Oscar Profile #283: Ernest Haller

Born in Los Angeles, California on May 31, 1896, Ernest Haller AKA Ernie B. Haller was one of the great cinematographers of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Leaving his job as a bank clerk, 18-year-old Haller went to work as an actor at Biograph Studios 1914. Within a year he found his true calling behind the camera. He received his first credit as cinematographer on 1920’s Mothers of Men, working in that capacity on nearly fifty films within the remainder of the decade.

Biograph Studios was eventually bought out by First National and First National by Warner Bros. where Haller remained under contract until 1951.

Haller’s early talkie credits included Weary River, Son of the Gods, The Dawn Patrol, Blonde Crazy, The Rich Are Always With Us, The Emperor Jones, Captain Blood and Dangerous. 1938’s Jezebel would earn him his first Oscar nomination, leading to his being selected by David O. Selznick to replace Lee Garmes on 1939’s Gone With the Wind for which he would win his only Oscar. Between the two films he completed seven other films including Four Daughters, Dark Victory and The Roaring Twenties.

The year after his Oscar win, Haller was nominated for an Oscar for the third time for All This, and Heaven Too, after which he would be the director of photography (AKA cinematographer) on such films as In This Our Life, George Washington Slept Here and Mr. Skeffington before receiving his fourth nomination for 1945’s Mildred Pierce. He would fill the remainder of the decade with such films as Saratoga Trunk, Deception, Humoresque and My Dream Is Yours before earning a fifth nomination for 1950’s The Flame and the Arrow.

Haller ended his Warner Bros. career with 1951’s Jim Thorpe – All American, after which he worked independently on a few films including 1954’s Carnival Story, coming back to Warner Bros. as an independent contractor for 1955’s Rebel Without a Cause. Subsequent 1950s films included Men in War, God’s Little Acre, Man of the West and The Miracle, the latter once again for Warner Bros.

Having handled a number of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford vehicles in their prime it was only fitting that Haller should be brought in to photograph the former Warner Bros. stars together for 1962’s What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? for which he earned his sixth Oscar nomination. The following year’s Lilies of the Field would earn him his seventh and final Oscar nomination.

Haller retired in 1965, but was brought out of retirement the following year by director James Goldstone to film the second pilot for Star Trek, the first William Shatner-Leonard Nimoy episode entitled “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. It would be his final credit.

Ernest Haller was killed in a traffic collision in Marina Del Rey, California on October 21, 1974. He was 74 years old.

ESSENTIAL FILMS

JEZEBEL (1938), Directed by William Wyler

Haller was director of photography on Bette Davis’ first Oscar winner, Dangerous, the year he was himself snubbed for Captain Blood. This time around he was nominated along with Davis as she picked up her second Oscar helped in no small measure by Haller’s cinematography. In one of the film’s key scenes, she dances in a shockingly red dress that audiences swore was red even though it was a black-and-white film. That sleight of hand was as much a victory of Haller’s wizardry as it was of Davis’ acting prowess. His work on this film got him the job on Gone With the Wind.

GONE WITH THE WIND (1939), directed by Victor Fleming

Creative differences caused original cinematographer Lee Garmes (Shanghai Express) to part company with producer David O. Selznick who was impressed with Haller’s work on Jezebel enough to borrow him from Warner Bros. to replace the legendary former Oscar winner. Haller didn’t disappoint, earning an Oscar of his own along with co-cinematographer, color expert Ray Rennahan. The film, of course, also won awards for Best Picture, Director, Actress (Vivien Leigh) and Supporting Actress (Hattie McDaniel) as well as three other competitive Oscars and two special awards.

MILDRED PIERCE (1945), directed by Michael Curtiz

Having previously received two of his three Oscar nominations for photographing Bette Davis (Jezebel), All This, and Heaven Too), Haller earned his fourth nomination for doing the same for Joan Crawford who won the award for Best Actress. Several film later he would photograph her once again in Humoresque and several films after that would earn a fifth nomination for an entirely different kind of film, Burt Lancaster’s swashbuckler, The Flame and the Arrow. Lancaster’s Jim Thorpe-All American would close out his Warner Bros. contract in 1951.

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE/ (1969), directed by Robert Aldrich

Having photographed Bette Davis and Joan Crawford at the height of their respective careers on the Warner Brothers lot, Haller was the natural choice to photograph them once again in the only film they would make together, one in which instead of being called upon to look their best, were called upon to look their worst. Crawford, playing her part in a wheelchair, still maintained a modicum of glamour, but Davis in hideous makeup throughout, was a long way from her glamourous best. She made up for it by receiving an Oscar nomination Crawford didn’t. Haller earned his sixth career nomination for his efforts.

LILIES OF THE FIELD (1963), directed by Ralph Nelson

Primarily a TV director, Nelson mortgaged his home to finance this low-key but warmly received comedy about an itinerant handyman and a group of nuns who coerce him into building them a chapel in Arizona. The film was nominated for five Oscars including Best Picture, Director, Actor (Sidney Poitier), Supporting Actress (Lilia Skala) Screenplay and Cinematography, winning Poitier his only competitive Oscar. At this point Hattie McDaniel in Gone With the Wind and Poitier were the only African-American winners in Academy history. It was Haller who photographed them both in their award-winning roles..