Louis L. Hess collection

Born April 18, 1904 in Berlin, Louis L. (Ludwig) Hess began his career in journalism in 1924 as a salesman for Fox News, ultimately becoming a sound engineer and cameraman for Fox Movietone News. In this capacity he covered events in Central and Southern Europe as well as North Africa. Facing discrimination as a Jew in Nazi Germany, Hess transferred to the Paris Bureau of Movietone in October 1933 and was assigned to work principally out of Rome. His assignments also took him to Poland, Austria, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Hungary, Holland, and the Baltic states. He covered the Spanish Civil War for Movietone in 1937. He continued to work for Movietone in Europe until German anti-Jewish laws forced the company to fire him. He immigrated to the United States on March 18, 1940. During World War II, Hess worked on secret, restricted and classified projects with Olympic Radio Corp. After the war he returned to journalism working for All American News (editor), Warner Pathé News (film editor, 1958-1969), and CBS Reports (film editor, 1958-1969). Hess married Clementine van Tinteren on May 17th, 1941. They had two daughters: Sally Hess and Ronnie Hess. In retirement he lived in Boca Raton, FL and Fire Island, NY. He died in 1993.