American cinematographer, noted for his 'hurry up and grab' technique. He started at Paramount in the 1920's as a camera assistant and 'foreign negative cameraman'. Having graduated to director of photography, he remained with the studio well into the 1950's, often working on studio-bound comedies. By the time he was hired by Mike Todd for
Around the World in 80 Days (1956), he had acquired a reputation as a 'dedicated drinker', though this does not seem to have been a profound influence upon the quality of his work.