Chester A. Lyons — Little Close-Ups of the A. S. C. (1922) 🇺🇸

Chester A. Lyons, A. S. C, is just beginning his ninth year as a cinematographer, and during those years has been a busy boy. He has practically never been idle since he first began to crank second camera on “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” for the World Company, one of the first seven-reelers ever made. Following this he went to Bermuda and filmed three four-reel pictures for the Victory Company, an unusual thing in those days when picture companies did little traveling.

He went to Eclair for twelve comedies and while there had some laboratory experience, but he returned to the camera when Horsley [Wallace Horsley] engaged him for a series of thirty animal pictures in two and five reels.

A brief engagement at National followed this, and then Mr. Lyons went to Ince [Thomas H. Ince] for a long, long sojourn.

Here, after photographing Louise Glaum in two features and William Desmond in six, including “The Servant in the House,” he was assigned to Charles Ray and remained with him until after the completion of “Red Hot Dollars.” His first picture with Ray was “The Son of His Father” and he photographed this young star in twenty-four pictures before Ray and Ince came to the parting of the ways. You will recall some of these as “String Bean,” “The Busher,” “The Egg Crate Wallop,” “Alarm Clock Andy,” “Paris Green,” “Homer Comes Home,” “The Village Sleuth.”

When Ray left Ince Chester Lyons packed up the old tripod and trotted along with his star to the Charles Ray studio where he photographed “Peaceful Valley,” “45 Minutes from Broadway,” “Sudden Jim,” “Nineteen and Phyllis.”

A proposition from International tempted him to New York where he is now photographing Alma Rubens and Marion Davies.

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Collection: American Cinematographer, February 1922

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