American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1945)

ACES of the CAMERA James J. Seeley A, S. C, By HAL HALL NOT so long ago a subscriber to th’s magazine wrote me asking if an Ace of the Camera could be found only in a Hollywood studio. He said he had noticed that all of the Aces written about were in Hollywood, and he was just curious — wanted to know if we in Hollywood have a corner on these gentlemen. Due to the fact that most of Amer¬ ica’s motion picture making is done in Hollywood, here is where most of the Camera Aces are located, but there are others in various sections of the world. Take for example, James J. Seeley, A.S.C., who works for that famous news¬ reel organization, News of the Day. James has his headquarters in New York City, but you might find him and his cameras almost anywhere — depending upon what news is breaking. Seeley, although he devotes his time to photographing news, can well be called one of our best Aces of the Cam¬ era. In his field, he is tops, and has a record that is absolutely spectacular and enviable. Seeley has the knack of being on the job when the most unexpected and spectacular news events occur. Take for example, the horrible ex¬ plosion and burning of the German Zeppelin, the Hindenburg, at Lakehurst, New Jersey, in May, 1937. Jim filmed that awful event from the moment of the first flash of flame until the huge airship had been consumed by flames. “As the Hindenburg arrived at Lake¬ hurst,” says Seeley, “I was set up on the ground for what I anticipated would be a routine assignment similar to others I had covered from time to time. No one ever , had any idea the Hindenburg would explode. “I focused my camera on the big ship as she approached the mooring mast, and started grinding away. Two land¬ ing ropes uncurled and fell to earth. Sailors and civilians grabbed them and made them fast to other ropes leading to the mast. “I was panning my camera across the body of the ship when the terrific ex¬ plosion took place near the stern. Sud¬ denly flames leaped hundreds of feet into the air. I was stunned by what I was witnessing, but the training of every newsreel man gets to hold his ground stood me in good stead. By pure reflex action I kept grinding, even while pas¬ sengers and crew were spewed out of the cabin windows of the monster and scrambled from beneath the mass of flaming fabric, their figures silhouetted against the background of seething fire. Not until my film ran out did I cease grinding. Then I knew I had the pic¬ ture of the Century. I ran to a telephone booth and notified my office that I had ‘got it,’ and then rushed to New York by automobile. One hour later I was looking at it on the screen. It really was a horrible experience.” Seeley made newsreel history when he secured a newsreel scoop of the tragic Akron disaster in 1933. No matter how difficult the situation, when Seeley is there he always gets his pictures . . . that is, unless he is knocked unconscious as he was on Labor Day, 1939. On Labor Day, 1939, Seeley went along with Federal agents to take pic¬ tures of them destroying a gigantic bootleg distilling plant they had dis¬ covered in a p’ne forest near Malaga, New Jersey. But let him tell it. “The first blast was Okay; just an explosion such as I had photographed many times before,” says Seeley. “The second blast was on the big vats that held the mash. When that went off a couple of pieces of flying debris hit me on the head and right hand. The con¬ cussion threw me through the air about twenty feet. The legs of the tripod were sheared off. I was hauled away uncon¬ scious to a hospital. Three days later I woke up and saw a beautiful blonde nurse bending over me. I didn’t know whether I had died or not, so said: ‘Hello, Angel.’ When she smiled and answered I knew I was still alive. “Well, I have always been glad I was injured and taken to that hospital, for I married that beautiful blonde nurse.” Seeley calls Atlantic City his home town, and it was there he got his start as a cameraman. In fact, in the early twenties he used to get in the hair, and in the way, of policemen and firemen in Atlantic City every time there was any kind of excitement. He had a camera of his own, and was busy at all times try¬ ing to find subjects to film which he could sell to the newsreel companies. That eai'ly training, when he only got paid when he got a subject the newsreels wanted, taught him a lot of things that have stood him in good stead ever since. (Continued on Page 104) American Cinematographer • March, 1945 79