Description
The Elmer Dyer papers span the years 1910-1969 (bulk 1930s-1950s) and encompass 4 linear feet. The
collection consists of scripts; pressbooks; programs; financial records; biographical material, including
many articles that Dyer wrote on his career, aerial photography, and Paul Mantz; correspondence of both a
personal and business nature, particularly extensive for the period from 1916 to 1921; books; pamphlets;
periodicals; catalogs regarding photography, photographic equipment, and supplies; and a scrapbook.
Scripts for several U.S. Navy flight training films document Dyer's work during World War II.
Background
Elmer G. Dyer was an American cinematographer active from the mid-1910s to 1940s. He specialized in
aerial photography and aerial stock shots and was closely associated with stunt pilot Paul Mantz for many
years. Dyer received an Academy Award nomination in cinematography for AIR FORCE (1943). During World War
II, Dyer served in the Army's First Motion Picture Unit and shot aerial footage for training films. Dyer
began his own stock-shot library in the 1940s and in later years concentrated his energies on this
business.
Extent
4 linear feet of papers.
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical object belong to the Margaret Herrick Library. Researchers are
responsible for obtaining all necessary rights, licenses, or permissions from the appropriate companies
or individuals before quoting from or publishing materials obtained from the library.
Availability
Available by appointment only.