JAMES GLENNON

#2: With dir Diane Ladd - "Mrs. Munck" [1994]

JAMES GLENNON

Born: 29 August 1942, Los Angeles, USA, as James Michael Glennon, son of doph Bert Glennon [1893-1967] and script supervisor Mary Coleman.

Died: 19 October 2006, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, Calif., USA.

Education: Film School of the University of California, Los Angeles [BA in 1968].

Career: 'My mother, Mary, was a script supervisor and my father, Bert, was a cameraman. He started in his teens right after World War I and bought his first camera in 1920. I recently purchased it from an estate sale. It's a hand- cranked Bell & Howell camera that is very lightweight and will last forever. I've actually used it on 'Deadwood'. […] I was writing, sketching and taking pictures when I was 7 or 8 years old and making short 8mm films when I was a teenager, but my father didn't want me to get into the business. He told me to get a real profession. I was a very good student, but I was thrown out of Notre Dame High School for too much joking around. I finished at Van Nuys High School and went on to Pierce College. I went on to UCLA, where I graduated with a degree in filmmaking. I took a job in the mailroom at Warner Bros., because I wanted to be a cameraman. I delivered mail to [Jack Warner] every morning because all the other mail boys were terrified to walk into his office. He was under this cloud of cigar smoke at 8 a.m. reading the overnight mail and telegrams.' Went to 20th Century Fox as a second c.asst. 'I was there for a couple of years, mainly filling in when they needed an extra second assistant until I got a call to work on [the tv-series] 'Gilligan's Island' with Richard Rawlings. A lot of people helped me get started. I worked with Bill Clothier on a Jerry Lewis picture, and Haskell Wexler was a big influence. I was a second and first assistant for about 10 years. Matt Leonetti moved me up to camera operator. I was an operator for seven years. I was in no hurry to move up. I worked on wonderful films, and did the second unit camerawork and shot titles for some of them. [...] I worked as an assistant cameraman on 'The Conversation'. About 10 years later, Jim Bloom, a producer who had been a PA on 'The Conversation' called and asked me to come to Northern California to meet George Lucas and talk about a project where I could move up to director of photography. It was 'Return of the Jedi'. He said they were going to shoot the film at Pinewood Studios in Britain, but there was a large American location unit with several hundred people. He said they had been following my work and wanted to talk to me about moving up.' [From the KODAK OnFilm website.]

Was assoc prod on the tvm 'Full Ride' [2002, Mark Hoeger; ph: Andy Anderson].

Was a member of the ASC since March 1994.

His daughter Meghan [born 1980] is an actress.

Awards: 'Emmy' Award nom [2004-05] for 'Deadwood' [ep #17].

Obituary: James Glennon, a cinematographer known for his evocative camera work on the 1983 film 'El Norte' and who also won an Emmy last year for the HBO series 'Deadwood', has died. He was 64.

"He was the king of all sets," actress Laura Dern told The Times earlier this week. "He was the stand-up comic of the set, the meditative easer of all tensions for the crew. And he was the greatest gift to any actor… He made the performance better, always."

His 'masterful photography' helped turn 'El Norte' into a 'brilliant film,' the Omaha World-Herald said in 1995. Gregory Nava's independent film, which follows the plight of a brother and sister who illegally emigrate from Guatemala to Los Angeles, is credited with helping to bring the immigrant experience to Hollywood's attention.

For 'El Norte', Glennon had to figure out how to light the set in Central America without using electricity. At night, he moved around groups of lighted votive candles, and during the day he relied on mirrors to reflect light onto the set, he recalled in an interview on Kodak.com.

Of the more than 40 films he worked on, Glennon made a trio - 'Citizen Ruth' [1995], 'Election' [1997] and 'About Schmidt' [2001] - with director Alexander Payne that he felt were among his best work, his agent said.

"Above and beyond his remarkable talent as a cinematographer, he was so full of positive energy," Payne told The Times on Thursday. "He was the master of the art of the possible and one of the funniest men I have ever met. I make comedies, and I felt so blessed to have such a visually funny man working with me."

Glennon "could problem-solve in the great old-school way," Laura Dern said. "If you didn't have the money, time or equipment, he had an unbelievably inventive way to get the shot. It could be using a wheelchair or a skateboard. He didn't need a dolly."

In television, Glennon got his start [as c.asst] on two shows from the 1960s, 'Batman' and 'Gilligan's Island', and listed about 30 series among his credits, including HBO's 'Big Love'.

Glennon is survived by Charmaine, his wife of 29 years; children Meghan, Allison, Andrew and Juliet; and three brothers. [From obituary by Valerie J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times, November 4, 2006.]

FILMS
1976	Jaws of Death [Richard Martin] 16mm-35bu/c; uwph: Stan Waterman
1981	Prisoners [Peter Werner] c
1981	Fast Times at Ridgemont High/Fast Times [Amy Heckerling] c; addph (+ c.op); ph: Matthew Leonetti
1982	[Star Wars: Episode VI -] Return of the Jedi [Richard Marquand] J-D-C Scope (+ 70bu)/c; location ph; ph: Alan Hume & (uncred) Alec Mills
1983	Overnight Sensation [Jon N. Bloom] c; short/28m
1983	El Norte - The North [Gregory Nava] c; addph (American unit): Gregory Nava; substitute camera (American unit): Ron Vidor
1984	The Wild Life [Art Linson] c
1984	Up the Creek [Robert Butler] c
1985	Weird Science [John Hughes] c; co-addph; ph: Matthew Leonetti
1985	One More Saturday Night [Dennis Klein] c
1986	Flight of the Navigator [Randal Kleiser] c; 2uc Norway: Peter Collister
1986	A Time of Destiny [Gregory Nava] c; addph: Jack Cooperman; 2uc Yugoslavia: Ivica Rajkovic; aph: Jon Kranhouse & Mike Kelem; vfx ph: John Huneck & Michael Griffin
1989	Love at Large [Alan Rudolph] c; addph; ph: Elliot Davis
1989	A Show of Force [Bruno Barretto] c; 2uc: Lowell Peterson; aph: John O'Connor
1991	December [Gabe Torres] c
1991	The Lounge People/L-Dopa [Frank Popper & Bradd Saunders] c
1991	Me, Myself & I [Pablo Ferro] c
1992	Stranger Than Love/I Married My Mom [David Maxxson] c
1994	Mrs. Munck [Diane Ladd] c; premiered on Showtime-tv in January 1996
1994	The Gift [Laura Dern] c; short/30m; uwph: Scott Steele; also ep of Showtime-tv 'Directed by'-series
1995	Citizen Ruth/Meet Ruth Stoops/Precious [Alexander Payne] c
1995	Mojave Moon [Kevin Dowling] c
1996	Invader/Alien Attack/Lifeform [Mark H. Baker] c; 2uc: Daniel Auerbach; + assoc prod
1996	Best Men [Tamra Davis] s35/c; add s8 ph: Tamra Davis
1996	Selena [Gregory Nava] s35+s8-to-35mm scope/c; co-2uc; ph: Edward Lachman
1997	Election [Alexander Payne] s35/c; 2uc: Casey Hotchkiss & Radan Popovic
1998	The Runner [Ron Moler] c; aph: Dylan Gross
1999	Playing Mona Lisa [Matthew Huffman] c
1999	South of Heaven, West of Hell [Dwight Yoakam] c; 2uc: John Longenecker
2000	Viva Las Nowhere/Dead Simple [Jason Bloom] c
2000	Madison [William Bindley] p/c; 2uc: Larry Blanford
2000	Experiencing Raju [Randy Carter] c; short/17m
2000	Life Without Dick [Bix Skahill] c/V
2001	About Schmidt [Alexander Payne] c; addph: Radan Popovic
2001	Local Boys [Ron Moler] c
2002	The United States of Leland [Matthew Ryan Hoge] c; addph: Robert Edesa
2002	Good Boy! [John Robert Hoffman] c

[Foreground/center - with fedora hat] - "The Big White"

2004	The Big White [Mark Mylod] c; ph New Zealand: Peter James; aph: Ronald Hersey & (New Zealand) James Cowley
2006	Room 10 [Jennifer Aniston & Andrea Buchanan] c; short/18m; ep 'Glamour' magazine 'Reel Moments'-series

TELEVISION
1983	Second Sight: A Love Story/Emma & I [John Korty] tvm
1983	Last of the Great Survivors [Jerry Jameson] tvm
1984	My Wicked, Wicked Ways... The Legend of Errol Flynn [Don Taylor] tvm
1984	Smooth Talk [Joyce Chopra] tvm; addph: Reed Smoot & Michael Santy; also released theatrically
1987	Lemon Sky [Jan Egleson] tvm; ep PBS-tv series 'American Playhouse'
1988	Flying Blind [Vince DiPersio] tvm
1990	DEA [various] 13-part series, 1990-91; other ph: Bryan Greenberg
1991	Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Smart Story [Joyce Chopra] tvm
1991	Edgar Allan Poe, Terror of the Soul [Karen Thomas & Joyce Chopra] doc + drama/58m; ph drama seq dir by Joyce Chopra; doc ph: Dyanna Taylor; addph: Erich Roland & Foster Wiley; ep PBS-tv series 'American Masters'
1991	Medusa - Dare to Be Truthful [John Fortenberry] mockumentary special/b&w-c/51m; concert ph (as Jim Glennon); doc ph: Scott Ransom; for Showtime-tv
1992	Baby Snatcher [Joyce Chopra] tvm
1992	In the Deep Woods [Charles Correll] tvm
1992	Laurel Avenue [Carl Franklin] 2-part tvm
1992	A Part of the Family [David Madden] tvm
1992	The Disappearance of Nora/The Stranger in the Mirror [Joyce Chopra] tvm
1993	Angel Falls [various] 6-part series; other ph: Edward J. Pei; addph: Michael Bucher (opening title scenics)
1993	Bakersfield P.D. [pilot dir by Dean Parisot] 17-part series, 1993-94; other ph: Victor Goss
1993	Judicial Consent/My Love, Your Honor [William Bindley] tvm
1993	Untamed Love [Paul Aaron] tvm
1994	The Corpse Had a Familiar Face [Joyce Chopra] tvm
1995	Deadline for Murder: Edna Buchanan [Joyce Chopra] tvm
1995	Neil Simon's Jake's Women [Glenn Jordan] tvm
1995	Co-Ed Call Girl [Michael Ray Rhodes] tvm
1996	My Very Best Friend [Joyce Chopra] tvm
1996	L.A. Johns [Joyce Chopra] tvm
1997	Two Voices/Two Small Voices [Peter Levin] tvm
1997	When He Didn't Come Home/The Disappearing Act [Paul Schneider] tvm
1997	Get to the Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story [Jerry London] tvm
1997	Convictions [Joyce Chopra] tvm
2000	Blonde/Marilyn Monroe [Joyce Chopra] 2-part tvm
2001	The West Wing [ep #54 'H.Con-172' dir by Vincent Misiano] 154-part series, 1999-2006; 3rd season, 2001-02; other ph: Thomas Del Ruth
2002	Return to the Batcave - The Misadventures of Adam and Burt [Paul A. Kaufman] tvm
2002	Carnivàle [pilot 'Milfay' dir by Rodrigo García] 24-part series, 2003 & 2005; 1st season, 2003; cph (pilot): Tami Reiker & Jeffrey Jur
2003	Carnivàle [ep #3 'Tipton' dir by Rodrigo Garcia, #5 'Babylon' dir by Tim Hunter, #7 'The River' dir by Alison Maclean, #9 'Insomnia' dir by Jack Bender & #11 'Day of the Dead' dir by John Patterson] 1st season, 2003; other ph: Jeffrey Jur; see 2002
2003	Deadwood [ep #4 'Here Was a Man' dir by Alan Taylor, #6 'Plague' dir by Davis Guggenheim (DG), #10 'Mister Wu' dir by Daniel Minahan & #12 'Sold Under Sin' dir by DG] 36-part series, 2004-06; 1st season, 2004; other ph: Lloyd Ahern II (pilot), David Boyd & Xavier Pérez Grobet
2004	Big Love [pilot dir by Rodrigo García] 53-part series 2006-11; 1st season, 2006; cph (pilot): Xavier Pérez Grobet
2004	Deadwood [ep #14 'A Lie Agreed Upon, Part 2' dir by Edward Bianchi, #15 'New Money' dir by Steve Shill (SS), #16 'Requiem for a Gleet' dir by Alan Taylor, #17 'Complications' dir by Gregg Fienberg, #18 'Something Very Expensive' dir by SS, #19 'E.B. Was Left Out' dir by Michael Almereyda, #20 'Childish Things' dir by Tim Van Patten & #22 'Advances, None Miraculous' dir by Daniel Minahan] 2nd season, 2005; other ph: Teodoro Maniaci & Joseph Gallagher; see 2003
2005	Big Love [ep #2 'Viagra Blue' dir by Charles McDougall (CMD), #3 'Home Invasion' dir by CMD, #5 'Affair' dir by Alan Taylor, #7 'Eviction' dir by Michael Spiller, #9 'A Barbecue for Betty' dir by Julian Farino & #11 'Where There's a Will' dir by Alan Poul] 1st season, 2006; other ph: Russ Alsobrook (5 ep); see 2004
2005	Deadwood [ep #26 'I Am Not the Fine Man You Take Me For' dir by Daniel Attias, #28 'Full Faith and Credit' dir by Edward Bianchi (EB), #30 'A Rich Find' dir by Tim Hunter, #32 'Leviathan Smiles' dir by EB, #34 'A Constant Throb' dir by Mark Tinker (MT) & #36 'Tell Him Something Pretty' dir by MT] 3rd season, 2006; other ph (+ cph #26): Joseph Gallagher; see 2003
2006	Big Love [ep #13 'Damage Control' dir by Daniel Minahan] 2nd season, 2007; see 2004

FILMS & TELEVISION AS CAMERA ASSISTANT/OPERATOR
1970	Big Jake [George Sherman & (uncred) John Wayne] 2nd c.asst; ph: William Clothier
1971	The New Centurions/Precinct 45 - Los Angeles Police [Richard Fleischer] 2nd c.asst; ph: Ralph Woolsey
1972	The Mack [Michael Campus] c.asst; ph: Ralph Woolsey
1972	The Conversation [Francis Ford Coppola] c.asst; ph: Bill Butler
1973	The Godfather, Part II [Francis Ford Coppola] co-1st c.asst; ph: Gordon Willis
1976	Three Warriors [Kieth Merrill] co-c.op; ph: Bruce Surtees
1977	The Pack/The Long Hard Night [Robert Clouse] co-c.op; ph: Ralph Woolsey
1977	Prime Time/American Raspberry/Funny America [Bradley R. Swirnoff] c.op; ph: Matthew Leonetti
1978	Just Me and You [John Erman; tvm] c.op; ph: Gayne Rescher
1978	Breaking Away [Peter Yates] c.op; ph: Matthew Leonetti
1978	The Electric Horseman [Sydney Pollack] c.op; ph: Owen Roizman
1979	Altered States [Ken Russell] c.op; ph: Jordan Cronenweth
1979	Ordinary People [Robert Redford] c.op (+ title seq ph); ph: John Bailey
1980	True Confessions [Ulu Grosbard] c.op; ph: Owen Roizman
1980	Absence of Malice [Sydney Pollack] c.op; ph: Owen Roizman
1981	Don't Cry, It's Only Thunder/Vietnam: Hell or Glory [Peter Werner] c.op; ph: Donald McAlpine
1981	Taps/The Siege at Bunker Hill: T.A.P.S. [Harold Becker] co-c.op; ph: Owen Roizman
1981	Time Is on Our Side/Let's Spend the Night Together/Rocks Off [Hal Ashby] co-c.op Los Angeles; ph: Caleb Deschanel & Gerald Feil
1981	Fast Times at Ridgemont High/Fast Times [Amy Heckerling] c.op (+ addph); ph: Matthew Leonetti
1982	Mae West [Lee Philips; tvm] c.op; ph: Matthew Leonetti