John P. Fulton

Born in Nebraska, John P. Fulton moved with his family to California in 1914. His father, adamant that John NOT become involved with the movie industry, insisted that he study electrical engineering; after graduating from high school, he worked as a surveyor, but frequently took time out to watch D. W. Griffith shooting movies. In the early '20s, Fulton broke into the picture business as a $25-a-week assistant cameraman and worked his way up to operator and finally, at the dawn of the talkie era, to cinematographer. He learned the legerdemain of trick photography while working at the Frank William Laboratory, then moved on to Universal, where he headed the studio's effects department. There Fulton and his team contributed to classics like "Frankenstein", director John Ford's "Air Mail" (a favorite of aviator Fulton) and "The Invisible Man". Fulton and his department also furnished the effects for four Invisible Man sequels, three of which garnered Oscar nominations; so did their work on "The Boys from Syracuse". Loaned out to Sam Goldwyn, Fulton worked on the effects for the Danny Kaye fantasy "Wonder Man, " which won him his first Academy Award. Two more Oscar wins ("The Bridges at Toko-Ri" and "The Ten Commandments") followed during Fulton's Paramount years.

When Gordon Jennings died in 1953, John P. Fulton became head of the Special Effects Department at Paramount. He held that position until the Special Effects Department was phased out.

His daughter Joanne Fulton Schaefer talks extensively about her dad in the book "A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde" (McFarland & Co., 2010) by Tom Weaver.