George Bowers (April 20, 1944 – August 18, 2012) was an American film director,
editor
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...
and producer. He had nearly thirty credits as a feature-film editor in a career spanning nearly forty years.
Bowers was born in the
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
, New York. After graduating from high school, he began his editing career under the tutelage of
Hugh Robertson, who is noted as one of the first African-Americans to gain membership in the
Motion Picture Editors Guild
The Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG; IATSE Local 700) is the guild that represents freelance and staff motion picture film and television editors and other post-production professionals and story analysts throughout the United States. The Moti ...
. He started working as an assistant editor at
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
directly out of high school, and after military service he worked for Robertson's company Byro Productions.
His first feature-film credit as editor was for the television movie ''...And Beautiful II'' (1970).
As an editor, Bowers' feature-film credits span the years from 1970 to his last film in 2008. He worked extensively with directors
Joseph Ruben
Joseph Porter Ruben (born May 10, 1950) is an American filmmaker.
Movie career
His earlier films, such as '' The Stepfather'', have become cult classics. In the 1990s, he went to direct high-grossing mainstream films such as ''Sleeping with the ...
and
Penny Marshall
Carole Penny MarshallBorn Carole Penny Marshall in 1943, as per ''My Mother Was Nuts, a Memoir'', p. 10; . Copyright 2012 (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, director and producer. She is known for her role as ...
, including ''
A League of Their Own
''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The film stars Tom Hanks, Geena Dav ...
'' (Marshall–1992) and ''
The Stepfather'' (Ruben–1987).
Bowers mentored younger editors including
Sam Pollard Sam Pollard may refer to:
* Sam Pollard (missionary) (1864-1915) British missionary to China
* Sam Pollard (filmmaker)
Samuel D. Pollard is an American film director, editor, producer, and screenwriter. His films have garnered numerous awards su ...
, who has edited several of director
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...
's films.
As a director, Bowers films include ''
Private Resort
''Private Resort'' is a 1985 American adventure comedy film directed by George Bowers, and written by Gordon Mitchell, Ken Segall and Alan Wenkus. The film starred the then-unknown Rob Morrow in his first film appearance, Johnny Depp in his fi ...
'' (1985) with
Johnny Depp
John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...
and
Rob Morrow
Robert Alan Morrow (born September 21, 1962) is an American actor and director. He is known for his portrayal of Dr. Joel Fleischman on ''Northern Exposure'', a role that garnered him three Golden Globe and two Emmy nominations for Best Actor i ...
, and ''
My Tutor
''My Tutor'' is a 1983 American sex comedy film directed by George Bowers. The film focuses on high school graduates (including Matt Lattanzi and Crispin Glover) as they attempt to lose their virginity during the summer vacation before college, ...
'' (1983) with
Crispin Glover
Crispin Hellion Glover (born April 20, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for portraying eccentric characters on screen, such as George McFly in ''Back to the Future'' (1985), Layne in ''River's Edge'' (1986), Andy Warhol in ''The Doors'' ...
.
Bowers died from complications related to heart surgery on August 18, 2012 at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...
in Los Angeles, California; he was 68 years old.
Bowers had been selected as a member of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...
and of 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 ...
.
Filmography (as editor)
Filmography based on the listing at the Internet Movie Database.
*''
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
''Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins'' is a 2008 American comedy film written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The film also features an ensemble cast featuring: Martin Lawrence, Nicole Ari Parker, Margaret Avery, Michael Clarke Duncan, Mike Epps, Mo'Niqu ...
'' (with Paul Millspaugh—2008)
*''
Roll Bounce
''Roll Bounce'' is a 2005 American comedy-drama film written by Norman Vance Jr. and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The film stars hip hop artist Bow Wow as the leader of a roller skating crew in 1970s Chicago. The film also stars Nick Cannon, Mea ...
'' (with Paul Millspaugh-2005)
*''
Walking Tall'' (2004)
*''
The Country Bears
''The Country Bears'' is a 2002 American musical road comedy film directed by Peter Hastings, produced by Walt Disney Pictures, and based on the Disney theme park attraction ''Country Bear Jamboree''. The film stars Christopher Walken, Daryl Mi ...
'' (with Seth Flaum and Dean Holland-2002)
*''
From Hell
''From Hell'' is a graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell, originally published in serial form from 1989 to 1998. The full collection was published in 1999 by Top Shelf Productions.
Set during the Whitechapel murders of ...
'' (with
Dan Lebental
Dan Lebental is an American film editor who has edited many films for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Selected filmography
* ''Mortal Kombat'' (2021)
* ''Bad Boys for Life'' (2020)
* '' Spider-Man: Far From Home'' (2019)
* ''Ant-Man and the Wasp' ...
-2001)
*''
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo'' (with Lawrence Jordan and Doron Shauly-1999)
*''
How Stella Got Her Groove Back
''How Stella Got Her Groove Back'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan, adapted from Terry McMillan's best-selling 1996 novel of the same title. The film stars Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs (in his film ...
'' (1998)
*''
The Preacher's Wife
''The Preacher's Wife'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall and starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. Vance. It is a remake of the 1947 film ''The Bishop's Wife'', which in turn was based on the 1 ...
'' (with
Stephen A. Rotter-1996)
*''
Money Train
A money train is one or more railcars used to collect cash fare revenue from stations on a subway system and return it to a central location for processing. This train was typically used to carry money bags guarded by transit police to deter ...
'' (with
Bill Pankow
Bill Pankow is an American film editor with more than 40 film credits dating from 1982. Pankow has edited nine films for director Brian De Palma commencing with ''Body Double'' in 1984. His other credits include:
*''Body Double'' (1984)
*'' The ...
-1995)
*''
Renaissance Man
A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...
'' (1994)
*''
The Good Son'' (1993)
*''
A League of Their Own
''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The film stars Tom Hanks, Geena Dav ...
'' (1992)
*''
Sleeping with the Enemy
''Sleeping with the Enemy'' is a 1991 American psychological thriller film directed by Joseph Ruben and starring Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergin and Kevin Anderson. The film is based on Nancy Price's 1987 novel of the same name. Roberts plays a ...
'' (1991)
*''
Harlem Nights
''Harlem Nights'' is a 1989 American crime comedy-drama film starring and directed by Eddie Murphy, who also wrote. The film co-stars Richard Pryor, Michael Lerner, Danny Aiello, Redd Foxx (in his last film appearance before his death in 1 ...
'' (1989)
*''
True Believer'' (1989)
*''
Shoot to Kill'' (1988)
*''
She's Having a Baby
''She's Having a Baby'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed and written by John Hughes and starring Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern. It tells the story of a young newlywed couple who try to cope with married life and their parents ...
'' (additional editor-1988)
*''
The Stepfather'' (1987)
*''
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
''The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension'', often shortened to ''Buckaroo Banzai'', is a 1984 American science fiction film produced and directed by W. D. Richter and written by Earl Mac Rauch. It stars Peter Weller in the ...
'' (1984)
*''
The Beach Girls
''The Beach Girls'' is a 1982 American sex comedy film directed by Pat Townsend. It stars Jeana Tomasino, Val Kline and Debra Blee.
Plot
Two college girls, Ducky and Ginger, meet their naive friend, Sarah, at a Southern California beach house. T ...
'' (1982)
*''
Galaxina
''Galaxina'' is a low-budget 1980 American science fantasy-comedy film written and directed by William Sachs. The film stars 1980 ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten, who was murdered by her husband shortly after the film's rele ...
'' (1980)
*''
Van Nuys Blvd.'' (1979)
*''
Cool Red'' (1976)
*''
The Pom Pom Girls
''The Pom Pom Girls'' (also known as ''Palisades High'') is a 1976 American film directed by Joseph Ruben. The screenplay was written by Ruben and based on a story by him and Robert J. Rosenthal. The movie was shot on location at Chaminade High Sc ...
'' (1976)
*''
The Sister-in-Law'' (1974)
*''
Save the Children
The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...
'' (1973)
*''
Come Back Charleston Blue
''Come Back, Charleston Blue'' is a 1972 American comedy film starring Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques, loosely based on Chester Himes' novel ''The Heat's On''. It is a sequel to the 1970 film ''Cotton Comes to Harlem''.
Plot
Detectiv ...
'' (with
Gerald B. Greenberg-1972)
*''
A Fable
''A Fable'' is a 1954 novel written by the American author William Faulkner. He spent more than a decade and tremendous effort on it, and aspired for it to be "the best work of my life and maybe of my time".
It won the Pulitzer Prize and the Nat ...
'' (1971)
*''
...And Beautiful II'' (1970)
Filmography as director
*''
Private Resort
''Private Resort'' is a 1985 American adventure comedy film directed by George Bowers, and written by Gordon Mitchell, Ken Segall and Alan Wenkus. The film starred the then-unknown Rob Morrow in his first film appearance, Johnny Depp in his fi ...
'' (1985)
*''
My Tutor
''My Tutor'' is a 1983 American sex comedy film directed by George Bowers. The film focuses on high school graduates (including Matt Lattanzi and Crispin Glover) as they attempt to lose their virginity during the summer vacation before college, ...
'' (1983)
*''
Body and Soul'' (1981)
*''
The Hearse
''The Hearse'' is a 1980 American supernatural horror film directed by George Bowers and starring Trish Van Devere and Joseph Cotten. It follows a schoolteacher from San Francisco who relocates to a small town in northern California to spend the ...
'' (1980)
*''
Dukes of Hazzard
''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy TV series that was aired on CBS from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. The show aired for 147 episodes spanning seven seasons. It was consistently among the top-rated television series ...
'' (1979) – unknown episodes
*''
Vegetable Soup
Vegetable soup is a common soup prepared using vegetables and leaf vegetables as primary ingredients. It dates to ancient history, and is a mass-produced food product in contemporary times.
Overview
Vegetable soup is prepared using vegetables, ...
'' (1976) – unknown episodes
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowers, George
1944 births
2012 deaths
African-American film directors
American Cinema Editors
American male film actors
American film editors
Film producers from New York (state)
People from the Bronx
Film directors from New York City
20th-century African-American people
21st-century African-American people