John Alton

John Alton

American cinematographer of Austrian-Hungarian origin (1901-1996)

John Alton was an American cinematographer of Hungarian-Austrian origin. Alton photographed some of the most famous films noir of the classic period and won an Academy Award for the cinematography of An American in Paris (1951), becoming the first Hungarian-born person to do so in the cinematography category. He also worked as a director during the Golden Age of Argentine cinema. His work has been honored at film festivals in Vienna, Japan, Argentina, Telluride, and San Francisco, as well as in retrospectives at the American Museum of the Moving Image and the Pacific Film Archives.

Filmography in the catalog

Credited on 30 films (1939–1960) — matched by name in the Creator or Credits field. Also mentioned in 14 other records (descriptions, transcriptions, copyright notes).

Year ▲ Title CreatorLengthFormatColorSound
1939 Meet Dr. Christian. Stephens-Lang Productions 70min 16mm B&W silent
1940 DR. CHRISTIAN MEETS THE WOMEN. William C. McGann B&W
1940 Remedy for Riches Erle C. Kenton 16mm B&W
1940 Remedy for Riches. Erle C. Kenton 68 min. 16mm B&W sound
1940 THE COURAGEOUS DR. CHRISTIAN. RKO Radio Pictures Inc. 67 min. B&W
1941 MELODY FOR THREE Erle C. Kenton B&W
1941 MELODY FOR THREE Iowa Theatrical & Television Corporation 70min 16mm B&W Sound
1941 Melody For Three. Erle C. Kenton 67 min. B&W
1942 Ice-Capades Revue. Bernard Vorhaus 8 reels Color
1942 Pardon My Stripes. John H. Auer 7 reels Color
1944 Lake Placid Serenade. Steve Sekely 10 reels B&W
1944 Storm Over Lisbon. George Sherman 9 reels B&W
1945 Song Of Mexico. James A. Fitzpatrick 6 reels Color
1945 Winter wonderland. Republic Pictures Corporation 71 min. 16mm B&W sound
1945 Winter Wonderland. Bernard Vorhaus 1 reel 16mm B&W sound
1946 Affairs Of Geraldine. George Blair 8 reels 35mm Color sound
1946 One Exciting Week. William Beaudine 69 min. 35mm Color & B&W sound
1946 The Magnificent Rogue. Albert S. Rogell 74 min. 35mm B&W sound
1947 The Ghost Goes Wild. George Blair 66 min. 35mm B&W sound
1947 The Trespasser. George Blair 71 min. 35mm B&W sound
1948 T-Men. Anthony Mann 92 min. 35mm B&W sound
1950 Captain China. Paramount Pictures Corp. 98 min. 35mm B&W sound
1950 Father of the bride Vincente Minnelli 92 min Color & B&W
1951 An American in Paris Films inc. 113 mi 16mm Color sound
1952 Talk About a Stranger Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp 1:05:00 16mm B&W sound
1952 Talk About A Stranger. Loew’s Incorporated 65 min. 35mm B&W sound
1953 COUNT THE HOURS Don Siegel 2667 16mm B&W sound
1955 Tennessee’s Partner. RKO Radio Pictures Inc. 87 min. 35mm Color sound
1957 Designing woman Vincente Minnelli 118 min Color
1960 12 To The Moon. Columbia Pictures Corp. 74 min 35mm B&W sound