Biography

John Arnold was born on November 16, 1889 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a cinematographer, known for The Broadway Melody (1929), The Understanding Heart (1927) and The Wind (1928). He died on January 11, 1964 in Palm Springs, California, USA.

After winning praise for shooting The Big Parade (1925), the newly formed studio's first smash hit, Arnold was chosen to head of MGM's camera department. From 1931-1956 Arnold was responsible for assigning cinematographers to match the demands of each production assignment; an enormous responsibility when one considers the 50+ feature release schedules along with dozens of short subjects produced on the lot annually. He was also responsible for keeping MGM's equipment up-to-date and operational (overseeing the studio's repair shop), along with selection of film stock and lenses.

(1931-1936) President of American Society of Cinematographers