David Edward Blewitt (August 7, 1928 – July 8, 2010) was an American

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-nominated and

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-winning film editor, whose credits included ''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American Supernatural fiction, supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and ...

'' in 1984. Blewitt earned an Academy Award nomination for his work on '' The Competition'' in 1980. Blewitt was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 7, 1928. He began his career in the

entertainment industry Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have dev ...

by working as an usher at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles when he was 15 years old. Blewitt enlisted in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, where he worked as an aerial

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

photographer. Blewitt returned to Los Angeles after World War II, where he initially worked as a

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

. His

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

television credits included ''

Hollywood and the Stars ''Hollywood and the Stars'' is a 1963 NBC television documentary series produced by the David L. Wolper Production Company in association with United Artists Television. It was narrated by Joseph Cotten with the theme music and several episodes ...

''. He transitioned to film editing when he joined David L. Wolper Productions where he met, and often collaborated with,

Jack Haley Jr. John Joseph Haley III (October 25, 1933 – April 21, 2001), known as Jack Haley Jr., was an American director, producer and writer, and a two-time recipient of the Emmy Award. His credits include directing the 1974 compilation film ''That's Ent ...

Their joint productions included ''

That's Entertainment! ''That's Entertainment!'' is a 1974 American compilation film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to celebrate the studio's 50th anniversary. The success of the retrospective prompted a 1976 sequel, the related 1985 film ''That's Dancing!'', and a ...

'' in 1974, ''

That's Entertainment, Part II ''That's Entertainment, Part II'' is a 1976 American compilation film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and a sequel to ''That's Entertainment!'' (1974).''Variety'' film review; May 5, 1976, page 18. Like the previous film, ''That's Entertainment, P ...

'' in 1976 and ''Life Goes to War: Hollywood and the Home Front''. Blewitt's other credits with Wolper Prods. included ''

Movin' With Nancy ''Movin' with Nancy'' is a television special featuring Nancy Sinatra in a series of musical vignettes featuring herself and other artists. Produced by Nancy's production company, Boots Enterprises, Inc., and sponsored by Royal Crown Cola, the s ...

'' and ''

The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau ''The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau'' is an American documentary television series about underwater marine life, directed by Alan Landsburg and hosted by French filmmaker, researcher, and marine explorer Jacques Cousteau. The first episod ...

''. Blewitt's larger, feature film credits included ''

Butterflies Are Free ''Butterflies Are Free'' is a 1972 American comedy-drama film based on the 1969 play by Leonard Gershe. The 1972 film was produced by M. J. Frankovich, released by Columbia Pictures, directed by Milton Katselas and adapted for the screen by Gers ...

'', a 1972 film starring

Goldie Hawn Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an American actress, dancer, producer, and singer. She rose to fame on the NBC sketch comedy program ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (1968–1970), before going on to receive the Academy Award and Go ...

, and ''

The Buddy Holly Story ''The Buddy Holly Story'' is a 1978 American biographical film which tells the life and career of rock and roll musician Buddy Holly. It features an Academy Award-winning musical score, adapted by Joe Renzetti and Oscar-nominated lead performan ...

'' in 1978. He received an Academy Award nomination for '' The Competition'', directed by

Joel Oliansky Joel Oliansky (October 11, 1935 – July 29, 2002) an Emmy-winning director and screenwriter, was best known for the screenplay of ''Bird'' (the 1988 biographic film about Charlie Parker), as well as writing and directing episodes of TV series inc ...

. Blewitt was best associated with his editing in the 1984

blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Bl ...

, ''

''. Blewitt's later television work included ''

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' is an American television series filmed in New Zealand, based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles (Hercules was his Roman analogue). Starring Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and Michael Hurst as ...

''. Blewitt won an Emmy Award in 1993 for editing in the television special, ''Bob Hope: The First 90 Years''. In addition to his Emmy and Academy Award nominations, Blewitt received two ACE Eddie Awards from the

American Cinema Editors Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing. Members use the post-nominal ...

, out of a total five nominations during his 40-year career. He was also a recipient of the

American Cinema Editors Career Achievement Award The American Cinema Editors (ACE) gives one or more Career Achievement Awards each year. The first awards were given in 1988. Article indicates that Milford received the ACE Career Achievement Award in 1987; the actual award year appears to be 1988. ...

in 2004. David Blewitt died of complications from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

on July 8, 2010, at his home in

Sherman Oaks, California Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...

, at the age of 81. He was survived by his wife, Ann; daughter, Risa Bastien, and Risa's husband, Steve Bastien; and his granddaughter, Annabel.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blewitt, David 1928 births 2010 deaths American film editors American cinematographers United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II People from Los Angeles People from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles Deaths from Parkinson's disease Neurological disease deaths in California Emmy Award winners American Cinema Editors United States Army Air Forces soldiers American war photographers