Every year the National Film Preservation Board chooses 25 films to protect from decay. This year one of them,  The Incredible Shrinking Man, was an Oregon film.

Oregonian Ellis Carter was the director of photography for The Incredible Shrinking Man.

Twenty four other Oregon films are on the master list of films being preserved. The earliest was The Chechahcohs (1924). The most recent is Animal House (1978).

Laika, the first mammal to travel to outer space, setting off on Nov. 3, 1957.

Under the old definition of Oregon film, in 1957:

Harold Schuster made Portland Expose.

The People of Portland starred in The Day Called X.

Under the new definition of Oregon film, in 1957:

At Warner Bros., Mel Blanc voiced What’s Opera, Doc?

At Disney, Ralph Wright co-wrote and co-directed Perri.

At Universal, DP Ellis Carter shot The Incredible Shrinking Man.

In New York, Harry Smith made Heaven and Earth Magic.

At USC, film student James Ivory made Venice: Theme and Variations.

Oregon born cinematographer Ellis Carter was DP on The Incredible Shrinking Man, the world’s most thoughtful combination of philosophizing and special effect photography. Directed by Jack Arnold.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A remake of The Incredible Shrinking Man slated to come out in 2010 has Eddie Murphy as the intrepid spider fighting Scott Carey. In the original story, it was a mysterious (possibly atomic) cloud which causes Carey to shrink.

In the Murphy project, Carey will be a famous Las Vegas magician who is put under a spell that causes him to shrink. He must find a way to reverse the spell before he gets so small that he “disappears.” From the Remake Watch.

As much as Americans love to pooh pooh Hollywood’s McCarthy Era/Cold War filmmaking, The Incredible Shrinking Man will be the second Richard Matheson End of the World warning fable recently remade with a big budget: I Am Legend, first made as The Last Man On Earth (1964), was the first.

Strange but true: Richard Matheson’s screenwriting son, Chris Matheson (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure), lives in Oregon.

Everything you want to know about Oregon born cinematographer Ellis Carter is on IMDB, that is if you are curious about nothing except his career. As far as his work, its all there in black and white.

Carter started as Alfred Hitchcock’s camera operator on Foreign Correspondent (1940), and ended as (fellow Pacific Northwesterner) Gene Nelson’s DP on Elvis Presley’s  Kissin’ Cousins (1964), pictured above.

Most famous for The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), his most mysterious IMDB listing is as choreographer for Who Killed Doc Robbin (1948)

Thank you, Dennis Nyback, for letting me know about this filmmaking Oregonian.

Oregon cinematographer Ellis Carter shot this twelve chapter Republic Movie serial, which followed the adventures of atomic energy scientist Jeff King, “a jet-suited do gooder who soared the air to restore justice. His suit displayed three knobs. One said “on” and “off.” Another said “up” and “down.” And the last said “fast” and “slow.” From www.imagesjournal.com.

A better view of King’s suit, for you DIY rocketeers. My favorite part: the shoes.

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