Milton Krasner

Director Of Photography

About

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Also Known As
Milton R Krasner, Milt Krasner
Birth Place
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Born
February 17, 1904
Died
July 16, 1988
Cause of Death
Heart Attack

Biography

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Began his film career at age 15 and graduated to director of photography in 1933. Although Krasner had shot nearly 90 films in nearly all genres before the end of WWII, it was in the post-war period that Krasner distinguished himself as a highly versatile cinematographer. He is best remembered for his neorealist-influenced, black-and-white work in the late 40s (especially the Fritz Lang'...

Filmography

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Zachariah (1971)
Photography
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Director of Photography
The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)
Director of Photography
The Ballad of Josie (1968)
Director of Photography
Don't Just Stand There! (1968)
Director of Photography
The Venetian Affair (1967)
Director of Photography

Photos & Videos

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How the West Was Won - Program Book
39 Photos
Sandpiper, The (1965) -- (Movie Clip) Think Of All Those Renaissance Cats
Sweet Bird of Youth - Behind-the-Scenes Photos
10 Photos
0 Photos
Sandpiper, The (1965) -- (Movie Clip) The Father Was Abandoned By Me

Family & Companions

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Mildred Krasner
Wife
Married in 1932; died in 1970.

Notes

Krasner pioneered techniques with rear projection and zoom shots as well split screen and other special effects.

"And if I'm going to specialize in anything, I think I'd like it to be color ... it's so much more gratifying on the screen and so much more filled with as yet unattained possibilities that I admit I'd like to do more of it, to explore more of the artistic and technical possibilities of what is, I am sure, the coming medium for truly expressive camerawork." -- Milton Krasner following his Oscar nomination for "Arabian Nights", 1942 in American Cinematographer

Biography

Began his film career at age 15 and graduated to director of photography in 1933. Although Krasner had shot nearly 90 films in nearly all genres before the end of WWII, it was in the post-war period that Krasner distinguished himself as a highly versatile cinematographer. He is best remembered for his neorealist-influenced, black-and-white work in the late 40s (especially the Fritz Lang's noir thrillers "The Woman in the Window" 1944 and "Scarlet Street" 1945 and the stark fight picture "The Set Up" 1949), the Bette Davis classic "All About Eve" (1950), and his glossy CinemaScope compositions--particularly his collaborations with Vincente Minnelli--in the mid-50s.

Filmography

 

Cinematography (Feature Film)

Zachariah (1971)
Photography
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Director of Photography
The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)
Director of Photography
The Ballad of Josie (1968)
Director of Photography
Don't Just Stand There! (1968)
Director of Photography
The Venetian Affair (1967)
Director of Photography
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)
Director of Photography
Hurry Sundown (1967)
Director of Photography
Made in Paris (1966)
Director of Photography
The Sandpiper (1965)
Director of Photography
Red Line 7000 (1965)
Director of Photography
The Singing Nun (1965)
Director of Photography
Goodbye Charlie (1964)
Director of Photography
Advance to the Rear (1964)
Director of Photography
Fate Is the Hunter (1964)
Director of Photography
Looking for Love (1964)
Director of Photography
How the West Was Won (1963)
Director of Photography
A Ticklish Affair (1963)
Director of Photography
Love With the Proper Stranger (1963)
Director of Photography
The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963)
Director of Photography
Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
Director of Photography
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962)
Director of Photography
Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)
Director of Photography
King of Kings (1961)
Director of Photography
Go Naked in the World (1961)
Director of Photography
Home from the Hill (1960)
Director of Photography
Bells Are Ringing (1960)
Director of Photography
The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959)
Director of Photography
The Man Who Understood Women (1959)
Director of Photography
Count Your Blessings (1959)
Director of Photography
A Certain Smile (1958)
Director of Photography
The Gift of Love (1958)
Director of Photography
Boy on a Dolphin (1957)
Director of Photography
Kiss Them for Me (1957)
Director of Photography
An Affair to Remember (1957)
Director of Photography
23 Paces to Baker Street (1956)
Director of Photography
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956)
Loc Photographer
Bus Stop (1956)
Director of Photography
Daddy Long Legs (1955)
Fill-in Director of Photographer
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
Director of Photography
The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955)
Director of Photography
How To Be Very, Very Popular (1955)
Director of Photography
Violent Saturday (1955)
Fill-in Director of Photographer
The Rains of Ranchipur (1955)
Director of Photography
A Star Is Born (1954)
CinemaScope test sequences
Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
Director of Photography
Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)
Director of Photography
Garden of Evil (1954)
Director of Photography
Désirée (1954)
Director of Photography
Dream Wife (1953)
Director of Photography
Taxi (1953)
Director of Photography
Vicki (1953)
Director of Photography
Dreamboat (1952)
Director of Photography
Monkey Business (1952)
Director of Photography
Phone Call from a Stranger (1952)
Director of Photography
Deadline--U.S.A. (1952)
Director of Photography
The Model and the Marriage Broker (1952)
Director of Photography
O. Henry's Full House (1952)
Photographer of "The Ransom of Red Chief"
I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1951)
Director of Photography
Half Angel (1951)
Director of Photography
People Will Talk (1951)
Director of Photography
Rawhide (1951)
Director of Photography
All About Eve (1950)
Director of Photography
Three Came Home (1950)
Director of Photography
No Way Out (1950)
Director of Photography
The Accused (1949)
Director of Photography
The Set-Up (1949)
Director of Photography
House of Strangers (1949)
Director of Photography
Holiday Affair (1949)
Director of Photography
The Saxon Charm (1948)
Director of Photography
Up in Central Park (1948)
Director of Photography
A Double Life (1948)
Director of Photography
The Egg and I (1947)
Director of Photography
The Farmer's Daughter (1947)
Director of Photography
Something in the Wind (1947)
Director of Photography
The Dark Mirror (1946)
Director of Photography
Without Reservations (1946)
Director of Photography
Along Came Jones (1945)
Director of Photography
Scarlet Street (1945)
Director of Photography
Delightfully Dangerous (1945)
Director of Photography
The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)
Director of Photography
The Woman in the Window (1944)
Director of Photography
Hat Check Honey (1944)
Director of Photography
We've Never Been Licked (1943)
Director of Photography
The Mad Ghoul (1943)
Director of Photography
Gung Ho! (1943)
Director of Photography
Two Tickets to London (1943)
Director of Photography
So's Your Uncle (1943)
Director of Photography
Paris Calling (1942)
Director of Photography
The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
Director of Photography
Pardon My Sarong (1942)
Director of Photography
Arabian Nights (1942)
Director of Photography
A Gentleman After Dark (1942)
Director of Photography
Men of Texas (1942)
Director of Photography
The Spoilers (1942)
Director of Photography
Buck Privates (1941)
Director of Photography
The Lady from Cheyenne (1941)
Director of Photography
Bachelor Daddy (1941)
Director of Photography
This Woman Is Mine (1941)
Director of Photography
Too Many Blondes (1941)
Photography
The Bank Dick (1940)
Director of Photography
The House of the Seven Gables (1940)
Director of Photography
Private Affairs (1940)
Director of Photography
Ski Patrol (1940)
Director of Photography
Sandy Is a Lady (1940)
Director of Photography
Hired Wife (1940)
Photography
Trail of the Vigilantes (1940)
Director of Photography
Zanzibar (1940)
Director of Photography
The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
Photography
Diamond Frontier (1940)
Director of Photography
Oh, Johnny, How You Can Love (1940)
Director of Photography
Little Accident (1939)
Director of Photography
Missing Evidence (1939)
Director of Photography
You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939)
Director of Photography
I Stole a Million (1939)
Director of Photography
The House of Fear (1939)
Director of Photography
Man from Montreal (1939)
Director of Photography
The Family Next Door (1939)
Director of Photography
Nurse from Brooklyn (1938)
Director of Photography
The Storm (1938)
Director of Photography
The Jury's Secret (1938)
Director of Photography
The Missing Guest (1938)
Director of Photography
The Devil's Party (1938)
Director of Photography
Midnight Intruder (1938)
Director of Photography
Newsboys' Home (1938)
Director of Photography
His Exciting Night (1938)
Camera
The Crime of Doctor Hallet (1938)
Director of Photography
The Lady Fights Back (1937)
Photography
Oh, Doctor (1937)
Photography
A Girl with Ideas (1937)
Director of Photography
There Goes the Groom (1937)
Photography
Love in a Bungalow (1937)
Photography
Prescription for Romance (1937)
Director of Photography
We Have Our Moments (1937)
Photography
She's Dangerous (1937)
Photography
Laughing Irish Eyes (1936)
Photography
Love Letters of a Star (1936)
Photography
Mysterious Crossing (1936)
Photography
Yellowstone (1936)
Camera
Crash Donovan (1936)
Cinematographer
The Girl on the Front Page (1936)
Photography
Mister Cinderella (1936)
Photography
Murder in the Fleet (1935)
Photography
Hold 'Em Yale (1935)
Photography
The Virginia Judge (1935)
Photography
The Great Impersonation (1935)
Cinematographer
Cheers of the Crowd (1935)
Photography
Honeymoon, Limited (1935)
Camera
Great God Gold (1935)
Photography
Women Must Dress (1935)
Photography
Forbidden Heaven (1935)
Photography
Here Comes the Groom (1934)
Photography
The Great Flirtation (1934)
Photography
Private Scandal (1934)
Photography
She Made Her Bed (1934)
Photography
Paris Interlude (1934)
Photography
Death on the Diamond (1934)
Photography
The Billion Dollar Scandal (1933)
2nd Camera
I Love That Man (1933)
Photography
Golden Harvest (1933)
Photography
Strictly Personal (1933)
Photography
Sitting Pretty (1933)
Photography
A Woman Commands (1932)
2nd Camera
Is My Face Red? (1932)
Camera Operator
70,000 Witnesses (1932)
Camera Operator
Prestige (1932)
2nd Camera
Ride Him, Cowboy (1932)
2nd Camera
The Devil Is Driving (1932)
Camera Operator
Madison Sq. Garden (1932)
Camera Operator
Devotion (1931)
2nd Camera

Film Production - Main (Feature Film)

The Crime of Dr. Hallett (1938)
Photography

Life Events

1920

Moved to San Francisco; worked as camera (date approximate) assistant for various studios including the San Mateo Studio where Broncho Billy Anderson was producing his Westerns

1925

Went to Hollywood where he worked as assistant cameraman on Johnny Hines feature comedies for First National and Harry Carey Westerns for Pathe

1927

Returned to San Francisco to work on Jackie Coogan film, "Johnny Get Your Hair Cut" and the first of several Ken Maynard Westerns

1930

Became second cameraman (camera operator) on film, "Rain or Shine" (dir. Frank Capra)

1933

Promoted to first cameraman with "Strictly Personal"

1936

Worked almost exclusively for Universal Pictures

1942

Shot his first three-strip Technicolor film as director of photography, "Arabian Nights"

1949

Began a sixteen-year stay at Twentieth Century-Fox with "House of Strangers"

1954

Shot his first film in CinemaScope, "Three Coins in the Fountain"

1959

Began almost exclusive eight-year relationship with MGM with "Count Your Blessings"

1963

Served as cinematogtapher on "How the West Was Won"; shot film in three-camera Cinerama

1970

Completed last feature film, "Beneath the Planet of the Apes"

1971

Began shooting "Zachariah" (left production in Mexico after death of his mother)

1971

Worked on TV lensing "McMillan and Wife" and episodes of "Colombo"

Photo Collections

 
39 Photos
How the West Was Won - Program Book
Here is the souvenir Program Book sold at Roadshow engagements for the 1962 epic in Cinerama, How the West Was Won.
10 Photos
Sweet Bird of Youth - Behind-the-Scenes Photos
Here are some photos taken behind-the-scenes during production of Sweet Bird of Youth (1962), starring Paul Newman and Geraldine Page, and directed by Richard Brooks.

Videos

Movie Clip

Sandpiper, The (1965) -- (Movie Clip) Think Of All Those Renaissance Cats Big Sur artist and single mom Laura (Elizabeth Taylor) and friend Larry (James Edwards) are being rebuffed by gallery owner Ellie (Pamela Mason) when Hewitt (Richard Burton), priest and headmaster of the school where her son’s been sent, arrives with a generous attitude, in The Sandpiper< 1965.
Sandpiper, The (1965) -- (Movie Clip) The Father Was Abandoned By Me The first meeting of principals Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in their first picture after Cleopatra, 1963, he’s the Episcopal priest headmaster of a California boarding school, she’s the free-spirited mother of a son sent there by a judge, Eva Marie Saint his wife, in The Sandpiper, 1965.
Sandpiper, The (1965) -- (Movie Clip) It's Either That Or Reform School After the opening in which lightly-parented Big Sur resident Danny (Morgan Mason) shot a deer, he and his artist mother Laura (Elizabeth Taylor) are called before a local judge (Torin Thatcher), Vincente Minnelli directing, early in the Taylor and Richard Burton vehicle The Sandpiper, 1965.
Two Weeks In Another Town (1962) -- (Movie Clip) I Thought I Had It Made On a Rome-area beach after a night out with new girlfriend Veronica (Dahlia Lavi), movie star Jack (Kirk Douglas), fresh off three years in a sanitarium, reflects on his career, in Vincente Minnelli's Two Weeks In Another Town, 1962.
House Of Strangers (1949) -- (Movie Clip) Vengeance Is A Rare Wine Susan Hayward, not yet identified as Irene, enters the uptown apartment where we’ve just seen Richard Conte, as newly paroled Max Monetti, arrive, after facing off with his brothers at their family-owned Lower Manhattan bank, and their first encounter, in Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s House Of Strangers, 1949.
House Of Strangers (1949) -- (Movie Clip) The Bank Will Open When I Get There Artful introduction of top-billed Edward G. Robinson as Gino Monetti (we’ve seen his portrait earlier, at the family-owned Manhattan bank), with Richard Conte as just-paroled son Max, visiting the vacant family home, and playing some Verdi, Joseph L. Mankiewicz directing, Luther Adler the elder son, in House Of Strangers, 1949.
House Of Strangers (1949) -- (Movie Clip) Money Is A Great Cleanser Having jumped back in time at least seven years, to when Manhattan Italian banker Gino Monetti (Edward G. Robinson) lived, we see the first meeting of Susan Hayward as Irene and Richard Conte as his son and in-house lawyer Max, Paul Valentine as the younger brother and security guard, in Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s House Of Strangers, 1949.
House Of Strangers (1949) -- (Movie Clip) This Bank Stinks With Tradition From producer Sol Siegel and director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, opening with legit Little Italy location shots, Richard Conte on what looks like Mulberry St., entering the Monetti Loan & Trust, where we learn he’s Max, released from prison, visiting Joseph (Luther Adler) and brothers Pietro and Tony (Paul Valentine, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.), in House Of Strangers, 1949.
Advance To The Rear (1964) -- (Movie Clip) The Whole Purpose Of This War Union Captain Heath (Glenn Ford) is upbraided by his superior, by-the-book career officer and General Brackenby (Melvyn Douglas), for rocking the boat by taking prisoners, when fighting ensues, and he has a further chat with his goofy Sergeant Davis (Alan Hale Jr.), early in the MGM Civil War comedy Advance To The Rear, 1964.
Advance To The Rear (1964) The War Won't Last Forever Briefly with Whit Bissell as Union Captain Queeg, Melvyn Douglas as Col. Brackenby and Glenn Ford as Lt. Heath, who’ve just been demoted together for screwing up and are being shipped west, meet Joan Blondell as Easy Jenny and Stella Stevens as dishy Martha Lou, whom we know to be a top Confederate spy, in the Civil War comedy Advance To The Rear, 1964.
All About Eve (1950) -- (Movie Clip) We Theater Folk At the party hosted by well-lit Margo (Bette Davis), her husband, director Bill (Gary Merrill) and critic Addison (George Sanders) hold court for the plucky Miss Casswell (Marilyn Monroe) and ambitious assistant Eve (Anne Baxter), et al, in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's All About Eve, 1950.
All About Eve (1950) -- (Movie Clip) Fasten Your Seat Belts Friend Karen (Celeste Holm), her playwright husband (Hugh Marlowe) and producer Max (Gregory Ratoff) stand back as actress-hostess Margo (Bette Davis) delivers her famous line in All About Eve, 1950, then joins critic DeWitt (George Sanders), Marilyn Monroe on his arm, and protegè Eve (Anne Baxter).

Trailer

Bus Stop - (Original Trailer) An innocent cowboy kidnaps a small-time singer (Marilyn Monroe) with whom he's infatuated in Joshua Logan's Bus Stop (1956).
Boy on a Dolphin - (Original Trailer) A Greek diver finds a rare statue plunging her into intrigue in Boy on a Dolphin (1957) starring Sophia Loren and Alan Ladd.
Kiss Them For Me - (Original Trailer) Three navy war heroes are booked on a morale-building "vacation" in San Francisco and plan to throw a wild party in Kiss Them For Me (1957) starring Cary Grant and Jayne Mansfield. Directed by Stanley Donen.
Advance To The Rear - (Original Trailer) Civil War rejects are sent to the West, supposedly out of harm's way in Advance To The Rear (1964) starring Glenn Ford and Stella Stevens.
Desiree - (Original Trailer) A young woman (Jean Simmons) wins the heart of Napoleon (Marlon Brando), though the two can never be together in Desiree (1954).
O. Henry's Full House - (Original Trailer) Five stories reveal O. Henry's gift for the surprise ending with the help of five directors and a host of stars in O. Henry's Full House (1952).
Two Weeks in Another Town - (Original Trailer) A recovering alcoholic film director tries for a comeback in Rome in Two Weeks in Another Town (1962) starring Kirk Douglas & Edward G. Robinson.
Model and the Marriage Broker, The - (Original Trailer) A marriage broker can't resist meddling in the life of a model (Jeanne Crain), with disastrous results in The Model and the Marriage Broker (1952).
Without Reservations - (Re-issue trailer) John Wayne and Claudette Colbert star in Without Reservations (1946) about a woman writer and a war hero.
Along Came Jones -- (Original Trailer) Gary Cooper spoofs his screen image playing a mild-mannered cowboy who is mistaken for a notorious outlaw in Along Came Jones (1945).
Woman in the Window, The - (Original Trailer) Joan Bennett gets innocent professor Edward G. Robinson mixed up in murder in Fritz Lang's The Woman in the Window (1944).
Count Your Blessings - (Original Trailer) After a wartime separation, an Englishwoman discovers her French husband is a womanizer in Count Your Blessings (1959) starring Deborah Kerr.

Family

Thomas Krasner
Son
Holds a PhD.

Companions

Mildred Krasner
Wife
Married in 1932; died in 1970.

Bibliography

Notes

Krasner pioneered techniques with rear projection and zoom shots as well split screen and other special effects.

"And if I'm going to specialize in anything, I think I'd like it to be color ... it's so much more gratifying on the screen and so much more filled with as yet unattained possibilities that I admit I'd like to do more of it, to explore more of the artistic and technical possibilities of what is, I am sure, the coming medium for truly expressive camerawork." -- Milton Krasner following his Oscar nomination for "Arabian Nights", 1942 in American Cinematographer

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