George J. Folsey

Biography

Pioneer cinematographer George Folsey started out in 1914 as an errand boy with the Lasky Feature Play Company in New York. His introduction to camerawork came, when he was asked by cinematographer H. Lyman Broening to assist with post-production (tracking dissolve and fades for intercutting). By the time he was 21, he had worked his way up the ladder to lighting cameraman. During the 1920's, Folsey established a reputation for fluidity of camera movement and for his use of subtle lighting, rather than the harsher contrasts prevalent in silent pictures up to that time. This proved somewhat more flattering to the stars. Indeed, Alice Brady, leading lady in his first motion picture as fully-fledged cinematographer, His Bridal Night (1919), was so impressed by his work that she wished him to shoot all of her future films. After a sojourn at Associated First National, Folsey joined Paramount under contract to shoot the Rouben Mamoulian melodrama Applause (1929) and followed this with the first outings of the Marx Brothers: The Cocoanuts (1929) and Animal Crackers (1930). He stayed until 1932 and the following year signed with MGM, remaining there until 1959. His collaboration with the director Vincente Minnelli was particularly fruitful and culminated in the lavish Technicolour musical Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). Many of his films in the 40's and 50's stand out for their striking, lush colours, as, for example, the sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet (1956), which owes much of its cult status to the cinematographer. Folsey was a favorite of director Frank Borzage and of star actress Joan Crawford. George Folsey was nominated for thirteen Oscars, without ever winning a single one. Nonetheless, he did pick up the prestigious 'George Eastman Medal of Honour' in 1957. He was also awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Society of Cinematographers in March 1988.