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William C. Thompson

Cinematographer, also director and producer · Died October 22, 1963, aged 74 · Bound Brook, New Jersey, USA

Born
March 30, 1889
Died
October 22, 1963 (aged 74)
From
Bound Brook, New Jersey, USA
Works as
Cinematographer, also director and producer
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 60 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 38 days to Oct 27Down 26% in 30 days

What are William C. Thompson's films like?

Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Power.

Genres

Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 12th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 7th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 3rd percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 8th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Horror 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
Survival
33%
Power
16%
Morality
15%
Self
14%
Bonds
12%
Society
9%
Ideas
1%
Survival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt3 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 17 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 5 · Dark 6

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

Grounded 11 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 5 · Charged 9 · Intense 3

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

A split, not a type: Steady 10 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 4

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 2

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 6 · 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 12 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 14 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Melancholic
6
Dread
5
Absurd
4
Thrilling
3
Other
8

How their films linger

Fun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet9
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical1

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 William C. Thompson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (14).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for William C. Thompson'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

60 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Sinister Urge(1960)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Too Soon to Love(1960)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Revenge of the Dead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Cinematographer

  • Gun Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Cinematographer

  • The Astounding She-Monster(1957)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Plan 9 from Outer Space(1958)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Final Curtain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Cinematographer

  • Journey to Freedom(1957)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Violent Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Cinematographer

  • Dementia(1955)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Bride of the Monster(1955)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Jail Bait(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Girl Gang(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • The Golden Mistress(1954)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • I'll Sell My Shirt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Cinematographer

  • Project Moon Base (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Cinematographer

  • Skid Row Holdup (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Cinematographer

  • Glen or Glenda(1953)

    Cinematographer · as Judge (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Son of the Renegade(1953)

    Camera Operator · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • A Night in Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Director · Cinematographer

  • Orange Blossoms for Violet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Cinematographer

  • B-Girl Rhapsody (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Cinematographer

  • Lili's Wedding Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Cinematographer

  • Scorching Fury (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Cinematographer

  • The Blonde Pick-Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Cinematographer

  • French Follies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Director

  • The Art of the Burlesque (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Cinematographer

  • Trouble At Melody Mesa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Cinematographer

  • The Devil's Sleep (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Cinematographer

  • Arctic Fury(1951)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • The White Gorilla(1945)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Polygamy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Storekeeper

  • Tugboat Princess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • Marihuana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Waterfront-Raid Detective (uncredited)

  • Lucky Fugitives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Cinematographer

  • The Irish Gringo(1935)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Brand of Hate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Cinematographer

  • Maniac(1934)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • A Demon for Trouble(1934)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Tomorrow's Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Cinematographer

  • High School Girl(1934)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Roman Scandals(1933)

    "B" Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Found Alive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Cinematographer

  • No Greater Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Cinematographer

  • Pueblo Terror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • Trails of the Golden West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Cinematographer

  • Arizona Nights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Cinematographer

  • Pals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Cinematographer

  • The Woman Untamed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Cinematographer

  • As the Sun Went Down (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Cinematographer

  • Mother, I Need You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Cinematographer

  • The Demon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Cinematographer

  • Revenge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Cinematographer

  • The Curse of Eve (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Cinematographer

  • The Fall of a Nation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    Cinematographer

  • Destiny: or, the Soul of a Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    Cinematographer

  • Garden of Lies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    Cinematographer

  • Evangeline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    Cinematographer

  • Absinthe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    Cinematographer

  • Arizona Nights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 58 titles, 57 of them dated from 1914 to 1960.

Biggest box office

Glen or Glenda (1953)

$10K worldwide

Highest rated

Dementia (1955)

Midcredits 71st

Most popular right now

Plan 9 from Outer Space (1958)

Film career

  • 1936Screen debut· Marihuana

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 58: 2 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting3 of 58: 1 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting1 of 58: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing1 of 58: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleCinematography53 of 58: 50 only cinematography, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score9thOther crew2 of 58: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

58 titles, 4 with more than one role — cinematography and acting overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

1910s10 · crew1920s3 · crew1930s15 · 2 acting · 13 crew1940s4 · crew1950s23 · 1 acting · 23 crew1960s2 · 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 William C. Thompson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 9th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 10th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

10thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Approval · how many liked their films

10thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Reach · how many have seen their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th16

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 19 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Mixed15

Most divisive · cinematographer

Son of the Renegade (1953)

94th percentile spread · 37% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Dementia (1955)

Midcredits 71st · 60% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 29/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 38, detractors 22. 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.

Who does William C. Thompson work with?

People who share at least 2 of William C. Thompson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Edward D. Wood Jr. shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Editors