- Freeman Harrison Owens
Freeman Harrison Owens (
July 20 ,1890 -December 9 ,1979 ), born inPine Bluff, Arkansas , the only child of Charles H. Owens and Christabel Harrison. He attendedPine Bluff High School in Pine Bluff, but quit in his senior year to work at a local movie theatre as a projectionist.Owens constructed his own 35mm movie camera at the age of 16. He filmed early
newsreels , such as theChicago Union Stock Yards Fire in December 1910 and theCharleston, South Carolina hurricane and flood in August 1911. He served duringWorld War I as a photographer, helping progress the art ofaerial photography for combat purposes.He filmed the famous
Joe Stecher vs.Earl Caddock wrestling match atMadison Square Garden on30 January 1920 . His last credit as cinematographer was "Love's Old Sweet Song" (1923), filmed in theLee DeForest Phonofilm process, and starring a youngUna Merkel .In June 1923, DeForest began legal action against Owens alleging patent infringement. In 1924, Owens sold his patents for the Movietone sound-on-film process to
Fox Film Corporation owner William Fox. In July 1926, Fox acquired the patents ofTheodore Case (1888-1944) -- and acquired the U.S. rights to the GermanTri-Ergon patents -- to create the Fox Movietonesound-on-film system.Owens died on
9 December 1979 in Pine Bluff.External links
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0654363/ Freeman Harrison Owens at IMDB]
* [http://www.realprowrestling.com/video/CaddockStetcherMov.swf Link to film "Stecher-Caddock Wrestling Match" (30 January 1920)]
* [http://www.geocities.com/freemanhowens/ Freeman Owens]
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