David Abel
Encyclopedia
David Abel was a cinematographer
.
David Abel was born on 15 December 1884 in Amsterdam
to Russia
n parents. He came to the United States as a child in the first decade of the 1900s and worked as a portrait photographer before entering films with Flying A Studios
in 1913. He filmed a total of 110 films, many for RKO Pictures
during the 1930s. He was a favorite collaborator of director Mark Sandrich
and was responsible for the photography of five Fred Astaire
-Ginger Rogers
musicals.
At RKO Radio studios during the 1930s, Abel was a favorite collaborator of director Mark Sandrich and was responsible for the photography of five Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musicals (The Gay Divorcee
, Top Hat
, Follow the Fleet
, Swing Time, and Shall We Dance).
He retired in 1937 but Sandrich persuaded him to come back as cameraman for the classic Holiday Inn
(1942). After two more films, Follow the Boys
(1944) and The Affairs of Susan
(1945), he left the Hollywood scene for good.
His other credits include The Awful Truth
, Huckleberry Finn, Hips, Hips, Hooray!
, Grumpy
, The Virtuous Sin
, and History Is Made at Night
. He filmed a total of 110 films.
Abel lived for over fifty years in Sierra Madre, California
and died in Los Angeles
, buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
. He and his wife, Eva ("Chava") Rayevsky did not leave behind children.
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
.
David Abel was born on 15 December 1884 in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n parents. He came to the United States as a child in the first decade of the 1900s and worked as a portrait photographer before entering films with Flying A Studios
American Film Manufacturing Company
The American Film Manufacturing Company, also known as Flying "A" Studios, was founded in Chicago in fall 1910. In 1915, the formal name was changed to the American Film Company....
in 1913. He filmed a total of 110 films, many for RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
during the 1930s. He was a favorite collaborator of director Mark Sandrich
Mark Sandrich
Mark Sandrich was a Jewish American film director, writer and producer.Sandrich was an engineering student at Columbia University when he began in the film business by accident. While visiting a friend on a film set, he saw that the director had a problem in setting up a shot; Sandrich offered...
and was responsible for the photography of five Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
-Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
musicals.
At RKO Radio studios during the 1930s, Abel was a favorite collaborator of director Mark Sandrich and was responsible for the photography of five Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musicals (The Gay Divorcee
The Gay Divorcee
The Gay Divorcee is a 1934 American film based on the musical play Gay Divorce written by Dwight Taylor, Kenneth S. Webb, Samuel Hoffenstein, with screenplay by George Marion Jr., Dorothy Yost and Edward Kaufman, from an unproduced play by J. Hartley Manners...
, Top Hat
Top Hat
Top Hat is a 1935 screwball comedy musical film in which Fred Astaire plays an American dancer named Jerry Travers, who comes to London to star in a show produced by Horace Hardwick . He meets and attempts to impress Dale Tremont to win her affection...
, Follow the Fleet
Follow the Fleet
Follow the Fleet is a 1936 Hollywood musical comedy film with a nautical theme and stars Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Randolph Scott, Harriet Hilliard, and Astrid Allwyn, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Lucille Ball and Betty Grable also appear, in small supporting roles...
, Swing Time, and Shall We Dance).
He retired in 1937 but Sandrich persuaded him to come back as cameraman for the classic Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn (film)
Holiday Inn is a 1942 American musical film starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, with music by Irving Berlin. The film has twelve songs written expressly for the film, the most notable being "White Christmas"...
(1942). After two more films, Follow the Boys
Follow the Boys
Follow the Boys , also known as Three Cheers for the Boys, is a musical film made by Universal Pictures as an all-star cast morale booster to entertain the troops abroad and the civilians at home. The film was directed by A. Edward "Eddie" Sutherland and produced by Charles K. Feldman...
(1944) and The Affairs of Susan
The Affairs of Susan
The Affairs of Susan is a 1945 comedy film starring Joan Fontaine, Walter Abel, George Brent, Dennis O'Keefe and Don DeFore. The plot concerns Susan , who is about to be married. Complications set in when her fiance gives a party to celebrate, and he talks to three former beaus of Susan, each of...
(1945), he left the Hollywood scene for good.
His other credits include The Awful Truth
The Awful Truth (1929 film)
The Awful Truth was a 1929 American romantic comedy film, distributed by Pathé Exchange, directed by Marshall Neilan, and starring Ina Claire and Henry Daniell. The screenplay was written by Horace Jackson and Arthur Richman, based on a play by Richman...
, Huckleberry Finn, Hips, Hips, Hooray!
Hips, Hips, Hooray!
Hips, Hips, Hooray! is a 1934 slapstick comedy film starring Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Ruth Etting, Thelma Todd, and Dorothy Lee. During its initial theatrical run, it was preceded by the two-color Technicolor short Not Tonight, Josephine directed by Edward F. Cline.-Plot:Todd stars as Amelia...
, Grumpy
Grumpy (film)
Grumpy is an American drama film directed by George Cukor and Cyril Gardner, and released by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay by Doris Anderson is based on a play by Horace Hodges and Thomas Wigney. A Spanish-language version entitled Cascarrabias, written by Catalan writer Josep Carner Ribalta ...
, The Virtuous Sin
The Virtuous Sin
The Virtuous Sin is a 1930 American comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor and Louis J. Gasnier. The screenplay by Martin Brown and Louise Long is based on the play The General by Lajos Zilahy.-Plot:...
, and History Is Made at Night
History Is Made at Night (1937 film)
History Is Made at Night is a 1937 romantic drama with elements of comedy and spectacle.It deals with a love triangle among a possessive shipping magnate, his beautiful wife, and a French headwaiter, with a spectacular ocean liner as a backdrop....
. He filmed a total of 110 films.
Abel lived for over fifty years in Sierra Madre, California
Sierra Madre, California
The city of Sierra Madre is a municipality in Los Angeles County, California whose population was 10,917 at the 2010 census, up from 10,580 at the time of the 2000 census. The city is located in the Foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains below the southern edge of the Angeles National Forest. ...
and died in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
. He and his wife, Eva ("Chava") Rayevsky did not leave behind children.