Bud Molin
Encyclopedia
Henry David “Bud” Molin, A.C.E., (May 26, 1925 – May 21, 2007) was an American
film editor
and television director
.
, California
, Molin enlisted in the United States Army
serving in World War II
before beginning his career. He first worked at the Columbia Pictures
film library and then became an assistant film editor.
Most of Molin's best known work is in the comedy genre, having edited classic shows such as I Love Lucy
, The Dick Van Dyke Show
, and I Spy. He often worked with Dann Cahn
and also collaborated with writer/director Carl Reiner
on some his comedies of the 1970s and 80s. They run the gamut from the huge commercial success of Oh, God!
and The Jerk
to experimental pictures such as Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
and Bert Rigby, You're a Fool
. Although best known for comedy, he also edited dramas as well, such as They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!
and Halls of Anger
, both dealing with racial relations.
As his career progressed, Molin branched out to directing the television series Good Heavens
, and served as the assistant director
on the film Up the Academy
. He also was a post-production executive for the TV series Barney Miller
. In 1993, Molin came out of retirement to edit his last film, the comedy Fatal Instinct
, a film by friend Carl Reiner.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film editor
Film editing
Film editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots into sequences, and ultimately creating a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling...
and television director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
.
Early life and career
Born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Molin enlisted in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
serving in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
before beginning his career. He first worked at the Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
film library and then became an assistant film editor.
Most of Molin's best known work is in the comedy genre, having edited classic shows such as I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
, The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff....
, and I Spy. He often worked with Dann Cahn
Dann Cahn
Dann Cahn is an American film editor who has received the Career Achievement Award from the American Cinema Editors . Cahn is best known as the head editor of the TV series, I Love Lucy and for his work as the head of post-production of comediene Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's Desilu Playhouse...
and also collaborated with writer/director Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner is an American actor, film director, producer, writer and comedian. He has won nine Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award during this career...
on some his comedies of the 1970s and 80s. They run the gamut from the huge commercial success of Oh, God!
Oh, God!
Oh, God! is a 1977 comedy film starring George Burns and John Denver. Based on a novel by Avery Corman, the film was directed by Carl Reiner from a screenplay written by Larry Gelbart...
and The Jerk
The Jerk
The Jerk is a 1979 American comedy film. Directed by Carl Reiner, the film was written by Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb and Michael Elias. This was Steve Martin's first starring role in a feature film. The film also features Bernadette Peters, M. Emmet Walsh and Jackie Mason.-Plot:The film begins...
to experimental pictures such as Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is a 1982 comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and starring Steve Martin and Rachel Ward. It is both a parody of, and an homage to, film noir and the pulp detective movies of the 1940s....
and Bert Rigby, You're a Fool
Bert Rigby, You're a Fool
Bert Rigby, You're a Fool is a 1989 American musical film directed by Carl Reiner, and starring Robert Lindsay in the title role.-Plot:Bert Rigby is a miner in a small dying town of Langmore in northern England, with aspirations to show business. He tells the story in flashback, while sitting in a...
. Although best known for comedy, he also edited dramas as well, such as They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!
They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!
They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! is a 1970 film; a sequel to In the Heat of the Night . Sidney Poitier reprised his role of police detective Virgil Tibbs, though in this sequel, Tibbs is working for the San Francisco Police rather than the Philadelphia Police or the Pasadena Police .-Plot:The plot...
and Halls of Anger
Halls of Anger
Halls of Anger is an American drama directed by Paul Bogart. The drama features Calvin Lockhart, Janet MacLachlan, Jeff Bridges and James A. Watson Jr.-Cast:* Calvin Lockhart as Quincy Davis* Janet MacLachlan as Lorraine Nash...
, both dealing with racial relations.
As his career progressed, Molin branched out to directing the television series Good Heavens
Good Heavens
Good Heavens was a comedy anthology produced by Columbia Pictures Television that aired between February 29 to June 26, 1976. It ranked #17 in the Nielsen ratings during the 1975-76 television season....
, and served as the assistant director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
on the film Up the Academy
Up the Academy
MAD Magazine Presents Up the Academy is an American teen comedy film released in 1980, with a plot about the outrageous antics of a group of misfits at a military school.-Production:...
. He also was a post-production executive for the TV series Barney Miller
Barney Miller
Barney Miller is a situation comedy television series set in a New York City police station in Greenwich Village. The series originally was broadcast from January 23, 1975 to May 20, 1982 on ABC. It was created by Danny Arnold and Theodore J. Flicker...
. In 1993, Molin came out of retirement to edit his last film, the comedy Fatal Instinct
Fatal Instinct
Fatal Instinct is a 1993 comedy film directed by Carl Reiner. It parodies the erotic thriller movie genre, which at the time had reached its commercial peak. The film stars Armand Assante as a lawyer and cop named Ned Ravine who has an affair with a woman named Lola Cain played by Sean Young...
, a film by friend Carl Reiner.
Death
On May 21, 2007, Molin died at his home at the age of 81 in Rancho Mirage, CaliforniaRancho Mirage, California
Rancho Mirage is a resort city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal population can exceed 20,000. In between Cathedral City and Palm Desert, it is one of the eight cities of the Coachella...
.
Director
- The New Dick Van Dyke ShowThe New Dick Van Dyke ShowThe New Dick Van Dyke Show is an American sitcom starring Dick Van Dyke that aired on CBS from 1971 to 1974. This was Van Dyke's first return to series television since The Dick Van Dyke Show.-Production:...
(1 episode, 1974) - Good Heavens (1 episode, 1976)
Editor
- Our Miss BrooksOur Miss BrooksOur Miss Brooks is an American situation comedy starring Eve Arden as a sardonic high school English teacher. It began as a radio show broadcast on CBS from 1948 to 1957. When the show was adapted to television , it became one of the medium's earliest hits...
(4 episodes, 1952–1953) - Forever, DarlingForever, DarlingForever, Darling is a 1956 American romantic comedy film with fantasy overtones, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, and James Mason, and directed by Alexander Hall...
(1956) - WhirlybirdsWhirlybirdsWhirlybirds is an American drama television series....
(3 episodes, 1957) - I Love LucyI Love LucyI Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
(105 episodes, 1953–1957) - The Lucy-Desi Comedy HourThe Lucy-Desi Comedy HourThe Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour is a CBS television situation comedy. The show is a collection of occasional specials rather than a regular series and originally served as part of Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse...
(4 episodes, 1958–1959) - The Guns of Will SonnettThe Guns of Will SonnettThe Guns of Will Sonnett is a Western television series set in the 1870s which ran on the ABC television network from 1967 to 1969. The series was the first production collaboration between Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas, who would later go on to produce one of ABC's most-memorable hits, The Mod...
(1 episode, 1967) - How Sweet It Is!How Sweet It Is!How Sweet It Is! is a 1968 comedy movie starring James Garner and Debbie Reynolds, with a supporting cast including Terry-Thomas and Paul Lynde. Garner plays a photographer who brings his wife, Jenny, and teenage son, David, along on a Paris shoot, with both husband and wife struggling to stay...
(1968) - Where's Poppa?Where's Poppa?Where's Poppa? is a 1970 black comedy film based on the novel by Robert Klane starring George Segal, Ron Leibman and Ruth Gordon. The plot revolves around the troubled relationship between a lawyer son played by Segal and his senile mother played by Gordon...
(1970) - The One and OnlyThe One and Only (1978 film)The One and Only is a 1978 film comedy starring Henry Winkler, directed by Carl Reiner and written by Steve Gordon.Gordon went on to write and direct the movie Arthur.-Plot:...
(1978) - Bloodline (1979)
- Dead Men Don't Wear PlaidDead Men Don't Wear PlaidDead Men Don't Wear Plaid is a 1982 comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and starring Steve Martin and Rachel Ward. It is both a parody of, and an homage to, film noir and the pulp detective movies of the 1940s....
(1982) - The Man with One Red ShoeThe Man with One Red ShoeThe Man With One Red Shoe is a 1985 comedy film directed by Stan Dragoti. It is a remake of a 1972 French film Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire starring Pierre Richard and Mireille Darc...
(1985) - Summer RentalSummer RentalSummer Rental is a 1985 comedy film directed by Carl Reiner, starring John Candy. The screenplay is written by Mark Reisman and Jeremy Stevens. The original music score is composed by Alan Silvestri. It was filmed in St. Pete Beach near St. Petersburg, Florida. Several area landmarks can be seen...
(1985) - Police Academy 3: Back in TrainingPolice Academy 3: Back in TrainingPolice Academy 3: Back in Training is the third film in the Police Academy film series, released on March 21, 1986.-Plot:The film begins in a large garage structure, where Lt. Proctor and Commandant Mauser meet up with former Police Academy cadets, Chad Copeland and Kyle Blankes...
(1986) - Summer SchoolSummer School (film)Summer School is a 1987 film directed by Carl Reiner about the travails of a high school gym teacher who is forced to teach a remedial English class for a bunch of maladjusted goof-off students. It stars Mark Harmon, Kirstie Alley, and Courtney Thorne-Smith. The original music score was composed by...
(1987) - The ExpertsThe Experts (1989 film)The Experts is a 1989 American comedy film starring John Travolta, Arye Gross and Kelly Preston. It was written by Steven Greene, Eric Alter, and Nick Thiel and directed by Dave Thomas.-Plot:...
(1989) - StellaStella (1990 film)Stella is a 1990 American drama film produced by The Samuel Goldwyn Company and released by Touchstone Pictures. The screenplay by Robert Getchell is the third feature film adaptation of the 1920 novel Stella Dallas by Olive Higgins Prouty....
(1990) - Sibling RivalrySibling Rivalry (film)Sibling Rivalry is a 1990 black comedy starring Kirstie Alley, Sam Elliott, Jami Gertz, Bill Pullman, Carrie Fisher, and Scott Bakula, directed by Carl Reiner.-Plot:...
(1990)
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | American Cinema Editors | Nominated | Best Edited Television Program | I Spy (For episode "The Loser") |
| 1967 | Best Edited Television Program | I Spy (For episode "Court of the Lion") |