American Cinematographer - November 2009 - 96

In Memoriam Richard Moore, ASC, 1925-2009 R ichard Moore, ASC, co-founder of Panavision and recipient of the Society’s 2004 Presidents Award, died on Aug. 16 at the age of 83 in Palm Springs, Calif. Moore was born in Jacksonville, Ill., and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was 7. After graduating from University High during World War II, he enrolled in the U.S. Navy’s ROTC program at the University of Southern California. A longtime interest in photography eventually brought him to USC’s cinema department. “That was somewhat unusual in those days,” he stated during a 1998 interview. “But it was really the only way I could see to somehow get into the movie business, which was something I very much wanted to do.” Moore served in the navy from 1943-1946 and was a photographic officer aboard the USS Montpelier. After graduating from USC in 1947, he found his prospects for employment at the studios were nonexistent. He made a living by doing odd jobs and taking on occasional work as a cinematographer for independent productions. “I once shot a travelogue and got a free trip to Europe, and while I was there, I wangled a meeting with Dr. August Arnold at the Arriflex factory in Munich,” he recalled. 96 November 2009 “He showed me their Arri IIA newsreel camera, the first reflex camera, and it really blew me away. I came back to Hollywood with the sole right to distribute it in the western United States.” Moore soon found himself in business with a college pal, future ASC member Conrad Hall. Moore recalled, “The people who made decisions in the movie business were very stodgy at the time. We took the camera around to all the heads of camera department at the studios, but no one was interested, and we went bust very quickly.” Shortly after that, Moore was introduced to Robert Gottschalk by a mutual friend. Gottschalk had been experimenting with underwater housings for motion-picture cameras and drew Moore into his efforts. Eventually, they discovered that once cameras were submerged, the coverage of conventional lenses became narrow because of the water’s index of refraction. Their various solutions for dealing with this issue led to what became the industry’s finest anamorphic projection lenses. It also sparked the creation of Panavision, a company that changed the face of motion-picture production. “Panavision took off really quickly,” said Moore. “CinemaScope was breaking out, and we could barely keep up with the demand for our product. Soon, we started building taking lenses, and then we got into the design and manufacture of 35mm and 65mm cameras. In 1959, Doug Shearer, Gottschalk and I were given an Academy Sci-Tech Award for the 65mm system used to photograph Ben-Hur [1959], among many other movies. Then it was right to the moon!” Soon, however, Moore became restless. “I wanted to get back to what I had originally gotten into the business for: being a director of photography.” After a brief stint as an assistant cameraman and camera operator to qualify for union membership, Moore was hired as the cinematographer on the CBS series Daktari, in 1964. He then began a long, successful run as a freelancer. He often collaborated with Lamar Boren, ASC, most notably for the underwater sequences on the James Bond film Thunderball (1965). Moore’s big break as principal cinematographer came with John Huston’s The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972). Moore recalled, “Of all the directors I knew, Huston was the one most open to everyone’s ideas, not least of which were my own. He was a gentleman and had total control over what he was doing. That experience put me in a totally different class.” He reteamed with Huston on Annie (1982). Moore became an ASC member in 1975. His cinematography credits include the features The Scalphunters (1968), The Rievers (1969), Winning (1969), Myra Breckinridge (1970), WUSA (1970) and Sometimes a Great Notion (1971). He directed the feature Circle of Iron (1978). “I had a tremendously enjoyable career,” Moore observed. “I loved being on location, and I loved working with individuals who were really interested in what they were doing. I was well paid and had a ton of unique experiences. Who could ask for more from a job?” Moore is survived by his daughter, Marina; son, Stephen; sister-in-law, Mary Moore; and nephew, Joel Moore. — Richard Crudo, ASC I

American Cinematographer - November 2009

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