William George Wilson
Encyclopedia
William G. Wilson was an American cinematographer and Director of Photography (DP) who filmed hundreds of championship sporting events during a career that spanned more than 50 years. Wilson filmed baseball, football, basketball, ice hockey, golf, boxing, horse-racing and auto racing. His pioneering work in television news-filming for WFIL-TV in Philadelphia, the first ABC
affiliate station in the nation, set early standards for filming news and sports. During World War II, Wilson served as a combat cameraman and aviator with the United States Marine Corps, filming major action in the South Pacific on the ground and in the air.
, Pennsylvania on March 10, 1917, William Wilson grew up on a farm near Kimberton, PA. He was one of ten children. His father, William M. Wilson, who owned a plumbing business, served as the mayor of Phoenixville and on borough council for 28 years. Wilson excelled at baseball as a young man and played semi-pro ball as a second-baseman. He was invited to a tryout with the New York Baseball Giants, but the outbreak of war cut short a fledgling athletic career. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
, Wilson enlisted in the United States Marine Corps
, where he served as a combat cameraman and aviator. While on leave in Philadelphia, he met Jean Hoff, serving with the Navy
WAVES
, whom he married in 1945. They were married for 62 years and raised three children in Folcroft, Delaware County
, Pennsylvania where he lived until his death on October 28, 2007.
during World War II
. He enlisted in the Marines shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and, following boot camp, received specialized photographic training with Severo Antonelli
in Philadelphia and at Life Magazine in New York City. Wilson served with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing
and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
in the South Pacific recording the activities of Marine units on the ground and in the air. He flew numerous combat missions and was a qualified tail-gunner. Attaining the rank of Staff-Sergeant, Wilson saw duty on Guadalcanal
, Bougainville
, Peleliu
, Munda, Espiritu Santo
, Rabaul
, Leyte Gulf
and New Georgia
in the British Solomon Islands. He was personally awarded a medal by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz for courage under fire while filming a cargo drop in an exposed position from the open door of an aircraft to determine parachute drift patterns. One of his photographs of a fierce night battle at Bloody Nose Ridge on Peleliu, published in over 500 newspapers, was recognized by Commander Edward Steichen
, Chief of Naval Photography, as one of the best pictures depicting action in the Pacific theater.
. In 1956, Wilson was awarded top honors in newsreel sports photography in the 13th Annual News Pictures of the Year Competition by the National Press Photographers Association
for innovative techniques filming horse-racing. One of his technical accomplishments involved mounting two 16mm Kodak Cine Special II motion picture cameras side by side on a specially designed plate for filming horse-racing. One camera was equipped with a long telephoto lens to isolate the view to a single horse and the other a shorter focal length lens to show a wider view of the horses. Another innovation was the design of a preset lens aperture control for maintaining proper film exposure between highlight and shadow areas when filming under the challenging lighting conditions in sports stadiums. This was prior to the advent of automatic electronic aperture devices. In addition to his work for WFIL-TV, Wilson also worked as a news cameraman for KYW-TV
and WCAU-TV in Philadelphia and for ABC
, NBC
, CBS
and UPI TV News.
, 20 baseball All-Star games, 30 Kentucky Derby
horse races, 20 Masters golf tournaments, 15 U.S. Open
golf tournaments, 15 Indianapolis 500
auto races, 6 Stanley Cups and hundreds of college and pro football games including 13 NFL Championships and Super Bowl I
and Super Bowl II
. He filmed numerous boxing championship matches involving Rocky Marciano
, Sonny Liston
and Jake LaMotta
. His cinematography is immortalized in scores of college football highlight films for major universities including Notre Dame
, Ohio State, Penn State, Alabama
, Boston College
and scores of others. He filmed more than 20 college football bowl games. For filming football he typically used a 16mm Arriflex M (Arri
) fitted with an 85-250mm Nikkor
zoom lens. He was a regular cameraman for Winik & Winik Productions in New York City, Major League Baseball Productions, NCAA Football and the New York Racing Association
. He filmed nearly every Army-Navy football game between 1955 and 1995. His cinematography for a Breeders Cup film was nominated for an Emmy. As a cameraman, Wilson was a fixture at World Series games and was so well-known around the baseball diamond that former President Richard Nixon
once asked him to make introductions to one of his favorite Oakland Athletics
players.
, on the Delaware River
. That production, The Birth of a Bridge required Wilson climbing to the top of one of the bridge towers by ascending the unprotected suspension cables carrying a motion picture camera and tripod. He worked on a few feature films including The Burglar, director Paul Wendkos' film noir
classic starring Jayne Mansfield
and Dan Duryea. In that film he even played a bit role as a television stage director. He also was a cinematographer, along with Morris Kellman, on the popular children's television show Diver Dan
. Wilson continued as an active cinematographer well into his seventies, filming college football highlights for the United States Military Academy
at West Point. Mr. Wilson was a life-long member of IATSE, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Local 644 (now 600), the craft union of motion picture cameramen. He was also a member of the Philadelphia Press Photographers Association and International Association of Combat Cameramen until his death in 2007 at age 90.
Delaware County Sports Hall of Fame, inducted 1999.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate station in the nation, set early standards for filming news and sports. During World War II, Wilson served as a combat cameraman and aviator with the United States Marine Corps, filming major action in the South Pacific on the ground and in the air.
Biography
Born in Phoenixville, Chester CountyChester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
, Pennsylvania on March 10, 1917, William Wilson grew up on a farm near Kimberton, PA. He was one of ten children. His father, William M. Wilson, who owned a plumbing business, served as the mayor of Phoenixville and on borough council for 28 years. Wilson excelled at baseball as a young man and played semi-pro ball as a second-baseman. He was invited to a tryout with the New York Baseball Giants, but the outbreak of war cut short a fledgling athletic career. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, Wilson enlisted in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, where he served as a combat cameraman and aviator. While on leave in Philadelphia, he met Jean Hoff, serving with the Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
WAVES
WAVES
The WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" ; the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and...
, whom he married in 1945. They were married for 62 years and raised three children in Folcroft, Delaware County
Delaware County
Delaware County is the name of six counties in the United States of America:* Delaware County, Indiana* Delaware County, Iowa* Delaware County, New York* Delaware County, Ohio* Delaware County, Oklahoma* Delaware County, Pennsylvania...
, Pennsylvania where he lived until his death on October 28, 2007.
Military Photography
Wilson began his film career as a combat cameraman with the United States Marine Corps in the South PacificOceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He enlisted in the Marines shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and, following boot camp, received specialized photographic training with Severo Antonelli
Severo Antonelli
Severo Antonelli was an Italian-American photographer born in Fara Filiorum Petri, Chieti, Italy.-Early years:...
in Philadelphia and at Life Magazine in New York City. Wilson served with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing
1st Marine Aircraft Wing
The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Camp Foster on the island of Okinawa, Japan...
and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing is the major east coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps and is based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina...
in the South Pacific recording the activities of Marine units on the ground and in the air. He flew numerous combat missions and was a qualified tail-gunner. Attaining the rank of Staff-Sergeant, Wilson saw duty on Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
, Bougainville
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
, Peleliu
Peleliu
Peleliu is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu forms, along with two small islands to its northeast, one of the sixteen states of Palau. It is located northeast of Angaur and southwest of Koror....
, Munda, Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
, Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
, Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
and New Georgia
New Georgia
New Georgia is the largest island of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands.-Geography:This island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most of the other larger islands in the province...
in the British Solomon Islands. He was personally awarded a medal by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz for courage under fire while filming a cargo drop in an exposed position from the open door of an aircraft to determine parachute drift patterns. One of his photographs of a fierce night battle at Bloody Nose Ridge on Peleliu, published in over 500 newspapers, was recognized by Commander Edward Steichen
Edward Steichen
Edward J. Steichen was an American photographer, painter, and art gallery and museum curator. He was the most frequently featured photographer in Alfred Stieglitz' groundbreaking magazine Camera Work during its run from 1903 to 1917. Steichen also contributed the logo design and a custom typeface...
, Chief of Naval Photography, as one of the best pictures depicting action in the Pacific theater.
Television Newsfilming
At the conclusion of the war Wilson went to work as a staff cameraman for WFIL-TV, the Philadelphia Inquirer television station. While at WFIL-TV Wilson filmed the screen test for Dick Clark, the iconic host of American BandstandAmerican Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
. In 1956, Wilson was awarded top honors in newsreel sports photography in the 13th Annual News Pictures of the Year Competition by the National Press Photographers Association
National Press Photographers Association
NPPA is the acronym for the National Press Photographers Association, founded in 1947. The organization is based in Durham, North Carolina and its mostly made up of still photographers, television videographers, editors, and students in the journalism field...
for innovative techniques filming horse-racing. One of his technical accomplishments involved mounting two 16mm Kodak Cine Special II motion picture cameras side by side on a specially designed plate for filming horse-racing. One camera was equipped with a long telephoto lens to isolate the view to a single horse and the other a shorter focal length lens to show a wider view of the horses. Another innovation was the design of a preset lens aperture control for maintaining proper film exposure between highlight and shadow areas when filming under the challenging lighting conditions in sports stadiums. This was prior to the advent of automatic electronic aperture devices. In addition to his work for WFIL-TV, Wilson also worked as a news cameraman for KYW-TV
KYW-TV
KYW-TV, virtual channel 3, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW-TV shares a studio facility with its sister station, CW flagship WPSG just north of Center City Philadelphia...
and WCAU-TV in Philadelphia and for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and UPI TV News.
Sports Cinematography
Wilson’s love for sports led him to become one of the most accomplished cinematographers in that category. He worked for Louis W. Kellman's Newsreel Laboratory in Philadelphia and Tel-Ra Productions, two prominent producers of sports programming during the 1950s and 1960s. He was the principle cinematographer for numerous popular television sports programs including Tele-Sports Digest and Gillette Cavalcade of Sports. Tele-Sports Digest was an early forerunner of ABC's Wide World of Sports and other television sports highlight programs. Wilson traveled more than 2000000 miles (3,218,680 km), crisscrossing the nation filming major sporting events including 30 baseball World SeriesWorld Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, 20 baseball All-Star games, 30 Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
horse races, 20 Masters golf tournaments, 15 U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
golf tournaments, 15 Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
auto races, 6 Stanley Cups and hundreds of college and pro football games including 13 NFL Championships and Super Bowl I
Super Bowl I
The First AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later known as Super Bowl I and referred to in some contemporary reports as the Supergame, was played on January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.The National Football League ...
and Super Bowl II
Super Bowl II
The second AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later to be known as Super Bowl II, was played on January 14, 1968 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida....
. He filmed numerous boxing championship matches involving Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano , born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was an American boxer and the heavyweight champion of the world from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only champion to hold the heavyweight title and go undefeated throughout his career. Marciano defended his title six times...
, Sonny Liston
Sonny Liston
Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was a professional boxer and ex-convict known for his toughness, punching power, and intimidating appearance who became world heavyweight champion in 1962 by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round...
and Jake LaMotta
Jake LaMotta
Giacobbe LaMotta , better known as Jake LaMotta, nicknamed "The Bronx Bull" and "The Raging Bull", is a former American world middleweight champion boxer...
. His cinematography is immortalized in scores of college football highlight films for major universities including Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, Ohio State, Penn State, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
and scores of others. He filmed more than 20 college football bowl games. For filming football he typically used a 16mm Arriflex M (Arri
Arri
-History:Arri was founded in Munich, Germany as Arnold & Richter Cine Technik in 1917, named after founders August Arnold and Robert Richter. They produce professional motion picture equipment, digital and film cameras and cinematic lighting equipment...
) fitted with an 85-250mm Nikkor
Nikkor
Nikkor is the brand of lenses produced by Nikon Corporation, including camera lenses for the Nikon F-mount.thumb|right|Nikko parent company brand, from which the Nikkor brand evolved....
zoom lens. He was a regular cameraman for Winik & Winik Productions in New York City, Major League Baseball Productions, NCAA Football and the New York Racing Association
New York Racing Association
The New York Racing Association, Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse-racing tracks in the state of New York. It runs Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island , and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga...
. He filmed nearly every Army-Navy football game between 1955 and 1995. His cinematography for a Breeders Cup film was nominated for an Emmy. As a cameraman, Wilson was a fixture at World Series games and was so well-known around the baseball diamond that former President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
once asked him to make introductions to one of his favorite Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
players.
Commercial, Industrial, Documentary and Feature Films
Wilson filmed scores of television commercials including the technically challenging clean carburetor series for Atlantic Refining Company. He also worked on industrial, educational and documentary films including a production on the construction of the Walt Whitman BridgeWalt Whitman Bridge
The Walt Whitman Bridge is a green-colored single-level suspension bridge spanning the Delaware River from Philadelphia to Gloucester City, New Jersey. Named after the poet Walt Whitman, who resided in nearby Camden toward the end of his life, the Walt Whitman Bridge is one of the larger bridges...
, on the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
. That production, The Birth of a Bridge required Wilson climbing to the top of one of the bridge towers by ascending the unprotected suspension cables carrying a motion picture camera and tripod. He worked on a few feature films including The Burglar, director Paul Wendkos' film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
classic starring Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield was an American actress working both in Hollywood and on the Broadway theatre...
and Dan Duryea. In that film he even played a bit role as a television stage director. He also was a cinematographer, along with Morris Kellman, on the popular children's television show Diver Dan
Diver Dan
Diver Dan was a series of 104 seven-minute live-action shorts made for children's television. Made by Brian Cartoons, it was syndicated and distributed by ITC Entertainment...
. Wilson continued as an active cinematographer well into his seventies, filming college football highlights for the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point. Mr. Wilson was a life-long member of IATSE, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Local 644 (now 600), the craft union of motion picture cameramen. He was also a member of the Philadelphia Press Photographers Association and International Association of Combat Cameramen until his death in 2007 at age 90.
Awards
National Press Photographers Association, 13th Annual News Pictures of the Year Competition, 1956, First Place, Newsreel Sports.Delaware County Sports Hall of Fame, inducted 1999.