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George J. Folsey

George J. Folsey

Cinematographer · Died November 1, 1988, aged 90 · New York City, New York, USA

George Joseph Folsey (July 2, 1898 – November 1, 1988) was an American cinematographer who worked on 162 films between 1919 and his retirement in 1976. He worked for both Associated First National and Paramount Astoria Studios before relocating to Hollywood and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he spent the bulk of his career. Folsey's many credits include The Letter, The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, The Great Ziegfeld, A Guy Named Joe, The White Cliffs of Dover, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Clock, The Harvey Girls, Adam's Rib, A Life of Her Own, Million Dollar Mermaid, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Cobweb, Cash McCall, and The Balcony. For television he served as director of photography for various episodes of the ABC series The Fugitive and an NBC special starring figure skater Peggy Fleming, for which he won an Emmy Award for Best Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming. Folsey was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography thirteen times but never won. Eight months before his death he was honored with the first Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the American Society of Cinematographers, for which he served as President in 1956-57. Folsey's son George Jr. was a director/producer/editor. Folsey died in Santa Monica, California.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 2, 1898
Died
November 1, 1988 (aged 90)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
74 on MovieCove · 136 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 10% in 30 days

What are George J. Folsey's films like?

Across their 73 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy33 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama26 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile
: browse their Biography movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
38%
Morality
20%
Self
18%
Power
8%
Survival
7%
Society
7%
Ideas
2%
Romantic love37 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds13 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition9 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception10 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage5 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty6 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 73 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 40 · Serious 17 · Dark 16

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 33 · Stylized 34 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 31 · Charged 36 · Intense 6

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 37 · Shifting 34 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 32 · Some laughs 28 · Funny 13

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 31 · Even-paced 41 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 45 · Engaged 27 · Full focus 1

Easy watch: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their easy watch movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 40 · Affecting 23 · Heavy 10

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 67 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
29
Joyful
25
Romantic
29
Melancholic
32
Warm
17
Other
55

How their films linger

Feel-good36 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet25 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun25 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful24 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy37
  • Bittersweet30
  • Tragic5
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch George J. Folsey's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 74 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for George J. Folsey's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

136 credits, 74 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Bone(1972)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Balcony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Cinematographer

  • Anatomy of an Accident (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Cinematographer

  • I Passed for White(1960)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Cash McCall(1960)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Count Your Blessings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Cinematographer

  • Torpedo Run(1958)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The High Cost of Loving (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Cinematographer

  • Saddle the Wind(1958)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Imitation General(1958)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • House of Numbers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Cinematographer

  • Tip on a Dead Jockey(1957)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Power and the Prize(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • These Wilder Years(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Fastest Gun Alive(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Forbidden Planet(1956)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Battle of Gettysburg (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Cinematographer

  • The Cobweb(1955)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Hit the Deck(1955)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Deep in My Heart(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Seven Brides for Seven Brothers(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Men of the Fighting Lady(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Executive Suite(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Tennessee Champ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Cinematographer

  • All the Brothers Were Valiant(1953)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Million Dollar Mermaid(1952)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Shadow in the Sky(1952)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Lovely to Look At(1952)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Man with a Cloak(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Law and the Lady(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Mr. Imperium(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Vengeance Valley(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • A Life of Her Own(1950)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Big Hangover (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Cinematographer

  • Malaya(1949)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Adam's Rib(1949)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Great Sinner(1949)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Take Me Out to the Ball Game(1949)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • State of the Union(1948)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Green Dolphin Street(1947)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • If Winter Comes(1947)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Secret Heart(1946)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Till the Clouds Roll By(1946)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Green Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Cinematographer

  • The Harvey Girls(1946)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Ziegfeld Follies(1945)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Clock(1945)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Meet Me in St. Louis(1944)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The White Cliffs of Dover(1944)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • A Guy Named Joe(1943)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Thousands Cheer(1943)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Three Hearts for Julia(1943)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Andy Hardy's Double Life(1942)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Seven Sweethearts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Cinematographer

  • Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Cinematographer

  • Panama Hattie(1942)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Grand Central Murder(1942)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Rio Rita(1942)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Married Bachelor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Cinematographer

  • Lady Be Good(1941)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day(1941)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Trial of Mary Dugan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Cinematographer

  • Come Live with Me(1941)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Rage in Heaven(1941)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Third Finger, Left Hand(1940)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Gallant Sons(1940)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Two Girls on Broadway(1940)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Remember? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • Lady of the Tropics(1939)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Fast and Loose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Cinematographer

  • The Shining Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Cinematographer

  • Marie Antoinette(1938)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Hold That Kiss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Cinematographer

  • Arsène Lupin Returns(1938)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Mannequin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Cinematographer

  • The Bride Wore Red(1937)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Last of Mrs. Cheyney(1937)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Parnell(1937)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The Gorgeous Hussy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • Hearts Divided (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • The Great Ziegfeld(1936)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Kind Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Cinematographer

  • I Live My Life(1935)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Page Miss Glory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Cinematographer

  • Reckless(1935)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Forsaking All Others(1934)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Chained (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Cinematographer

  • Operator 13 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Cinematographer

  • Men in White (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Cinematographer

  • Going Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Cinematographer

  • Stage Mother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Cinematographer

  • Reunion in Vienna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Cinematographer

  • Storm at Daybreak (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Cinematographer

  • Men Must Fight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Cinematographer

  • The Animal Kingdom(1932)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Big Broadcast(1932)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Misleading Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Cinematographer

  • The Cheat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • Secrets of a Secretary(1931)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Smiling Lieutenant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • Honor Among Lovers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • Stolen Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • The Royal Family of Broadway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Cinematographer

  • Laughter(1930)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Animal Crackers(1930)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Dangerous Nan McGrew (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Cinematographer

  • The Big Pond(1930)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Glorifying the American Girl(1929)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Battle of Paris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Cinematographer

  • Applause (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Cinematographer

  • The Cocoanuts(1929)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Hole in the Wall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Cinematographer

  • The Letter(1929)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Her Wild Oat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Cinematographer

  • American Beauty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Cinematographer

  • Naughty But Nice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Cinematographer

  • See You in Jail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Cinematographer

  • Orchids and Ermine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Cinematographer

  • The Savage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Cinematographer

  • Too Much Money (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Cinematographer

  • Scarlet Saint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Cinematographer

  • The Half-Way Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Cinematographer

  • Born Rich (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Cinematographer

  • The Enchanted Cottage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Cinematographer

  • The Fighting Blade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Cinematographer

  • The Bright Shawl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Cinematographer

  • The Man from M.A.R.S. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Cinematographer

  • Slim Shoulders(1922)

    Cinematographer

  • What's Wrong with the Women? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Cinematographer

  • A Game Chicken (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Cinematographer

  • The Road to London (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    as Rex's father

  • A Heart to Let (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Cinematographer

  • The Stolen Kiss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Cinematographer

  • Sinners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Cinematographer

  • The Fear Market (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Cinematographer

  • Uncle Tom's Cabin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Assistant Camera

Career shape

A full career of 128 titles from 1918 to 1963.

Biggest box office

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

$506K worldwide

Highest rated

Forbidden Planet (1956)

Midcredits 93rd

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 128: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleCinematography126 of 128: 126 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score59thOther crew1 of 128: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1910s1 · crew1920s28 · 1 acting · 27 crew1930s39 · crew1940s28 · crew1950s28 · crew1960s4 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do George J. Folsey's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of the 73 of 74 with a score; across their 73 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 73

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 73

Reach · how many have seen their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 73

Midcredits score across 73 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up15
  • 50th to 74th40
  • 25th to 49th16
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

48 of their 73 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser48
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · cinematographer

I Live My Life (1935)

79th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Forbidden Planet (1956)

Midcredits 93rd · 82% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 65/100 in their films, across 67 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 51. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is George J. Folsey's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 20 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles5–45 · median 8 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 1 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 16 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 10 · minimalMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does George J. Folsey work with?

People who share at least 2 of George J. Folsey's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bronislau Kaper shares the most, 10.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles