Tweet Garutso Balanced Lens

TCM recently showed The Member of the Wedding (1952). A credit indicated that the film was shot with the "Garutso Balanced Lens". I vaguely recalled seeing such a credit before, so I did a little online research.

This unusual lens was invented by a White Russian expatriate named Stephen E. Garutso (1895-1964). It was touted as giving a deep-focus effect, even at wide apertures. This was achieved by some sort of circular split-diopter arrangement.

The Garutso lens was first used in 1949 for a couple of B-westerns, then Stanley Kramer was impressed enough to employ it for several of his important productions. About 30 films were reportedly shot with the Garutso lens over a 5-year period, 1949-1953.

Some films shot with the Garutso Balanced Lens are:

Deputy Marshal (1949)
Apache Chief (1949)
Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) Kramer
The Scarf (1951)
The Four Poster (1952) Kramer
The Member of the Wedding (1952) Kramer
The Wild One (1953) Kramer

Can anyone add to this list?

Jim Gettys

TOUGH ASSIGNMENT (1949) is another one of them. Lippert used this lens a lot, and it's easy to distinguish because Garutso had a contract that had his name put in the credits of all films that used it.

I've got a bit of paperwork on it. When I get back East, you're welcome to have scans. Here is the general patent assigned to it:

http://www.google.com/patents?id=jppQAAAAEBAJ

The 1949 film THREE HUSBANDS (on Mill Creek's COMEDY KINGS 50 MOVIE PACK) cites the Garutso Balanced Lens in its opening titles.

I am currently watching "The Big Night" 1951 film on Netflix streaming, shot with this lens.