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Elgin Lessley

Elgin Lessley

Actor, Cinematographer

Born January 10, 1883 in Higbee, Missouri, USA

Died February 8, 1944

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Biography

Elgin Lessley (also credited as Lesly, Lessly, and Leslie) (June 10, 1883 - January 10, 1944) was an American hand-crank cameraman of the silent film era—a period of filmmaking when virtually all special effects work had to be produced inside the camera during filming. Though Lessley worked earlier with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and later with Harry Langdon, he is best known for the groundbreaking effects he produced with Buster Keaton, who dubbed him "the human metronome" for his ability to crank consistently at any requested speed.

Lessley's most striking effects were in The Playhouse (1921) and Sherlock Jr. (1924). In The Playhouse, through use of a specially shuttered lens and repeated back-cranking and re-cranking, Lessley allowed Keaton to appear as up to nine characters simultaneously, interacting with one another. In Sherlock Jr., Lessley's careful positioning of camera and actor in various locations produced the effect of a man stuck in a movie where his location keeps changing as he struggles to keep up. Lessley retired from filmmaking after shooting The Cameraman with Buster Keaton in 1928.

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Filmography

Actor

1

The General Poster

The General Feature Film1926Union General Who Gives Command to Cross Bridge

Cinematographer

57

Type

Year

The Cameraman Poster

The Cameraman Feature Film1928

The Chaser Poster

The Chaser Feature Film1928

Long Pants Poster

Long Pants Feature Film1927

Three's a Crowd Poster

Three's a Crowd Feature Film1927

The Strong Man Poster

The Strong Man Feature Film1926

Tramp, Tramp, Tramp Poster

Tramp, Tramp, Tramp Feature Film1926

Go West Feature Film1925

Seven Chances Poster

Seven Chances Feature Film1925

Sherlock Jr. Poster

Sherlock Jr. Feature Film1924

The Navigator Poster

The Navigator Feature Film1924

Our Hospitality Poster

Our Hospitality Feature Film1923

The Balloonatic Poster

The Balloonatic Short Film1923

The Love Nest Poster

The Love Nest Short Film1923

Three Ages Poster

Three Ages Feature Film1923

Cops Short Film1922

Day Dreams Poster

Day Dreams Short Film1922

My Wife's Relations Poster

My Wife's Relations Short Film1922

The Blacksmith Poster

The Blacksmith Short Film1922

The Electric House Poster

The Electric House Short Film1922

The Frozen North Poster

The Frozen North Short Film1922

The Paleface Poster

The Paleface Short Film1922

Hard Luck Poster

Hard Luck Short Film1921

The 'High Sign' Poster

The 'High Sign' Short Film1921

The Boat Poster

The Boat Short Film1921

The Goat Poster

The Goat Short Film1921

The Haunted House Poster

The Haunted House Short Film1921

The Play House Poster

The Play House Short Film1921

The Servant in the House Poster

The Servant in the House Feature Film1921

Convict 13 Poster

Convict 13 Short Film1920

Neighbors Poster

Neighbors Short Film1920

One Week Poster

One Week Short Film1920

The Garage Poster

The Garage Short Film1920

The Scarecrow Poster

The Scarecrow Short Film1920

Back Stage Poster

Back Stage Short Film1919

The Hayseed Poster

The Hayseed Short Film1919

Alias Mary Brown Poster

Alias Mary Brown Feature Film1918

Daughter Angele Poster

Daughter Angele Feature Film1918

Her Decision Poster

Her Decision Feature Film1918

High Stakes Feature Film1918

Irish Eyes Poster

Irish Eyes Feature Film1918

Marked Cards Feature Film1918

The Atom Feature Film1918

The Bell Boy Poster

The Bell Boy Short Film1918

You Can't Believe Everything Poster

You Can't Believe Everything Feature Film1918

A Clever Dummy Poster

A Clever Dummy Short Film1917

A Laundry Clean-Up Short Film1917

A Phantom Husband Poster

A Phantom Husband Feature Film1917

A Royal Rogue Poster

A Royal Rogue Short Film1917

A Self-Made Hero Short Film1917

A Winning Loser Short Film1917

Dangers of a Bride Poster

Dangers of a Bride Short Film1917

Framing Framers Poster

Framing Framers Feature Film1917

His Criminal Career Short Film1917

The Grab Bag Bride Short Film1917

The Stone Age Short Film1917

He Did and He Didn't Poster

He Did and He Didn't Short Film1916

The Waiters' Ball Poster

The Waiters' Ball Short Film1916

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