David Blewitt
American cinematographer and film editor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Edward Blewitt (August 7, 1928 – July 8, 2010) was an American Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning film editor, whose credits included Ghostbusters in 1984. Blewitt earned an Academy Award nomination for his work on The Competition in 1980.[1][2]
Joe Biden (first cousin once removed)
David Blewitt | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | August 7, 1928 Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Died | July 8, 2010 (aged 81) Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Occupation | Film editor |
| Relatives | Edward Francis Blewitt (paternal grandfather) Joe Biden (first cousin once removed) |
Early life
Blewitt was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 7, 1928.[2] He began his career in the entertainment industry by working as an usher at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles when he was 15 years old.[1] Blewitt enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, where he worked as an aerial reconnaissance photographer.[1][2] Blewitt returned to Los Angeles after World War II, where he initially worked as a cinematographer.[1] His cinematography television credits included Hollywood and the Stars.[1]
He transitioned to film editing when he joined David L. Wolper Productions where he met, and often collaborated with, Jack Haley Jr.[2] Their joint productions included That's Entertainment! in 1974, That's Entertainment, Part II in 1976 and Life Goes to War: Hollywood and the Home Front.[2] Blewitt's other credits with Wolper Prods. included Movin' with Nancy and The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.[2]
Blewitt's larger, feature film credits included Butterflies Are Free, a 1972 film starring Goldie Hawn, and The Buddy Holly Story in 1978.[1] He received an Academy Award nomination for The Competition, directed by Joel Oliansky.[1] Blewitt was best associated with his editing in the 1984 blockbuster, Ghostbusters.[1]
Blewitt's later television work included Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.[2]
Blewitt won an Emmy Award in 1993 for editing in the television special, Bob Hope: The First 90 Years.[2] In addition to his Emmy and Academy Award nominations, Blewitt received two ACE Eddie Awards from the American Cinema Editors, out of a total five nominations during his 40-year career.[1][2] He was also a recipient of the American Cinema Editors Career Achievement Award in 2004.[2]
David Blewitt died of complications from Parkinson's disease on July 8, 2010, at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, at the age of 81.[1][2] He was survived by his wife, Ann; daughter, Risa Bastien, and Risa's husband, Steve Bastien; and his granddaughter, Annabel.[2]
Blewitt was a first cousin once removed of U.S. President Joe Biden through his grandfather Edward Francis Blewitt, who was the maternal grandfather of Biden's mother Catherine Eugenia Finnegan.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | The Love Machine | Jack Haley Jr. | |
| 1972 | Hammersmith Is Out | Peter Ustinov | |
| Butterflies Are Free | Milton Katselas | First collaboration with Milton Katselas | |
| 1973 | 40 Carats | Second collaboration with Milton Katselas | |
| 1975 | Report to the Commissioner | Third collaboration with Milton Katselas | |
| 1978 | The Buddy Holly Story | Steve Rash | First collaboration with Steve Rash |
| 1979 | Steel | Steve Carver | |
| 1980 | In God We Trust | Marty Feldman | |
| The Competition | Joel Oliansky | ||
| 1981 | Under the Rainbow | Steve Rash | Second collaboration with Steve Rash |
| 1983 | Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 | Dick Lowry | |
| D.C. Cab | Joel Schumacher | First collaboration with Joel Schumacher | |
| 1984 | Ghostbusters | Ivan Reitman | |
| 1985 | Fast Forward | Sidney Poitier | |
| 1986 | Psycho III | Anthony Perkins | |
| 1987 | Hell Hunters | Ernst R. von Theumer | |
| 1988 | Moonwalker | Colin Chilvers | "Smooth Criminal" segment |
| Year | Film | Director | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Flatliners | Joel Schumacher | Additional editor | Second collaboration with Joel Schumacher |
| 1991 | Dying Young | Third collaboration with Joel Schumacher |
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Night Tide | Curtis Harrington | Production assistant |
- Documentaries
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Wattstax | Mel Stuart |
| 1974 | That's Entertainment! | Jack Haley Jr. |
| 1976 | That's Entertainment, Part II | Gene Kelly |
| 1977 | Life Goes to War: Hollywood and the Home Front | Jack Haley Jr. |
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Wattstax | Mel Stuart | Photography: Concert |
- Shorts
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Just One More Time | Michael J. Shapiro |
- TV documentaries
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | The Way Out Men | Mel Stuart |
| The Teenage Revolution | Kent Mackenzie | |
| Pro Football: Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon | William Friedkin | |
| In Search of Man | Eugene S. Jones | |
| 1966 | The Thin Blue Line | William Friedkin |
| Wall Street: Where the Money Is | Mel Stuart | |
| The World of Animals: It's a Dog's World | ||
| The Making of a President: 1964 | Mel Stuart | |
| 1967 | A Nation of Immigrants |
|
| 1968 | The World of Animals: The World of Horses | Joseph L. Scanlan |
| 1969 | Hollywood: The Selznick Years | Marshall Flaum |
| 1970 | The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau: Tragedy of the Red Salmon | Jacques Renoir |
| 1982 | Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter | Jack Haley Jr. |
| 1990 | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic | |
| 1993 | Bob Hope: The First 90 Years | Allan Kartun |
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | The Incredible World of James Bond | Jack Haley Jr. | Cinematographer: Hollywood |
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Revolution in Our Time | David H. Vowell |
| Pro Football: Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon | William Friedkin | |
| 1968 | The World of Animals: The World of Horses | Joseph L. Scanlan |
| The World of Animals: Big Cats, Little Cats | Bud Wiser |
- TV series
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Men in Crisis | 1 episode |
| 1965−66 | Time-Life Specials: The March of Time | 9 episodes |
| 1967 | Untamed Frontier | 1 episode |
| 1967−69 | National Geographic Specials | 4 episodes |
| 1970 | The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Key West | 1 episode |
| 1995−99 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | 3 episodes |
| 2000 | Xena: Warrior Princess | 1 episode |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963−64 | Hollywood and the Stars | Assistant editor | 6 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | ABC Late Night | Special photography | 1 episode |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Hollywood and the Stars | 6 episodes |
| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Key West | Associate producer | 12 episodes |
- TV specials
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | With Love, Sophia | Michael Pfleghar |
| Movin' with Nancy | Jack Haley Jr. | |
| 1968 | Monte Carlo: C'est La Rose | Michael Pfleghar |
| The Beat of the Brass | Jack Haley Jr. |
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | The Incredible World of James Bond | Jack Haley Jr. | Cinematographer: Hollywood |