---
name: "Harold Rosson"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/harold-rosson"
fi1m_id: "harold-rosson"
imdb_id: "nm0005849"
tmdb_id: 9057
wikidata_id: "Q1368602"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "6 April 1895"
died: "6 September 1988"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 87
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-09-25T06:24:23.695995+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Harold Rosson

## Identity

Harold Rosson

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/harold-rosson
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** harold-rosson
- **IMDb ID:** nm0005849
- **TMDB ID:** 9057
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1368602
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Rosson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1368602, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005849/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/9057

Cinematographer. Born 6 April 1895 in New York City, New York, USA. Died 6 September 1988.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 6 April 1895, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 6 September 1988
- **Active:** 1928–1952
- **Also known as:** Harold G. Rosson, Hal Rosson
- **Frequently works with:** [Adolph Green](https://film.one/person/adolph-green.md), [Arthur Freed](https://film.one/person/arthur-freed.md), [Betty Comden](https://film.one/person/betty-comden.md), [Gene Kelly](https://film.one/person/gene-kelly.md), [Jean Hagen](https://film.one/person/jean-hagen.md), [Stanley Donen](https://film.one/person/stanley-donen.md), [Victor Fleming](https://film.one/person/victor-fleming.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 5 Oscar nominations
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1920s 84 (1), 1930s 88 (2), 1940s 84 (1), 1950s 90 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 91 to 85 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 6 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Romance 3, Adventure 2, Comedy 2, Family 2, Crime 1
- **Screen time:** 10 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $48m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Rosson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1368602, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005849/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/9057

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Singin' in the Rain*](https://film.one/film/singin-in-the-rain.md) (93), [*The Wizard of Oz*](https://film.one/film/the-wizard-of-oz.md) (91)
- **Tubi:** [*On the Town*](https://film.one/film/on-the-town.md) (84)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Harold G. 'Hal' Rosson was an American cinematographer whose career spanned the silent era to the late 1960s. Born in New York City on 6 April 1895, he began in film in 1908 as an actor at Vitagraph Studios in Brooklyn before moving into camera work. He joined Metro Pictures in 1914 and later worked at Famous Players and with Mary Pickford.

Rosson is best known for his Technicolor photography on *The Wizard of Oz* (1939) and *Singin' in the Rain* (1952), both for MGM, where he was under contract from the 1930s. Other notable credits include *The Asphalt Jungle* (1950), *On the Town* (1949), *Duel in the Sun* (1946) and *El Dorado* (1966). In 1936 he shared an honorary Academy Award with W. Howard Greene for the colour cinematography of *The Garden of Allah* (1936).

He came from a film family: his brothers Arthur and Richard were directors and his sister Helene was an actress. Rosson retired in the late 1950s but returned for his final feature in 1966; he died in Palm Beach, Florida, on 6 September 1988.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

- *Singin' in the Rain* (1952), Fi1m 93, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/singin-in-the-rain.md)
- *The Asphalt Jungle* (1950), Fi1m 88, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-asphalt-jungle.md)
- *On the Town* (1949), Fi1m 84, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/on-the-town.md)
- *The Wizard of Oz* (1939), Fi1m 91, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-wizard-of-oz.md)
- *Captains Courageous* (1937), Fi1m 84, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/captains-courageous.md)
- *The Docks of New York* (1928), Fi1m 84, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-docks-of-new-york.md)

## Complete filmography (120)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *El Dorado* (1966), Director of Photography
- *No Time for Sergeants* (1958), Director of Photography
- *The Enemy Below* (1957), Director of Photography
- *Toward the Unknown* (1956), Director of Photography
- *The Bad Seed* (1956), Director of Photography
- *Pete Kelly's Blues* (1955), Director of Photography
- *Strange Lady in Town* (1955), Director of Photography
- *Ulysses* (1954), Director of Photography
- *Mambo* (1954), Director of Photography
- *The Actress* (1953), Director of Photography
- *Dangerous When Wet* (1953), Director of Photography
- *The Story of Three Loves* (1953), Director of Photography
- *I Love Melvin* (1953), Director of Photography
- *Lone Star* (1952), Director of Photography
- *Singin' in the Rain* (1952), Director of Photography — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/singin-in-the-rain.md)
- *Love Is Better Than Ever* (1952), Director of Photography
- *The Red Badge of Courage* (1951), Director of Photography
- *To Please a Lady* (1950), Director of Photography
- *The Asphalt Jungle* (1950), Director of Photography — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/the-asphalt-jungle.md)
- *Key to the City* (1950), Director of Photography
- *On the Town* (1949), Director of Photography — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/on-the-town.md)
- *Any Number Can Play* (1949), Director of Photography
- *The Stratton Story* (1949), Director of Photography
- *Command Decision* (1948), Director of Photography
- *Homecoming* (1948), Director of Photography
- *The Hucksters* (1947), Director of Photography
- *Living in a Big Way* (1947), Director of Photography
- *Duel in the Sun* (1946), Director of Photography
- *Three Wise Fools* (1946), Director of Photography
- *No Leave, No Love* (1946), Director of Photography
- *Between Two Women* (1945), Director of Photography
- *Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo* (1944), Director of Photography
- *An American Romance* (1944), Director of Photography
- *Slightly Dangerous* (1943), Director of Photography
- *Tennessee Johnson* (1942), Director of Photography
- *Somewhere I'll Find You* (1942), Director of Photography
- *Johnny Eager* (1941), Director of Photography
- *Honky Tonk* (1941), Director of Photography
- *Washington Melodrama* (1941), Director of Photography
- *Dr. Kildare Goes Home* (1940), Director of Photography
- *Boom Town* (1940), Director of Photography
- *I Take This Woman* (1940), Director of Photography
- *Forgotten Victory* (1939), Director of Photography
- *The Wizard of Oz* (1939), Director of Photography — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/the-wizard-of-oz.md)
- *Too Hot to Handle* (1938), Director of Photography
- *That Mothers Might Live* (1938), Director of Photography
- *A Yank at Oxford* (1938), Cinematography
- *Double Wedding* (1937), Director of Photography
- *The Emperor's Candlesticks* (1937), Director of Photography
- *Captains Courageous* (1937), Director of Photography — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/captains-courageous.md)
- *They Gave Him a Gun* (1937), Director of Photography
- *The Garden of Allah* (1936), Cinematography
- *The Devil Is a Sissy* (1936), Director of Photography
- *As You Like It* (1936), Director of Photography
- *The Man Who Could Work Miracles* (1936), Director of Photography
- *The Ghost Goes West* (1935), Director of Photography
- *The Scarlet Pimpernel* (1934), Director of Photography
- *Treasure Island* (1934), Director of Photography
- *The Cat and the Fiddle* (1934), Director of Photography
- *This Side of Heaven* (1934), Director of Photography
- *Bombshell* (1933), Director of Photography
- *Penthouse* (1933), Director of Photography
- *Turn Back the Clock* (1933), Director of Photography
- *Hold Your Man* (1933), Director of Photography
- *The Barbarian* (1933), Director of Photography
- *Red Dust* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Kongo* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Downstairs* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Red-Headed Woman* (1932), Director of Photography
- *Tarzan the Ape Man* (1932), Director of Photography
- *The Cuban Love Song* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Sporting Blood* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Son of India* (1931), Director of Photography
- *The Squaw Man* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Love in Every Port* (1931), Cinematography
- *Men Call It Love* (1931), Director of Photography
- *Passion Flower* (1930), Director of Photography
- *Madam Satan* (1930), Director of Photography
- *This Mad World* (1930), Director of Photography
- *South Sea Rose* (1929), Director of Photography
- *Frozen Justice* (1929), Cinematography
- *The Far Call* (1929), Cinematography
- *Trent's Last Case* (1929), Director of Photography
- *The Case of Lena Smith* (1929), Director of Photography
- *Three Week Ends* (1928), Director of Photography
- *The Docks of New York* (1928), Director of Photography — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-docks-of-new-york.md)
- *The Sawdust Paradise* (1928), Director of Photography
- *The Drag Net* (1928), Director of Photography
- *Abie's Irish Rose* (1928), Director of Photography
- *Gentlemen Prefer Blondes* (1928), Director of Photography
- *Open Range* (1927), Cinematography
- *A Gentleman of Paris* (1927), Director of Photography
- *Service for Ladies* (1927), Director of Photography
- *Rough House Rosie* (1927), Director of Photography
- *Evening Clothes* (1927), Director of Photography
- *Getting Gertie's Garter* (1927), Director of Photography
- *Man Bait* (1927), Director of Photography
- *Jim the Conqueror* (1926), Cinematography
- *For Wives Only* (1926), Cinematography
- *Almost a Lady* (1926), Director of Photography
- *Up in Mabel's Room* (1926), Director of Photography
- *The Little French Girl* (1925), Cinematography
- *A Man Must Live* (1925), Director of Photography
- *Too Many Kisses* (1925), Director of Photography
- *Manhattan* (1924), Cinematography
- *Manhandled* (1924), Director of Photography
- *A Society Scandal* (1924), Director of Photography
- *Big Brother* (1923), Director of Photography
- *Zaza* (1923), Director of Photography
- *The Glimpses of the Moon* (1923), Director of Photography
- *Quicksands* (1923), Director of Photography
- *Dark Secrets* (1923), Director of Photography
- *Through a Glass Window* (1922), Director of Photography
- *A Virginia Courtship* (1921), Cinematography
- *Buried Treasure* (1921), Director of Photography
- *Heliotrope* (1920), Camera Operator
- *The Cinema Murder* (1919), Director of Photography
- *The American Consul* (1917), Director of Photography
- *Panthea* (1917), Director of Photography
- *Oliver Twist* (1916), Director of Photography

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 5 nominated

- 1957: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated), for *The Bad Seed*
- 1951: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated), for *The Asphalt Jungle*
- 1945: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated), for *Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo*
- 1941: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated), for *Boom Town*
- 1940: Best Cinematography, Color (nominated), for *The Wizard of Oz*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/harold-rosson