Biography
Elwood Bailey Bredell (24 December 1902 – 26 February 1969) was an American cinematographer and child silent screen actor. He is sometimes credited as Woody Bredell or Elwood Dell. Although he worked in many genres, mostly at Universal, Bredell is best known for his film noir cinematography on such movies as Phantom Lady (1944), Lady on a Train (1945) The Killers (1946), and The Unsuspected (1947). Famed Warner Bros. editor George Amy said Bredell could “light a football stadium with a single match.”
Bredell was the son of stage actress Mary Palmer Nields. He was named Jesse B. Bredell, Jr., after his father. Nields later married Vaughn "Val" Paul, a silent film actor turned production manager. (Paul's son with Nields, Vaughn Jr., was Deanna Durbin's first husband.)
After working as an adolescent actor in silent films, Bredell took a job as a studio lab technician while he cultivated a talent for photography. From about 1929–34, Bredell worked as a still photographer at RKO and Paramount, coinciding with his stepfather's tenures at those studios. At Paramount, Bredell apprenticed under veteran cinematographers Charles Lang and Arthur C. Miller. In 1936, Val Paul brought Bredell to Universal, where he continued his training under the studio's best cinematographer, Joseph Valentine. Bredell was promoted to cinematographer the next year, when Val produced Reckless Living (1938).
Bredell's work on horror films such as Black Friday (1940), The Mummy's Hand (1940), and Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), anticipated his work in film noir. He also photographed Deann Durbin musicals and comedies such as Hold That Ghost (1941), Hellzapoppin' (1941) and The Inspector General (1949). His final credit was on the 1955 B-movie Female Jungle.
From the Wikipedia article 'Elwood Bredell'
Filmography
all 77
Movies 77
Female Jungle (1956)
Journey Into Light (1951)
The Inspector General (1949)
Adventures of Don Juan (1948)
Romance on the High Seas (1948)
The Unsuspected (1947)
The Killers (1946)
Tangier (1946)
Smooth as Silk (1946)
Lady on a Train (1945)
The Beautiful Cheat (1945)
Can't Help Singing (1944)
Christmas Holiday (1944)
Phantom Lady (1944)
His Butler's Sister (1943)
So's Your Uncle (1943)
Hers to Hold (1943)
Cowboy in Manhattan (1943)
Follow the Band (1943)
The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943)
How's About It (1943)
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)
Private Buckaroo (1942)
Tough as They Come (1942)
Escape from Hong Kong (1942)
The Mystery of Marie Roget (1942)
The Strange Case of Doctor Rx (1942)
Butch Minds the Baby (1942)
The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
Jail House Blues (1942)
Hellzapoppin' (1941)
Swing It Soldier (1941)
South of Tahiti (1941)
Mob Town (1941)
Is Everybody Happy? (1941)
Hold That Ghost (1941)
Tight Shoes (1941)
Man-Made Monster (1941)
Horror Island (1941)
Meet the Chump (1941)
The Invisible Woman (1940)
Dark Streets of Cairo (1940)
Sandy Gets Her Man (1940)
I'm Nobody's Sweetheart Now (1940)
The Mummy's Hand (1940)
Argentine Nights (1940)
You're Not So Tough (1940)
La Conga Nights (1940)
Gangs of Chicago (1940)
I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby (1940)
Ma, He's Making Eyes at Me! (1940)
Double Alibi (1940)
Black Friday (1940)
Honeymoon Deferred (1940)
Danger On Wheels (1940)
The Big Guy (1939)
Call a Messenger (1939)
Two Bright Boys (1939)
Ex-Champ (1939)
Big Town Czar (1939)
Code of the Streets (1939)
The Spirit of Culver (1939)
Swing, Sister, Swing (1938)
Secrets of a Nurse (1938)
Swing That Cheer (1938)
Freshman Year (1938)
Little Tough Guy (1938)
Reckless Living (1938)
Forbidden Valley (1938)
Behind the Mike (1937)
West Bound Limited (1937)
She Done Him Wrong (1933)
The Billion Dollar Scandal (1933)
The Devil Is Driving (1932)
Snowbound (1927)
Southern Justice (1917)
Ratings
Information
Known ForCamera
GenderMale
Birthday1902-12-24
Deathday1969-02-26 (66 years old)
Birth PlaceIndianapolis, Indiana, USA
CitizenshipsUnited Kingdom
Also Known AsWoody Bredell, Elwood Burdell
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