John Neares Carter (September 22, 1922 – August 13, 2018) was an American

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film ed ...

. He rose to the ranks at

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

on the

Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night ...

, becoming the first African-American film editor to be employed by network television in New York. For the last four of his twelve years with CBS, he was the supervising film editor for the award-winning documentary unit, Eye On New York. John left CBS to form his own company John Carter Associates, Inc.

Personal life

John was born in Newark, New Jersey to William and Marie Carter on September 22, 1922. He was the third of four children. His family moved to Asbury Park, New Jersey in 1927. He was an athlete on the basketball, football and track teams at Asbury Park High School, and an avid swimmer during the summer months along the Jersey shore. He was a member of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Temple, where he acted in religious plays directed by his father. In 1943 he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served in Europe during WWII as a staff sergeant earning the Soldier's Medal of Valor, American Service Medal,

World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal is a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. The Wo ...

, European African Middle Eastern Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal. After his honorable discharge in 1946 John trained at the New York Institute of Photography and the Brooklyn Institute of Motion Picture Production. Upon graduating, he went into an apprenticeship program at the Signal Corps Pictorial Center for film editing. During this time, he met the love of his life Carole at a dance in Harlem at the

Hotel Theresa The Hotel Theresa is located at 2082-96 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard between West 124th and 125th Streets in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. In the mid-20th century, it was a vibrant center of African American life in ...

on the top floor in the Skyline Ballroom. They were married on August 22, 1954, in Idlewild, Michigan. They had 3 children, and 6 grandsons. He died at his

White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State , su ...

home on August 13, 2018, aged 95.

Career

In 1956 John left the Signal Corps and was hired by CBS-TV, becoming the first African-American film editor to be employed by network television in New York. For the last four of his twelve years with CBS, he was the supervising film editor for the award-winning documentary unit, Eye On New York. In 1968, John left CBS to form his own company John Carter Associates, Inc. His first film was “Paper Lion,” about

George Plimpton George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) was an American writer. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found ''The Paris Review'', as well as his patrician demeanor and accent. He was also known for " ...

and starring

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the war come ...

. He then went on to work on many other films including the documentary “King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis," in 1970 that was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosoph ...

. He was also the editor for the original film “Solomon Northup’s Odyssey”, directed by Gordon Parks which was later made into a film called “

12 years a Slave ''Twelve Years a Slave'' is an 1853 memoir and slave narrative by American Solomon Northup as told to and written by David Wilson. Northup, a black man who was born free in New York state, details himself being tricked to go to Washington, D.C. ...

”. John has mentored many young film makers and has worked with many prominent directors including

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmma ...

Tim Story Timothy Kevin Story (born March 13, 1970) is an African American film director. He is best known for '' Barbershop'' (2002), the '' Fantastic Four'' (2005) and the ''Ride Along'' franchise. He has been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards for O ...

Bill Duke William Henry Duke Jr. (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor and film director. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke works primarily in the action and crime drama genres often as a character related to law enforcement. Frequently ...

John G. Avildsen John Guilbert Avildsen (December 21, 1935 – June 16, 2017) was an American film director. He is perhaps best known for directing ''Rocky'' (1976), which earned him the Academy Award for Best Director, and the first three ''The Karate Kid'' fil ...

, Elaine May and George Tillman Jr. to name just a few. In 1984, he made his sole directorial effort, ''

Zombie Island Massacre ''Zombie Island Massacre'' is a 1984 horror film directed by film editor John N. Carter (in his sole directing effort) and starred David Broadnax and Rita Jenrette. The film is currently distributed by Troma Entertainment. Plot A group of Am ...

'', a slasher film set on a Caribbean island. Carter was the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

to join the American Cinema Editors society. In 1972, he received a

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...

nomination for best editing for Miloš Forman's '' Taking Off''. He was a member of: American Cinema Editors (the first Black

ACE An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

member),

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and 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

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 ...

and th
Westchester Clubmen
At the age of 85, John retired after editing more than 50 feature films.

Filmography

* '' Paper Lion'' (1968) * ''

Cotton Comes to Harlem ''Cotton Comes to Harlem'' is a 1970 American neo-noir action comedy thriller film co-written and directed by Ossie Davis and starring Godfrey Cambridge, Raymond St. Jacques, and Redd Foxx. The film, later cited as an early example of the ...

'' (1970) * '' King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis'' (1970) * '' Taking Off'' (1971) * ''

The Heartbreak Kid (1972 film) ''The Heartbreak Kid'' is a 1972 American romantic black comedy film directed by Elaine May and written by Neil Simon, starring Charles Grodin, Cybill Shepherd, Jeannie Berlin, Audra Lindley, Eddie Albert, and Doris Roberts. It is based on ...

'' (1972) * ''

I Could Never Have Sex with Any Man Who Has So Little Regard for My Husband ''I Could Never Have Sex with Any Man Who Has So Little Regard for My Husband'' is a 1973 American sex comedy film directed by Robert McCarty, from a screenplay by Dan Greenburg, based on his 1968 novel ''Chewsday''. The film stars Carmine Cari ...

'' (1973) * ''

Mikey and Nicky Mikey is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Michael. It may also refer to: People * Mikey Ambrose (born 1993), American Major League Soccer player * Mikey Arroyo (born 1969), Filipino actor and politician, son of Phili ...

'' (1976) * '' Between the Lines'' (1977) * '' The Formula'' (1980) * '' Cold River'' (1982) * ''

'' (1984) * '' Solomon Northup's Odyssey'' (1984)
''The Killing Floor'' (1985)
*
Moments Without Proper Names
' (1987) * '' Lean on Me'' (1989) * ''

The Karate Kid Part III ''The Karate Kid Part III'' is a 1989 American martial arts drama film, the third entry in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise and a sequel to ''The Karate Kid Part II'' (1986). It stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, and Thomas Ian Griffith ...

'' (1989) * ''

The Five Heartbeats ''The Five Heartbeats'' is a 1991 musical drama film directed by Robert Townsend, who co-wrote the script with Keenen Ivory Wayans. Produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film's main cast includes Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon Robi ...

'' (1991) * ''

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

'' (1992) * ''

The Cemetery Club ''The Cemetery Club'' is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Bill Duke. The film stars Olympia Dukakis, Ellen Burstyn, Diane Ladd and Danny Aiello. Jerry Orbach and Lee Richardson appear in a brief prologue sequence. Plot Based on the pla ...

'' (1993) * '' Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit'' (1993) * ''

Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth d ...

'' (1995) * '' A Thin Line Between Love and Hate'' (1996) * '' Set It Off'' (1996) * ''

Soul Food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

'' (1997) * ''

The Wood ''The Wood'' is a 1999 American coming-of-age comedy drama film directed by Rick Famuyiwa and starring Omar Epps, Richard T. Jones and Taye Diggs. It was written by Famuyiwa and Todd Boyd. Plot Roland is getting married and is currently missin ...

'' (1999) * '' 3 Strikes'' (2000) * ''

Men of Honor ''Men of Honor'' (released in the UK and Ireland as ''Men of Honour'') is a 2000 American drama film directed by George Tillman Jr. and starring Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding Jr. The film is inspired by the true story of Master Chief Petty O ...

'' (2000) * '' Barbershop'' (2002) * ''

Johnson Family Vacation ''Johnson Family Vacation'' is a 2004 American road comedy film directed by Christopher Erskin. It stars Cedric the Entertainer, Vanessa Williams, Bow Wow, Gabby Soleil, Shannon Elizabeth, Solange Knowles, and Steve Harvey. The story revolves aro ...

'' (2004) * ''

Madea's Family Reunion ''Madea's Family Reunion'' is a 2006 American comedy-drama film and an adaptation of the stage production of the same name written by Tyler Perry. The film is a sequel to '' Diary of a Mad Black Woman''. It was written, directed by, and starrin ...

'' (2006) * ''

Shortcut to Happiness ''Shortcut to Happiness'' is a 2007 film adaptation of the Stephen Vincent Benet classic 1936 short story "The Devil and Daniel Webster". It stars Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Anthony Hopkins. Baldwin also directed the film. Shot in ...

'' (2007)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, John 1922 births 2018 deaths American Cinema Editors New York Institute of Photography alumni People from Newark, New Jersey People from White Plains, New York United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army non-commissioned officers African Americans in World War II 21st-century African-American people African-American United States Army personnel