Earl Sponable Academy Award, 1953
Earl Iru E.I. Sponable
(1895-1977)
Originating from far more humble beginnings than Ted Case, Earl Iru Sponable (who Ted would refer to as E.I.) was born in Plainfield, New York on a small farm. Sponable waited tables and played violin to make his way through Cornell University, where he received a BA in Chemistry in 1916. It was at this time that he caught the attention of the nascent Case Research Lab, and upon meeting Ted the two became fast friends, with Sponable sharing Case’s brilliant scientific mind.
While not included in the patents themselves, Sponable shared much of the credit for the creation of the Case Research Lab’s most successful inventions, with the Lab’s emphasis on methodical research proving to be nothing short of a dream for a scientist whose only limits would be his own personal finances. When the Laboratory’s focus turned to sound film, Sponable was Case’s most trusted partner and advisor, with Sponable providing much of the manual labor involved in getting De Forest Phonofilm off the ground. In fact, in any case where the Case Lab’s services were needed for repair or preparation for sound film demonstration, Sponable would be readily sent to theaters across New York to provide his unique services. His skills were so readily recognized that de Forest blatantly attempted on multiple occasions to poach Sponable from the Lab. Sponable’s recognition of Case as a more reliable partner and superior scientist was both a testament to Case and clear indictment of de Forest.
Sponable was instrumental in the adaptation of the AEO light, and it was his recognition that de Forest did not entirely understand how to use the technology that brought to light the contradictions of credit between the Lab and Phonofilm. Upon the Lab’s departure from Phonofilm and partnership with Fox Film Corporation, Sponable rose quickly to become an instrumental figure in Fox’s operations, though he was frustrated with Fox’s comparatively slow, and quiet rollout of sound film (with Warner Brothers receiving acclaim in 1926 for its Vitaphone system despite myriad technical errors).
Upon Case’s departure from Fox, Sponable remained as the primary contact with the Laboratory and was named head of Fox’s research division in the 1930’s. Sponable would make a name for himself in the technical development of sound film, including the invention of the porous movie theater screen that allows amplifiers to project film from behind the screen and later on magnetic sound. In the 1940s into the 50s, Sponable became president of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. In 1953, he was given an Academy Award for his work on Cinemascope, and he remained at Fox (by then 20th Century Fox) until 1962. He passed away in Lake Placid, New York in 1977. The Cayuga Museum today is the primary repository of the Earl Sponable Collection.
Return to Characters PageReturn to Characters Page
Images on this Page
Header: Earl Sponable posing with daylight monitoring device, 1916
Upper Left: 1953 Academy Award including credit to Earl Sponable
