Al Lewis, 97; Designed Sound Systems for Many Notable Venues

Al Lewis, 97, award-winning sound engineer for motion picture theaters, died Sept. 25 in his Cupertino, Calif., home of kidney failure.

Born Sept. 7, 1908, in Holdrege, Neb., Lewis grew up building radio sets and working as a theater projectionist. He moved to Sacramento in 1935 to work for Altec, and later Ampex and ElectroSound, installing and maintaining sound systems.

He equipped Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the Samuel Goldwyn Theater at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and many old Hollywood movie palaces. He also set up sound systems for premieres, including that of “Funny Girl” at the Egyptian Theatre.

In 1986, the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences awarded him a medal of commendation. Four years later, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers gave him the Samuel L. Warner Award for his lifetime work.