PASSAGES
Gerard Wilson
Picture Editor
March 24, 1915 – June 2, 2008
 Gerard Wilson |
Gerard Wilson
Picture Editor
March 24, 1915 – June 2, 2008
My uncle Gerard (Gerry) Wilson died June 2 in Maui, Hawaii at age 93. He was born in 1915 in Jamaica, New York and came to Los Angeles in 1920 with his parents, two sisters, Madeline and Virginia, and a brother, Norbert. They settled in Hollywood in an apartment on Las Palmas, between Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards, and his father went into real estate. He attended Blessed Sacrament Grammar School and Hollywood High School. Shortly after graduation, Wilson left home and hopped a freighter to see the world and begin a life-long love of travel.
When he returned, with the help of his brother-in-law, Arthur P. Schmidt, an editor at RKO studios, Wilson started work as an apprentice editor on the RKO lot in the late 1930s. Shortly thereafter, he began working in sound effects. When World War II broke out, he joined the army and was sent to Dayton, Ohio, where he edited training films.
After the war, Wilson went to work for David O. Selznick as an editorial assistant and sometimes co-editor on such films as Duel in the Sun, Portrait of Jennie and The Paradine Case. He went to Italy with Selznick for the making of Farewell to Arms, on which he made the first cut before returning to Hollywood. But Wilson had lost his heart to Italy and as soon as the movie was finished, he returned to Rome, where he built a business renting Moviolas and other editorial equipment left behind by Selznick.
Wilson had worked many hours of overtime on Arms, but was paid only a flat salary. He knew that all the editorial equipment shipped to Italy was still there. Selznick’s people did not want to pay to ship it back to the States, so Wilson negotiated for it in lieu of overtime pay. Gradually, he imported more Moviolas and equipment, renting them out to various American films, including Ben Hur, which he also worked on as an assistant and second editor.
After two years, he returned to the US and began a long career editing episodic TV, including The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Bewitched and, beginning in 1959, an eight-year stint on Gunsmoke, as well as numerous TV movies.
In the early 1980s, Wilson retired and soon moved to Maui. He continued playing tennis, a lifelong passion, and taught it, free of charge, to young Hawaiians. He pursued his studies of Buddhism, meditation and the Dalai Lama. He learned massage and became known as a healer. People came to him and Wilson treated them without charge. He believed strongly in sending “white light” to those he loved and to those in need.
Somehow he always seemed to be smiling. And that is how we will remember him, gently radiating white light and love to those around him. A Buddhist memorial service was held for him on Maui and his ashes were scattered to the sea by his friends.
Wilson is survived by his daughter Stefanie, two grandchildren––Antoine and Aurelien––and his sister Madeline.
Arthur R. Schmidt
In Memoriam
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