Charles G. Clarke, ASC…Arthur Miller, ASC…Gregg Toland, ASC…James Wong Howe, ASC… These were some of the giants of cinematography during the Studio Era.
In no way is this meant to be disparaging, but William C. Thompson would never be mistaken as one of them. I’m shocked he was invited to ASC membership, especially during his time, when standards were particularly high. Nonetheless, he enjoyed a long career working in the lower depths of the industry, peaking in his multiple collaborations with vaunted trash-film director Ed Wood, Jr.
Thompson was born on March 30, 1889 in Bound Brook, NJ. It’s not known how he made his way to Hollywood, but he began his career some time during the 1910’s. His first full credit as cinematographer was on a short, titled Absinthe (1914), which was directed by Herbert Brennon and George Edwardes-Hall. Subsequent to that, he was active in a predominantly uncredited manner until 1935, when he shot The Irish Gringo, which he also co-directed with Pat Carlyle. A long run of C- and D-titles followed, most of them sharing some variation of the names The Lawless Rider (1954; Yakima Canutt), Girl Gang (1955; Robert C. Dertano) and The Astounding She-Monster (1957; Ronald V. Ashcroft).
But Thompson’s oeuvre (if you can call it that) didn’t really blossom until he crossed paths with director Ed Wood, Jr. Starting with Glen or Glenda in 1953, they went on to create the cult masterpieces Jail Bait (1954), Bride of the Monster (1956; co-photographed with Ted Alan), Plan 9 From Outer Space (1957), Night of the Ghouls (1959) and Sinister Urge (1960). The less said about the cinematography of those movies the better, yet the fact that Wood kept inviting Thompson back must say something about his abilities. I don’t know precisely what, but yeah…it says something.
Thompson was married to a woman named Julia and died in Los Angeles on October 22, 1963. In Tim Burton’s 1994 feature Ed Wood, Thompson was played in a dryly bemused fashioned by Bill Murray.
I think the casting was perfect!
Everyone thinks they know what a “career” looks like, but the truth is no one knows until they look back and realized they had one. The career each of us has may not look like we imagined it would, but that doesn’t make the journey any less legitimate or profound. Life comes in all shapes and sizes and every one of them has the potential to teach profound lessons and provide memories and experiences worthy of reflection.