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Elwood Bredell | |
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 Ava Gardner and Burt Lancaster inThe Killers in 1946 | |
| Born | Jesse B. Bredell (1902-12-24)24 December 1902 Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Died | (1969-02-26)26 February 1969 California |
| Other names | Woody Bredell Elwood Dell |
| Occupation(s) | Cinematographer, actor |
| Years active | 1917–1955 |
Elwood Bailey Bredell (24 December 1902 – 26 February 1969) was an Americancinematographer and child silent screen actor.[1] He is sometimes credited asWoody Bredell orElwood Dell. Although he worked in many genres, mostly atUniversal, Bredell is best known for hisfilm noir cinematography on such movies asPhantom Lady (1944),Lady on a Train (1945)The Killers (1946), andThe Unsuspected (1947).Warner Bros. editorGeorge Amy said Bredell could "light a football stadium with a single match".[2]
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., wasDeanna Durbin's first husband.)[1]
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 atRKO andParamount, coinciding with his stepfather's tenures at those studios.[1] At Paramount, Bredell apprenticed under veteran cinematographersCharles Lang andArthur C. Miller.[1] In 1936, Paul brought Bredell to Universal, where he continued his training under the studio's best cinematographer,Joseph Valentine. Bredell was promoted to cinematographer the next year, when Paul producedReckless Living (1938).[1]
Bredell's work on horror films such asBlack Friday (1940),The Mummy's Hand (1940), andGhost of Frankenstein (1942), anticipated his film noir cinematography. He also photographed Deann Durbin musicals and comedies such asHold That Ghost (1941),Hellzapoppin' (1941) andThe Inspector General (1949). His final credit was on the 1955 B-movieFemale Jungle.
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