MOVIES Google Doodle Honors Oscar-Winning Cinematographer James Wong Howe

Today's (May 25) Google Doodle is giving an ode to one of the silver screen's pioneers: Chinese-Born American cinematographer, James Wong Howe.

Born in 1899, Howe was known for his use of dramatic lighting and shadows, traits that came to be known as film noir. He was one of the most sought-after cinematographers during the 1930s and 1940s, accumulating a resume of over 130 films throughout his career before his death in 1976

Howe was nominated for ten Academy Awards, nabbing two for Best Cinematography for his work on The Rose Tattoo and Hud. Among the nominated works he filmed was The Thin Man, a 1934 comedy-mystery in the running for Best Picture. In 1997, it joined the U.S. National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Google is honoring Wong with a Doodle on the anniversary of The Thin Man's release. Wong's nephew, Don Lee, partnered with Google on the project.