Vintage Movie Star Photos

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Still Photographer During the 1930s for RKO Fred Hendrickson

Unfortunately, there is not much known about this photographer. However, I will add things to each entry as I find them. Here is what is known:

Born Humphrey Grylls in June 25, 1984 in New Vernon, New Jersey. He later changed his name to Fred Hendrickson.

He began working for RKO studios in the 1930s first doing a variety of things: as a camera crew member, doing land rush scenes and still photography for the film "Cimarron."

He mainly worked as a uncredited still photographer on such films as "The Public Defender," "Girl Crazy," and "The Gay Divorcee."

He took photographs of stars such as Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, Irene Dunne, Carole Lombard and Richard Dix among others.

Unfortunately, Hendrickson died at the age of 52 in July 14, 1946 in Los Angeles California.

Here is a sample of his works:

Simone Simon

Carole Lombard

Colleen Moore

Irene Dunne

Barbara Stanwyck

Wynne Gibson

Fredrickson taking a photo of Joan Fontaine

His stamp for RKO

Friday, March 8, 2013

Bud Fraker, famous Audrey Hepburn "Breakfast at Tiffany's" Photographer among other stars

Bud Fraker was born in 1916 in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He became interested in photography and decided to go California to pursue a career. In 1934 he studied photography at Los Angeles City College and began working part-time at the Columbia Studios stills laboratory under his brother William 'Bill' Fraker, who was the director of the department. Following his brother's death, Fraker was hired by Hollywood photographer A. L. 'Whitey' Schafer at Columbia.

Soon after he became the Director of Still Photography at Columbia Studios and took many photos of the stars in the late 1930s.

He moved on from there with Schafer in 1942 to work for Paramount studios in the Publicity Photography Department and assisted in the portrait gallery. Upon Schafer's death he became the studio's own Director of Still Photography, which he did in the 1940s to the 1960's.

Among the films he did still photography on included "Twentieth Century," with Carole Lombard, "King Creole" with Elvis Presley and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" with Audrey Hepburn. He took the famous portrait photos of her with the long cigarette holder, Tiffany diamond jewelry and black dress.

As a matter of fact, although he photographed many of Paramount's top stars, his most enduring work records Audrey Hepburn during the production of her first two films as a star, 'Roman Holiday' (1953) and 'Sabrina' (1954).

After that he decided to leave Paramount and he began doing freelance work for other studios while running his own photo lab. He retired in 1979. He passed away in 2002.