INSIDE SCOOP

         Pardon me if I have a moment of self-awareness as the proprietor of this blog: Who else relates the sort of information you’re about to read?

         The Beatles at Shea Stadium (1966) is the appropriately-titled documentary that memorializes the most significant show of the band’s record-setting 1965 tour.  Directed by Robert Precht, the off-the-hinge excitement it captured has yet to be equaled and will likely never be seen again.  Ensuring proper coverage of the action were twelve cameras shooting 35mm film under the supervision of Andrew Laszlo, ASC.

         While there’s nothing notable about his effort – it was a seat-of-the-pants situation, after all – he would go on to greater success as the cinematographer of hugely popular productions such as The Warriors (1979; Walter Hill), Shogun (1980; Jerry London), Southern Comfort (1981; Walter Hill), First Blood (1982; Ted Kotcheff) and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1992; William Shatner).  I never got the chance to meet him, but I worked with his camera operator son Jeff on a few occasions, and he was a lovely guy.

         Now…here’s where the fun begins.

         In addition to Andrew Laszlo, there was another big name present that evening at what even fifty years ago was considered one of MLB’s crappiest ballparks.  Obviously, there’s no way to discern which angle camera operator Gordon Willis was assigned, but it’s fun to think about the future cinematographer of The Godfather being besieged by fifty thousand rabidly screaming teenaged girls.  I often worked for him as an assistant cameraman during the 1980’s and only knew him as a serious artist.  He was also quite insightful and had a sharp sense of humor that could sum up complex situations in a devastating phrase.  By all reports, The Beatles’ appearance set off a reckless convulsion of mass-insanity.  I’d love to have heard his thoughts on the experience, but blew my chance to ask about it before he passed away in 2014.

         Rating honorable mention were fellow operators Peter Garbarini and Warren Rothenberger, if only because I worked for them too.  Both were fun, interesting guys.  Rothenberger, who died in 2005, once served as president of IATSE Local 644.  As a passionate collector of classic film prints, he had a home in Pennsylvania where he built a state-of-the-art screening room.  Every so often he’d invite a group of us out for an elaborate presentation, and I remember those evenings fondly.  Garbarini, who passed on his ninety-fifth birthday in 2012 and whose name is misspelled in the credits, was an intense but friendly man with a great sense of humor.  When I think of him, I can’t help laughing but also recalling the second-hand smoke from one of his Camels, always clenched between the fingers massaging the Panahead tilt wheel during an actual take.  Good times, indeed…

         I’ve been privileged to have known so many one-of-a-kind characters over the course of my career that I can’t give enough thanks for the expansion they’ve brought to my life.  Some were more impressive than others, but they all made their mark.  And as I continue on this path, I’m finding that no matter what job they might be doing, I appreciate everyone I work with now more than I ever have.

         As satisfying as that is, nothing worthwhile comes without a price.  Right now, I regret not figuring out this aspect of the job a great deal sooner than I did!