Academy Member Fred Chulack Dies
Fred A. Chulack, a well-known and highly regarded film editor, passed away at the age of 77 from complications of pneumonia on Friday, October 31 at St. Teresita Hospital in Duarte, California. He had been suffering from a rare condition called Shy-Drager for many years.
Fred was born on October 1, 1926, in downtown Los Angeles. His parents had emigrated from Croatia to the United States in 1917. In 1945, at the age of 19, he joined the United States Marines. He served for six years, including one year in China, before being honorably discharged as a staff sergeant in 1951.
In 1953, Fred joined his brother William in St. Louis to become partners in Chulack Productions, a company which produced commercial and industrial films.
Subsequently, Chulack returned to California and eventually became involved in film editing in the Hollywood studios. In 1960, while at Universal-International Studios, he served as an assistant editor on Stanley Kubrick's historical epic Spartacus.
Through the years, Fred Chulack edited scores of theatrical features and long-form television films, as well as many television series, including episodes of Hawaii Five-O.
Some of the feature films he edited are: Shrimp on the Barbie, Lovelines, A Time to Die, Touched by Love, Dreamer, Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich, The Last Hard Men, The Little Ark, C.C. and Company, Darker Than Amber, and The Out-of-Towners, among many others.
Among the long-form television films and miniseries are: The Shell Seekers, Case Closed, Outrage!, Hollywood Wives, Cry of the Innocent, City in Fear, Mary White, and Crime Club. He shared an Eddie award for the television mini-series The Blue and the Gray. He also was nominated for an Emmy Award for: The Blue and the Gray, Part 1; Hollywood Wives, Part 2; and The Shell Seekers Hallmark Hall Of Fame.
During his tenure as president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, he was instrumental in negotiating a collective-bargaining agreement separate from the other unions, which resulted in obtaining ground-breaking pay raises for the Guild members. He also had served on the Guild's Board Of Directors. Fred was also a member of: the American Cinema Editors(A.C.E.); the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, where he served a term on its Board of Governors; and the Television Academy of Arts & Sciences, where he also served a term on its Board of Governors from 1983-1987.
Fred was a man with strong leadership qualities, while at the same time possessing a quiet, unassuming nature. His philosophy in solving problems was based on old-fashioned common sense strongly laced with practicality. He was a creative film editor, had a refreshing zest for life, and a wry sense of humor. Always impeccably dressed, courteous to all, and loyal to those around him, he will be strongly missed by family and friends alike. He was truly an original.
Fred is survived by his beloved wife Marilyn, nephews Andy Chulack and Chris Chulack, and numerous other relatives.
A Rosary Service will be held Friday, November 7, at 7 p.m. at the Forest Lawn Mortuary, 1712 S. Glendale Ave., Glendale 91205. The Rosary Service will be held at the Wee Kirk of the Heather church.
The funeral service will be held on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 10 a.m., at St. Joseph's Chapel, which is located at St. Teresita Hospital. The address of the chapel is: 1210 Royal Oaks Drive, Duarte, 91010. Following the funeral service there will be a caravan from the chapel to the Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles for interment.
Memorial donations may be sent to the National Parkinson Foundation, Inc., 1501 N.W.9 Ave., Bob Hope Drive, Miami, FL 33136
- George Ohanian, A.C.E.