Karl Struss
Cinematographer · Died December 16, 1981, aged 95 · New York City, New York, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Karl Struss, A.S.C. (November 30, 1886 – December 15, 1981) was an American photographer and a cinematographer of the 1900s through the 1950s. He was also one of the earliest pioneers of 3-D films. While he mostly worked on films, such as F. W. Murnau's Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator and Limelight, he was also one of the cinematographers for the television series Broken Arrow and photographed 19 episodes of My Friend Flicka. In 1919, after his discharge from WWI, he moved to Los Angeles and signed on with Cecil B. DeMille as a cameraman, initially for the film For Better, For Worse starring Gloria Swanson, followed by another Swanson film Male and Female and leading to a two-year contract with the studio In early 1921, he married Ethel Wall, who helped to support him in his photographic work independent of the film studios, which included pictorial views set in California In the 1920s, Struss worked on such films as Ben-Hur and F. W. Murnau's Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. In 1927, he contracted with United Artists, where he worked with D. W. Griffith on such films as Drums of Love and also filmed Mary Pickford's first talking film Coquette. He continued his experimental work with camera technology, developing the "Lupe Light" and a new bracket system for the Bell & Howell camera. From 1931 through 1945, Struss worked as a cameraman for Paramount, where he worked on a variety of material including films featuring Mae West, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour Struss also aimed to shape the field through publishing; for example, in 1934 he authored "Photographic Modernism and the Cinematographer" for American Cinematographer. Struss was later admitted to the American Society of Cinematographers, and was a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts. In 1949, while working as a freelancer, he began his work in "stereo cinematography", becoming one of the first proponents of that art form. Unfortunately, he did most of his 3D film work in Italy and none of his films were subsequently released in 3D in the United States. Struss's photographic archive of exhibition prints, film stills, negatives and papers (3 linear feet of materials) is available at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art located in Fort Worth, Texas.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- November 30, 1886
- December 16, 1981 (aged 95)
- New York City, New York, USA
- Cinematographer
- 53 on MovieCove · 112 credits in all
What are Karl Struss' films like?
Across their 52 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 4 · Earnest 46
A split, not a type: Light 20 · Serious 18 · Dark 14
Grounded 21 · Stylized 23 · Heightened 8
Gentle 16 · Charged 24 · Intense 12
A split, not a type: Steady 26 · Shifting 22 · Whiplash 4
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 28 · Some laughs 13 · Funny 11
Slow burn 23 · Even-paced 26 · Relentless 3
Casual 32 · Engaged 18 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 25 · Affecting 16 · Heavy 11
Resolved 44 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy24
- Bittersweet14
- Tragic9
- Ambiguous5
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 Karl Struss' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 53 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).
- Sunrise (1927) · cinematographer · free
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) · cinematographer · free
- Sparrows (1926) · cinematographer · free
- The Affairs of Anatol (1921) · cinematographer · free
- The Sign of the Cross (1932) · cinematographer · free
- The Taming of the Shrew (1929) · cinematographer · free
- Danger Lights (1930) · cinematographer · free
- The Return of Jesse James (1950) · cinematographer · free
- Mohawk (1956) · cinematographer · free
- Call of the Forest (1949) · cinematographer · free
- Rocketship X-M (1950) · cinematographer · free
- Counterplot (1959) · cinematographer · free
- +1 more
- Best Westerns Ever, show their 2 titles on Best Westerns Ever
- ScreenPix, show their 2 titles on ScreenPix
- Dove Channel, show their title on Dove Channel
- Great American Pure Flix, show their title on Great American Pure Flix
- IndieFlix, show their title on IndieFlix
- IndiePix Unlimited, show their title on IndiePix Unlimited
- Screambox, show their title on Screambox
Subscription and free streaming for Karl Struss' 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
112 credits, 53 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Counterplot(1959)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
The Alligator People(1959)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
The Fly(1958)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
The Hot Angel(1958)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Deerslayer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
She Devil(1957)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Kronos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Mohawk(1956)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Attila(1954)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Poverty and Nobility (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
Funniest Show on Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Neapolitan Turk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Mesa of Lost Women(1953)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all filmsDomenica a Capri (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Tarzan and the She-Devil(1953)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Limelight(1952)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Tarzan's Savage Fury(1952)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Rose of Cimarron (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Lady Possessed(1952)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Tarzan's Peril (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
The Texan Meets Calamity Jane (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
It's a Small World(1950)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
Rocketship X-M(1950)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
Call of the Forest(1949)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Tarzan's Magic Fountain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Siren of Atlantis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Hello Out There (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
The Dude Goes West(1948)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
The Macomber Affair(1947)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Suspense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Bring on the Girls(1945)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Rainbow Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
And the Angels Sing(1944)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Riding High (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
Journey Into Fear(1943)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Happy Go Lucky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
Aloma of the South Seas(1941)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Caught in the Draft(1941)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
The Great Dictator(1940)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Star Maker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
Island of Lost Men(1939)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Zenobia(1939)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Paris Honeymoon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
Some Like It Hot(1939)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Thanks for the Memory(1938)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Sing, You Sinners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Every Day's a Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
Mountain Music (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
Waikiki Wedding(1937)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Thunder Trail(1937)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Go West Young Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Let's Make a Million (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Hollywood Boulevard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Too Many Parents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Anything Goes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Rhythm on the Range(1936)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Two for Tonight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
Goin' to Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
Mississippi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
Here Is My Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Belle of the Nineties(1934)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Four Frightened People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Torch Singer(1933)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
Disgraced! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
The Woman Accused (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Tonight Is Ours (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
One Sunday Afternoon(1933)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Island of Lost Souls(1932)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
The Sign of the Cross(1932)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
The Man from Yesterday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Forgotten Commandments(1932)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The World and the Flesh(1932)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Dancers in the Dark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Two Kinds of Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1931)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
The Road to Reno(1931)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Women Love Once (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Up Pops the Devil(1931)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Skippy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Danger Lights(1930)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
Abraham Lincoln(1930)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
The Bad One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
One Romantic Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
Be Yourself! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
Lummox (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
The Taming of the Shrew(1929)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Coquette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
The Battle of the Sexes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)
Night Watch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)
Sunrise(1927)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Babe Comes Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)
Forever After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)
Sparrows(1926)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all filmsHell's Four Hundred (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Mothers-in-Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)
Daughters of the Rich (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)
Poor Men's Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)
The Hero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)
Thorns and Orange Blossoms (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)
Minnie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)
Rich Men's Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)
Saturday Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)
Fool's Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)
The Affairs of Anatol(1921)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Something to Think About (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)
Career shape
A full career of 105 titles from 1920 to 1959.
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 Karl Struss' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 53; across their 52 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up10
- 50th to 74th16
- 25th to 49th15
- Below 25th12
Shape of the crowd
20 of their 53 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved5
- Universally Panned1
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser19
- Broadly Agreed6
- Mixed20
Reviewers score the cinematography 67/100 in their films, across 37 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 53. 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 Karl Struss' work okay for kids?
Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.
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 Karl Struss work with?
People who share at least 2 of Karl Struss' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kurt Neumann shares the most, 10.
Directors
- Kurt NeumannShared titles: Counterplot (1959), The Fly (1958), The Witches from Another World (1958), She Devil (1957), Mohawk (1956), Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953), Rocketship X-M (1950), The Dude Goes West (1948), Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946), Island of Lost Men (1939)See all 10 shared titles with Kurt Neumann
- Charles ChaplinShared titles: Limelight (1952), The Great Dictator (1940)See all 2 shared titles with Charles Chaplin
- George ArchainbaudShared titles: Some Like It Hot (1939), Thanks for the Memory (1938)See all 2 shared titles with George Archainbaud
- Stephen RobertsShared titles: One Sunday Afternoon (1933), The Story of Temple Drake (1933)See all 2 shared titles with Stephen Roberts
Writers
- Carroll YoungShared titles: The Witches from Another World (1958), She Devil (1957), Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953), Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946)See all 4 shared titles with Carroll Young
- Orville H. HamptonShared titles: The Alligator People (1959), Mesa of Lost Women (1953), Rocketship X-M (1950)See all 3 shared titles with Orville H. Hampton
- Edgar Rice BurroughsShared titles: Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953), Tarzan's Savage Fury (1952), Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946)See all 3 shared titles with Edgar Rice Burroughs
- Frank ButlerShared titles: Aloma of the South Seas (1941), Island of Lost Men (1939), Waikiki Wedding (1937)See all 3 shared titles with Frank Butler
Actors
- Dorothy LamourShared titles: And the Angels Sing (1944), Aloma of the South Seas (1941), Caught in the Draft (1941)See all 3 shared titles with Dorothy Lamour
- Bob HopeShared titles: Caught in the Draft (1941), Some Like It Hot (1939), Thanks for the Memory (1938)See all 3 shared titles with Bob Hope
- Shirley RossShared titles: Some Like It Hot (1939), Thanks for the Memory (1938), Waikiki Wedding (1937)See all 3 shared titles with Shirley Ross
- Mitchell LewisShared titles: Waikiki Wedding (1937), The World and the Flesh (1932), Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)See all 3 shared titles with Mitchell Lewis
Composers and editors
- Paul SawtellShared titles: Counterplot (1959), The Fly (1958), The Witches from Another World (1958), She Devil (1957), Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953), Tarzan's Savage Fury (1952), Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946)See all 7 shared titles with Paul Sawtell
- John LeipoldShared titles: Island of Lost Men (1939), Rhythm on the Range (1936), Belle of the Nineties (1934), One Sunday Afternoon (1933), The World and the Flesh (1932), The Road to Reno (1931), Up Pops the Devil (1931)See all 7 shared titles with John Leipold
- Bert ShefterShared titles: Counterplot (1959), The Witches from Another World (1958), She Devil (1957)See all 3 shared titles with Bert Shefter
- Eda WarrenShared titles: The Hot Angel (1958), And the Angels Sing (1944), Torch Singer (1933)See all 3 shared titles with Eda Warren
Producers
- Sol LesserShared titles: Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953), Tarzan's Savage Fury (1952), Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946)See all 3 shared titles with Sol Lesser
- William LeBaronShared titles: Island of Lost Men (1939), Belle of the Nineties (1934), Danger Lights (1930)See all 3 shared titles with William LeBaron
- Buddy G. DeSylvaShared titles: Aloma of the South Seas (1941), Caught in the Draft (1941)See all 2 shared titles with Buddy G. DeSylva
- Benjamin GlazerShared titles: Rhythm on the Range (1936), The Story of Temple Drake (1933)See all 2 shared titles with Benjamin Glazer
Mixed roles
- John F. Link Sr.Shared titles: Call of the Forest (1949), Thunder Trail (1937)See all 2 shared titles with John F. Link Sr.
- Norman FosterShared titles: Journey Into Fear (1943), Up Pops the Devil (1931)See all 2 shared titles with Norman Foster
