Benjamin H. Kline — Little Close-Ups of the A. S. C. (1922) 🇺🇸
Ben H. Kline’s (A. S. C.) hair stands up that way because he sees Tom Mix do so many hair-raising acts of daring and heroism. Being constantly in danger of his life from reckless cowpunchers, bucking bronchos, stampeding steers, precarious set ups and other wild west perils Mr. Kline’s life is just one thrill after another and most of ‘em are calculated to strike terror to the heart and hair of the poor cameraman.
Ben Kline’s first picture with Tom Mix was Hands Off and this was followed by A Ridin’ Romeo. He then went to Universal to photograph Frank Mayo in Hitchin’ Posts and The Red Lane, but Frank isn’t any more of a peaceful character than Tom so Ben H. took his tripod and beat it back to the old home at the Fox [William Fox] farm.
The Rough Diamond was his next with Mix, followed in order by The Big Town Rounder, The Night Horseman, The Road Demon, Honorbound, Trailing, The Marriage Pit, etc., etc.
The filmer of western pictures must be almost as resourceful as the cameraman of the comedies, for he is called upon to shoot all kinds of rough stuff which requires precarious set ups and taxes the ingenuity of the cameraman to the utmost. He must, in fact, be a sort of photographic engineer able to get anything the crazy script calls for and some of these stunts are almost impossible to film.
Mr. Kline from long experience has become an expert in stunt and freak stuff and he could many an interesting tale unfold if he would consent to show his bag of tricks to the reading public, but he won’t do it, so that’s that.
P. S. Mr. Kline’s [Benjamin H. Kline] cut was lost just before going to press, so you’ll have to take our word for it that he wears his hair pompadour.
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Collection: American Cinematographer, February 1922
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see here all Little Close-Ups of the A. S. C. (1922)
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