Nathan Levinson
Nathan Levinson ( born July 15, 1888 in New York City; † October 18, 1952 in Toluca Lake, California ) was an American sound engineer and one of the pioneers of the sound film.
Life
At the age of 14 years, Levinson worked as a technician in the field of wireless telegraphy. He took in the Photographic Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in the First World War, where he rose to the rank of Major. He then worked at the Western Electric Manufacturing Company with responsibility of American West Coast and sold radio technology. From 1922, Levinson was in connection with Hollywood, he is the Universal had borrowed a sound system for crowd scenes in the Hunchback of Notre Dame this year yet.
Levinson was in a friendly relationship with Samuel L. Warner, who in turn had built up with help of Levinson in March 1925, the radio station KFWB in Los Angeles, about, among other films from Warner Bros. were advertised. Levinson was Sam Warner in April 1925, a device made by Western Electric for recording and playback of sound films and led him a short movie in which he and Western Electric had worked:
"It was a very simple example of synchronous sound and picture - someone let something fall on the table and a sound was to be heard, so that you could clearly see that sound and picture were synchronized. It was a very simple demonstration of Synchronised sound and picture -. Somebody dropping something on a table and making a noise so did you Could See distinctly did the sound and picture were synchronized "is
Both arranged a special screening for Harry Warner. The brothers were convinced of the possibilities of sound film and so Warner Bros. worked in the episode as the first major production company in the realization of commercial sound film. In April 1926 Warner founded the Vitaphone Corporation, with Don Juan in April 1926 - The great lover brought out her first movie with full sound synchronization, and finally with The Jazz Singer brought a year later, one of the first sound films on the market. Levinson held the supervisor at the Jazz Singer. In 1928, Levinson worked for more than 20 years as Head of the Sound Department at Warner Bros.
From 1930 onward, Levinson contact point between Hollywood and the Army Signal Corps. He was Vice Chairman of the Motion Picture Academy Research Council, which produced, among other, the program of the Army Signal Corps. In order to improve the film unit of the Corps, a soldier trained in Hollywood each year, with Levinson conducted his training. From 1939, a Corps unit from Hollywood filmmakers has been compiled by Richard Schlosberg and Levinson. They eventually led to the founding of the Motion Picture Committee Cooperating for the National Defense ( MPCC ). Levinson received an honorary Oscar in 1941 for his contributions to Army training films.
Levinson died at the age of 64 and was buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Filmography (selection)
Awards
Levinson was nominated over 20 times for an Academy Award for Sound Recording or special effects. Four times he won the Oscar among others in special categories: