wind may also refer to:
Music
* ''Gone with the Wind'' ...
'' (1939) - won
* ''
All This, and Heaven Too
''All This, and Heaven Too'' is a 1940 American drama film made by Warner Bros.-First National Pictures, produced and directed by Anatole Litvak with Hal B. Wallis as executive producer. The screenplay was adapted by Casey Robinson from the 193 ...
'' (1940) - nominated
* ''
Mildred Pierce'' (1945) - nominated
* ''
The Flame and the Arrow
''The Flame and the Arrow'' is a 1950 American Technicolor swashbuckler film made by Warner Bros. and starring Burt Lancaster, Virginia Mayo and Nick Cravat. It was directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Harold Hecht and Frank Ross from ...
'' (1950) - nominated
* ''
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' (1962) - nominated
* ''
Lilies of the Field'' (1963) - nominated
Selective filmography
* ''
Mothers of Men'' (1920)
* ''
For Love or Money'' (1920)
*''
Trumpet Island
''Trumpet Island'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Tom Terriss and starring Marguerite De La Motte, Wallace MacDonald, and Hallam Cooley.Katchmer p. 531
Cast
* Marguerite De La Motte as Eve de Merincourt
* Wallace MacDonald as ...
'' (1920)
* ''
Why Women Sin
''Why Women Sin'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Burton L. King and starring Anna Luther, Charles K. Gerrard and Claire Whitney.Munden p.226
Cast
* Anna Luther as Dorothy Pemberton
* E.J. Ratcliffe as Philip Pemberton
* ...
'' (1920)
* ''
Yes or No?
''Yes or No?'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Norma Talmadge in a duo role. It is based on the 1917 Broadway play ''Yes or No'' by Arthur Goodrich. Talmadge and Joe Schenck produced the picture ...
'' (1920)
* ''
The Iron Trail
''The Iron Trail'' is a 1921 American silent adventure film directed by Roy William Neill and written by Dorothy Farnum. The film stars Wyndham Standing, Thurston Hall, Reginald Denny, Alma Tell, and Harlan Knight. The film was released on Oct ...
'' (1921)
* ''
Outcast'' (1922)
* ''
Homeward Bound'' (1923)
* ''
Parisian Nights
''Parisian Nights'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Alfred Santell and featuring Boris Karloff.
Plot
As described in a film magazine review, Adela, a wealthy sculptress, finds in Jean, a leader of a Parisian Apaches, the model ...
'' (1924)
* ''
High and Handsome
''High and Handsome'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Harry Garson and starring Maurice 'Lefty' Flynn, Ethel Shannon, and Tom Kennedy Thomas or Tom Kennedy may refer to:
Politics
* Thomas Kennedy (Scottish judge) (1673–175 ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Three Keys
''Three Keys'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Edward LeSaint and starring Edith Roberts, Jack Mulhall and Gaston Glass.Munden p.804
Cast
* Edith Roberts as Clarita Ortega
* Jack Mulhall as Jack Millington
* Gaston Glass as G ...
'' (1925)
* ''
The Reckless Lady
''The Reckless Lady'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Howard Higgin and starring Belle Bennett, Lois Moran, James Kirkwood, and Lowell Sherman.
Plot
As described in a film magazine review, the attentions of Feodor, a Russian ...
'' (1926)
* ''
The Wilderness Woman'' (1926)
* ''
Prince of Tempters
''Prince of Tempters'' is a 1926 American silent romance film directed by Lothar Mendes and starring Lois Moran, Ben Lyon and Lya De Putti. It is based on the 1924 novel '' The Ex-Duke'' by the British writer E. Phillips Oppenheim. The film w ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Dance Magic'' (1927)
* ''
The Whip Woman'' (1928)
* ''
Wheel of Chance'' (1928)
* ''
Weary River
''Weary River'' is a 1929 American romantic drama film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Richard Barthelmess, Betty Compson, and William Holden (no relation to William Holden, star of such films as '' Sunset Boulevard''). Produced and dist ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Young Nowheres
''Young Nowheres'' is a 1929 American drama film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Richard Barthelmess, Marian Nixon and Bert Roach. It was produced and released by First National Pictures with Vitaphone soundtrack. It was released in silent ...
'' (1929)
* ''
Wedding Rings'' (1929)
* ''
Son of the Gods
''Son of the Gods'' is a 1930 American pre-Code romantic drama film with Technicolor sequences, produced and released by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by Rex Beach. Richard ...
'' (1929)
* ''
Millie
Millie is a feminine given name or diminutive form of various other given names, such as Emily, Millicent, Mildred, Camilla or sometimes Amelia.
People with the given name
Notable people with the given name include:
* Millie Bailey (1918–20 ...
'' (1931)
* ''
Chances'' (1931)
* ''
Street of Women'' (1932)
* ''
The Emperor Jones
''The Emperor Jones'' is a 1920 tragic play by American dramatist Eugene O'Neill that tells the tale of Brutus Jones, a resourceful, self-assured African American and a former Pullman porter, who kills another black man in a dice game, is jailed, ...
'' (1933)
* ''
Easy to Love'' (1934)
* ''
Captain Blood'' (1935)
* ''
Dangerous'' (1935)
* ''
That Certain Woman'' (1937)
* ''
'' (1938)
* ''
Brother Rat
''Brother Rat'' is a 1938 American comedy drama film about cadets at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, directed by William Keighley, and starring Ronald Reagan, Priscilla Lane, Eddie Albert (in his film debut), Jane Wyman, and ...
'' (1938)
* ''
Dark Victory
''Dark Victory'' is a 1939 American melodrama film directed by Edmund Goulding, starring Bette Davis, and featuring George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ronald Reagan, Henry Travers, and Cora Witherspoon. The screenplay by Ca ...
'' (1939)
* ''
Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind most often refers to:
* ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell
* ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel
Gone with the Wind may also refer to:
Music
* ''Gone with the Wind'' ...
'' (1939)
* ''
All This, and Heaven Too
''All This, and Heaven Too'' is a 1940 American drama film made by Warner Bros.-First National Pictures, produced and directed by Anatole Litvak with Hal B. Wallis as executive producer. The screenplay was adapted by Casey Robinson from the 193 ...
'' (1940)
* ''
Honeymoon for Three'' (1941)
* ''
The Bride Came C.O.D.'' (1941)
* ''
The Maltese Falcon'' (1941)
* ''
George Washington Slept Here
''George Washington Slept Here'' is a 1942 comedy film starring Jack Benny, Ann Sheridan, Charles Coburn, Percy Kilbride, and Hattie McDaniel. It was based on the 1940 play of the same name by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, adapted by Everett F ...
'' (1942)
* ''
Mr. Skeffington'' (1944)
* ''
Mildred Pierce'' (1945)
* ''
Devotion
Devotion or Devotions may refer to:
Religion
* Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept
* Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians
* Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance
* Cat ...
'' (1946)
* ''
Deception'' (1946)
* ''
Humoresque
Humoresque (or Humoreske) is a genre of Romantic music characterized by pieces with fanciful humor in the sense of mood rather than wit.
History
The name refers to the German term ''Humoreske'', which was given from the 1800s (decade) onward to h ...
'' (1946)
* ''
Winter Meeting'' (1948)
* ''
The Flame and the Arrow
''The Flame and the Arrow'' is a 1950 American Technicolor swashbuckler film made by Warner Bros. and starring Burt Lancaster, Virginia Mayo and Nick Cravat. It was directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Harold Hecht and Frank Ross from ...
'' (1950)
* ''
Jim Thorpe - All-American
Jim or JIM may refer to:
* Jim (given name), a given name
* Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James
* Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy
* OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism
* ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring
* ''Ji ...
'' (1950)
* ''
Jhansi Ki Rani
Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi (; 19 November 1828 — 18 June 1858),Though the day of the month is regarded as certain historians disagree about the year: among those suggested are 1827 and 1835. was an Indian queen, the Maharani consort of ...
'' (1953)
* ''
Circus of Love
''Circus of Love'' (german: link=no, Rummelplatz der Liebe) is a 1954 drama film directed by Kurt Neumann (director), Kurt Neumann and starring Eva Bartok, Curd Jürgens and Bernhard Wicki.Hayes p.152 It was made as a co-production (film), co-prod ...
'' (1954)
* ''
Magic Fire
''Magic Fire'' is a 1955 American biographical film about the life of composer Richard Wagner, released by Republic Pictures.
Directed by William Dieterle, the film made extensive use of Wagner's music, which was arranged by Erich Wolfgang Korng ...
'' (1955)
* ''
Rebel Without a Cause
''Rebel Without a Cause'' is a 1955 American coming-of-age drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Filmed in the then recently introduced CinemaScope format and directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social com ...
'' (1955)
* ''
Strange Intruder'' (1956)
* ''
God's Little Acre
''God's Little Acre'' is a 1933 novel by Erskine Caldwell about a dysfunctional farming family in Georgia obsessed with sex and wealth. The novel's sexual themes were so controversial that the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice asked a ...
'' (1958)
* ''
Man of the West'' (1958)
* ''
The Miracle'' (1959)
* ''
The Boy and the Pirates
''The Boy and the Pirates'' is a 1960 American adventure film directed by Bert I. Gordon, known as a master of giant monster films. It stars a popular child star Charles Herbert and Gordon's daughter Susan. The storyline concerns a boy and girl ...
'' (1960)
* ''
Armored Command
''Armored Command'' is a 1961 American war film, war drama (film and television), drama film directed by Byron Haskin and starring Howard Keel and Tina Louise. It was filmed in Hohenfels, Bavaria, but takes place in the Vosges Mountains during th ...
'' (1961)
*''
Fear No More'' (1961)
* ''
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' (1962)
* ''
Lilies of the Field'' (1963)
* ''
Dead Ringer'' (1964)
Bibliography and further reading
* Chandler, Charlotte (2006). ''The Girl Who Walked Home Alone: Bette Davis, A Personal Biography''. New York: Simon & Schuster.
* Finler, Joel W. (1988). ''The Hollywood Story''. London: Wallflower Press.
* Keating, Patrick (2014). ''Cinematography''. Rutgers: The State University.
* Keating, Patrick (2010). ''Hollywood Lighting from the Silent Era to Film Noir''. New York: Columbia University Press.
* Nichols, Bill (1985). ''Movies and Methods: An Anthology Vol. 2''. Los Angeles: University of California Press.
* Wilson, Steve (2014). ''The Making of Gone with the Wind''. Austin: University of Texas Press.
External links
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haller, Ernest
1896 births
1970 deaths
American cinematographers
Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners
Road incident deaths in California
Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)