Harry J. Wild, A.S.C. (July 5, 1901 – February 24, 1961) was a film and television
cinematographer. Wild worked at
RKO Pictures studios from 1931 through the 1950s. In total Wild was involved in 91 major film projects and two extended television series.
In 1931, he began his career and was hired as second cameraman and operator on nine projects, most notably Fred Niblo's ''Young Donovan'a Kid'' (1931). In 1936, Wild shot his first feature, Wallace Fox's sports drama ''The Big Game''. Two years later he shared an
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 ...
nomination for the
Republic Pictures film ''Army Girl'' (1938).
According to film critic Spencer Selby, Wild was a prolific ''film noir'' cinematographer, shooting 13 of them, including: Dmytryk's ''
Murder, My Sweet
''Murder, My Sweet'' (released as ''Farewell, My Lovely'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1944 American film noir, directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor and Anne Shirley (in her final film before retirement). The film ...
'' (1944), ''
Johnny Angel
''Johnny Angel'' is a 1945 American film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin and written by Steve Fisher (adapted by Frank Gruber) from the 1944 novel ''Mr. Angel Comes Aboard'' by Charles Gordon Booth. The movie stars George Raft, Claire Trevor a ...
'' (1945), ''
Nocturne
A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night.
History
The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' 'of the night') was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...
'' (1946), the
Jean Renoir-directed ''
The Woman on the Beach
''The Woman on the Beach'' is a 1947 film noir directed by Jean Renoir and starring Joan Bennett, Robert Ryan and Charles Bickford. It was released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film is a love triangle drama about Scott, a conflicted U.S. Coast ...
'' (1947), ''
They Won't Believe Me'' (1947), and others. He was also, in the early 1950s,
Jane Russell
Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, singer, and model. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. She starred in more than 20 films.
Russell moved from th ...
's cinematographer; he worked on seven of her movies as an actress, three of which were released by other studios: ''
His Kind of Woman'' (1951) and ''
Son of Paleface
''Son of Paleface'' is a 1952 American Comedy Western film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Bob Hope, Jane Russell, and Roy Rogers. The film is a sequel to '' The Paleface'' (1948). Written by Tashlin, Joseph Quillan, and Robert L. Welch ...
'' (1952) for
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 ...
, and, his most widely seen movie, ''
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1953) for
Twentieth Century-Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
.
Filmography
![Stage Door Canteen (1943) 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Stage_Door_Canteen_%281943%29_1.jpg)
* ''The Big Game'' (1936)
* ''Racing Lady'' (1937)
* ''Don't Tell the Wife'' (1937)
* ''
Portia on Trial'' (1937)
* ''
Lady Behave!'' (1938)
* ''Painted Desert'' (1938)
* ''
Army Girl
''Army Girl'' (also released as ''The Last of the Cavalry'') is a 1938 American comedy film directed by George Nicholls Jr. and starring Madge Evans and Preston Foster. It was a high budget film by Republic Pictures.
Plot
Captain Dike Conger, ...
'' (1938)
* ''Lawless Valley'' (1938)
* ''
The Renegade Ranger'' (1938)
* ''
Arizona Legion
''Arizona Legion'' is a 1939 American Western film directed by David Howard from a screenplay by Oliver Drake, based on Bernard McConville's story. Produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, it was released on January 20, 1939, and stars ...
'' (1939)
* ''
The Rookie Cop
''The Rookie Cop'' is a 1939 film directed by David Howard and starring Tim Holt as a rookie cop who wants to prove his friend wasn't involved with a robbery. The film also stars Virginia Weidler, Janet Shaw, Frank M. Thomas, and Muriel Evans ...
'' (1939)
* ''Racketeers of the Range'' (1939)
* ''Timber Stampede'' (1939)
* ''
The Fighting Gringo'' (1939)
* ''The Marshal of Mesa City'' (1939)
* ''Trouble in Sundown'' (1939)
* ''
The Fargo Kid
''The Fargo Kid'' is a 1940 American Western film directed by Edward Killy starring Tim Holt. It was the second in Holt's series of Westerns for RKO. The film was shot in Kanab Canyon, Cave Lakes, and Johnson Canyon.
The script was based on a ...
'' (1940)
* ''
Bullet Code
''Bullet Code'' is a 1940 American Western film directed by David Howard and starring George O'Brien, Virginia Vale and Slim Whitaker. The screenplay was written by Doris Schroeder from a story by Bennett Cohen..
Plot
In the Old West, cowhand ...
'' (1940)
* ''Millionaires in Prison'' (1940)
* ''
Laddie'' (1940)
* ''
Legion of the Lawless
''Legion of the Lawless'' is a 1940 American Western film directed by David Howard and starring George O'Brien, Virginia Vale, and Slim Whitaker. The screenplay was written by Doris Schroeder from a story by Berne Giler.
Plot
In the Old ...
'' (1940)
* ''Prairie Law'' (1940)
* ''
Wagon Train
''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...
'' (1940)
* ''
The Saint in Palm Springs
''The Saint in Palm Springs'' is a crime melodrama released by RKO Pictures in early 1941. The film continued the screen adventures of the Robin Hood-inspired anti-hero, Simon Templar, alias "The Saint", created by Leslie Charteris.
This sequel ...
'' (1941)
* ''
Cyclone on Horseback'' (1941)
* ''
Robbers of the Range
''Robbers of the Range'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by Edward Killy and starring Tim Holt, Virginia Vale, Ray Whitley, and Emmett Lynn
Emmett Earl Lynn (February 14, 1897 – October 20, 1958) was an American actor of th ...
'' (1941)
* ''
Citizen Kane'' (1941, additional photography; uncredited)
* ''
The Bandit Trail
''The Bandit Trail'' is a 1941 Western film..
Plot
A cowboy helps rob a bank to get revenge on an unscrupulous banker.
Cast
* Tim Holt as Steve Haggerty
* Ray Whitley as Smokey
* Janet Waldo as Ellen Grant
* Lee 'Lasses' White as Whopper
* M ...
'' (1941)
* ''
Dude Cowboy
''Dude Cowboy'' is a 1941 American western film. David Howard directed the film (his final one) and Morton Grant wrote the screenplay. The film stars Tim Holt as Terry McVey, Eddie Kane as Gordon West, Marjorie Reynolds as Barbara Adams (alia ...
'' (1941)
* ''
Valley of the Sun
A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...
'' (1942)
* ''
Riding the Wind
''Riding the Wind'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Edward Killy
Edward Arthur Killy (January 26, 1903 – July 2, 1981) was an American director, assistant director and production manager in films and television. He was one ...
'' (1942)
* ''
Land of the Open Range
''Land of the Open Range'' is a 1942 Western film. It uses out takes from ''Cimarron'' (1931).
Plot
Luke Archer's will stipulates that his huge land holding will be open for filing, but only to ex-convicts who served at least two years in priso ...
'' (1942)
* ''
Come on Danger'' (1942)
* ''
The Magnificent Ambersons
''The Magnificent Ambersons'' is a 1918 novel by Booth Tarkington, the second in his ''Growth'' trilogy after ''The Turmoil'' (1915) and before ''The Midlander'' (1923, retitled ''National Avenue'' in 1927). It won the Pulitzer Prize for fict ...
'' (1942, additional photography; uncredited)
* ''
Six Gun Gold'' (1942)
* ''
It's All True'' (1942)
* ''Rookies in Burma'' (1943)
* ''
So This Is Washington
''So This Is Washington'' is a 1943 American film directed by Ray McCarey starring Chester Lauck. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Recording ( James L. Fields). It is also known as ''Dollar A Year Man''.
Plot
Abner ...
'' (1943)
* ''
Tarzan Triumphs
''Tarzan Triumphs'' is a 1943 adventure film in which Tarzan fights the Nazi Germany, Nazis. Johnny Weissmuller had portrayed the Edgar Rice Burroughs character in six films with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but this was his first with the producer Sol ...
'' (1943)
* ''
Stage Door Canteen
The Stage Door Canteen was an entertainment venue for American and Allied servicemen that operated in the Broadway theatre district of New York City throughout World War II. Founded by the American Theatre Wing (ATW) in 1942, the entertainers we ...
'' (1943)
* ''
Tarzan's Desert Mystery
''Tarzan's Desert Mystery'' is a 1943 American Tarzan film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Johnny Weissmuller and Nancy Kelly.
Like its immediate predecessor, ''Tarzan Triumphs'', the film mentions Tarzan's mate, Jane, but does not show ...
'' (1943)
* ''
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
'' (1944)
* ''
Mademoiselle Fifi'' (1944)
* ''
Murder, My Sweet
''Murder, My Sweet'' (released as ''Farewell, My Lovely'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1944 American film noir, directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor and Anne Shirley (in her final film before retirement). The film ...
'' (1944)
* ''
The Falcon Out West
''The Falcon Out West'' (aka ''The Falcon in Texas'') is a 1944 American mystery film directed by William Clemens and starring Tom Conway, Joan Barclay and Barbara Hale. The film was part of RKO's The Falcon series of detective films, this ti ...
'' (1944)
* ''Radio Stars on Parade'' (1945)
* ''
Cornered'' (1945)
* ''
Johnny Angel
''Johnny Angel'' is a 1945 American film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin and written by Steve Fisher (adapted by Frank Gruber) from the 1944 novel ''Mr. Angel Comes Aboard'' by Charles Gordon Booth. The movie stars George Raft, Claire Trevor a ...
'' (1945)
* ''
West of the Pecos'' (1945)
* ''Wanderer of the Wasteland'' (1945)
* ''
First Yank Into Tokyo'' (1945)
* ''
The Woman on the Beach
''The Woman on the Beach'' is a 1947 film noir directed by Jean Renoir and starring Joan Bennett, Robert Ryan and Charles Bickford. It was released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film is a love triangle drama about Scott, a conflicted U.S. Coast ...
'' (1946)
* ''
Till the End of Time'' (1946)
* ''
Nocturne
A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night.
History
The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' 'of the night') was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...
'' (1946)
* ''The Falcon's Adventure'' (1946)
* ''
They Won't Believe Me'' (1947)
* ''
Tycoon
A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
'' (1947)
* ''
Pitfall'' (1948)
* ''
Station West'' (1948)
* ''
Strange Bargain'' (1949)
* ''
The Big Steal
''The Big Steal'' is a 1949 American black-and-white film noir reteaming '' Out of the Past'' stars Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer. The film was directed by Don Siegel, based on the short story "The Road to Carmichael's" by Richard Wormser.
Pl ...
'' (1949)
* ''
Easy Living'' (1949)
* ''
The Threat'' (1949)
* ''
Walk Softly, Stranger
''Walk Softly, Stranger'' is a 1950 American romantic drama film starring Joseph Cotten and Alida Valli and directed by Robert Stevenson. Also regarded by some as either or both a film noir and crime film, it tells the story of a small-time crook ...
'' (1950)
* ''
Gambling House
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
'' (1951)
* ''
His Kind of Woman'' (1951)
* ''
Two Tickets to Broadway'' (1951)
* ''
My Forbidden Past
''My Forbidden Past'' is a 1951 American historical film noir directed by Robert Stevenson and starring Robert Mitchum and Ava Gardner. Adapted by Leopold Atlas from Polan Banks' novel ''Carriage Entrance''.
Plot
The events take place in the 1 ...
'' (1951)
* ''
The Las Vegas Story'' (1952)
* ''
Macao
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a po ...
'' (1952)
* ''
Son of Paleface
''Son of Paleface'' is a 1952 American Comedy Western film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Bob Hope, Jane Russell, and Roy Rogers. The film is a sequel to '' The Paleface'' (1948). Written by Tashlin, Joseph Quillan, and Robert L. Welch ...
'' (1952)
* ''
The French Line
''The French Line'' is a 1953 American musical film starring Jane Russell made by RKO Radio Pictures, directed by Lloyd Bacon and produced by Edmund Grainger, with Howard Hughes as executive producer. The screenplay was by Mary Loos and Richard ...
'' (1953)
* ''
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1953)
* ''
Affair with a Stranger
''Affair with a Stranger'' is a 1953 American comedy-drama directed by Roy Rowland and starring Jean Simmons and Victor Mature. It was originally to be released as ''Kiss and Run''.
The film centres on the rumoured marital troubles of a succes ...
'' (1953)
* ''
She Couldn't Say No'' (1954)
* ''Top of World'' (1955)
* ''
Underwater!
''Underwater!'' is a 1955 adventure film directed by John Sturges and starring Jane Russell and Richard Egan.
Plot synopsis
Johnny and his wife Theresa, along with mercenary Dominic Quesada, priest Father Cannon and Gloria, the boat owner, sea ...
'' (1955)
Source:
[Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to World Film, since 1885.'' 2008]
Index home page
Television
* ''
The Bob Cummings Show
''The Bob Cummings Show'' (also known in reruns as ''Love That Bob'') is an American sitcom starring Bob Cummings, which was broadcast from January 2, 1955, to September 15, 1959.
The program began with a half-season run on NBC, then ran for tw ...
'' (1955–1958)
* ''
Law of the Plainsman
''Law of the Plainsman'' is a Western (genre), Western television series starring Michael Ansara that aired on NBC from October 1, 1959, until September 22, 1960.
The character of Native Americans in the United States, Native American United St ...
'' (1959)
* ''
Wanted: Dead or Alive'' (1959–1960)
* ''
The Twilight Zone
''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...
'' (1960 ("
Third from the Sun
"Third from the Sun" is episode 14 of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. It is based on a short story of the same name by Richard Matheson which first appeared in the first issue of the magazine ''Galaxy Science Ficti ...
" episode)
Accolades
* Nomination, Academy Awards: Best Cinematography for ''Army Girl'' (1938)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wild, Harry J.
1901 births
1961 deaths
American cinematographers