Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

See who dazzled on the red carpet and took home gold at the 78th Primetime Creative Emmy Awards.

Primetime Creative Arts Emmys: Photos We Love

Veteran cinematographer George S. Barnes had a well-earned reputation for reliability and a knack for combining artistry with economic efficiency. As a result, he was seldom out of work.

Having started as a still photographer for Thomas H. Ince in 1918, Barnes quickly rose through the ranks to director of photography. In the course of his career he spent time at just about every major studio in Hollywood: Paramount (1919-21), Metro (1924-25), United Artists (1926-31), MGM (1932), Warner Brothers (1933-38), 20th Century-Fox (1940-41), Universal (1942) and RKO (1942-48). During the 1920s he was the primary cinematographer for Samuel Goldwyn and was largely responsible for the success of films like The Dark Angel (1925). Under his auspices Gregg Toland learned his craft, particularly Barnes' trademark soft-edged, deep-focus photography and intuitive composition and camera movement. Barnes was an expert at lighting. He often utilized curtains or reflective surfaces to create patterns of light and shade. Most importantly, he perfectly suited the required style of photography to each individual assignment. He brought a vivid opulence to the dullish Technicolor romance Frenchman's Creek (1944), making it a triumph of style over content. His 'catoon colors' were just as perfectly suited to the fantasy adventure Sinbad, the Sailor (1947). At Warner Brothers the dark, somewhat grainy texture of films like Marked Woman (1937) was in sync with the realistic look the studio wanted to achieve for its product. He also excelled at shooting vivid dramatic scenes, such as the flood sequences featured in The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926).

Barnes did his best work in the 1940s, shooting two classic Alfred Hitchcock thrillers: for Rebecca (1940) he created an atmosphere of sinister foreboding, right from the beginning, with his shots of Manderley (Barnes was hired because Toland was unavailable, but he ended up winning an Academy Award); and Spellbound (1945), with its unsettling surrealist Salvador Dalí-designed dream sequence of wheels, eyes and staircases. A lesser, but nonetheless good-looking, addition to Barnes' resume is a minor film noir, The File on Thelma Jordon (1949). In contrast, he created a suitably lavish look for his color photography, which enlivened two charismatic swashbuckling adventures, The Spanish Main (1945) and Sinbad, the Sailor (1947). Popular with directors and producers (though he was once fired by David O. Selznick for failing to bring the best out of Jennifer Jones) and stars (Bing Crosby) alike, Barnes was continually employed until his death in 1953. He was also popular with the ladies, to which his seven marriages testify. One of his wives was the actress Joan Blondell.

He had a child, <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0694253/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Norman S. Powell</a>, with <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0000951/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Joan Blondell</a>. He gave up parental rights to
Norman in 1938, when Blondell&#39;s new husband <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0694090/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Dick Powell</a> adopted him.

Cinematographer for two Oscar Best Picture winners <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/title/tt0032976/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Rebecca (1940)</a> and <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/title/tt0044672/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)</a>, and four other nominees: <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/title/tt0025124/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Flirtation Walk (1934)</a>, <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/title/tt0037280/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Since You Went Away (1944)</a>, <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/title/tt0038109/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Spellbound (1945)</a> and <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/title/tt0037536/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">The Bells of St. Mary&#39;s (1945)</a>.

His son, George Carlton Barnes, with Elizabeth Wood was born on December 18, 1937.

Trivia

George Barnes

Contribute to this page

More from this person

More to explore

Recently viewed