Orkin developed an early interest in film while growing up in Hollywood. She was the daughter of a silent movie actress, and the first messenger girl at MGM Studios. Orkin wanted to become a cinematographer; however, women were not allowed to join the union. It was not until the 1950's when she and her husband Morris Engel (see below) made their first independent feature film "Little Fugitive." Truffaut credited the film with helping to start the French New Wave. Engel and Orkin made a second film in 1955, "Lovers and Lollipops" Both films have won many awards and are currently showing on American Movie Classics (AMC). Kino International is also distributing them on videocassette. "Little Fugitive" was recently added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry.
 
 
 
  
   
 LITTLE FUGITIVE 1953, B/W, 80 Min., 
 
Written and Directed by Morris Engel, Ruth Orkin and Ray Ashley Starring Richie Andrusco and Rickie Brewster 

Nominated for an Academy Award for best motion picture story and  winner of the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival 

A seven-year old boy named Joey (Richie Andrusco) runs away to Coney Island after being tricked into thinking heís killed his older brother Lennie (Rickie Brewster). Joey's adventures and Lennie's search for his lost little brother make for a charming adventure that chronicles 1950's New York in perfect detail. From the view under the boardwalk to a summer storm that clears the beach, Engel's camera never fails to register the moments that create a magical atmosphere.  

   
LOVERS AND LOLLIPOPS 1955, B/W, 82 Min., 

Written and Directed by Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin 
Starring Cathy Dunn, Lori March and Gerald O'Loughlin 

Lovers and Lollipops is the story of seven-year-old Peggy (Cathy Dunn), her widowed mother Ann (Lori March), and her mother's new boyfriend, Larry (Gerald OíLoughlin). Like Little Fugitive, Lovers and Lollipops captures the little dramas that make up real life, and showcases New York landmarks including Central park, the Statue of Liberty, Chinatown, the Bronx Zoo, and the Macy's toy department.  

  
Ruth and Morris, 1952 
 
MORRIS ENGEL
Photographer/Director 

Morris Engel was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 8, 1918. He attended Abraham Lincoln High School and joined the Photo League in 1936 where he met Aaron Siskind, Berenice Abbott and Paul Strand, who invited him to work on his film "Native Land." Engel became a staff photographer on the newspaper "PM" and joined the Navy in 1941. As a member of Combat Photo Unit 8 that landed on Normandy on D-Day, he received a citation from Captain Edward Steichen. After his return to "PM" he worked for many national magazines including "Ladies Home Journal", "McCall's", "Fortune", "Colliers" and others. His initial taste for motion pictures begun with Paul Strand reached a new level when he built a lightweight hand-held 35mm camera with Charles Woodruff. This camera was a major factor in the production of his first film, "Little Fugitive." It served the dual purpose of creating extreme fluidity, and being able to work on a small budget, with a tiny crew. The film, which is about a 7-year-old boy who runs away to Coney Island, has received international acclaim. Francois Trauffaut said "Our new wave would never have come into being if it hadn't been for the young American Morris Engel, who showed us the way to independent production with his fine movie "Little Fugitive." It won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, was nominated for an Academy Award, and was selected by the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1997. Engel and Orkin married during the making of "Little Fugitive" in 1952, and made a second film together, "Lovers and Lollipops." Engel made "Weddings and Babies" in 1958 that starred Viveca Lindfors, and "I Need a Ride to California" in 1968. He most recently completed two video features, "A Little Bit Pregnant" in 1994, and "Camellia" in 1998. He also does photographic panoramas on the streets of New York City.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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