Joseph LaShelle(1900-1989)
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Trained as an electrical engineer, Joseph LaShelle entered the film
industry as a lab assistant with Paramount in 1920 in order to finance
entry to Stanford University. Having worked his way up to
superintendent of the Paramount printing room after three years, he
decided to stay on. By 1925, he was being mentored by the veteran
cinematographer
Charles G. Clarke under whose
auspices he gained valuable experience behind the camera. Subsequently,
LaShelle worked as camera operator for Metropolitan Studios, Pathe and
Fox in the
1930s, often in collaboration with Arthur C. Miller.
In the wake of a decade-long apprenticeship, he was promoted to full
director of photography in 1943, from there on gaining a reputation as
one of Hollywood's foremost stylists. His chief talent lay in his
ability to employ lighting, decor, close-ups and clever camera angles
to convey a grainy realistic, natural look, especially vital to the
ambience of films noirs.
Another aspect of LaShelle's artistry lay in suggesting a bigger budget
than was sometimes in play. This was notably the case with
Laura (1944), for which he won his only
Oscar. Virtually every scene takes place indoors, without significant
exterior footage beyond a few basic studio shots. In the absence of
streets and traffic, LaShelle nonetheless succeeded in creating a
believable Park Avenue jet-set, replete with elegant apartments and
swank restaurants. He did much of his best work under contract at 20th
Century Fox (1943-1954) and for expert directors like
Martin Ritt
(The Long, Hot Summer (1958)),
Otto Preminger ("Laura",
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
and Billy Wilder
(The Apartment (1960),
The Fortune Cookie (1966)). He
retired in 1969 and died of natural causes twenty years later, aged 89.
industry as a lab assistant with Paramount in 1920 in order to finance
entry to Stanford University. Having worked his way up to
superintendent of the Paramount printing room after three years, he
decided to stay on. By 1925, he was being mentored by the veteran
cinematographer
Charles G. Clarke under whose
auspices he gained valuable experience behind the camera. Subsequently,
LaShelle worked as camera operator for Metropolitan Studios, Pathe and
Fox in the
1930s, often in collaboration with Arthur C. Miller.
In the wake of a decade-long apprenticeship, he was promoted to full
director of photography in 1943, from there on gaining a reputation as
one of Hollywood's foremost stylists. His chief talent lay in his
ability to employ lighting, decor, close-ups and clever camera angles
to convey a grainy realistic, natural look, especially vital to the
ambience of films noirs.
Another aspect of LaShelle's artistry lay in suggesting a bigger budget
than was sometimes in play. This was notably the case with
Laura (1944), for which he won his only
Oscar. Virtually every scene takes place indoors, without significant
exterior footage beyond a few basic studio shots. In the absence of
streets and traffic, LaShelle nonetheless succeeded in creating a
believable Park Avenue jet-set, replete with elegant apartments and
swank restaurants. He did much of his best work under contract at 20th
Century Fox (1943-1954) and for expert directors like
Martin Ritt
(The Long, Hot Summer (1958)),
Otto Preminger ("Laura",
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
and Billy Wilder
(The Apartment (1960),
The Fortune Cookie (1966)). He
retired in 1969 and died of natural causes twenty years later, aged 89.