American cinematographer George Folsey broke into films as an office boy in Lasky Photoplays' New York office. An assistant cameraman in his teens, Folsey was promoted to director of photography at 19 when the chief cameraman on a production failed to show up. A loyal company man, Folsey tended to put up resistance when upstart directors like Rouben Mamoulian suggested offbeat camera angles; nonetheless, Folsey's camerawork on Mamoulian's 1929 talkie Applause is perhaps the most innovative of that year. Folsey spent most of his career at MGM, where he was a personal favorite (and personal friend) of actress Joan Crawford. He most enjoyed working on comedies; while filming a sequence with Red Skelton, Folsey nearly ruined a take by laughing so hard that he fell off his camera perch. After several years' retirement, Folsey returned to MGM to shoot the linking narration sequences of the 1976 musical compendium That's Entertainment Part II. Nominated for 13 Academy Awards, Folsey always went home empty-handed, though he was always held in the highest esteem by his contemporaries. George Folsey's son, George Folsey Jr., was likewise in the movie business. As a film editor and producer (Folsey Jr. and John Landis were among the defendants in the notorious Twilight Zone: The Movie lawsuit a few years back).
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
That's Entertainment Part II
Cinematographer |
1976 | |||
|
The Battle of Love's Return
Cinematographer |
1971 | |||
|
Glass Houses
Cinematographer |
1970 | |||
|
The Balcony
Cinematographer |
1963 | |||
|
I Passed for White
Cinematographer |
1960 | |||
|
Cash McCall
Cinematographer |
1959 | |||
|
Count Your Blessings
Cinematographer |
1959 | |||
|
Imitation General
Cinematographer |
1958 | |||
|
Saddle the Wind
Cinematographer |
1958 | |||
|
The High Cost of Loving
Cinematographer |
1958 | |||
|
Torpedo Run
Cinematographer |
1958 | |||
|
House of Numbers
Cinematographer |
1957 | |||
|
Tip on a Dead Jockey
Cinematographer |
1957 | |||
|
Forbidden Planet
Cinematographer |
1956 | |||
|
The Fastest Gun Alive
Cinematographer |
1956 | |||
|
The Power and the Prize
Cinematographer |
1956 | |||
|
These Wilder Years
Cinematographer |
1956 | |||
|
Hit the Deck
Cinematographer |
1955 | |||
|
The Cobweb
Cinematographer |
1955 | |||
|
Deep in My Heart
Cinematographer |
1954 | |||
|
Executive Suite
Cinematographer |
1954 | |||
|
Men of the Fighting Lady
Cinematographer |
1954 | |||
|
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Cinematographer |
1954 | |||
|
Tennessee Champ
Cinematographer |
1954 | |||
|
All the Brothers Were Valiant
Cinematographer |
1953 | |||
|
Lovely to Look At
Cinematographer |
1952 | |||
|
Million Dollar Mermaid
Cinematographer |
1952 | |||
|
Mr. Imperium
Cinematographer |
1951 | |||
|
Night into Morning
Cinematographer |
1951 | |||
|
Shadow in the Sky
Cinematographer |
1951 | |||
|
The Law and the Lady
Cinematographer |
1951 | |||
|
The Man with a Cloak
Cinematographer |
1951 | |||
|
Vengeance Valley
Cinematographer |
1951 | |||
|
A Life of Her Own
Cinematographer |
1950 | |||
|
The Big Hangover
Cinematographer |
1950 | |||
|
Adam's Rib
Cinematographer |
1949 | |||
|
Malaya
Cinematographer |
1949 | |||
|
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Cinematographer |
1949 | |||
|
The Great Sinner
Cinematographer, Editor |
1949 | |||
|
State of the Union
Cinematographer |
1948 | |||
|
Green Dolphin Street
Cinematographer |
1947 | |||
|
If Winter Comes
Cinematographer |
1947 | |||
|
The Green Years
Cinematographer |
1946 | |||
|
The Harvey Girls
Cinematographer |
1946 | |||
|
The Secret Heart
Cinematographer |
1946 | |||
|
Till the Clouds Roll By
Cinematographer |
1946 | |||
|
Ziegfeld Follies
Cinematographer |
1946 | |||
|
The Clock
Cinematographer |
1945 | |||
|
A Guy Named Joe
Cinematographer |
1944 | |||
|
Meet Me in St. Louis
Cinematographer |
1944 | |||
|
The White Cliffs of Dover
Cinematographer |
1944 | |||
|
Thousands Cheer
Cinematographer |
1943 | |||
|
Three Hearts for Julia
Cinematographer |
1943 | |||
|
Andy Hardy's Double Life
Cinematographer |
1942 | |||
|
Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant
Cinematographer |
1942 | |||
|
Grand Central Murder
Cinematographer |
1942 | |||
|
Panama Hattie
Cinematographer |
1942 | |||
|
Rio Rita
Cinematographer |
1942 | |||
|
Seven Sweethearts
Cinematographer |
1942 | |||
|
Come Live with Me
Cinematographer |
1941 | |||
|
Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day
Cinematographer |
1941 | |||
|
Free and Easy
Cinematographer |
1941 | |||
|
Lady Be Good
Cinematographer |
1941 | |||
|
Married Bachelor
Cinematographer |
1941 | |||
|
The Trial of Mary Dugan
Cinematographer |
1941 | |||
|
Third Finger, Left Hand
Cinematographer |
1940 | |||
|
Two Girls on Broadway
Cinematographer |
1940 | |||
|
Fast and Loose
Cinematographer |
1939 | |||
|
Lady of the Tropics
Cinematographer |
1939 | |||
|
Remember?
Cinematographer |
1939 | |||
|
Society Lawyer
Cinematographer |
1939 | |||
|
Arsene Lupin Returns
Cinematographer |
1938 | |||
|
Hold That Kiss
Cinematographer |
1938 | |||
|
The Shining Hour
Cinematographer |
1938 | |||
|
Mannequin
Cinematographer |
1937 | |||
|
The Bride Wore Red
Cinematographer, Producer |
1937 | |||
|
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
Cinematographer |
1937 | |||
|
Hearts Divided
Cinematographer |
1936 | |||
|
The Gorgeous Hussy
Cinematographer |
1936 | |||
|
The Great Ziegfeld
Cinematographer |
1936 | |||
|
Forsaking All Others
Cinematographer |
1935 | |||
|
I Live My Life
Cinematographer |
1935 | |||
|
Kind Lady
Cinematographer |
1935 | |||
|
Page Miss Glory
Cinematographer |
1935 | |||
|
Reckless
Cinematographer |
1935 | |||
|
Chained
Cinematographer |
1934 | |||
|
Men in White
Cinematographer |
1934 | |||
|
Operator 13
Cinematographer |
1934 | |||
|
Going Hollywood
Cinematographer |
1933 | |||
|
Men Must Fight
Cinematographer |
1933 | |||
|
Reunion in Vienna
Cinematographer |
1933 | |||
|
Stage Mother
Cinematographer |
1933 | |||
|
Storm at Daybreak
Cinematographer |
1933 | |||
|
The Animal Kingdom
Cinematographer |
1932 | |||
|
The Big Broadcast
Cinematographer |
1932 | |||
|
The Misleading Lady
Cinematographer |
1932 | |||
|
The Wiser Sex
Cinematographer |
1932 | |||
|
Honor Among Lovers
Cinematographer |
1931 | |||
|
My Sin
Cinematographer |
1931 | |||
|
Secrets of a Secretary
Cinematographer |
1931 | |||
|
Stolen Heaven
Cinematographer |
1931 | |||
|
The Cheat
Cinematographer |
1931 | |||
|
The Smiling Lieutenant
Cinematographer |
1931 | |||
|
Animal Crackers
Cinematographer |
1930 | |||
|
Dangerous Nan McGrew
Cinematographer |
1930 | |||
|
Glorifying the American Girl
Cinematographer |
1930 | |||
|
Laughter
Cinematographer |
1930 | |||
|
The Big Pond
Cinematographer |
1930 | |||
|
The Laughing Lady
Cinematographer |
1930 | |||
|
The Royal Family of Broadway
Cinematographer |
1930 | |||
|
Applause
Cinematographer |
1929 | |||
|
Gentlemen of the Press
Cinematographer |
1929 | |||
|
The Battle of Paris
Cinematographer |
1929 | |||
|
The Cocoanuts
Cinematographer |
1929 | |||
|
The Hole in the Wall
Cinematographer |
1929 | |||
|
The Letter
Cinematographer |
1929 | |||
|
Lady Be Good
Cinematographer |
1928 | |||
|
American Beauty
Cinematographer |
1927 | |||
|
Her Wild Oat
Cinematographer |
1927 | |||
|
Ladies at Play
Cinematographer |
1926 | |||
|
The Necessary Evil
Cinematographer |
1925 | |||
|
The Enchanted Cottage
Cinematographer |
1924 | |||
|
Bright Shawl
Cinematographer |
1923 | |||
|
Nancy from Nowhere
Cinematographer |
1922 | |||
|
The Education of Elizabeth
Cinematographer |
1921 | |||
|
The Road to London
Actor |
1921 |































