Maurice Prather facts for kids

Maurice William Prather (born September 6, 1926 – died January 9, 2001) was an American photographer and film director. He was known for his work in both movies and still photography. Maurice was born in Miami, Florida. His parents, Maurice J. Prather and Zora M. Prather, were both from Missouri. He also had a younger sister named Laura Jo.

Early Life and Photography

Maurice Prather's family moved to Kansas City, Missouri, by 1930. His father worked there at a business called Greenwood's. When Maurice was in high school, he became very interested in photography. He got a part-time job as an assistant cameraman and lab technician. This job was at the Calvin Company in Kansas City. The Calvin Company was the biggest company in the world for making industrial films.

When Maurice turned 18 in 1944, he did not join the military like many young men during World War II. He might have had a health issue that prevented him from serving. Instead, he worked as a photographer for North American Aviation in Kansas City, taking pictures of wartime airplanes. In 1945, he became an engineering photographer for Trans World Airlines (TWA). TWA had a major hub in Kansas City for many years.

After that, Prather went back to the Calvin Company as an assistant cameraman. He worked there for two years, from 1946 to 1948. For a short time, he stopped photography and worked as a clerk at a Sears-Roebuck store. But in 1949, he decided to go to college. He enrolled in the journalism program at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.

Working at Centron Corporation

While studying at the University of Kansas, Maurice Prather found a part-time job. He worked as a photographer at the local Centron Corporation film studio. Here, he worked on educational and industrial short films. He also wrote for the University Daily Kansan newspaper at KU. With other students, he helped create a special book with photos about the 1951-52 KU Jayhawks basketball team.

Maurice finished his journalism degree in June 1953. Right after graduating, he started working full-time at Centron. He stayed at Centron for almost ten years. During this time, he made over one hundred educational and industrial films. Many of these films won awards. Besides taking pictures for films, he also recorded sound. After a while, he began to direct films too. It was at Centron that Maurice met his future wife, Rozanne. They got married in the late 1950s. He also met director Herk Harvey there.

Filming Carnival of Souls

In 1959, Maurice Prather and some business partners bought Centron's camera shop. They renamed it Photon Cameras. This was a successful store that sold cameras and had a portrait studio. Prather was an owner and operator until he left Lawrence in 1962.

In 1961, Prather worked on a very special project. He was the photographer for Carnival of Souls. This was a feature film directed by Herk Harvey, made right there in Lawrence. The way Prather filmed this movie was very new and exciting. It later influenced many horror and science fiction films. However, the movie did not become popular until 1989.

Later Career and Legacy

By the time Carnival of Souls was released in late 1962, Maurice Prather had moved from Lawrence with his wife. He started working for Horizon Productions in Kansas City. This was a small studio that made non-theatrical films. In 1967, Prather moved to another educational film company called Coleman Film Enterprises. This company was located in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. He worked there as a photographer until 1977.

In 1977, Maurice and Rozanne, who now had two daughters named Anne and Stefanie, moved to California. Maurice wanted to try working in Hollywood films. However, he did not find much success there. He later said that he preferred still photography over motion pictures. He especially enjoyed food photography and taking portraits for his own artistic reasons.

Maurice Prather returned to Kansas City in 1983. He decided to leave the motion picture business because it was too expensive. The renewed interest in his old film Carnival of Souls during the 1990s was a happy surprise for him. Maurice Prather passed away at his home in Kansas City on January 9, 2001, at the age of 74. He is still remembered and praised for his creative photography in Carnival of Souls. The film continues to be watched by many people, even decades after it was made.