PAUL BEESON

Born: 16 November 1921, Hammersmith, London, UK, as Paul Antonio Charles Beeson.

Died: 19 July 2001, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, UK.

Career: 'His passion for films and photography started way back in his teenage years, as a keen amateur enthusiast. Whilst having a quiet drink in the Queen Victoria pub in Ealing, West London, his father overheard a group chatting from Ealing Studios - Beeson senior involved himself in their conversation and asked how his son could get a job. Coincidentally a film was about to start the following week, and they were still looking for a trainee. Paul was still at school and a decision had to be made as to whether he should continue his education at Cranleigh, Surrey, or grasp this opportunity. There was no real decision to be made and the following Monday Paul walked through the gates of Ealing Studios [known then (1933-38) as Associated Talking Pictures]. His initial responsibilities were to clean windows and sweep up in the machine room. His first feature film was in 1937 as 'Number One Boy' on a George Formby comedy 'I See Ice!'. He learned his trade as clapper boy, progressing to loader, focus puller and camera operator. Photography was important to Paul even during the war years. He was drafted into the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm in 1941 and later requested a transfer to the naval film unit with Gordon Dines and John Paddy Carstairs [= Nelson John Keys]. After his commission, he became one of the official naval photographers under Captain Anthony Kimmins. On D-Day he was sent to land on the Normandy beaches with BBC correspondent Howard Percival Marshall. In addition to covering the relief of Formosa, he sailed victoriously on one of the first British ships into Shanghai. It was during World War II that he met his wife Olga who was seconded to the photographic division of the Women's Royal Naval Service [WRNS/Wrens]. continue back as first camera assistant [focus puller] and was soon promoted to camera operator on 'Against the Wind' in 1947. The following year, Geoffrey Unsworth asked him to be his operator on 'Scott of the Antarctic' shot on the Hardanger glacier in Norway. In 1953, 'West of Zanzibar', a sequel to 'Where No Vultures Fly', gave Paul his first opportunity as director of photography. As one of Sir Michael Balcon's 'Bright Young Men', he was one of Ealing Studio's youngest directors of photography. Paul was respected by many leading directors. Whilst shooting 'Under Capricorn', Alfred Hitchcock slipped out of the set floor while a scene was being run - when he was asked how he felt it had gone he replied "Don't ask me, ask Paul, he's looking through the camera" - such was the trust Hitchcock had in Paul. When offered 'Swiss Family Robinson' Paul learned that he would be away from his home and family for five months in the West Indies, so he asked for his fee to be £150.00 - a substantial sum in 1960. The production office was horrified and did not feel they could go to this that if that was Paul's fee then he was be paid it as "I want Paul to do it". He gained a reputation as a special effects cameraman with such credits 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?', 'Willow', and on several James Bond movies working on car crashes and races and other explosive scenes. He was also on the Action Unit for the 'Indiana Jones' trilogy, one of the few crew members Steven Spielberg selected to work on all three films. One of his most memorable shots is the opening scene of 'The Sound of Music', strapped to the underside of an airplane he personally operated the camera to capture Julie Andrews coming up over the green hills - this was the only way he could get his shot without the shadow of the plane falling on the ground - his camera operator refusing to hang out of a plane, strapped in or not. The film industry was his life and the thought of retirement never entered his head until a stroke prevented him from continuing with the long and arduous hours necessary in the studios and he finally had to hang up his light meter. He was a loving husband to Olga and an adoring father to his four daughters Carolyn [Carrie], Jane, Denise and Sarah and nothing made him more proud than to have all his family around him including his grandchildren, Victoria, Oliver, Giles and Jack.' [From obituary by Carrie Beeson.] Paul returned to Ealing Studios to see if he could amount. On hearing that Paul might not be doing the film, Walt Disney insisted as 'Santa Claus',

Was a member [since 1954] and past president [1971-73] of the BSC. Was chairman and company secretary of the Guild of British Camera Technicians [GBCT]. Was a founder member of IMAGO.

Gave lighting workshops.

Awards: 'Emmy' Award nom [1975; shared] for 'QB VII'; BSC 'John Alcott Memorial Award' [1993].

#1: [Left] with ?

#2: With focus Ian Craig [right] - "Under Capricorn"

FILMS
1951	Where No Vultures Fly/Ivory Hunter [Harry Watt] c; animal unit ph; ph: Geoffrey Unsworth
1952	Mandy/Crash of Silence/The Story of Mandy [Alexander Mackendrick] b&w; uncred 2uc; ph: Douglas Slocombe
1952	The Cruel Sea [Charles Frend] b&w; co-2uc; ph: Gordon Dines
1952	The Titfield Thunderbolt [Charles Crichton] c; 2uc; ph: Douglas Slocombe
1953	West of Zanzibar [Harry Watt] c
1954	Lease of Life [Charles Frend] c; uncred 2uc; ph: Douglas Slocombe
1954	Out of the Clouds [Basil Dearden] c
1955	The Feminine Touch/The Gentle Touch [Pat Jackson] c
1957	The Shiralee [Leslie Norman] b&w
1957	Dunkirk [Leslie Norman] Metroscope/b&w
1958	Nowhere to Go [Seth Holt & (uncred) Basil Dearden] Metroscope/b&w
1959	Summer of the Seventeenth Doll/Season of Passion [Leslie Norman] b&w
1959	The Scapegoat [Robert Hamer] cs/b&w; spec pfx: Tom Howard
1959	[Robert Louis Stevenson's] Kidnapped [Robert Stevenson] c; spec pfx: Peter Ellenshaw; also 2-part tvm ('Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color', March 1963)
1959	Swiss Family Robinson [Ken Annakin] p/c; addph; ph: Harry Waxman
1960	Nearly a Nasty Accident [Don Chaffey] b&w
1960	Spare the Rod [Leslie Norman] b&w

With Walt Disney [right] - "Greyfriars Bobby"

1961	Greyfriars Bobby [: The True Story of a Dog] [Don Chaffey] c; addph: Ray Sturgess; spec pfx: Albert Whitlock; also 2-part tvm ('Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color', March-April 1964)
1961	The Happy Thieves [George Marshall] b&w
1962	Tarzan Goes to India [John Guillermin] cs/c; uncred cph: S.S. Chadda; 2uc: Ellis R. Dungan
1962	In Search of the Castaways [Robert Stevenson] c; addph: Ray Sturgess, Michael Reed & David Harcourt; spec pfx: Peter Ellenshaw
1963	The Three Lives of Thomasina [Don Chaffey] c; addph: Ray Sturgess & Michael Reed; also 3-part miniseries ('Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color', November 1965)
1964	The Moon-Spinners [James Neilson] c; addph: Michael Reed & John Wilcox; also 3-part miniseries ('Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color', November-December 1966)
1964	Die, Monster, Die!/Monster of Terror/The House at the End of the World [Daniel Haller] Colorscope/c

[Right] - "The Sound of Music" [opening shot]

1964	The Sound of Music [Robert Wise] tao/c; addph; ph: Ted McCord
1966	Not with My Wife, You Don't! [Norman Panama] c; ph Europe; ph: Charles Lang Jr.
1966	To Sir, with Love [James Clavell] c
1967	Africa: Texas Style [Andrew Marton] c
1967	Attack on the Iron Coast [Paul Wendkos] c; addph: Desmond Dickinson
1968	Submarine X-1 [William Graham] c; addph: Lionel Banes
1968	The Lost Continent/Lost Island/The People of Abrimes [Michael Carreras (replaced Leslie Norman)] c
1968	Hell Boats/MTB Malta World War 2 [Paul Wendkos] c; 2uc: Stan Sayer
1968	Mosquito Squadron [Boris Sagal] c; aph: Stan Sayer
1969	A Taste of Excitement/Why Would Anyone Want to Kill a Nice Girl Like You? [Don Sharp] c
1969	Moon Zero Two [Roy Ward Baker] c; sfx ph: Kit West & Nick Allder
1969	Crescendo [Alan Gibson] c
1971	Kidnapped [Delbert Mann] p/c; addph: James Allen
1972	A Warm December [Sidney Poitier] c
1973	The Mutations/Dr. of Evil/The Freakmaker/The Mutation [Jack Cardiff] c; time lapse pfx: Ken Middleham
1975	One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing [Robert Stevenson] c; 2uc: H.A.R. Thomson; spec pfx: John Stears; spec processes: Cliff Culley
1975	Escape from the Dark/The Littlest Horse Thieves [Charles Jarrott] c
1977	The People That Time Forgot [Kevin Connor] c; uncred spec tank ph; ph: Alan Hume
1977	Candleshoe [Norman Tokar] c; 2uc: Ray Sturgess
1977	Getting the Best from Telex [David Eady] c; comm doc/28m; cph: Dudley Lovell; prod Post Office
1977	Kitchen Plan [David Eady] 16mm/c; comm doc/17m; prod Electricity Council & Thorn Domestic Appliances
1977	Starcrash/The Adventures of Stella Star/Female Space Invaders [Lewis Coates (= Luigi Cozzi)] c; cph: Roberto D'Ettore; addph: Roberto Girometti & Giuseppe Lanci
1978	Ballet Gayane [Horace King] c; ballet film/90m
1979	The Spaceman and King Arthur/A Spaceman in King Arthur's Court/Unidentified Flying Oddball [Russ Mayberry] c; spec pfx: Cliff Culley
1980	Hawk the Slayer [Terry Marcel] c; + spec pfx
1980	Silver Dream Racer [David Wickes] p/c; process ph: Charles Staffell
1980	Raiders of the Lost Ark [Steven Spielberg] p/c; addph; ph: Douglas Slocombe
1981	Cook in Time [Sarah Erulkar] 16mm/c; comm doc/18m; prod Electricity Council
1981	The Pirates of Penzance [- The Slave of Duty] [Wilford Leach] p/c; addph; ph: Douglas Slocombe
1982	Never Say Never Again [Irvin Kershner] p/c; 2uc; ph: Douglas Slocombe
1983	Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom [Steven Spielberg] p/c; co-addph; ph: Douglas Slocombe
1985	Santa Claus [Jeannot Szwarc] J-D-C Scope/c; addph; ph: Arthur Ibbetson
1985	Ishtar [Elaine May] c; addph; ph: Vittorio Storaro
1986	Who Framed Roger Rabbit [Robert Zemeckis] c; addph UK; ph: Dean Cundey
1987	Willow [Ron Howard] p/c; 2uc; ph: Adrian Biddle
1987	An African Dream [John Smallcombe] c
1987	Jane and the Lost City [Terry Marcel] c; efx ph: Tony Willis
1987	Taffin [Francis Megahy] c
1988	The Wolves of Willoughby Chase [Stuart Orme] c
1988	Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [Steven Spielberg] p/c; co-addph; ph: Douglas Slocombe
1990	The Lost World [Timothy Bond] c
1990	Return to the Lost World [Timothy Bond] c
1991	Alien³ [David Fincher (replaced Vincent Ward, who started the film)] p/c; co-2uc; ph: Alex Thomson
*1991*	The Turning [James (Joshua) Newton] announced; scheduled to start shooting in fall 2011 with ph ?

TELEVISION
1961	The Prince and the Pauper [Don Chaffey] 3-part (x 50m) miniseries for 'Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color', season 1961-62 (March 1962); addph: Ray Sturgess; spec pfx: Wally Veevers; released theatrically in Europe (93m)
1963	The Horse Without a Head [Don Chaffey] 2-part tvm for 'Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color', season 1963-64 (September 1963); released theatrically in Europe (89m)

1963	The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh [James Neilson] 3-part miniseries for 'Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color', season 1963-64 (February 1964); released theatrically in Europe as 'Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow' (98m & 75m)
1966	The Saint [ep #72 'The Queen's Ransom' dir by Roy Baker (RB), #73 'Interlude in Venice' dir by Leslie Norman (LN), #75 'The Reluctant Revolution' dir by LN, #76 'The Helpful Pirate' dir by RB, #77 'The Convenient Monster' dir by LN & #78 'The Angel's Eye' dir by LN] 118-part series/b&w (season 1-4) & c (season 5 & 6), 1962-69; 5th season, 1966-67
1968	The Saint [ep #107 'The House on Dragon's Rock' dir by Roger Moore] 6th season, 1968-69; see 1966
1970	Jane Eyre [Delbert Mann] tvm; in theatres outside USA
1973	QB VII [Tom Gries] 2-part tvm; ph UK, Belgium & Israel; other ph: Robert L. Morrison
1976	Beauty and the Beast [Fielder Cook] tvm; cph: Jack Hildyard; ep #238 'Hallmark Hall of Fame'-series; in theatres outside USA
1984	The First Olympics - Athens 1896/The First Modern Olympics [Alvin Rakoff] 2-part tvm
1985	Lost in London [Robert Michael Lewis] tvm
1985	The Love Boat [ep #242 & 243 'Spain Cruise: The Matadors' dir by Robert Scheerer] 2 pilots + 245-part series, 1977-86 (+ 4 tvm's); 9th season, 1985-86; 2uc: J. Barry Herron

MISCELLANEOUS
1937	I See Ice! [Anthony Kimmins] number one boy; ph: Ronald Neame
1938	The Gaunt Stranger/The Phantom Strikes [Walter Forde] co-c.op; ph: Ronald Neame
1939	The Four Just Men/The Secret Four [Walter Forde] c.asst; ph: Ronald Neame; re-released in 1944 with added epilogue
1940	Saloon Bar [Walter Forde] c.asst; ph: Ronald Neame
1940	Sailors Three/Three Cockeyed Sailors [Walter Forde] c.op; ph: Günther Krampf & (uncred) Basil Emmott
1941	The Black Sheep of Whitehall [Basil Dearden & Will Hay] focus puller; ph: Eric Cross & Günther Krampf
1941	The Foreman Went to France/Somewhere in France [Charles Frend] focus puller; ph: Wilkie Cooper
1947	Frieda [Basil Dearden] focus puller; ph: Gordon Dines; ext ph: Lionel Banes

1947	Against The Wind [Charles Crichton] c.op; ph: Lionel Banes
1947	Scott of the Antarctic [Charles Frend] co-c.op; ph: Jack Cardiff & Geoffrey Unsworth; loc ph: Osmond Borradaile
1948	Under Capricorn [Alfred Hitchcock] co-c.op (operators of camera movement); ph: Jack Cardiff
1949	Train of Events [Basil Dearden, Sidney Cole & Charles Crichton] c.op; ph: Gordon Dines & Lionel Banes
1949	The Black Rose [Henry Hathaway] c.op; ph: Jack Cardiff

[Top] - "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman"

1950	Pandora and the Flying Dutchman [Albert Lewin] c.op; ph: Jack Cardiff
1952	The Gentle Gunman [Basil Dearden] 2nd c.op; ph: Gordon Dines
1981	The Mikado [- The Town of Titipu] [Rodney Greenberg; tv-operetta] lighting designer
1982	Princess Ida [- Castle Adamant] [David Heather; tv-operetta] lighting designer
1982	Iolanthe [- The Peer and the Peri] [David Heather; tv-operetta] lighting designer