William G. Wilson (March 10, 1917 – October 28, 2007) was an American cinematographer and Director of Photography (DP) who filmed hundreds of championship sporting events during a career that spanned more than 50 years. Wilson filmed baseball, football, basketball, ice hockey, golf, boxing, horse-racing and auto racing. His pioneering work in television news-filming for WFIL-TV in Philadelphia, the first ABC affiliate station in the nation, set early standards for filming news and sports. During World War II, Wilson served as a combat cameraman and aviator with the United States Marine Corps, filming major action in the South Pacific on the ground and in the air.
Biography
Born in Phoenixville, Chester County, Pennsylvania on March 10, 1917, William Wilson grew up on a farm near Kimberton, PA. He was one of ten children. His father, William M. Wilson, who owned a plumbing business, served as the mayor of Phoenixville and on borough council for 28 years. Wilson excelled at baseball as a young man and played semi-pro ball as a second-baseman. He was invited to a tryout with the New York Baseball Giants, but the outbreak of war cut short a fledgling athletic career. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Wilson enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he served as a combat cameraman and aviator. While on leave in Philadelphia, he met Jean Hoff, serving with the Navy WAVES, whom he married in 1945. They were married for 62 years and raised three children in Folcroft, Delaware County, Pennsylvania where he lived until his death on October 28, 2007.
Military Photography
Wilson began his film career as a combat cameraman with the United States Marine Corps in the South Pacific during World War II. He enlisted in the Marines shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and, following boot camp, received specialized photographic training with Severo Antonelli in Philadelphia and at Life Magazine in New York City. Wilson served with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing in the South Pacific recording the activities of Marine units on the ground and in the air. He flew numerous combat missions and was a qualified tail-gunner. Attaining the rank of Staff-Sergeant, Wilson saw duty on Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Peleliu, Munda, Espiritu Santo, Rabaul, Leyte Gulf and New Georgia in the British Solomon Islands. He was personally awarded a medal by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz for courage under fire while filming a cargo drop in an exposed position from the open door of an aircraft to determine parachute drift patterns. One of his photographs of a fierce night battle at Bloody Nose Ridge on Peleliu, published in over 500 newspapers, was recognized by Commander Edward Steichen, Chief of Naval Photography, as one of the best pictures depicting action in the Pacific theater.
Television Newsfilming
At the conclusion of the war Wilson went to work as a staff cameraman for WFIL-TV, the Philadelphia Inquirer television station. While at WFIL-TV Wilson filmed the screen test for Dick Clark, the iconic host of American Bandstand. In 1956, Wilson was awarded top honors in newsreel sports photography in the 13th Annual News Pictures of the Year Competition by the National Press Photographers Association for innovative techniques filming horse-racing. One of his technical accomplishments involved mounting two 16mm Kodak Cine Special II motion picture cameras side by side on a specially designed plate for filming horse-racing. One camera was equipped with a long telephoto lens to isolate the view to a single horse and the other a shorter focal length lens to show a wider view of the horses. Another innovation was the design of a preset lens aperture control for maintaining proper film exposure between highlight and shadow areas when filming under the challenging lighting conditions in sports stadiums. This was prior to the advent of automatic electronic aperture devices. In addition to his work for WFIL-TV, Wilson also worked as a news cameraman for KYW-TV and WCAU-TV in Philadelphia and for ABC, NBC, CBS and UPI TV News.