Albert Arnold "Buddy" Gillespie (October 14, 1899 – May 3, 1978) was an American cinema

special effect Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual wor ...

s artist.

Biography

He was born on October 14, 1899, in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

. Gillespie joined

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

as a

set designer Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trained ...

in 1925, a year after it was founded. He was educated at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and the Arts Students League. His first project was the silent film '' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', released that same year. He worked at the studio in various capacities until 1962. In 1936, he became the head of MGM's

Special Effects Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual wor ...

Department. He died on May 3, 1978, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Legacy

He wrote a book, ''The Wizard of MGM: Memoirs of A. Arnold Gillespie''. Gillispie's nickname was "Buddy."

Academy Award wins and nominations

:''Wins shown in bold'' * Special Effects 1939: '' The Wizard of Oz'' – Photographic * Special Effects 1940: ''

Boom Town A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although ...

'' – Photographic * Special Effects 1941: ''

Flight Command ''Flight Command'' is a 1940 American film about a cocky U.S. Navy pilot who has problems with his new squadron and with the wife of his commander. It stars Robert Taylor, Ruth Hussey and Walter Pidgeon. ''Flight Command'' has the distinction of ...

'' – Photographic * Special Effects 1942: ''

Mrs. Miniver ''Mrs. Miniver'' is a 1942 American romantic war drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Inspired by the 1940 novel '' Mrs. Miniver'' by Jan Struther, it shows how the life of an unassuming British h ...

'' – Photographic (with

Warren Newcombe Warren Newcombe (April 28, 1894 – August 3, 1960) was an American special effects artist. He won two Academy Awards for Best Special Effects and was nominated for another one in the same category. He worked on more than 200 films during ...

) * Special Effects 1943: ''

Stand By For Action ''Stand By for Action'' (British title: ''Cargo of Innocents'') is a 1942 American black-and-white U.S. Navy war film from MGM, directed by Robert Z. Leonard, and starring Robert Taylor (American actor), Robert Taylor, Brian Donlevy, Charles Laug ...

'' – Photographic (with

Donald Jahraus Donald Jahraus (July 13, 1892 – April 3, 1963) was an American special effects artist. He won an Academy Award for Best Special Effects and was nominated for two more in the same category. Selected filmography Jahraus won an Academy Awa ...

) * Special Effects 1944: ''

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' is a 1944 American war film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The screenplay by Dalton Trumbo is based on the 1943 book of the same name by Captain Ted W. Lawson. Lawson was a pilot on the historic Doolittle Raid, A ...

'' – Photographic (with

and

) * Special Effects 1945: ''

They Were Expendable ''They Were Expendable'' is a 1945 American war film directed by John Ford, starring Robert Montgomery and John Wayne, and featuring Donna Reed. The film is based on the 1942 novel of the same name by William Lindsay White, relating the story ...

'' – Photographic (with

and R. A. MacDonald) * Special Effects 1947: '' Green Dolphin Street'' – Visual (with

) * Special Effects 1956: ''

Forbidden Planet ''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack, and directed by Fred M. Wilcox (director), Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on an original film story ...

'' * Special Effects 1958: ''

Torpedo Run ''Torpedo Run'' is a 1958 American war film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Glenn Ford as a World War II submarine commander in the Pacific who is obsessed with sinking a particular Japanese aircraft carrier. The film's working title was '' ...

'' – Special Effects (Visual) * Special Effects 1959: '' Ben-Hur'' – Special Effects (Visual) (with Robert A. MacDonald) * Special Effects 1962: ''

Mutiny On The Bounty The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set h ...

'' – Special Effects (Visual) * Scientific or Technical (Class III) 1963: For the engineering of an improved Background Process Projection System (with

Douglas Shearer Douglas Graham Shearer (November 17, 1899 – January 5, 1971) was a Canadian American pioneering sound designer and recording director who played a key role in the advancement of sound technology for motion pictures. The elder brother of ac ...

)

Personal life

Gillespie married Nell Hill in 1944. She died in 2000. They had one child, Thomas Scott Gillespie (1944–61). A. Arnold was previously married to aviator

Ruth Elder Ruth Elder (September 8, 1902October 9, 1977) was an aviation pioneer and actress. She carried private pilot certificate P675, and was known as the "Miss America of Aviation." She was a charter member of the Ninety-Nines. In October 1927 she too ...

, with whom he had a son, William Trent Gillespie (1940–2008).

Partial filmography for special effects

Inasmuch as he worked on numerous films (IMDb credits him with 203), only some of the better known ones and ones involving prominent special effects are listed below. * '' Ben-Hur'' (1925) * '' London After Midnight'' (1927) * '' Night Flight'' (1933) (uncredited) * ''

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

'' (1936) (uncredited) * ''

Test Pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testing ...

'' (1938) * '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939) * ''

'' (1940) * ''

Comrade X ''Comrade X'' is a 1940 American comedy film, comedy spy film directed by King Vidor and starring Clark Gable and Hedy Lamarr. The supporting cast features Oskar Homolka, Eve Arden and Sig Rumann. In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th ...

'' (1940) * ''

'' (1942) * ''

'' (1943) * ''

A Guy Named Joe ''A Guy Named Joe'' is a 1943 American romantic fantasy drama film directed by Victor Fleming. The film was produced by Everett Riskin, and starred Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne, and Van Johnson. The screenplay, written by Dalton Trumbo and Freder ...

'' (1943) * ''

Song of Russia ''Song of Russia'' is a 1944 American war film made and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The picture was credited as being directed by Gregory Ratoff, though Ratoff collapsed near the end of the five-month production, and was replaced by Lás ...

'' (1944) * ''

The Heavenly Body ''The Heavenly Body'' is a 1944 American romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and starring William Powell and Hedy Lamarr. Based on a story by Jacques Théry, with a screenplay by Michael Arlen and Walter Reisch, the film is about the ...

'' (1944) * ''

The White Cliffs of Dover The White Cliffs of Dover is the region of English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of , owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint, deposi ...

'' (1944) * ''

Mrs. Parkington ''Mrs. Parkington'' is a 1944 drama film. It tells the story of a woman's life, told via flashbacks, from boarding house maid to society matron. The movie was adapted by Polly James and Robert Thoeren from the novel by Louis Bromfield. It was ...

'' (1944) * ''

'' (1944) * '' The Clock'' (1945) * ''

'' (1945) * ''

Lady in the Lake ''Lady in the Lake'' is a 1947 American film noir starring Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan, Tom Tully, Leon Ames and Jayne Meadows. An adaptation of the 1943 Raymond Chandler murder mystery ''The Lady in the Lake'', the picture ...

'' (1947) * ''

The Beginning or the End ''The Beginning or the End'' is a 1947 American docudrama film about the development of the atomic bomb in World War II, directed by Norman Taurog, starring Brian Donlevy, Robert Walker, and Tom Drake, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. T ...

'' (1947) * ''

The Sea of Grass ''The Sea of Grass'' is a 1936 novel by Conrad Richter. It is set in New Mexico in the late 19th century, and concerns the clash between rich ranchers, whose cattle run freely on government-owned land, a prairie "sea of grass", and the homestead ...

'' (1947) * ''

The Hucksters ''The Hucksters'' is a 1947 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film directed by Jack Conway starring Clark Gable and Deborah Kerr, her debut in an American film. The supporting cast includes Sydney Greenstreet, Adolphe Menjou, Ava Gardner, Keenan Wynn, and ...

'' (1947) * '' Green Dolphin Street'' (1947) * ''

State of the Union The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current conditio ...

'' (1948) * '' Command Decision'' (1948) * ''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in ''The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is one of Burnett's most popular novels and ...

'' (1949) * ''

Adam's Rib ''Adam's Rib'' is a 1949 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor from a screenplay written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin. It stars Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn as married lawyers who come to oppose each other in ...

'' (1949) * '' Annie Get Your Gun'' (1950) * ''

Kim Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese f ...

'' (1950) * '' Angels in the Outfield'' (1951) * ''

Quo Vadis ''Quō vādis?'' (, ) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you marching?". It is also commonly translated as "Where are you going?" or, poetically, "Whither goest thou?" The phrase originates from the Christian tradition regarding Saint Pete ...

'' (1951) * ''

Scaramouche Scaramouche () or Scaramouch (; from Italian Scaramuccia , literally "little skirmisher") is a stock clown character of the 16th-century commedia dell'arte (comic theatrical arts of Italian literature). The role combined characteristics of the ...

'' (1952) * ''

Plymouth Adventure ''Plymouth Adventure'' is a 1952 Technicolor drama film with an ensemble cast starring Spencer Tracy, Gene Tierney, Van Johnson and Leo Genn, made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Clarence Brown, and produced by Dore Schary. The screenplay ...

'' (1952) * ''

Million Dollar Mermaid ''Million Dollar Mermaid'' (also known as ''The One Piece Bathing Suit'' in the UK) is a 1952 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer biographical film of the life of Australian swimming star Annette Kellerman. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Arthur ...

'' (1952) * ''

The Bad and the Beautiful ''The Bad and the Beautiful'' is a 1952 American melodrama that tells the story of a film producer who alienates everyone around him. The film was directed by Vincente Minnelli, written by George Bradshaw (writer), George Bradshaw and Charles Sch ...

'' (1952) * ''

Young Bess ''Young Bess'' is a 1953 Technicolor biographical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer about the early life of Elizabeth I, from her turbulent childhood to the eve of her accession to the throne of England. It stars Jean Simmons as Elizabeth and St ...

'' (1953) * ''

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' is a 1954 American musical film, directed by Stanley Donen, with music by Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and choreography by Michael Kidd. The screenplay, by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, and Dorot ...

'' (1954) * ''

'' (1956) * ''

High Society High society, sometimes simply society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open to men based ...

'' (1956) * '' Jailhouse Rock'' (1957) * ''

'' (1958) * ''

North by Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film, produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. The screenplay was by Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture to ...

'' (1959) * ''

The Wreck of the Mary Deare ''The Wreck of the Mary Deare'' (in the UK published as ''The Mary Deare'') is a 1956 novel written by British author Hammond Innes, which was later adapted as a film starring Gary Cooper released in 1959 by MGM. According to Jack Adrian, the ...

'' (1959) * '' Ben-Hur'' (1959) * ''

Atlantis, the Lost Continent ''Atlantis, the Lost Continent'' is a 1961 American science fiction film in Metrocolor produced and directed by George Pal and starring Sal Ponti (under the screen name of Anthony Hall), Joyce Taylor, and John Dall. The film was distributed ...

'' (1961) * '' How the West Was Won'' (1962) * ''

'' (1962) * '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' (1964) * ''

The Greatest Story Ever Told ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' is a 1965 American epic film produced and directed by George Stevens. It is a retelling of the Biblical account about Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity through to the Ascension. Along with the ensemble cast, ...

'' (1965)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gillespie, Albert Arnold Best Visual Effects Academy Award winners Special effects people 1899 births 1978 deaths Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Academy Award for Technical Achievement winners