Elmo Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams in 2007 | |
| Born | James Elmo Williams April 30, 1913 Lone Wolf, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | November 25, 2015 (aged 102) Brookings, Oregon, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | film editor,film producer |
| Spouse | |
| Awards | ACE Golden Eddie 1971 ACE Career Achievement 1990 |
James Elmo Williams (April 30, 1913 – November 25, 2015) was an American film and television editor, producer, director and executive.[1] His work on the filmHigh Noon (1952) received theAcademy Award for Best Film Editing.[2] In 2006, Williams publishedElmo Williams: A Hollywood Memoir.[3]
Among the films that Williams edited areHigh Noon (1952),20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) andThe Vikings (1958). Williams was involved in the production ofThe Longest Day (1962) andCleopatra (1963),[4] and he was a producer of the filmTora! Tora! Tora! (1970). Between 1971 and 1974, Williams was the Head of Production for20th Century Fox.
Williams edited the filmDesign for Death (1947), which won anAcademy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Williams won theAcademy Award for Best Film Editing for his work on 1952'sHigh Noon (directed byFred Zinnemann and co-edited withHarry W. Gerstad, although he was subordinate to Gerstad), and was nominated again for 1954's20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (directed byRichard Fleischer).
High Noon was listed as the 54th best-edited film of all time in a 2012 survey of members of theMotion Picture Editors Guild,[5]and the editing ofHigh Noon is probably Williams' most studied accomplishment. CriticJames Berardinelli wrote, "High Noon's tension comes through Kane's desperation, aided in no small part by Elmo Williams' brilliant editing as the clock ticks down to twelve. For a motion picture with so little action, the suspense builds to almost unbearable levels."[6] In his memoir, Williams states that this well-known montage was specifically edited to match the music composed for the scene byDimitri Tiomkin.
Williams was credited as associate producer and coordinator of battle episodes onThe Longest Day (1962). He was also an uncredited second unit director. He later produced another historical World War II filmTora! Tora! Tora! (1970), also forDarryl F. Zanuck.
Williams was elected to membership in theAmerican Cinema Editors (ACE).[7] In 1971, Williams was honored with the ACE "Golden Eddie" award as Filmmaker of the Year. In 1990, Williams received theACE Career Achievement Award; he was among the first six editors to be honored as such.
On May 14, 2011, Williams featured in Slow Children's music video “Learn to Love”.
Williams was born in Lone Wolf, Oklahoma. In 1940, he married Lorraine Williams, who died in 2004. They adopted two daughters and a son.[8] The couple retired toBrookings, Oregon, on theOregon Coast in 1983.[8] In December 2008, Williams donated a public chapel to the city in memory of his wife.[8] The chapel, named Capella By The Sea, is located in Azalea Park in Brookings.
Lorraine wrote the lyrics to the theme song for the movieThose Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965); British composerRon Goodwin set them to music and conducted.
Heturned 100 in April 2013.[9]
Elmo Williams died at his home in Brookings on November 25, 2015, at the age of 102.[1]
Elmo's brother Burch Williams was killed in an accident when a biplane crashed into the helicopter Burch was in during the filming of aerial sequences for the 1971 filmZeppelin.
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