Louis J. Witte

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Louis John Witte (born June 14, 1894 in Chicago , † October 29, 1975 in Louisiana ) was an American film technician and inventor in the field of special effects .

Live and act

Louis J. Witte was a son of Louis Witte who ran a pyrotechnic company in Louisiana . In 1916 he traveled to China to familiarize himself with new developments in explosives technology. At the age of 23, he enlisted in the Army as a soldier during the First World War . During the Meuse-Argonne offensive , he was wounded by a bomb on October 2, 1918 and was then awarded the Purple Heart .

1921/1922 attended Witte courses in chemical engineering and economics at the University of Washington , but without obtaining a degree. In 1926 he started working as a technician at the Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation . He worked there in the field of special effects , mainly using his knowledge of explosives and mechanical effects. In 1943 he was promoted to head of the special effects department. Orders for Second World War propaganda films made this area increasingly important for the company. Witte got involved in the war success of the United States beyond film production by, among other things, supplying a Marine Corps training camp with realistic combat effects and training weapons from the studio's private arsenal.

Witte contributed with several inventions to the further development of special effects. In 1938 he filed two patents for portable machines for generating waves and simulating lightning. In 1944 he patented a device for sound effects that could imitate the sound of machine guns, airplanes and engines, among other things. It replaced the use of real firearms to generate sound and thus increased safety on the set.

1949 Witte was together with Nick Cold with the Academy of Science and Development Award (Academy Scientific and Engineering Award). They received the award “for a process of preserving and flame-proofing foliage” (for a process for the preservation and non-flammability of foliage).

Witte worked with Fox until the 1960s. He has been involved in over 200 films, even if he often did not appear in their credits . In 1975 he died of a stroke. He was married to Margaret Sumners Witte.

Filmography (selection)

literature

  • Joanna Sumners Snyder: Louis J. Witte: Hollywood Special Effects Magician. MA thesis, Florida State University, 2011 ( PDF ).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Joanna Sumners Snyder: Louis J. Witte: Hollywood Special Effects Magician. 2011, p. Vii.
  2. ^ Joanna Sumners Snyder: Louis J. Witte: Hollywood Special Effects Magician. 2011, p. 10.
  3. ↑ Wave machine, US 2222010 A Google Patents. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  4. ↑ Flare machine, US 2224452 A Google Patents. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  5. ^ Device for making sound effects, US 2425975 A Google Patents. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  6. ↑ Scientific and Engineering Award 1949 in the IMDb (English)
  7. ^ Joanna Sumners Snyder: Louis J. Witte: Hollywood Special Effects Magician. 2011, p. 18.
personal data
SURNAME Witte, Louis J.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Witte, Louis John (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American film technician
DATE OF BIRTH June 14, 1894
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago
DATE OF DEATH October 29, 1975
Place of death Louisiana