The Chief Cameraman for Silent Film Director and Legend D. W. Griffith Was Harold ("Hal") Sintzenich of Pelham
Portrait of Harold A. C. Sintzenich as a First Lieutenant in the
U.S. Signal Corps While in Paris in May, 1919. NOTE: Click
on Image to Enlarge.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Sintzenich and his family lived in Pelham when. In addition to his camera work, he tried his hand at directing. He filmed at least one silent movie in Pelham (in part) in 1926. The movie, entitled "A Short Tail" was released in American Theaters on September 10, 1927.
The two-reel silent movie was a drama filmed entirely from the perspective of a dog. A portion was filmed in the home of W. L. Brann of Pelham Manor, then located at 669 Wolf's Lane. Though the original home no longer stands, a lovely Cape Cod home built in 1949 now stands in its place. The movie reportedly starred actress Beatrice Roberts of New York City and featured a host of Pelham youngsters including two of Sintzenich's sons (Cedric and Robert) as well as: Edward and Frank Fenlon of Secor Lane in Pelham Manor; Harmon Fisher, son of Mrs. Julia Fisher of Second Avenue in North Pelham; Fred Head, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gorham Head of Fourth Avenue in North Pelham; Harold Zeller, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Zeller of Fourth Avenue in North Pelham; Rodman Pitman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jean Pitman of Fifth Avenue in North Pelham; and Robert Held, son of Mrs. Marion Held of Fifth Avenue, North Pelham. Though the youngsters were filmed for the movie, the work was considered unique at the time not only because it was filmed from the perspective of a dog, but also "hardly" showed a single human face.
During his cinematography career, Sintzenich worked with some of the greatest actors of the era in addition to such silent film visionaries as D. W. Griffith. For example, he worked with Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel in "The Tree in a Test Tube" (Sintzenich's last film, a brief World War II propaganda film released in 1943); W. C. Fields and Alfred Lunt in "Sally of the Sawdust" (released in 1925); Al Jolson in "Mammy's Boy" (released in 1923); Carol Dempster in a host of films including "America" and "Isn't Life Wonderful" (both released in 1924); Hedda Hopper in "Has the World Gone Mad!" (released in 1923); and many, many more.
Sintzenich's sons were active members of the Scouting program in Pelham. Thus, Sintzenich was an avid supporter of the program. In fact, he served as a Troop Committeeman while living in Pelham. See Formal Court of Honor Held By Pelham Scouts, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 18, 1926, p. 5, cols. 1-4.
Sintzenich and his family lived in Pelham at least during the period 1925 to 1933, if not longer. However, in 1928 Sintzenich was sent to India for three years by the Eastman Kodak Company to serve as technical advisor to the entire motion picture film industry of that nation. Although he spent much of his time in Bombay, he visited virtually every section of the country as part of his job before he returned to reside in Pelham, once again, in 1931.
In 1917, during World War I, Sintzenich received a commission as a cameraman in the U.S. Signal Corps. He became a driving force behind the formation and administration of the U.S. School of Military Cinematography in 1918. In May, 1918, Sintzenich became a U.S. Citizen.
After the War, Sintzenich moved his family to Pelham, apparently during the 1920s. He became a notable resident. Though he spent several years in India (as noted above), his family remained in Pelham.
Sintzenich eventually moved to Charleston, South Carolina where he died in August, 1974.
Harold Sintzenich With His Movie Camera While Serving as
Official Photographer with the U.S. Signal Corps. During World
War 1. Source: Wikimedia Commons. NOTE: Click on Image
to Enlarge.
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"Boy Scouts to Hear Adventures In South Africa
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Harold Sintzenick, Chief Camera Man For D. W. Griffith to Tell of Filming Big Game
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Pelhamites are to have an unusual opportunity in a Thanksgiving party arranged by the Boy Scouts when Harold Sintzenick, Pelham, chief camera man for D. W. Griffith, will lecture on Big Game Hunting and adventures in Central Africa in connection with seven reel pictures in which is shown the most thrilling lion charge ever filmed and the first photographic record of a rhinoceros charge. Mr. Sintzenick, through whose courtesy the pictures were secured, had the experience of a wounded lion charge his camera and leap over it and him and this is all faithfully recorded. Those who see these pictures will find many an intense moment as well as much of interest in the way of such animals as elephants, giraffes, hyenas, apes, zebras, water buffaloes, antelopes, and hippotami [sic]. African scenes and the mode of travel are also depicted and these coupled with the descriptive talk by Mr. Sintzenick will make an evening well spent. The Boy Scouts are taking this means of expressing their appreciation to the people of the Town of Pelham for their support and interest in the new log cabin. The Thanksgiving party will be held at Memorial High School, Saturday November 28th at 8 P. M. There will be no charge for admission and no solicitation of any kind. The Boy Scouts are hosts and they cordially extend an invitation to everybody in the Town of Pelham to see these remarkable pictures."
Source: Boy Scouts to Hear Adventures In South Africa -- Harold Sintzenick, Chief Camera Man For D. W. Griffith to Tell of Filming Big Game, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 20, 1925, p. 9, col. 1.
"Scouts Invite Visitors To Movie Party
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Harold Sintzenich, Camera Man Will Tell of Filming Wild Animals in Africa
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Interesting Entertainment at Memorial High School Tomorrow Night
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When the hero of the movie finds himself in the jungle surrounded by wild beasts and in imminent danger of death from lions, tigers, elephants, etc., etc., one seldom gives a thought to the camera man who is busy clicking off the reel so that the untold millions of picture fans can be thrilled. Sometimes the camera man gets an unexpected thrill himself, as when a huge lion dashed out of African jungle and --
But we're not going to spoil you evening. Harold Sintzenick, chief camera man for D. W. Griffith will tell you all about the dangers of filming wild animals in the jungle if you accept the invitation of the Boy Scouts to attend their Thanksgiving party tomorrow (Saturday) night at Memorial High School, where Mr. Sintzenick will present an evening of talk and pictures on big game hunting and adventures in South Africa. Sintzenick by the way is a Pelhamite.
Pelham scouts are anxious to show their appreciation of the many things that Pelham people have done for them and take this means of showing it by inviting you all to the Thanksgiving party at Memorial Auditorium where you can be assured of a great evening. No admission fees."
Source: Scouts Invite Visitors To Movie Party -- Harold Sintzenich, Camera Man Will Tell of Filming Wild Animals in Africa -- Interesting Entertainment at Memorial High School Tomorrow Night, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 27, 1925, Vol. 16, No. 39, p. 1, col. 7.
"Griffiths' Camera-Man Gave Great Entertainment
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Harold Sintzenick Exhibited Films of Big Game Hunting in Africa to Boy Scouts
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The Thanksgiving party of the Boy Scouts to the people of Pelham last Saturday night was a success with the auditorium of Memorial High School well filled with enthusiastic supporters and well wishers of the Scout movement. The seven-reel picture of Big Game Hunting and Adventures in Africa proved to be even more thrilling than had been promised and this, coupled with the most interesting descriptive talk by Harold Sintzenick, the man who 'shot' the picture and chief camera man for D. W. Griffith, left nothing to be desired for a worthwhile evening. The Scouts are greatly indebted to Sintzenick, through whose courtesy the picture was secured, for both the pictures and for his efforts on their behalf. Mr. Burroughs of the High School Staff again gave his services as operator of the moving picture machine."
Source: Griffiths' Camera-Man Gave Great Entertainment -- Harold Sintzenick Exhibited Films of Big Game Hunting in Africa to Boy Scouts, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 4, 1925, p. 4, col. 2.
"BOYS, DOGS, ICE CREAM, MOVIES, ALL MIXED UP
Last Monday there was a parade -- unofficial -- of boys and dogs. The parade led directly from 'location' where Harold Sintzenick of North Pelham, chief camera man for D. W. Griffiths [sic], had been 'shooting' the boys and dogs in a puppy picture, to the nearest soda fountain where the 'actors' replenished themselves with a certain delicacy dear to their palates. Unfortunately Sintzenick was not on hand to 'shoot' this scene.
The local boys who will appear in the new release were Cedric and Robert Sintzenick, sons of the camera man; Edward and Frank Fenlon, Secor Lane, Pelham Manor; Harmon Fisher, son of Mrs. Julia Fisher, Second Avenue, North Pelham; Fred Head, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gorham Head, Fourth Avenue, North Pelham; Harold Zeller, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Zeller, Fourth Avenue, North Pelham; Rodman Pitman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jean Pitman, Fifth Avenue, North Pelham; and Robert Held, son of Mrs. Marion Held, Fifth Avenue, North Pelham. Miss Beatrice Roberts of New York City is the star.
The residence of W. L. Brann, 669 Wolf's Lane, Pelham Manor, is 'location' for part of the two reel picture which is not a comedy. The picture will be unique in that all the pictures are taken from the angle of vision of a dog, hardly a human face appearing. The title of the new picture is 'A Short Tail.'"
Source: BOYS, DOGS, ICE CREAM, MOVIES, ALL MIXED UP, The Pelham Sun, Jul. 2, 1926, p. 9, col. 1.
"MOTION PICTURE MAKES PROGRESS IN THE LAND OF GHANDI; SOUND FILMS ARE DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF DIALECTS
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Harold A. C. Sinzenich Returns to Pelham After Spending Three Years as Technical Advisor to the Motion Picture Industry in India; Says That Indians Are Fond of Movies, But Sound Films Are a Problem
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By G. Allyn Van Winkle
Motion picture theatres are sprouting up along the Road to Mandalay because of the fact that India, land of mystery, of many sects and creeds, and home of 360,000,000 persons, likes to go to the movies just as much as America or any other land into which the lure of the silver screen has entered.
Mr. Sintzenich was sent to India in 1928 by the Eastman Kodak Company as technical advisor to the entire motion picture film industry of that country. During the three years spent there, he visited practically every section of this country and spent much time in Bombay.
India has a thriving film industry, Mr. Sintzenich told this interviewer, there being at the present time about 50 companies producing motion pictures for Indian consumption. These are entirely Indian companies, with native stars cameramen, officers and the like.
'One way in which the growth of the film industry in India during the last six years can be gauged,' said Mr. Sintzenich, 'is by the fact that in 1925, importations of raw film totalled 500,000 feet, while in the latter part of 1930, these had grown to 21,000,000 feet.'
India's film industry has two great centers, one, Dum Dum, being situated on the east coast, and the other, Dadar, on the west coast. Dum Dum originally received its name from the fact that there was a large arsenal there at one time which turned out bullets of this type.
The majority of the films produced in India are based on Indian history and mythology, although recently, said Mr. Sintzenich, 'attempts have been made to introduce the love interest, so prevalent in films of the western world.
'The Indian does not understand the word love as we do,' Mr. Sintzenich explained, 'because the parents of boys and girls of that country make all marriage arrangements and the prospective bridegroom does not see his bride until the ceremonies.'
Because of the great number of different languages and dialects spoken in India, it is not uncommon to see a picture with the sub-titles printed in six different languages in addition to English, he explained. When productions are imported, the sub-titles which may be in English, or some European language are translated by an ingenious device. Two screens are used in the theatres, one for the two, while the other hangs down some distance below. The sub-picture being the smaller of the titles are translated into the prevailing languages and dialects of the district and then made on lantern slides. When the picture is exhibited, the operator must watch closely and when the sub-title appears on the picture screen, he flashes the translation onto the lower screen so that all may understand.
Due to the great amount of illiteracy in India, Mr. Sintzenich said, the educated natives who attend the theatres read the sub-titles out loud so that their neighbors who cannot read can still follow the picture. This causes a steady hum during the entire performance.
Although the Indians are very backward in their methods of making motion pictures, they have recently introduced talking pictures and at the time he left India, Mr. Sintzenich said that seven companies were producing Indian sound films. Here again the fact that over 360 different languages and dialects are spoken in India had to be considered.
'I told them,' said Mr. Sintzenich in referring to heads of a number of film producing companies, 'that if they made their pictures in the language of their district they would lose money. They did not see it that way but after their first picture they realized that I was right. This narrowed the choice down to two languages, English and Hindustani. As English is spoken by only the more educated natives, Hindustani was selected and this in my opinion is the greatest step ever taken towards a unified India. After some years, a constant universal use of this language in talking pictures will result in a better understanding between the various sects and peoples of India.'
In Bombay there is only one small modern theatre, but there are a considerable number of former legitimate theatres which have been converted into movie houses. Five of these are European and there are 25 or 30 native theatres. When they attend theatres, the natives never sit with their feet on the floor but sit cross-legged on the chairs, their feet on the seat.
India has its own movie stars much as the United States and for India, their salaries are large. The top price for a film luminary according to Mr. Sintzenich, is 2,500 rupees per month. This is about $900 a month.
After this discussion of Indian motion pictures, this interviewer asked (as thousands of other interviewers have and as thousands more will in the future) about the Taj Mahal, termed one of the seven wonders of the world.
'It is a very beautiful building,' said r. Sintzenich, 'and although it is more than 300 years old, it appears to have been only recently completed. It is of white marble and gleams brightly in the sun. But the building I think is even more beautiful than the Taj Mahal and perhaps the most beautiful building in the whole world is the Diwan-i-khas, or Hall of Private Audience in Delhi. This is the hall in which former emperors of the country received royal visitors, and it cannot adequately be described.' Pictures which Mr. Sintzenich had taken of this building and its interior during the inauguration of New Delhi, bore out his contention of its beauty. This inauguration held last February, marked the return by the British of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi which was the capital of India down through history. When the British took over India they moved the capital to Calcutta.
'India is so varied that that is a rather difficult question to answer,' said Mr. Sintzenich when asked what part of the country he liked best. 'You can almost be boiled in some sections and if you go into the Himalayas you will find the opposite extreme. Of all the cities, I prefer Bombay because it has the most even climate. It is situated practically on an island with water on all sides so that there is always a sea breeze. Even at that the humidity is high, averaging 85 to 95 the year round and 98 to 100 at the hottest seasons of the year.'
Speaking of the great amount of illiteracy in India, Mr. Sintzenich said, that many persons might believe something was wrong when such a condition existed in a country over which England had had control for 50 years. He pointed out that this was due, however, to the caste system which relegates each native into a division from which he can never escape without universal education and in the past, the higher castes have taken care that the lower castes were kept ignorant.
Taking another angle, this reporter asked Mr. Sinzenich regarding the fabled Indian rope trick and was promptly told that he had not seen it nor had he encountered any person who was positive he had seen it. He spoke however of a Mohammedan who had performed, in the streets of Bombay with four trained sparrows.
'Time means nothing to these people,' he said. 'They know that the sun rises and that it sets and care little about anything else. This Mohammedan had trained these sparrows to perform various tricks. One would thread beads on a needle and thread while another, which the old man claimed was the dove from the Ark, would fly out of sight to return with a leaf in its bill.'
Another instance depicting the great patience that the Indians show, was exhibited by a present that Mr. Sintzenich brought to his wife and two sons. This consisted of a chest covered with plush which contained magnifying glasses and a small glass tube. In the lid of the box was a typewritten message from Mr. Sintzenich the words of which contained a total of 196 letters. The entire message was printed on one grain of rice which is contained in the small glass tube and when examined through the magnifying glasses, the message appears clearly.
Besides numerous souvenirs he brought back with him, Mr. Sintzenich has in his apartment some living examples of life in India. He has a cage in which nine birds of three varieties are quartered. The plumage of these feathered creatures, one in particular, is much brighter than the birds of this country. This bird, a small creature, has a red head, a purple breast, a yellow stomach and a green back, all colors being distinctly outlined by a darker band of color.
Starting from India on his home trip, Mr. Sintzenich purchased ten of these birds but while at sea one day he was feeding them and one escaped from the cage. The porthole being open, it flew out and vanished.
Mr. Sintzenich does not contemplate an immediate return to India but says he is on a vacation now and will rest for a while and get acclimated.
Mr. Sintzenich numbered among his personal friends during his sojourn in India, Prince Azam Jab, heir and oldest son of Sir Osmari Ali Kahn, Nizam of Hyderabad, termed the richest man in the world. The young prince was welcomed last Thursday in Nice, France, to Princess Durai Shehvar, daughter of Caliph Abdul Medjid Effendi, spiritual leader of 300,000,000 Moslems."
Source: Van Winkle, G. Allyn, MOTION PICTURE MAKES PROGRESS IN THE LAND OF GHANDI; SOUND FILMS ARE DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF DIALECTS -- Harold A. C. Sinzenich Returns to Pelham After Spending Three Years as Technical Advisor to the Motion Picture Industry in India; Says That Indians Are Fond of Movies, But Sound Films Are a Problem, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 27, 1931, p. 11, cols. 4-8.
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Labels: 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, Boy Scouts, Harold S. Sintzenich, Movie Stars, Movies, Silent Film
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