Ernest B. Schoedsack

Ernest Beaumont Schoedsack (June 8, 1893 – December 23, 1979) was an American motion picture cinematographer, producer, and director. Schoedsack worked as a cameraman in World War I, where he served in the Signal Corps. At the conclusion of the war, he stayed in Europe to further his career. He worked on several films with Merian C. Cooper including King Kong, Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness, and The Most Dangerous Game. He also collaborated with screenwriter and actress Ruth Rose, whom he later married. Schoedsack died on December 23, 1979 at age 86. Early life Ernest B. Schoedsack was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on June 8, 1893. He ran away from home at age fourteen and worked with road gangs. He went to San Francisco, where he worked as a surveyor. He grew to be , and his friends called him "Shorty". Film career Schoedsack began his career thanks to his brother Felix that helped him get a job as a cameraman in films in 1914 for Mack Sennett. He continued working as a cameraman in World War I. He served in the Signal Corps of the United States Army in France in 1918. He also flew in combat bombing missions. After the war, he stayed in Europe furthering his career as a cameraman. His eyesight was severely damaged in World War I, yet he continued to work in films afterward. In 1920, Schoedsack helped refugees in Poland escape the Polish–Soviet War. He worked with the American Red Cross. During 1921 and 1922, he also helped refugees from the Greco-Turkish War. After training at the Columbia University School of Military Cinematography, he was hired by The New York Times as a cameraman on an expedition around the world. Chang and early films Schoedsack began as a co-director with Merian C. Cooper. He first met Cooper in 1918 in Vienna. They both later worked for The New York Times, but decided to make their own films. Their first collaboration was on Grass, which was produced in 1925. That same year, Schoedsack met screenwriter and former actress Ruth Rose, and would later marry her in 1926. They met on an expedition to the Galapagos Islands, where Schoedsack was the cameraman, and Rose was the official historian.