David M. Weisbart (January 21, 1915 – July 21, 1967) was an American

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film edi ...

and producer.

Career

Born in Los Angeles, Weisbart began working as a film editor for Warner Bros. in 1942. Over the next decade, he was involved in the editing of some twenty films, including '' The Constant Nymph'' (1943), ''

Mildred Pierce ''Mildred Pierce'' is a psychological drama by James M. Cain published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1941. A story of “social inequity and opportunity in America" set during the Great Depression, ''Mildred Pierce'' follows the trajectory of a lower- ...

'' (1945), '' Night and Day'' (1946), '' Dark Passage'' (1947), ''

The Fountainhead ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect, who battles against conventional standards and refuses to comp ...

'' (1949), ''

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his histrionic mother, ...

'' (1950), and ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pe ...

'' (1951). He was nominated for the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

for editing '' Johnny Belinda'' (1948). In 1952, Weisbart became a producer, the youngest under contract to Warner Bros. That same year he produced his first film, '' Mara Maru'', starring

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

and

Ruth Roman Ruth Roman (born Norma Roman; December 22, 1922 – September 9, 1999) was an American actress of film, stage, and television. After playing stage roles on the east coast, Roman relocated to Hollywood to pursue a career in films. She appeare ...

. In 1955 he produced the film for which he is probably best remembered: the

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, ''Rebel Without a Cause' ...

classic, ''

Rebel Without a Cause ''Rebel Without a Cause'' is a 1955 American coming-of-age drama film about emotionally confused suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that ...

''. Weisbart left Warner Bros. for

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm o ...

, where he produced '' Love Me Tender'' (1956), the first

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

film. Weisbart would produce three more Presley movies, as well as '' April Love'' (1957) for another

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Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

. With

Samuel A. Peeples Samuel Anthony Peeples (September 22, 1917 – August 27, 1997) was an American writer. He published several novels in the Western genre, often under the pen name Brad Ward, before moving into American series television after being given a scrip ...

, Weisbart created the television series ''

Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, ...

'', also known as ''The Legend of Custer'', which ran on ABC for seventeen episodes in 1967. On July 21, 1967, Weisbart died of what was apparently heart failure; he collapsed while playing golf with film director Mark Robson on a Los Angeles golf course. He was 52, and was survived by his wife and two daughters. At the time of his death, Weisbart was producing the high-profile '' Valley of the Dolls'', based on the

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

Jacqueline Susann Jacqueline Susann (August 20, 1918 – September 21, 1974) was an American novelist and actress. Her iconic novel, ''Valley of the Dolls'' (1966), is one of the best-selling books in publishing history. With her two subsequent works, '' The Love ...

. The film was released in December 1967. Although it received scathing reviews, it was 20th Century Fox's biggest box office hit of the year.''Valley of the Dolls'' (1967).
IMDb. .d.Retrieved January 6, 2017. Weisbart graduated in 1932 from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles and was President of his graduating class.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weisbart, David 1915 births 1967 deaths 20th Century Studios people 20th-century American businesspeople American film editors American film producers Film producers from California People from Los Angeles Warner Bros. people