Fred Sersen

Biography:

Fred Sersen was born Ferdinand Sersen, February 24, 1890, in Czechoslovakia. His first credited film was A Connecticut Yankee (1931). In 1937 he recreated the 1871 Great Chicago Fire on the screen for the movie In Old Chicago.
Fred Sersen was an American cinema special effects artist working mainly at 20th Century Fox Studios from the 1930′s to the 1950′s with credits in over 200 movies. He won two Academy Awards for Best Effects, Special Effects (photographic), in 1940 for The Rains Came, and in 1944 for Crash Dive. An artificial lake created for the former movie was named in his honor.
He died December 11, 1962 in Los Angeles, California.

“American special-effects maestro Fred Sersen spent the bulk of his motion picture career at 20th Century-Fox. Under the aegis of Darryl F. Zanuck, Fox earned a reputation of turning out lavish productions at the lowest possible cost. To convey a sense of grandeur, Fox needed a special effects department head who could create the illusion of vast landscapes, huge palaces and natural disasters where none actually existed. Sersen served up the goods with his first important assignment, In Old Chicago (1938), where with a seamless blend of miniatures, glass shots, travelling mattes and process screens, the city of Chicago realistically went up in flames for nearly two reels. While Fred Sersen garnered Academy Awards for The Rains Came (1939) (which included an outsized flood) and Crash Dive (1942), he was equally craftsmanlike on all studio projects, big or small. To Fred Sersen can go credit for the canal building sequences in Suez (1938), the climactic conflagration in Hangover Square (1945), the wood-resistant baseball in It Happens Every Spring (1949), the arrival of Klatu’s spacecraft in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), the sinking of the title vessel in Titanic (1952), and the bizarre closing gag in The Bullfighters (1945), wherein Laurel and Hardy were transformed into living skeletons! In honor of this indispensable but unsung genius, the huge 20th Century-Fox backlot lake originally built for 1939′s The Rains Came — and utilized right up to 1961′s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea — was named Sersen Lake.” Biography by Hal Erickson

T.C.Fox matte department in the 1950s. From Left To right: Ray Kellogg, Lee Leblanc, Cliff Silsby, Emile Kosa Jr, departament head Fred Sersen with the cigar, and Max De Vega.

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Sersen with some of his artists painting on glasses.

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Fred Sersen won the Academy wars Oscar for best FX for two films, Crash Dive (1944) and The rains came (1939)

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Filmography:

Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) (visual effects supervisor: Sersen tank) (uncredited)
20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) (visual effects supervisor: second unit) (uncredited)
The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953) (special photographic effects)
Down Among the Sheltering Palms (1953) (special photographic effects)
Lydia Bailey (1952) (special photographic effects)
The Pride of St. Louis (1952) (special photographic effects)
With a Song in My Heart (1952) (special photographic effects)
5 Fingers (1952) (special effects) (uncredited)
Viva Zapata! (1952) (special photographic effects)
Red Skies of Montana (1952) (special photographic effects)
The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951) (special photographic effects)
Elopement (1951) (special photographic effects)
Fixed Bayonets! (1951) (special effects)
Let’s Make It Legal (1951) (special photographic effects)
Golden Girl (1951) (special photographic effects)
Anne of the Indies (1951) (special effects)
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951) (special photographic effects)
Love Nest (1951) (special effects)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) (special photographic effects)
People Will Talk (1951) (special effects)
The Guy Who Came Back (1951) (special photographic effects)
Meet Me After the Show (1951) (special photographic effects)
David and Bathsheba (1951) (special photographic effects)
The Secret of Convict Lake (1951) (special photographic effects)
As Young as You Feel (1951) (special photographic effects)
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951) (special photographic effects)
Take Care of My Little Girl (1951) (special photographic effects)
The Frogmen (1951) (special photographic effects)
The House on Telegraph Hill (1951) (special photographic effects)
Half Angel (1951) (special photographic effects)
Follow the Sun (1951) (special photographic effects)
On the Riviera (1951) (special photographic effects)
I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1951) (special effects)
Rawhide (1951) (special photographic effects)
Bird of Paradise (1951) (special effects)
Fourteen Hours (1951) (special photographic effects)
You’re in the Navy Now (1951) (special effects)
I’d Climb the Highest Mountain (1951) (special effects)
Call Me Mister (1951) (special photographic effects)
The 13th Letter (1951) (special effects)
Halls of Montezuma (1951) (special photographic effects)
For Heaven’s Sake (1950) (special effects)
American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950) (special photographic effects)
The Jackpot (1950) (special effects)
All About Eve (1950) (special photographic effects)
Two Flags West (1950) (special effects)
I’ll Get By (1950) (special photographic effects)
Mister 880 (1950) (special effects)
No Way Out (1950) (special photographic effects)
Broken Arrow (1950) (special photographic effects)
Stella (1950) (special effects)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) (special effects)
The Gunfighter (1950) (special photographic effects)
Panic in the Streets (1950) (special photographic effects)
Love That Brute (1950) (special effects)
A Ticket to Tomahawk (1950) (special effects)
The Big Lift (1950) (special effects)
Cheaper by the Dozen (1950) (special photographic effects)
Wabash Avenue (1950) (special photographic effects)
Under My Skin (1950) (special effects)
Mother Didn’t Tell Me (1950) (special photographic effects)
Three Came Home (1950) (special effects)
When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950) (special photographic effects)
Twelve O’Clock High (1949) (special photographic effects)
Dancing in the Dark (1949) (special photographic effects)
Whirlpool (1949) (special photographic effects)
Oh, You Beautiful Doll (1949) (special photographic effects)
Prince of Foxes (1949) (special photographic effects)
Everybody Does It (1949) (special photographic effects)
Thieves’ Highway (1949) (special photographic effects)
Father Was a Fullback (1949) (special effects)
Pinky (1949) (special photographic effects)
I Was a Male War Bride (1949) (special photographic effects)
Slattery’s Hurricane (1949) (special effects)
Sand (1949) (special photographic effects)
Come to the Stable (1949) (special effects)
House of Strangers (1949) (special photographic effects)
You’re My Everything (1949) (special photographic effects)
It Happens Every Spring (1949) (special photographic effects)
The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949) (special effects)
Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949) (special effects)
The Fan (1949) (special effects)
Mother Is a Freshman (1949) (special photographic effects)
Down to the Sea in Ships (1949) (special effects)
Yellow Sky (1949) (special photographic effects)
A Letter to Three Wives (1949) (special photographic effects)
Chicken Every Sunday (1949) (special effects)
Unfaithfully Yours (1948) (special photographic effects)
That Wonderful Urge (1948) (special effects)
When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948) (special effects)
The Snake Pit (1948) (special photographic effects)
Apartment for Peggy (1948) (special photographic effects)
Cry of the City (1948) (special effects)
Road House (1948) (special effects)
The Luck of the Irish (1948) (special effects)
That Lady in Ermine (1948) (special effects)
The Walls of Jericho (1948) (special effects)
Deep Waters (1948) (special effects)
The Street with No Name (1948) (special photographic effects)
The Iron Curtain (1948) (special effects)
Give My Regards to Broadway (1948) (special effects)
Fury at Furnace Creek (1948) (special effects)
Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948) (special effects)
Sitting Pretty (1948) (special photographic effects)
Call Northside 777 (1948) (special photographic effects)
You Were Meant for Me (1948) (special photographic effects)
Captain from Castile (1947) (special photographic effects)
Daisy Kenyon (1947) (special effects)
Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) (special photographic effects)
Forever Amber (1947) (special photographic effects)
Nightmare Alley (1947) (special effects)
The Foxes of Harrow (1947) (special effects)
I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now (1947) (special photographic effects)
Kiss of Death (1947) (special photographic effects)
Thunder in the Valley (1947) (special effects)
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) (special effects)
Moss Rose (1947) (special photographic effects)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947) (special photographic effects)
The Homestretch (1947) (special photographic effects)
Carnival in Costa Rica (1947) (special photographic effects)
The Late George Apley (1947) (special photographic effects)
Boomerang! (1947) (special photographic effects)
The Brasher Doubloon (1947) (special photographic effects)
13 Rue Madeleine (1947) (special photographic effects)
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) (special photographic effects)
My Darling Clementine (1946) (special photographic effects)
Wake Up and Dream (1946) (special photographic effects)
The Razor’s Edge (1946) (special photographic effects)
Margie (1946) (special photographic effects)
Home, Sweet Homicide (1946) (special photographic effects)
If I’m Lucky (1946) (special photographic effects)
It Shouldn’t Happen to a Dog (1946) (special effects)
Centennial Summer (1946) (special photographic effects)
Smoky (1946) (special photographic effects)
Anna and the King of Siam (1946) (special photographic effects)
Somewhere in the Night (1946) (special photographic effects)
Do You Love Me (1946) (special photographic effects)
Strange Triangle (1946) (special effects)
Cluny Brown (1946) (special photographic effects)
Dragonwyck (1946) (special photographic effects)
The Dark Corner (1946) (special photographic effects)
Johnny Comes Flying Home (1946) (special effects)
Sentimental Journey (1946) (special photographic effects)
Claudia and David (1946) (special effects)
Behind Green Lights (1946) (special effects)
Colonel Effingham’s Raid (1946) (special effects)
Shock (1946) (special photographic effects)
The Spider (1945) (special photographic effects)
Leave Her to Heaven (1945) (special photographic effects)
The Dolly Sisters (1945) (special photographic effects)
Three Little Girls in Blue (1945) (special photographic effects)
Fallen Angel (1945) (special photographic effects)
Thunderhead – Son of Flicka (1945) (special effects)
The House on 92nd Street (1945) (special photographic effects)
State Fair (1945) (special photographic effects)
Within These Walls (1945) (special photographic effects)
The Caribbean Mystery (1945) (special photographic effects)
A Bell for Adano (1945) (special photographic effects)
Captain Eddie (1945) (special photographic effects)
Junior Miss (1945) (special photographic effects)
Nob Hill (1945) (special photographic effects)
Don Juan Quilligan (1945) (special photographic effects)
Molly and Me (1945) (special photographic effects) (uncredited)
Where Do We Go from Here? (1945) (special photographic effects)
The Bullfighters (1945) (special photographic effects)
The All-Star Bond Rally (1945) (special effects)
Diamond Horseshoe (1945) (special photographic effects)
A Royal Scandal (1945) (special photographic effects)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) (special effects)
Hangover Square (1945) (special effects)
Doll Face (1945) (special photographic effects)
Winged Victory (1944) (special effects)
The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) (special photographic effects)
Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944) (special effects)
Something for the Boys (1944) (special photographic effects)
Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1944) (special effects)
Laura (1944) (special photographic effects)
Greenwich Village (1944) (special photographic effects)
The Big Noise (1944) (special photographic effects)
In the Meantime, Darling (1944) (special photographic effects)
Sweet and Low-Down (1944) (special effects)
Wilson (1944) (special effects)
Roger Touhy, Gangster (1944) (special effects)
Wing and a Prayer (1944) (special photographic effects)
Take It or Leave It (1944) (special photographic effects)
Home in Indiana (1944) (special photographic effects)
Ladies of Washington (1944) (special photographic effects)
The Eve of St. Mark (1944) (special effects)
The Bermuda Mystery (1944) (special effects)
Pin Up Girl (1944) (special photographic effects)
Tampico (1944) (special effects)
Buffalo Bill (1944) (special photographic effects)
Four Jills in a Jeep (1944) (special effects)
The Purple Heart (1944) (special effects)
Jane Eyre (1944) (special photographic effects)
The Sullivans (1944) (special photographic effects)
The Lodger (1944) (special effects)
Lifeboat (1944) (special photographic effects)
The Fighting Lady (1944) (special photographic effects: maps)
The Gang’s All Here (1943) (special effects)
The Song of Bernadette (1943) (special photographic effects)
The Dancing Masters (1943) (special photographic effects)
Stormy Weather (1943) (special effects)
Happy Land (1943) (special photographic effects)
Guadalcanal Diary (1943) (special photographic effects)
Paris After Dark (1943) (special effects)
Sweet Rosie O’Grady (1943) (special effects)
Wintertime (1943) (special photographic effects)
Holy Matrimony (1943) (special effects)
Heaven Can Wait (1943) (special photographic effects)
Bomber’s Moon (1943) (special photographic effects)
Jitterbugs (1943) (special photographic effects)
Coney Island (1943) (special photographic effects)
They Came to Blow Up America (1943) (special effects)
Crash Dive (1943) (special photographic effects)
Hello Frisco, Hello (1943) (special effects)
The Moon Is Down (1943) (special effects)
Claudia (1943) (special effects)
The Black Swan (1942) (special photographic effects)
How Green Was My Valley (1941) (special photographic effects) (uncredited)
A Yank in the R.A.F. (1941) (special effects coordinator)
Brigham Young – Frontiersman (1940) (special effects)
Little Old New York (1940) (special effects)
The Blue Bird (1940) (special effects)
Young People (1940) (second unit director) (uncredited)
The Rains Came (1939) (special effects scenes stager)

One of the drawings Fred Sersen made before embarking upon the complex photographic effects for “The Rains Came”

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- Suez (1938) (special effects)
- In Old Chicago (1937) (special effects)
- Under Two Flags (1936) (special effects) (uncredited)
- Dante’s Inferno (1935) (technical staff) (as Fred M. Sersen)
- A Connecticut Yankee (1931) (special effects)
- The Big Trail (1930) (settings)