Harry Gerstad
PALM SPRINGS, CA--Oscar®-winning film editor Harry
Donald Gerstad, died here July 17 of natural causes. He was
93. Gerstad garnered two Oscars®, for his editing of
"Champion" (1949) and for "High Noon" (1952). MSTies know
him as the editor of the movie in episode 201- ROCKETSHIP
XM.
Gerstad came to Hollywood with his father, a cameraman,
in 1910, and began his career at the Hal Roach Studios
laboratory in 1929. He then worked in the Warner Bros. Lab
and at Republic Pictures as an assistant.
After World War II, he began editing features including
"The Spiral Staircase" "Till the End of Time" (both 1946),
"So Well Remembered" (1947) and "Unknown Island" (1948).
Directors Edward Dmytryk and Stanley Kramer influenced
Gerstad's career: He worked on several films for Dmytryk at
RKO including 1947's "Crossfire." Gerstad then moved over to
Columbia Pictures as editorial supervisor for Kramer and
later recalled those years as "the most productive part of
my career." Gerstad edited the Kramer's "Home of the Brave,"
(1949) "Cyrano de Bergerac" (1950) and "Death of a Salesman"
(1951).
In the 1950s and 60s he also worked in television, and
was nominated for an Eddie Award for his editing of an
episode of the TV series "High Chaparral in 1968. You can
also see his work on the TV series "The Adventures of
Superman." In 1963 he became editorial supervisor for Bing
Crosby Productions, and when it closed in 1966, he moved to
Fox Studios, where he edited feature film version of the
"Batman" TV series. He also worked for John Wayne's Batjac
Productions until he retired in 1973.
Survivors include wife Jody and two nieces.
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