Tom Del Ruth was born under unusual circumstances. His parents, Roy Del Ruth and Winnie Lightner, were both highly successful people in the film business. In 1942, his father was married to someone else when he had an affair with Lightner, which resulted in the pregnancy.
To avoid scandal, Lightner was shipped to San Bernardino, where Tom was born in a hospital under a different name. Later, when he moved back to Los Angeles, the birth certificate was adjusted to indicate he was born there, and to reflect his true name.
His father was a well-known director, and his mother (the two later married) was a musical comedy star on Broadway who did more than 10 films before retiring. All of Del Ruth’s neighbors and friends were in the film industry in one form or another.
Around 1948, when he was about 6, Del Ruth started accompanying his father to movie sets, including The Babe Ruth Story. He developed a keen interest in film, particularly photography. As he grew up, Del Ruth started realizing how complex the job of director of photography really was, and how integral it was to the story.
While still in high school, Del Ruth took a part-time job at Warner Bros. as a messenger. After graduation and a four-year stint in the Army, Del Ruth took another messenger job, this time at Disney Studios.
“After 6 months, I was selected for a manager training program,” he said. “It was a great experience—I spent one month in every department, including editorial, animation, camera, wardrobe, hairdressing, props, production and special visual effects.”
Once he completed the program, Del Ruth was made an assistant director at Disney. He did a couple of films and television shows, then freelanced as an assistant director with a couple of other studios. He really wanted to become a cameraman and join the union, but the union was difficult to get into at the time. Del Ruth wrote a letter and was invited to come and speak to Herb Aller, the business agent for the Cinematographers Guild (Local 600) at the time. They hit it off once they learned they were both military veterans. Del Ruth joined the union—and his career behind the camera took off.
Del Ruth has about 150 film credits, including memorable films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Planet of the Apes.
He worked on Myra Breckenridge, starring Mae West and Raquel Welch. While most actor’s trailers are outside, on this film, West and Welch had trailers on the soundstage, adjacent to each other. Each trailer had a little front yard with a small picket fence. West had a stipulation in her contract that no other cast member could wear a combination of black and white in a formal setting, because that was her trademark.
“Raquel was not having any of that,” Del Ruth said. “One day, when the assistant director went to their trailers to announce that the stars were wanted on set, both women stepped out the door in the exact same black-and-white dress. Words were exchanged, and I was concerned the two would actually come to blows. Raquel ultimately put on a different dress. Things were often tense on the set for the remainder of the film.”
Del Ruth worked several times with Clint Eastwood. One day, on the set of The Outlaw Josie Wales, they needed to get a close-up shot of Eastwood riding his horse.
“The angle they wanted required me to sit backwards on the front of the saddle, while Clint leaned back, to allow enough room between the camera and Clint’s face,” Del Ruth said. “As they started rolling, Clint slowly started leaning to his left. Holding the camera, I followed, and eventually we both fell off the horse—with Clint still in the frame.”
As a cinematographer, Del Ruth said: “My job is to produce the visuals that the director and I have come up with for the look of the film—in terms of the emotional impact of these particular shots, and what that would mean for the story. I achieve that through either composition or in conjunction with lighting. I work very closely with the production designer in creating this environment in which the characters exist. … (The cinematographer, the production designer and the costume designer), all three of us, are responsible for the look of the film. I’m responsible for capturing it. I have the final say as far as coloration and density of the film.”
Del Ruth says one of the films he’s proudest of is Stand by Me, directed by the late Rob Reiner. Del Ruth said it can be difficult working with kids.
“It’s like trying to keep puppies in a basket—they keep jumping out,” he said. “But they were also fun. I particularly liked the story. The cinematography I conjured for that particular picture was slightly contemporary but also harkened back to a different time. I achieved that with color and the filters that I used. “
Along the way, Del Ruth was nominated for seven Emmy Awards, and won two for his work on The West Wing. He’s also won four awards from the American Society of Cinematographers.
“Being appreciated by your peers is very pleasant,” he said.
Del Ruth retired in 2009 to Palm Springs, exhausted from the film-making experience, which often requires 80-hour work weeks. Standing on his feet with a camera so much left Del Ruth with a bad back, but he said it was all worth it in the end.
Del Ruth was nominated for seven Emmy Awards, and won two for his work on The West Wing. He’s also won four awards from the American Society of Cinematographers.
“A hundred years from now, my name will still be on the screen,” he said.
Now Del Ruth is happy to support his wife of 45 years, Patricia, who is an actress, producer and writer. He’s her sounding board and enjoys reading lines with her when she’s rehearsing a play.
As for advice he would give a young person hoping for a career in cinematography, Del Ruth suggests going to a highly rated film school, like New York University, the University of Southern California, UCLA or Stanford—if they can get in. Besides receiving excellent training, “You develop the association with other students who will ultimately move up within the business and can help you,” he said. He also recommends volunteering as a production assistant on independent films, which can lead to paying gigs.
Del Ruth describes this moment in the movie business as particularly difficult.
“The studio heads of old were showmen—like Barnum and Bailey,” he said. “But conglomerates got involved, and now the studios are simply value added to the corporation, which dictates to the creative people what they should be doing. That does not work well.”
Del Ruth’s words of wisdom for aspiring filmmakers seem fitting for all of us: “Try to be imaginative and interesting enough that you will be remembered.”
Bonnie Gilgallon has written theater reviews for the Independent since 2013. She hosts a digital interview show, The Desert Scene, which can be heard on www.thedesertscene.com and viewed on Mutual Broadcasting’s YouTube channel. Learn more at bonnie-g.com.
what a good 😊 human interest story to read on a cloudy Saturday morning,while having a good cup of coffee and my puppies laying next to me. . thxs