Henry Freulich, Veteran Movie Cameraman, Dies

Henry Freulich, whose career with a camera began with Lon Chaneys Sr.’s “Hunchback of Notre Dame” in 1922, blossomed when he filmed more than 100 of “The Three Stooges” comedies and ended with television melodramas, is dead.

Freulich was 79 when he died in his sleep Tuesday in his Los Angeles home.

He had broken into film work as a still photographer at First National Pictures and moved to Columbia as a camera operator after Warner Bros. took over First National.

At Columbia he rose to second cameraman and helped film the highly acclaimed “It Happened One Night” with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.

Freulich became a full-fledged cinematography director and member of the American Society of Cinematographers at age 27, making him the then youngest member of the society.

During the 31 years he spent at Columbia he was involved in dozens of feature films as well as the “Blondie,” “Boston Blackie,” “Lone Wolf” and “Stooges” series.

After World War II service as a combat cameraman in the Pacific, Freulich moved to television and filmed many “Playhouse 90,” “Celebrity Playhouse,” “Thriller” and other dramatic series.

He is survived by his wife, Adele.