Bob Blair collection

Robert “Bob” Henry Blair was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 25, 1904. He began work originally as an artist, working for photography studios adding color to prints. This work in art led him to the field of motion picture animation where he first learned to use a camera. During the depression Blair took up work as a freelance newsreel cameraman operating in the Midwest. The experience of freelancing made him expert in the use of the portable 35 mm, Bell & Howell Eyemo camera. With the onset of the war, Blair was freelancing predominantly for Fox Movietone News. In 1943, Fox offered Blair the job as official war correspondent for Movietone. In this capacity Blair traveled to England in the late April of 1944 and crossed over to France shortly after the D-Day invasion (probably around June 10) as part of the five-member newsreel roto pool. He filmed combat in the European Theater until October 1945. After the war Blair continued with Movietone. He then became a news cameraman for NBC. Blair filmed events throughout the south and east for NBC until his retirement. He died in Georgia on August 10, 1993.