Victor J. Kemper obit

Victor J. Kemper, Cinematographer on ‘Dog Day Afternoon’, ‘Husbands’ and ‘The Jerk,’ Dies at 96

He shot Elia Kazan's final feature, 'The Last Tycoon,' and Tim Burton's first, 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure,' and partnered six times with Arthur Hiller. 

He was not on the list.

Victor J. Kemper, the veteran cinematographer who shot more than 50 features, including Dog Day Afternoon, Eyes of Laura Mars, The Jerk and Slap Shot, has died. He was 96.

Kemper died Monday of natural causes in Sherman Oaks, his son, Steven Kemper, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Kemper earned his inaugural D.P. credit on Husbands (1970), written and directed by John Cassavetes, then shot Elia Kazan‘s final feature, The Last Tycoon (1976) and Tim Burton‘s first, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985).

Kemper also did six films for director Arthur Hiller — The Tiger Makes Out (1967), The Hospital (1971), Author! Author! (1982), The Lonely Guy (1984), See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) and Married to It (1991) — and three in a row for Carl Reiner: Oh God! (1977), The One and Only (1978) and The Jerk (1979).

The New Jersey native said he had to wear ice skates when he photographed the hockey scenes in George Roy Hill’s Slap Shot (1977) and frequently found himself the victim of a practical joke when the actors who played the Hanson brothers (Jeff Carlson, Steve Carlson and David Hanson) used their sticks to trip him.

The heady list of directors with whom Kemper also worked during his four-decade career included Michael Ritchie on The Candidate (1972), Peter Yates on The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973), Sidney Lumet on Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Elaine May on Mikey and Nicky (1976), Robert Wise on Audrey Rose (1977), Irvin Kershner on Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) and Norman Jewison on … And Justice for All (1979).

Kemper was adept at various genres but showed a particular flair for comedy on Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), Mr. Mom (1983), Beethoven (1992), Tommy Boy (1995) and Jingle All the Way (1996).

Kemper served as president of the American Society of Cinematographers from 1993-96 and 1999-2001 and received the guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.

Born in Newark on April 14, 1927, Kemper graduated from Seton Hall University — he had built the radio station there — and was hired by a local television station, where he operated a sound boom, mixed sound and served as technical director for live studio programs.

His boss denied his request to take a couple of weeks off to go to California to train in the use of videotape, which had recently been invented — so he quit.

In 1954, Kemper landed a job as a video camera operator for EUE, a television commercial production company in New York, then went to work as an assistant cameraman and operator for top cinematographers including Arthur Ornitz.

On his very first day on Husbands — he came on after the original DP, Aldo Tonti, decided to leave after a week — Kemper was challenged to light a scene in a men’s bathroom in which the walls were painted black and all the actors in it were wearing black overcoats for a funeral.

“Cassavetes came out on the set and wished me good luck on my first time out,” he recalled in a 2009 interview. “I said, ‘John, will you please tell me how do you expect me to light this set?’ … He said very simply, ‘You’re the cinematographer, I’m the director, you figure it out,’ and he walked away. That’s how I got thrown in head-first into the steaming hot water.”

They spent 12 weeks in New York and 10 in London shooting Husbands, double the time that was budgeted. “Cassavetes was always more interested in getting the film right,” he said, “than worried about the dollars spent.”

Kemper’s film résumé also included They Might Be Giants (1971), Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971), The Gambler (1974), Stay Hungry (1976), Coma (1978), Magic (1978), Xanadu (1980), The Four Seasons (1981) and Clue (1985).

He was nominated for an Emmy for his work on the 1987 CBS telefilm Kojak: The Price of Justice and shot the acclaimed 1985 CBS miniseries The Atlanta Child Murders.

In addition to his son, survivors include his wife of 70 years, Claire; daughters Jan and Florence; and grandchildren Margaret, Daniel and Jordan.

Kemper said that his job required a bit of instinct.

“Part of being a cinematographer is learning the craft,” he said in 2008 when he was named a cinematographer in residence at UCLA. “But there is also something that whispers in your ear and tells you to move the camera a foot in a particular direction while putting a face in shadows and a sparkle in someone’s eyes.”

 

Cinematographer

Bring It on: All or Nothing (2006)

Bring It on: All or Nothing

5.5

Video

Cinematographer

2006

 

Eugene Levy, Angela Little, Omar Benson Miller, Matt Barr, Tad Hilgenbrink, and Jun Hee Lee in American Pie Presents: Band Camp (2005)

American Pie Presents: Band Camp

5.0

Video

director of photography

2005

 

On Golden Pond (2001)

On Golden Pond

6.6

TV Movie

Cinematographer

2001

 

Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke (1999)

Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke

6.5

TV Mini Series

Cinematographer

1999

 

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad in Jingle All the Way (1996)

Jingle All the Way

5.7

Cinematographer

1996

 

Whoopi Goldberg in Eddie (1996)

Eddie

5.2

Cinematographer (as Victor Kemper)

1996

 

Chris Farley and David Spade in Tommy Boy (1995)

Tommy Boy

7.1

director of photography

1995

 

Charles Grodin, Bonnie Hunt, Nicholle Tom, Christopher Castile, and Sarah Rose Karr in Beethoven (1992)

Beethoven

5.7

director of photography

1992

 

Married to It (1991)

Married to It

5.9

Cinematographer (as Victor Kemper)

1991

 

Another You (1991)

Another You

5.3

Cinematographer

1991

 

F/X2 (1991)

F/X2

5.9

Cinematographer

1991

 

Crazy People (1990)

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6.0

Cinematographer

1990

 

Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989)

See No Evil, Hear No Evil

6.8

director of photography

1989

 

Adam Baldwin and Roy Scheider in Cohen and Tate (1988)

Cohen and Tate

6.3

director of photography

1988

 

John Candy, Dabney Coleman, and Bobcat Goldthwait in Hot to Trot (1988)

Hot to Trot

4.4

Cinematographer

1988

 

Christopher Lloyd and Howie Mandel in Walk Like a Man (1987)

Walk Like a Man

4.7

Cinematographer

1987

 

Kojak: The Price of Justice (1987)

Kojak: The Price of Justice

6.5

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1987

 

Clue (1985)

Clue

7.2

director of photography

1985

 

Paul Reubens in Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

7.0

director of photography

1985

 

C. Thomas Howell in Secret Admirer (1985)

Secret Admirer

6.5

director of photography

1985

 

James Earl Jones, Martin Sheen, Jason Robards, Rip Torn, and Calvin Levels in The Atlanta Child Murders (1985)

The Atlanta Child Murders

6.7

TV Mini Series

director of photography

1985

2 episodes

 

Cloak & Dagger (1984)

Cloak & Dagger

6.6

director of photography

1984

 

Steve Martin in The Lonely Guy (1984)

The Lonely Guy

6.2

director of photography

1984

 

Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, and Christie Brinkley in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)

National Lampoon's Vacation

7.3

director of photography

1983

 

Mr. Mom (1983)

Mr. Mom

6.6

director of photography

1983

 

Al Pacino, Dyan Cannon, Tuesday Weld, Bob Dishy, and Alan King in Author! Author! (1982)

Author! Author!

6.2

Cinematographer

1982

 

Partners (1982)

Partners

5.3

director of photography

1982

 

Alan Arkin and Carol Burnett in Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981)

Chu Chu and the Philly Flash

4.2

director of photography

1981

 

Alan Alda and Carol Burnett in The Four Seasons (1981)

The Four Seasons

6.8

director of photography

1981

 

Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980)

Xanadu

5.3

Cinematographer

1980

 

The Final Countdown (1980)

The Final Countdown

6.6

director of photography

1980

 

Night of the Juggler (1980)

Night of the Juggler

6.5

director of photography

1980

 

The Jerk (1979)

The Jerk

7.1

director of photography

1979

 

Al Pacino in And Justice for All (1979)

And Justice for All

7.4

director of photography

1979

 

Magic (1978)

Magic

6.8

director of photography

1978

 

Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)

Eyes of Laura Mars

6.2

director of photography

1978

 

The One and Only (1978)

The One and Only

5.8

Cinematographer

1978

 

Geneviève Bujold in Coma (1978)

Coma

6.9

director of photography

1978

 

Oh, God! (1977)

Oh, God!

6.6

Cinematographer

1977

 

The Prince of Central Park (1977)

The Prince of Central Park

6.7

TV Movie

Cinematographer

1977

 

Audrey Rose (1977)

Audrey Rose

5.8

Cinematographer

1977

 

Paul Newman in Slap Shot (1977)

Slap Shot

7.3

Cinematographer (as Vic Kemper)

1977

 

Peter Falk and John Cassavetes in Mikey and Nicky (1976)

Mikey and Nicky

7.4

Cinematographer

1976

 

The Last Tycoon (1976)

The Last Tycoon

6.2

Cinematographer

1976

 

Stay Hungry (1976)

Stay Hungry

5.6

director of photography (as Victor Kemper)

1976

 

Al Pacino and John Cazale in Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Dog Day Afternoon

8.0

director of photography

1975

 

The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975)

The Reincarnation of Peter Proud

6.4

Cinematographer

1975

 

The Gambler (1974)

The Gambler

7.1

director of photography

1974

 

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1973)

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

6.2

Cinematographer

1973

 

Gordon's War (1973)

Gordon's War

6.4

director of photography

1973

 

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)

The Friends of Eddie Coyle

7.4

Cinematographer

1973

 

Shamus (1973)

Shamus

6.0

director of photography

1973

 

Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972)

Last of the Red Hot Lovers

6.0

Cinematographer

1972

 

The Candidate (1972)

The Candidate

7.0

Cinematographer

1972

 

The Hospital (1971)

The Hospital

7.1

director of photography

1971

 

Dustin Hoffman in Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971)

Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?

5.4

Cinematographer

1971

 

George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward in They Might Be Giants (1971)

They Might Be Giants

6.8

director of photography

1971

 

Peter Falk, John Cassavetes, and Ben Gazzara in Husbands (1970)

Husbands

7.1

director of photography (as Victor Kemper)

1970

 

Don Johnson in The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart (1970)

The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart

6.3

director of photography (as Victor Kemper)

1970

 

Camera and Electrical Department

Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Dana Hill, and Jason Lively in National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985)

National Lampoon's European Vacation

6.2

director of photography: USA

1985

 

Alice's Restaurant (1969)

Alice's Restaurant

6.2

camera operator (as Victor Kemper)

1969

 

The Tiger Makes Out (1967)

The Tiger Makes Out

5.8

camera operator (as Victor Kemper)

1967