Morris Gertsman (17 April 1907 – 13 December 1999) was a senior-ranked cinematographer at

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

from the mid-1940s through the mid-1950s.

Career

Gertsman's first film of note was ''Jungle Captive''; he shot the final two Sherlock Holmes movies starring Basil Rathbone and

Nigel Bruce William Nigel Ernle Bruce (4 February 1895 – 8 October 1953) was a British character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in a series of films and in the radio series ''The New Adventures of Sherlock ...

, ''

Terror by Night ''Terror by Night'' is a 1946 Sherlock Holmes crime drama directed by Roy William Neill and starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. The story revolves around the theft of a famous diamond aboard a train. The film's plot is a mostly original st ...

'' and '' Dressed to Kill'', and the final

Rondo Hatton Rondo Hatton (April 22, 1894 – February 2, 1946) was an American journalist and actor. After writing for ''The Tampa Tribune'', Hatton found a career in film due to his unique facial features, which were the result of acromegaly. He headlin ...

vehicle, ''

The Brute Man ''The Brute Man'' is a 1946 American horror thriller film starring Rondo Hatton as the Creeper, a murderer seeking revenge against the people he holds responsible for the disfigurement of his face. Directed by Jean Yarbrough, the film features ...

''. At

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

he photographed the horror satire '' How to Make a Monster'', while at

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

he lensed ''

Invisible Invaders ''Invisible Invaders'' is a 1959 science fiction film starring John Agar, Jean Byron, John Carradine and Philip Tonge. It was produced by Robert E. Kent, directed by Edward L. Cahn and written by Samuel Newman. The monster costume from 1958's ''It ...

'' and ''

The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake ''The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake'' is a 1959 American black-and-white horror film written by Orville H. Hampton and directed by Edward L. Cahn. It was one of a series of films they made in the late 1950s for producer Robert E. Kent on contract ...

''. In 1959, he became the cinematographer on the television series ''Adventures in Paradise''. His film work became far less frequent after 1960. Like many of his contemporaries, Gertsman finished his career working in television, on shows like

Arthur Lubin Arthur Lubin (July 25, 1898 – May 11, 1995) was an American film director and producer who directed several ''Abbott & Costello'' films, '' Phantom of the Opera'' (1943), the '' Francis the Talking Mule'' series and created the talking-horse TV ...

's ''

Mister Ed ''Mister Ed'' is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways that aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966. The show's title character is a talking horse which orig ...

'' series (1961-66) for

Filmways Television Filmways, Inc. (also known as Filmways Pictures and Filmways Television) was a television and film production company founded by American film executive Martin Ransohoff and Edwin Kasper in 1952. It is probably best remembered as the production ...

and most specifically for superstar

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golde ...

and her two subsequent sitcoms ''

The Lucy Show ''The Lucy Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962 to 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to '' I Love Lucy''. A significant change in cast and premise for the fourth season (1965–1966) divides the program into two distin ...

'' (1962-68) and '' Here's Lucy'' (1968-74), the latter of which was produced under her own Lucille Ball Productions, Inc. banner.

Credits

*''

Blonde Alibi ''Blonde Alibi'' is a 1946 American black-and-white noir thriller directed by Will Jason and starring Tom Neal, Martha O'Driscoll, Donald MacBride, and Peter Whitney. Cast *Tom Neal as Rick Lavery *Martha O'Driscoll as Marian Gale *Donald MacB ...

'' (1946) *''

Inside Job An insider threat is a malicious threat to an organization that comes from people within the organization, such as employees, former employees, contractors or business associates, who have inside information concerning the organization's security ...

'' (1946) *'' Gunfighters of Abilene'' (1960) *''

Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...

'' (1959) *'' How to Make a Monster'' (1958) *'' Kelly and Me'' (1957) *''

The Creature Walks Among Us ''The Creature Walks Among Us'' is a 1956 American monster horror film and the third and final installment of the ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' series from Universal Pictures, following the previous year's ''Revenge of the Creature''. The f ...

'' (1956) *''

Raw Edge ''Raw Edge'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by John Sherwood starring Rory Calhoun, Yvonne de Carlo, Mara Corday. It marked the movie debut of John Gavin under the name "John Gilmore". Plot In 1842, before law and order has come ...

'' (1956) *'' Everything but the Truth'' (1956) *'' Never Say Goodbye'' (1956) *''

I've Lived Before ''I've Lived Before'' is a 1956 American fantasy drama film directed by Richard Bartlett and starring Jock Mahoney, Leigh Snowden, Ann Harding, John McIntire, and Raymond Bailey. The film was released by Universal Pictures in September 1956. Plo ...

'' (1956) *'' The Spoilers'' (1955) *'' To Hell and Back'' (1955) *''

One Desire ''One Desire'' is a 1955 Technicolor drama (genre), drama romance film directed by Jerry Hopper and starring Anne Baxter, Julie Adams and Rock Hudson. Described as a "rugged story of oil-boom Oklahoma in the early 1900s", it was adapted from Conra ...

'' (1955) *''

Bengal Brigade ''Bengal Brigade'' is a 1954 American adventure war film directed by Laslo Benedek and starring Rock Hudson, Arlene Dahl and Ursula Thiess. The film was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, based on the 1952 novel ''Bengal Tigers'' by ...

'' (1954) *'' So This Is Paris'' (1954) *'' Tanganyka'' (1954) *''

The Glass Web ''The Glass Web'' is a 1953 American 3-D film noir crime film directed by Jack Arnold and starring Edward G. Robinson, John Forsythe, Marcia Henderson and Kathleen Hughes. It is based on Max Simon Ehrlich's 1952 novel ''Spin the Glass Web''. ...

'' (1953) *'' All American'' (1953) *''

The Golden Blade ''The Golden Blade'' is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Nathan Juran and starring Rock Hudson as Harun Al-Rashid and Piper Laurie as Princess Khairuzan. It is set in ancient Bagdad and borrows from the Arabic fairy tales of ''One Thousa ...

'' (1953) *''

The Great Sioux Uprising ''The Great Sioux Uprising'' is a 1953 American Western film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Jeff Chandler, Faith Domergue and Lyle Bettger. Plot During the Civil War, in Wyoming, horse dealers Joan Britton ( Faith Domergue) and Stephen ...

'' (1953) *'' Meet Me at the Fair'' (1953) *''

It Grows on Trees ''It Grows on Trees'' is a 1952 fantasy comedy film directed by Arthur Lubin starring Irene Dunne in her final screen role. Plot The story is about a couple who discover two trees in their backyard that grow money. One morning a few days after Po ...

'' (1952) *''

Just Across the Street ''Just Across the Street'' is a 1952 American comedy film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Ann Sheridan and John Lund.Bubbeo p.206 Plot Henrietta applies for a job as a social secretary for the wealthy Medford family, and while at their ...

'' (1952) *''

Red Ball Express The Red Ball Express was a famed truck convoy system that supplied Allied forces moving quickly through Europe after breaking out from the D-Day beaches in Normandy in 1944. To expedite cargo shipment to the front, trucks emblazoned with red ...

'' (1952) *''

Son of Ali Baba ''Son of Ali Baba'' is a 1952 American adventure film directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Tony Curtis and Piper Laurie. According to the film's trailer, it was made in response to thousands of letters in response to '' The Prince Who Was a ...

'' (1952) *''

Meet Danny Wilson ''Meet Danny Wilson'' is the debut album by Scottish pop group Danny Wilson. It became a significant hit in America on the strength of the summer of 1987 hit single "Mary's Prayer". Track listing All tracks composed by Gary Clark. # "Davy ...

'' (1952) *'' You Never Can Tell'' (1951) *'' Double Crossbones'' (1951) *''

Target Unknown ''Target Unknown'' (also known as ''Prisoner of War'') is a 1951 American war film directed by George Sherman and starring Mark Stevens, Alex Nicol and Robert Douglas. An American bomber crew are forced to bail out over Occupied France in 1944 a ...

'' (1951) *'' Comanche Territory'' (1950) *''

One Way Street ''One Way Street'' is a 1950 American film noir crime film directed by Hugo Fregonese and starring James Mason, Märta Torén and Dan Duryea. The crime film takes place mainly in Mexico. Plot Dr. Frank Matson, a physician, steals $200,000 from t ...

'' (1950) *'' Louisa'' (1950) *''

City Across the River ''City Across the River'' is a 1949 American film noir crime film directed by Maxwell Shane and starring Stephen McNally, Thelma Ritter, Sue England, Barbara Whiting, Luis Van Rooten and Jeff Corey. The screenplay is based on the novel ''The ...

'' (1949) *''

Johnny Stool Pigeon ''Johnny Stool Pigeon'' is a 1949 American film noir crime film directed by William Castle and starring Howard Duff, Shelley Winters and Dan Duryea. Plot A narcotics agent convinces a convict he helped send to Alcatraz go undercover with him t ...

'' (1949) *''

South Sea Sinner ''South Sea Sinner'' is a 1950 American adventure film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Macdonald Carey and Shelley Winters. It is a remake of '' Seven Sinners'' (1940). Liberace has a small role. Plot A cafe owner on a South Sea i ...

'' (1949) *''

Rachel and the Stranger ''Rachel and the Stranger'' is a 1948 American Western (genre), Western film starring Loretta Young, William Holden, and Robert Mitchum. The Norman Foster (director), Norman Foster-directed film was one of the few to address the role of women in ...

'' (1948) *'' Time Out of Mind'' (1947) *''

'' (1946)

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gertsman, Maury 1907 births 1999 deaths American cinematographers Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery