Sidney P. Solow

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Sidney Paul Solow (born September 15, 1910 in Jersey City , † January 2, 1984 in Los Angeles ) was an American chemist and film technician and president of Consolidated Film Industries .

Live and act

Solow completed a degree in chemistry and physics at New York University until 1930 . Two years after graduating, he took up a position as a chemist at Consolidated Film Industries (CFI), a major film laboratory in the Greater Los Angeles Area . First he worked in the New Jersey branch in Fort Lee , then from 1936 as chief chemist in Los Angeles. In 1939 he introduced 16mm film at CFI, thereby enabling the company to enter the television business at an early stage and, after the end of the Second World War, to take over the post-production of the first TV series shot in Hollywood.

In 1940 Solow and Ralph B. Atkinson produced the short film The Alchemist in Hollywood , financed by the American Chemical Society , which explains the chemical processes in a film laboratory .

In 1942 Solow rose to CFI General Manager. During the merger with the Republic Pictures production company , he was its vice president. He introduced further innovations, such as the establishment of a kinescope department (1948). In 1960 he became a board member, 1964 president and 1977 chairman of the board of CFI. In 1982 he retired.

Solow excelled with technical developments, especially in the area of ​​fast film development . He has received several awards for his achievements. Among other things, he received an Oscar in 1965 together with three other CFI employees for the development of a color printing process ("versatile Automatic 35mm Composite Color Printer"). In 1978 he and Gordon Sawyer were awarded the Medal of Commendation . The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers awarded him the Progress Medal and later made him an honorary member. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also honored Solow with two awards.

Solow taught film as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California . He has given lectures and seminars for the American Film Institute , the Australian Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers , and film institutes in Russia and China. After leaving CFI, he worked as a technical representative for Fuji Photo Film .

Sidney P. Solow died at the age of 74 of a heart attack at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He left his wife Davida, a daughter and two sons.

Awards (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c In Memoriam: Sidney P. Solow. In: American Cinematographer. 67/3, American Society of Cinematographers, March 1985, p. 100.
  2. ↑ a b Sidney Solow; Former Film Studio Executive. In: Los Angeles Times January 7, 1985, accessed March 2, 2014.
  3. ↑ John A. Bonner Award oscars.org, accessed on March 2, 2014.
  4. ^ Lincoln Evening Journal, Apr. 6, 1975, p. 116.
personal data
SURNAME Solow, Sidney P.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Solow, Sidney Paul (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American chemist, film technician and executive director
DATE OF BIRTH September 15, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH Jersey City
DATE OF DEATH 2nd January 1984
Place of death los Angeles