Born: 1 September 1901, Newark, N.J., USA [some sources give England or Nesen, Germany], as Henry A. Stradling.

Died: 14 February 1970, Hollywood, Calif., USA.

Career: Became doph in 1920. Went to France in 1930 [working for Les Studios Paramount in Joinville-le-Pont (see films with *)] and, later, to England, then returned to Hollywood.

Was a member of the ASC.

His son Harry Jr. is a doph. His uncle Walter Ernest Stradling [1875-1918] was a doph.

Awards: 'Oscar' AA nom [1943; b&w] for 'The Human Comedy'; 'Oscar' AA [1945; b&w] for 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'; 'Oscar' AA nom [1949; color] for 'The Barkleys of Broadway'; 'Oscar' AA nom [1951; b&w] for 'A Streetcar Named Desire'; 'Oscar' AA nom [1952; color] for 'Hans Christian Andersen'; 'Oscar' AA nom [1955; color] for 'Guys and Dolls'; 'Oscar' AA nom [1956; color] for 'The Eddy Duchin Story'; 'Oscar' AA nom [1958; color] for 'Auntie Mame'; 'Oscar' AA nom [1959; b&w] for 'The Young Philadelphians'; 'Oscar' AA nom [1961; color] for 'A Majority of One'; 'Oscar' AA nom [1962; color] for 'Gypsy'; 'Oscar' AA [1964; color] for 'My Fair Lady'; 'Oscar' AA nom [1968] for 'Funny Girl'; 'Oscar' AA nom [1969] for 'Hello, Dolly!'.

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Cinematographer Harry Stradling was one of the great talents in the history of Hollywood. He worked in every film genre and for many good and bad directors. His career represents a scope and quality matched by few cameramen.

Like many of his contemporaries who entered the American film industry during the 1920s, Stradling spent more than a decade learning his craft filming minor works. His uncle, Walter Stradling, who for many years was Mary Pickford's cameraman, got him his initial job. During his on-the-job training Stradling spent the 1920s on unimportant films, even working on shorts for the minor studio Pathé. At this point his career took an uncommon turn. Stradling journeyed to Europe to establish his reputation. Thus he worked on the French film, 'La kermesse héroïque/Carnival in Flanders' in 1935. In this film Stradling and director Jacques Feyder successfully captured the image of Flemish paintings, and offered up a distinctive, highly successful art film of its day.

For this effort Alexander Korda hired Stradling to photograph the British film 'Knight Without Armour'. Besides the low-key impressionistic backgrounds representing Moscow, the film placed Stradling in a line of famous cameramen who boosted the career of Marlene Dietrich. This led to a series of major assignments in the United Kingdom ['Pygmalion', 'The Citadel', and 'Jamaica Inn']. From these successes Stradling was able to make his way back to Hollywood. He soon moved to the top rung of Hollywood cinematographers.

Possibly because of his experience in Europe, Stradling was willing to experiment. This was extremely rare in conservative Hollywood of the 1940s. A famous film for its special effects was 'The Corsican Brothers', in which Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., played twin brothers. Critics praised the scenes in which the two brothers appeared as amazingly real.

Like most ace cinematographers of his day, Stradling never stuck to one genre, but he did build up a reputation for a style which emphasized glamour and Technicolor.

The final flare of Harry Stradling's long, distinguished career came with 'Funny Girl'. Barbra Streisand thanked "dear Harry Stradling" in her acceptance speech for her Oscar. They later worked together on 'Hello, Dolly!' and 'On a Clear Day You Can See Forever', and he died while working on yet another Streisand vehicle, 'The Owl and the Pussycat'. [From an article by Douglas Gomery.]

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1920        The Devil's Garden [Kenneth Webb] b&w; 6 reels; cph: Tom L. Griffith; prod Whitman Bennett Productions

1920        The Great Adventure [Kenneth Webb] b&w; 6 reels; cph: Tom L. Griffith; prod Whitman Bennett Productions

1921        Jim the Penman [Kenneth Webb] b&w; 6 reels; cph: Tom L. Griffith; prod Whitman Bennett Productions

1922        Fair Lady [Kenneth Webb] b&w; cph: Edward Paul; prod Bennett Pictures

1922        His Wife's Husband [Kenneth Webb] b&w; 6 reels; prod Pyramid Pictures

1922        The Secrets of Paris [Kenneth Webb] b&w; cph: Edward Paul; prod H.V. Productions & Whitman Bennett Productions

1922        How Women Love [Kenneth Webb] b&w; 6 reels; cph: Edward Paul; prod B.B. Productions

1925        Wandering Fires/Should a Woman Tell [Maurice Campbell] b&w; 6 reels; prod Maurice Campbell

1925        The Substitute Wife [Wilfred Noy] b&w; 6 reels; prod Arrow Film Corporation

1927        Burnt Fingers [Maurice Campbell] b&w; 6 reels; prod J.C. Barnstyn Productions

1927        The Nest [William Nigh] b&w; cph: Jack Brown; prod Excellent Pictures

1929        Fifty Miles from Broadway [Bradley Barker] b&w; short/17m; ep Pathé Exchange 'Golden Rooster Comedies'

1929        Mother's Boy [Bradley Barker] b&w; cph: Walter Strenge & Philip Tannura

1929        Lucky in Love [Kenneth Webb] b&w; cph: Philip Tannura

1929        Fancy That [Philip Tannura] b&w; short/20m; ep Pathé 'Folly Comedies'

1929        So This Is Marriage [Bradley Barker] b&w; short/20m; ep Pathé 'Folly Comedies'

1929        A Night in a Dormitory [Harry Delmar] b&w; short/22m; ep Pathé 'Melody Comedies'

1929        Sixteen Sweeties [Harry Delmar] b&w; short/18m; ep Pathé 'Melody Comedies'

1930        Un hombre de suerte [Benito Perojo] b&w; Spanish version of 'Un trou dans le mur' [1930, René Barbéris; ph: ?]

1930        Rubeville Night Club [Philip Tannura] b&w; short/22m; ep Pathé 'Golden Rooster Comedies'

1930        Ride 'em Cowboy [Harry Delmar] b&w; short/19m; ep Pathé 'Folly Comedies'

1930        America or Bust [Harry Delmar] b&w; short/21m; ep Pathé 'Checker Comedies'

1930        Hearts and Hoofs [Wallace Fox] b&w; short/15m

1930        Hey, Nanny Nanny [Ben Holmes] b&w; short/15m

1930        Ménages ultra-modernes [Serge de Poligny] b&w; short/?m

1930        Il richiamo del cuore/Appeal of the Heart [Jack Salvatori] b&w; or ph Fernando Risi; Italian version of 'Sarah and Son'

                    [1930, Dorothy Arzner; ph: Charles Lang] *

1930        Le réquisitoire [Dimitri Buchowetzki] b&w; French version of 'Manslaughter' [1930, George Abbott; ph: Archie Stout] *

1931        Magie moderne [Dimitri Buchowetzki] b&w *

1931        Swiat bez granic [Ryszard Ordynski] b&w; Polish version of 'Magie moderne' *

1931        Die Männer um Lucie [Alexander Korda] b&w; German version of 'Laughter' (1930, Harry D'Arrast; ph: George Folsey] *

1931        Rive gauche [Alexander Korda] b&w; cph: Ted Pahle; French version of 'Laughter' *

1931        Mistigri [Harry Lachman] b&w *

1931        Il est charmant/He Is Charming/The Charm School [Louis Mercanton] b&w *

1931        Studenter i Paris [Louis Mercanton] b&w; Swedish version of 'Il est charmant' *

1931        Une nuit à l'hôtel/The Night at the Hotel [Leo Mittler] b&w *

1932        Une étoile disparaît/A Star Disappears [Robert Villers (= Bob Wyler)] b&w *

1932        Passionnément [René Guissart & Louis Mercanton] b&w *

1932        Cognasse [Louis Mercanton] b&w *

1932        La pouponnière [Jean Boyer] b&w *

1932        Une faible femme/A Weak Woman [Max de Vaucorbeil] b&w *

1932        Le chasseur de chez Maxim's [Charles (Karl) Anton] b&w; 65m *

1932        Espérame/Wait for Me [Louis Gasnier] b&w *

1952        Hans Christian Andersen [Charles Vidor] c; spec pfx: Clarence Slifer

1952        Angel Face [Otto Preminger] b&w

1952        Forever Female [Irving Rapper] b&w; spec pfx: Gordon Jennings; process ph: Farciot Edouart

1952        A Lion Is in the Streets [Raoul Walsh] c

1953        Oklahoma! [Fred Zinnemann] tao70 & cs/c; ph prod tests; ph: Robert Surtees

1953        Todd-AO Concept Test Scenes [Michael Todd Sr. & Michael Todd Jr.] tao/c; ph Venice scenes; cph: Schyler Sandford

1953        A Star Is Born [George Cukor] was ph during pre-production (delays caused a scheduling conflict); ph: Sam Leavitt

1953        Johnny Guitar [Nicholas Ray] c

1954        Helen of Troy [Robert Wise] cs/c; 2uc: Sid Hickox & Amerigo Gengarelli; spec pfx: Louis Lichtenfield

1955        Guys and Dolls [Joseph L. Mankiewicz] cs/c; spec pfx: Warren Newcombe

1955        The Eddy Duchin Story [George Sidney] cs/c

1956        A Face in the Crowd [Elia Kazan] b&w; cph: Gayne Rescher

1956        The Pajama Game [George Abbott & Stanley Donen] c; filmed 1956-57

1957        Marjorie Morningstar [Irving Rapper] c

1958        Auntie Mame [Morton DaCosta] tr/c

1958        The Miracle [Irving Rapper] scheduled as doph, but film was ph by Ernest Haller

1958        The Young Philadelphians/The City Jungle [Vincent Sherman] b&w

1959        A Summer Place [Delmer Daves] c

1959        Who Was That Lady? [George Sidney] b&w

1959        The Crowded Sky [Joseph Pevney] c

1960        The Dark at the Top of the Stairs [Delbert Mann] c

1960        Parrish [Delmer Daves] c

1960        On the Double [Melville Shavelson] p/c; cph (loc scenes UK): Geoffrey Unsworth; spec pfx: John P. Fulton; process

                    ph: Farciot Edouart

1961        A Majority of One [Mervyn LeRoy] c

1961        Five Finger Exercise [Daniel Mann] b&w