Isidore Mankofsky obit

Isidore Mankofsky, Cinematographer on ‘The Muppet Movie,’ Dies at 89

He also was the DP on 'Scream Blacula Scream,' 'Somewhere in Time,' 'Better Off Dead' and loads of telefilms. 

He was not on the list.

Isidore “Izzy” Mankofsky, who shot The Muppet Movie, Somewhere in Time and dozens of telefilms including the Farrah Fawcett-starring The Burning Bed, died Thursday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, the American Society of Cinematographers announced. He was 89.

He also was the DP on Richard Fleischer’s The Jazz Singer (1980) and two movies directed by Savage Steve Holland and starring John Cusack: Better Off Dead … (1985) and One Crazy Summer (1986).

A three-time Emmy nominee, Mankofsky got his start at Encyclopedia Britannica Films, then made his feature debut on the AIP sequel Scream Blacula Scream (1973), starring William Marshall.

In a 2009 interview, Mankofsky said in enjoyed working with Jim Henson and his crew on The Muppet Movie (1979), directed by James Frawley.

“First of all, no [actor] complained about the light in his eyes or how long he had to stand in — you just stuck them on a pole,” he said. “And the puppeteers were really nice guys. When I asked Henson to move Kermit to the right a little for a better frame, Henson [who operated and voiced the frog] wouldn’t answer — Kermit would.”

Mankofsky followed that with a romantic period drama, the Jeannot Szwarc-directed Somewhere in Time (1980), starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. “No matter how you lit her, she looked gorgeous,” he said of Seymour. “The light just wrapped around her. Of all the actresses I’ve photographed, she was the easiest.”

For many years, he attended an annual convention held at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan, where Somewhere in Time was shot. “Being there and having so many people tell me they’re glad I’m there makes me feel good,” he said. “It’s a very friendly atmosphere. And it’s good to have your ego built up sometimes!”

A son of immigrants from Ukraine, Mankofsky was born in New York City on Sept. 22, 1931. In the U.S. Air Force, he photographed athletic teams for the base magazine, learning how to shoot, process film and print pictures. “You could say that was the beginning of my career in the magical world of motion pictures,” he said.

After jobs at a TV station in Reno, Nevada and at Stewart Warner Electronics in Chicago, he joined Encyclopedia Britannica Films and shot 161 half-hour educational films in Florida.

“Each film was an opportunity to do something that I added to my book of knowledge,” he said. “Because each film presented its own problems, the cinematographer was, among a lot of other things, a problem solver.”

In 1975, Mankofsky began work at Universal Television, and he would go on to shoot such series as Columbo, Magnum, P.I. and The Wonderful World of Disney; miniseries like 1976’s Captains and Kings, 1987’s Billionaire Boys Club and 1991’s Love, Lies and Murder; and more than four dozen telefilms, including 1981’s Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, 1984’s The Burning Bed and 1988’s Fatal Judgment and A Very Brady Christmas.

He also worked on George Lucas’ Ewoks: The Battle for Endor in 1985 and reunited with the Muppets in 1991 for the theme park attraction MuppetVision 3-D.

Mankofsky received the ASC’s Presidents Award in 2009 for his leadership and service to the organization.

Survivors include his wife, Christine, whom he married in 1972.

 

Cinematographer

The Second Wave (2021)

The Second Wave

5.4

Short

Cinematographer

2021

 

Too Loud a Solitude (2007)

Too Loud a Solitude

6.2

Cinematographer

2007

 

Divorce: The Musical (2001)

Divorce: The Musical

5.5

Cinematographer

2001

 

4 Faces (2001)

4 Faces

6.2

Cinematographer

2001

 

Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Candace Cameron Bure in She Cried No (1996)

She Cried No

6.0

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1996

 

The Heidi Chronicles (1995)

The Heidi Chronicles

6.3

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1995

 

Whose Daughter Is She? (1995)

Whose Daughter Is She?

6.1

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1995

 

Bruce Greenwood in Nowhere Man (1995)

Nowhere Man

8.3

TV Series

director of photography

1995

1 episode

 

LL Cool J in Out-of-Sync (1995)

Out-of-Sync

4.4

director of photography

1995

 

A Promise Kept: The Oksana Baiul Story (1994)

A Promise Kept: The Oksana Baiul Story

6.3

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1994

 

Brian Bonsall and Bob Saget in Father and Scout (1994)

Father and Scout

5.0

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1994

 

The Gift of Love (1994)

The Gift of Love

7.3

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1994

 

Trade Winds (1993)

Trade Winds

7.5

TV Mini Series

Cinematographer

1993

3 episodes

 

Triumph Over Disaster: The Hurricane Andrew Story (1993)

Triumph Over Disaster: The Hurricane Andrew Story

5.3

TV Movie

director of photography

1993

 

Telling Secrets (1993)

Telling Secrets

5.8

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1993

 

Mimi Rogers and John Shea in Ladykiller (1992)

Ladykiller

5.2

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1992

 

Afterburn (1992)

Afterburn

6.1

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1992

 

Day-O (1992)

Day-O

6.5

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1992

 

Stompin' at the Savoy (1992)

Stompin' at the Savoy

7.3

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1992

 

Jonathan Silverman, Hume Cronyn, and Corey Parker in Broadway Bound (1992)

Broadway Bound

6.4

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1992

 

Susan Dey in Bed of Lies (1992)

Bed of Lies

5.6

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1992

 

Love, Lies and Murder (1991)

Love, Lies and Murder

7.0

TV Mini Series

Cinematographer

1991

2 episodes

 

Polly: Comin' Home! (1990)

Polly: Comin' Home!

7.5

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1990

 

Appearances (1990)

Appearances

5.9

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1990

 

Little White Lies (1989)

Little White Lies

5.9

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1989

 

The Magical World of Disney (1954)

The Magical World of Disney

8.4

TV Series

director of photography

1986–1989

8 episodes

 

Fair Game

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1989

 

Parent Trap III (1989)

Parent Trap III

5.9

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1989

 

Skin Deep (1989)

Skin Deep

6.1

Cinematographer

1989

 

A Very Brady Christmas (1988)

A Very Brady Christmas

5.9

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1988

 

Fatal Judgement (1988)

Fatal Judgement

6.4

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1988

 

Blood Money (1988)

Blood Money

4.9

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1988

 

Billionaire Boys Club (1987)

Billionaire Boys Club

6.7

TV Mini Series

director of photography

1987

2 episodes

 

James Brolin in Deep Dark Secrets (1987)

Deep Dark Secrets

5.3

TV Movie

director of photography

1987

 

Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder (1987)

Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder

7.4

TV Mini Series

Cinematographer

1987

3 episodes

 

Denzel Washington in The George McKenna Story (1986)

The George McKenna Story

6.0

TV Movie

director of photography

1986

 

John Cusack, Demi Moore, Grenville Cuyler, Joel Murray, Tom Villard, and Linda Warren in One Crazy Summer (1986)

One Crazy Summer

6.4

director of photography

1986

 

Say Yes (1986)

Say Yes

4.5

director of photography

1986

 

Faye Dunaway in Beverly Hills Madam (1986)

Beverly Hills Madam

5.4

TV Movie

director of photography

1986

 

Triplecross (1986)

Triplecross

5.7

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1986

 

Peter Coyote, Taliesin Jaffe, and Lindsay Wagner in Child's Cry (1986)

Child's Cry

6.2

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1986

 

Evil Town (1985)

Evil Town

3.8

Cinematographer (uncredited)

1985

 

Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985)

Ewoks: The Battle for Endor

5.4

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1985

 

Courteney Cox, Kevin Peter Hall, Dean Paul Martin, and Mark Thomas Miller in Misfits of Science (1985)

Misfits of Science

7.3

TV Series

director of photography

1985

1 episode

 

John Cusack, Curtis Armstrong, Kim Darby, Diane Franklin, Yuji Okumoto, and Dan Schneider in Better Off Dead (1985)

Better Off Dead

7.1

Cinematographer

1985

 

Tim Daly and Teri Copley in I Married a Centerfold (1984)

I Married a Centerfold

4.6

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1984

 

Charlie Sheen, Mariette Hartley, and Howard Hesseman in Silence of the Heart (1984)

Silence of the Heart

6.4

TV Movie

director of photography

1984

 

Farrah Fawcett, Christa Denton, Elizabeth Lyn Fraser, and David Friedman in The Burning Bed (1984)

The Burning Bed

7.2

TV Movie

director of photography

1984

 

Getting Physical (1984)

Getting Physical

6.1

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1984

 

When She Says No (1984)

When She Says No

5.9

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1984

 

Hobson's Choice (1983)

Hobson's Choice

6.9

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1983

 

Helen Hunt in Quarterback Princess (1983)

Quarterback Princess

6.3

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1983

 

Barry Bostwick and Kathryn Harrold in An Uncommon Love (1983)

An Uncommon Love

5.5

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1983

 

Night Partners (1983)

Night Partners

5.3

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1983

 

Madolyn Smith Osborne in The Other Woman (1983)

The Other Woman

6.9

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1983

 

Phoebe Cates in Baby Sister (1983)

Baby Sister

5.5

TV Movie

director of photography

1983

 

Andrew Stevens and Yvette Mimieux in Forbidden Love (1982)

Forbidden Love

5.6

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1982

 

Not Just Another Affair (1982)

Not Just Another Affair

5.5

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1982

 

In the Custody of Strangers (1982)

In the Custody of Strangers

6.4

TV Movie

director of photography

1982

 

Portrait of a Showgirl (1982)

Portrait of a Showgirl

5.2

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1982

 

Between Two Brothers (1982)

Between Two Brothers

5.6

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1982

 

Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. (1980)

Magnum, P.I.

7.5

TV Series

director of photography

1981–1982

3 episodes

 

Helen Shaver and David Spielberg in Jessica Novak (1981)

Jessica Novak

5.3

TV Series

Cinematographer

1981

1 episode

 

Jaclyn Smith in Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (1981)

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy

6.0

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1981

 

Golden Gate (1981)

Golden Gate

5.8

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1981

 

Bruce Boxleitner, Brian Dennehy, and Tiana Alexandra-Silliphant in Fly Away Home (1981)

Fly Away Home

5.6

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1981

 

Midnight Lace (1981)

Midnight Lace

5.5

TV Movie

director of photography

1981

 

The Jazz Singer (1980)

The Jazz Singer

5.9

director of photography

1980

 

Somewhere in Time (1980)

Somewhere in Time

7.2

director of photography

1980

 

Escape (1980)

Escape

7.3

TV Movie

director of photography

1980

 

O.J. Simpson and Melissa Michaelsen in Goldie and the Boxer (1979)

Goldie and the Boxer

5.7

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1979

 

Love for Rent (1979)

Love for Rent

6.0

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1979

 

Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, Rowlf, The Great Gonzo, Electric Mayhem Band, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, The Muppets, and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Movie (1979)

The Muppet Movie

7.6

director of photography

1979

 

Kate Mulgrew in Mrs. Columbo (1979)

Mrs. Columbo

5.6

TV Series

director of photography

1979

1 episode

 

Vincent Baggetta in The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978)

The Eddie Capra Mysteries

7.1

TV Series

director of photography

1978

1 episode

 

Peter Falk in Columbo (1971)

Columbo

8.3

TV Series

director of photography

1978

2 episodes

 

Aspen (1977)

Aspen

7.1

TV Mini Series

Cinematographer

1977

3 episodes

 

Testimony of Two Men (1977)

Testimony of Two Men

7.9

TV Mini Series

Cinematographer (parts 1 and 3)

1977

 

Art Carney in Lanigan's Rabbi (1976)

Lanigan's Rabbi

6.6

TV Series

director of photography

1977

4 episodes

 

Henry Fonda, Patty Duke, Charles Durning, Richard Jordan, Vic Morrow, and Barbara Parkins in Captains and the Kings (1976)

Captains and the Kings

7.9

TV Mini Series

director of photography

1976

6 episodes

 

Sissy Spacek in Carrie (1976)

Carrie

7.4

Cinematographer (uncredited)

1976

 

Doctors' Hospital (1975)

Doctors' Hospital

6.8

TV Series

director of photography

1975–1976

10 episodes

 

The Long Christmas Dinner

Short

Cinematographer

1975

 

Britt Ekland in The Ultimate Thrill (1974)

The Ultimate Thrill

5.9

director of photography (as Isadore Mankovsky)

1974

 

Peter Brocco, Frances Fuller, William Hansen, Ruth McDevitt, Paula Trueman, and Ian Wolfe in Homebodies (1974)

Homebodies

6.5

director of photography

1974

 

The Second Coming of Suzanne (1974)

The Second Coming of Suzanne

4.7

Cinematographer

1974

 

The Newspaper Story

Short

Cinematographer

1973

 

Fellow Citizen, A. Lincoln

TV Movie

Cinematographer (photographer)

1973

 

Scream Blacula Scream (1973)

Scream Blacula Scream

5.6

director of photography

1973

 

Trick Baby (1972)

Trick Baby

6.7

director of photography

1972

 

Wayang Kulit: The Shadow Puppet Theater of Java

Short

Cinematographer

1972

 

The Cell: Part One

Short

Cinematographer

1971

 

Werewolves on Wheels (1971)

Werewolves on Wheels

4.3

director of photography

1971

 

Joseph Kaufmann in Jud (1971)

Jud

6.1

Cinematographer

1971

 

Muhammad Ali in a.k.a. Cassius Clay (1970)

a.k.a. Cassius Clay

6.7

Cinematographer (as Izzy Mankovsky)

1970

 

The Lady, or the Tiger?

8.2

Short

Cinematographer

1969

 

My Old Man

Short

Cinematographer (photography)

1969

 

The Lottery (1969)

The Lottery

7.1

Short

Cinematographer

1969

 

Bartleby (1969)

Bartleby

6.9

Short

Cinematographer

1969

 

The Secret Sharer

8.3

Cinematographer

1967

 

Camera and Electrical Department

The Arrival (1996)

The Arrival

6.2

director of photography: second unit

1996

 

Trenchcoat (1983)

Trenchcoat

5.2

director of photography: second unit

1983

 

Kay Lenz and Stephen McHattie in Moving Violation (1976)

Moving Violation

5.4

additional photographer

1976

 

The Inventing of America

TV Special

film cameraman

1975

 

Chuck Connors and Aron Kincaid in The Proud and Damned (1972)

The Proud and Damned

4.5

additional photographer (as Isadore Mankowsky)

1972

 

Future Shock (1972)

Future Shock

5.9

Short

photography: second unit

1972

 

Actor

John Heard, Christina Moore, and Brian Smolensky in Searching for Fortune (2017)

Searching for Fortune

7.6

Denver Bar Fly

2017

 

John Cusack, Demi Moore, Grenville Cuyler, Joel Murray, Tom Villard, and Linda Warren in One Crazy Summer (1986)

One Crazy Summer

6.4

Cameraman

1986