Butler-Glouner
- Special Effects
Butler-Glouner Special Effects was a special effects company headquartered in Hollywood, CA. The company was formed within the Columbia Pictures within the Columbia Studio lot at 1438 North Gower Street, Hollywood, CA after WWII. The iconic studio lot is in the same historic location and now named Sunset Gower Studios. Butler Glouner Company was the original name of the company and the brainchild of Donald "Don" Glouner and Lawrence "Larry" Butler (both separately on IMDB.) They helped propel Matte Photography into what became Blue Backing and the modern day Green Screen technology, which is effectively the combining of two separate Motion Picture layer techniques into one single image.
Larry Butler was the son of special and optical effects director William Butler. Lawrence began his career working with his father. He then went to work with Alexander Korda in England where Butler did the special effects for The Thief of Baghdad (1940) and Jungle Book (1942) . Following WW II, Butler became the head of Columbia Pictures' special effects department for close to thirty years. Later he was awarded with one Oscar for Marooned (1969), but that the Academy has classified under Robie Robertson (also on IMDB). In 1976, Mr. Butler and Roger Banks were awarded a special Oscar for their scientific and technical contributions dealing with "the concept of applying low inertia and stepping electric motors to film transport systems and optical printers for motion picture production."
Donald Glouner was a special effects cinematographer, whose specialties were matte/processes effects and montage sequences. Mr. Glouner would sneak out of Hollywood High School, at 1521 North Highland Ave, Hollywood, CA, and sweep and clean the studio floors for his uncle, Charlie Glouner, one of Columbia Pictures' first cameramen and who shot one of the first motion picture captures of an eclipse of the sun. After high school, Donald Glouner later worked mainly at Columbia as associate of Lawrence Butler, the head of Columbia special effects department. Eventually the team formed the Butler Glouner Company, an independent visual and special effects studio that was in business until 1973. Mr. Glouner was awarded with an Oscar for Marooned (1969), along with Larry Butler and Robie Robertson. Don was the younger brother of cinematographer Martin Glouner (1909-1983), the uncle of Emmy winner cinematographer Richard Glouner (1931-1998), and father to cinematographers Gary Glouner Sr. and Dennis Glouner (Emmy and Oscar winner). All of these Glouners are separately on IMDB.
Columbia Pictures Studios itself was founded on June 19, 1918, as Cohn-Brandt-Cohn (CBC) Film Sales by brothers Jack and Harry Cohn and Jack's best friend Joe Brandt, and released its first feature film More to Be Pitied Than Scorned on August 20, 1922. The film, with a budget of $20,000, was a success, bringing in $130,000 in revenue for the company. Brandt was president of CBC Film Sales, handling sales, marketing and distribution from New York along with Jack Cohn, while Harry Cohn ran production in Hollywood. The studio's early productions were low-budget short subjects: Screen Snapshots, the Hallroom Boys (the vaudeville duo of Edward Flanagan and Neely Edwards), and the Chaplin imitator Billy West. The start-up CBC leased space in a Poverty Row studio on Hollywood's famously low-rent Gower Street. Among Hollywood's elite, the studio's small-time reputation led some to joke that "CBC" stood for "Corned Beef and Cabbage".
Larry Butler was the son of special and optical effects director William Butler. Lawrence began his career working with his father. He then went to work with Alexander Korda in England where Butler did the special effects for The Thief of Baghdad (1940) and Jungle Book (1942) . Following WW II, Butler became the head of Columbia Pictures' special effects department for close to thirty years. Later he was awarded with one Oscar for Marooned (1969), but that the Academy has classified under Robie Robertson (also on IMDB). In 1976, Mr. Butler and Roger Banks were awarded a special Oscar for their scientific and technical contributions dealing with "the concept of applying low inertia and stepping electric motors to film transport systems and optical printers for motion picture production."
Donald Glouner was a special effects cinematographer, whose specialties were matte/processes effects and montage sequences. Mr. Glouner would sneak out of Hollywood High School, at 1521 North Highland Ave, Hollywood, CA, and sweep and clean the studio floors for his uncle, Charlie Glouner, one of Columbia Pictures' first cameramen and who shot one of the first motion picture captures of an eclipse of the sun. After high school, Donald Glouner later worked mainly at Columbia as associate of Lawrence Butler, the head of Columbia special effects department. Eventually the team formed the Butler Glouner Company, an independent visual and special effects studio that was in business until 1973. Mr. Glouner was awarded with an Oscar for Marooned (1969), along with Larry Butler and Robie Robertson. Don was the younger brother of cinematographer Martin Glouner (1909-1983), the uncle of Emmy winner cinematographer Richard Glouner (1931-1998), and father to cinematographers Gary Glouner Sr. and Dennis Glouner (Emmy and Oscar winner). All of these Glouners are separately on IMDB.
Columbia Pictures Studios itself was founded on June 19, 1918, as Cohn-Brandt-Cohn (CBC) Film Sales by brothers Jack and Harry Cohn and Jack's best friend Joe Brandt, and released its first feature film More to Be Pitied Than Scorned on August 20, 1922. The film, with a budget of $20,000, was a success, bringing in $130,000 in revenue for the company. Brandt was president of CBC Film Sales, handling sales, marketing and distribution from New York along with Jack Cohn, while Harry Cohn ran production in Hollywood. The studio's early productions were low-budget short subjects: Screen Snapshots, the Hallroom Boys (the vaudeville duo of Edward Flanagan and Neely Edwards), and the Chaplin imitator Billy West. The start-up CBC leased space in a Poverty Row studio on Hollywood's famously low-rent Gower Street. Among Hollywood's elite, the studio's small-time reputation led some to joke that "CBC" stood for "Corned Beef and Cabbage".