About
"I got four Emmys. And I was very pleased I got a lot of nominations which I lost. I had a decade where out of the ten years, I got nine nominations. I'm proud of that. I'm not gonna be blasé and say it doesn't mean anything, it means a lot, as an editor."
In his three-hour interview, John A. Martinelli (1939-2022) talks about his first industry job in the ABC Film Department and shares how it led to a job assistant editing The Lawrence Welk Show. He describes his time in the army, where he was stationed in Alaska editing for the NBC affiliate there. He talks about editing the series Gentle Ben and Flipper - where he first "broke through" as an editor. He recounts editing The Bill Cosby Show and Raquel Welch in her first television special, Raquel! Martinelli discusses a number of made-for-television movies he edited, including The Legend of Lizzie Borden, James Dean, The Winds of Kitty Hawk, The Cracker Factory, and the blockbuster miniseries Marco Polo. He speaks of his retirement, the trend toward digital editing, and his favorite career highlights. David Haugland conducted the interview in a joint venture with American Cinema Editors (ACE) on February 14, 2004 in Beverly Hills, CA.
Highlights
John Martinelli on the process of editing
John Martinelli on technical advancements in editing
John Martinelli on his Emmy Awards and being the President of ACE (American Cinema Editors)
John Martinelli on receiving the ACE Lifetime Achievement Award
John Martinelli on editing Columbo
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On his early life and influences; on working in the ABC Film Department; on ABC's programming in the mid-1950s
On his duties in the ABC film department and dealing with kinescopes; on editing for Four Star Productions and being drafted in the Army; on how he came to edit Flipper
Chapter 2
On editing Gentle Ben and Flipper; on working for producer Ivan Tors
On editing with stock footage; on editing commercials; on editing The Bill Cosby Show
Chapter 3
On editing Footsteps and Raquel!; on editing various specials and made-for-television movies; on working with Dick Berg
On editing A Strange and Deadly Occurrence and Where Have All the People Gone?; on sequencing in editing; on editing Legend of Lizzie Borden
Chapter 4
On editing James Dean and The Defection of Simas Kudirka; on winning Emmy Awards; on editing The Lady of the House and The Winds of Kitty Hawk
On working with Chuck Fries; on editing The Cracker Factory and S.O.S. Titanic; on editing Murder in Texas
Chapter 5
On editing Marco Polo; on editing Emergency Room and Desperate Intruder; on editing Columbo and Jane's House
On editing World War II: When the Lions Roared; on editing for Richard and Esther Shapiro; on the craft of editing
Chapter 6
On the process of editing; on technical advancements in editing
On how digital technology has changed editing; on then-current activities; on career highlights
Shows
Bill Cosby Show, The
John Martinelli on editing The Bill Cosby Show
Columbo
John Martinelli on editing Columbo
Cracker Factory, The
John Martinelli on editing The Cracker Factory
Emmy Awards, The (Primetime and Daytime)
John Martinelli on how Emmy awards affected his career
John Martinelli on his Emmy awards and being the President of ACE (American Cinema Editors)
Flipper
John Martinelli on how he came to edit Flipper
John Martinelli on editing Flipper and Gentle Ben
John Martinelli on the equipment he used to edit Flipper and Gentle Ben
John Martinelli on working for producer Ivan Tors on Gentle Ben and Flipper
John Martinelli on working with stock footage on Gentle Ben and Flipper
Gentle Ben
John Martinelli on editing Flipper and Gentle Ben
John Martinelli on the equipment he used to edit Flipper and Gentle Ben
John Martinelli on working for producer Ivan Tors on Gentle Ben and Flipper
John Martinelli on working with stock footage on Gentle Ben and Flipper
James Dean
John Martinelli on directing the made-for-television movie James Dean
Jane's House
John Martinelli on editing Jane's House
Lawrence Welk Show, The
John Martinelli on assistant editing The Lawrence Welk Show
Legend of Lizzie Borden, The
John Martinelli on editing The Legend of Lizzie Borden
Marco Polo
John Martinelli on editing Marco Polo
Murder in Texas
John Martinelli on editing Murder in Texas
Murder of Mary Phagan, The
John Martinelli on editing The Murder of Mary Phagan
Strange and Deadly Occurrence, The
John Martinelli on editing The Strange and Deadly Occurrence and Where Have All the People Gone?
Time to Triumph, A
John Martinelli on editing A Time to Triumph
What Are Best Friends For?
John Martinelli on editing What Are Best Friends For?
Where Have All the People Gone?
John Martinelli on editing A Strange and Deadly Occurrence and Where Have All the People Gone?
Winds of Kitty Hawk, The
John Martinelli on editing The Winds of Kitty Hawk
World War II: When Lions Roared
John Martinelli on editing World War II: When Lions Roared
Topics
Advertising and Sponsorship
John Martinelli on working at the Wakefield-Orloff Company
John Martinelli on the difference between editing commercials and television shows
Emmy Awards
John Martinelli on how Emmy wins affected his career
John Martinelli on his Emmys and being the President of ACE (American Cinema Editors)
First Big Break
John Martinelli on assistant editing The Lawrence Welk Show
Pivotal Career Moments
John Martinelli on assistant editing The Lawrence Welk Show
Technological Innovation
John Martinelli on technical advancements in editing
John Martinelli on how digital technology has changed editing
Television Industry
John Martinelli on working at the Wakefield-Orloff Company
John Martinelli on the difference between editing commercials and television shows
Professions
Editor
John Martinelli on "sequencing" in editing
John Martinelli on the craft of editing
John Martinelli on the process of editing
Post-Production Professionals
John Martinelli on "sequencing" in editing
John Martinelli on the craft of editing
John Martinelli on the process of editing
Genres
Commercials
John Martinelli on the difference between editing commercials and television shows
People
Dick Berg
John Martinelli on his working relationship with Dick Berg
Bill Cosby
John Martinelli on editing The Bill Cosby Show
Chuck Fries
John Martinelli on working with producer Chuck Fries
Elizabeth Montgomery
John Martinelli on editing Legend of Lizzie Borden
Esther Shapiro
John Martinelli on editing for Richard and Esther Shapiro
Richard Shapiro
John Martinelli on editing for Richard and Esther Shapiro