Ted D. McCord(1900-1976)
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Ted McCord learned his craft "on the job" as a camera assistant at Hobart Bosworth
Productions in 1917. His first credited film as full-fledged
cinematographer was
Sacred and Profane Love (1921),
billing himself as "T.D.McCord". During the '20s he worked on a wide
variety of subjects, from romantic comedy
(Irene (1926)) to westerns
(The Code of the Scarlet (1928))
to melodrama (The Crash (1928)). Almost
from the outset, his work displayed a mastery of lighting, specifically
in his use of deep shadows. He later explained that he had been influenced by the paintings of Rembrandt and by the mentoring of pioneer
cinematographers James Van Trees and
Gregg Toland.
Between 1924 and 1929, McCord worked at First National which later
became a subsidiary of Warner Brothers. In the early
'30s, he had brief spells at Universal (shooting several films for cowboy star Ken Maynard),
Columbia and RKO-Pathe, before finally settling at Warner Brothers for
the bulk of his career (1936-57). During World War II, he served as a
captain with the US Army Photographic Unit and was among the first
to enter devastated Berlin, filming inside Adolf Hitler's ruined
chancellery. After the war, he was given several A-grade projects
that enhanced his reputation; among them superior melodramas
like Johnny Belinda (1948) and
Flamingo Road (1949). He also won
critical plaudits for his excellent shooting of
John Huston's seminal western epic,
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948).
This prompted Elia Kazan to request his
services for East of Eden (1955),
which was shot in Technicolor and CinemaScope.
During the '50s and '60s McCord excelled at other Technicolor
assignments: most memorable are the rich saturation and sharp detail
used for the gripping outdoor western
The Hanging Tree (1959), and his
Oscar-nominated romantic, soft-focus visuals for
The Sound of Music (1965),
shot in 65mm Todd-AO wide-screen format.
Productions in 1917. His first credited film as full-fledged
cinematographer was
Sacred and Profane Love (1921),
billing himself as "T.D.McCord". During the '20s he worked on a wide
variety of subjects, from romantic comedy
(Irene (1926)) to westerns
(The Code of the Scarlet (1928))
to melodrama (The Crash (1928)). Almost
from the outset, his work displayed a mastery of lighting, specifically
in his use of deep shadows. He later explained that he had been influenced by the paintings of Rembrandt and by the mentoring of pioneer
cinematographers James Van Trees and
Gregg Toland.
Between 1924 and 1929, McCord worked at First National which later
became a subsidiary of Warner Brothers. In the early
'30s, he had brief spells at Universal (shooting several films for cowboy star Ken Maynard),
Columbia and RKO-Pathe, before finally settling at Warner Brothers for
the bulk of his career (1936-57). During World War II, he served as a
captain with the US Army Photographic Unit and was among the first
to enter devastated Berlin, filming inside Adolf Hitler's ruined
chancellery. After the war, he was given several A-grade projects
that enhanced his reputation; among them superior melodramas
like Johnny Belinda (1948) and
Flamingo Road (1949). He also won
critical plaudits for his excellent shooting of
John Huston's seminal western epic,
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948).
This prompted Elia Kazan to request his
services for East of Eden (1955),
which was shot in Technicolor and CinemaScope.
During the '50s and '60s McCord excelled at other Technicolor
assignments: most memorable are the rich saturation and sharp detail
used for the gripping outdoor western
The Hanging Tree (1959), and his
Oscar-nominated romantic, soft-focus visuals for
The Sound of Music (1965),
shot in 65mm Todd-AO wide-screen format.