May 31, 2015 marks five years since the passing of cinematographer William Fraker. In his prolific Hollywood career he built a solid reputation as one of the great cameramen. His credits include Bullitt, Rosemary’s Baby, WarGames, Heaven Can Wait, 1941 and Tombstone among so many others.
One of the earliest movies I ever saw in theaters was The Legend of The Lone Ranger (1981) which Mr. Fraker directed and in which Jason Robards delivers a terrific portrayal of President U.S. Grant. The movie had a profound impact on this 8-year-old. It awakened in me a fascination with the late 19th Century American West, a subject I still hold close to heart today and receive great pleasure studying.
I had the honor and joy of knowing and working with Mr. Fraker in 2008 while making Old School New School. One day I found myself in Mr. Fraker’s Hollywood home just down the street from Paramount Pictures. My friend Lisa Muldowney, a cracker jack PR agent, had introduced us months before. Mr. Fraker was full of excitement at recently discovering some rare photos (never published, he said) documenting the then-unique rigging used to mount cameras on the cars for the famous chase scene in Bullitt. He spread the photos over the dining room table. I studied each one as Mr. Fraker reminisced about the production. The movie released in 1968, yet all those years later he still talked about capturing that legendary chase scene with a radiant glow about him, an infectious childlike enthusiasm.
And it was at that table I had the chance (and the privilege) to thank him for his version of The Lone Ranger, and tell him about the impact it had on my life.
Thanks again, Mr. Fraker. We may have only known one another a short time, but your openness and graciousness will be with me for years to come.
Click to hear William Fraker’s words of wisdom about risk taking and success in the arts.
Steven Fischer with William Fraker shooting on location in Hollywood in 2008.
Old School, New School 