Dann Cahn
Encyclopedia
Dann Cahn is an American
film editor who has received the Career Achievement Award from the American Cinema Editors
(ACE). 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. Cahn would also go on to edit several more movies and TV series such as The Beverly Hillbillies
. Cahn worked with Orson Welles
, Russ Meyer
and others.
. His parents were Philip and Gertrude Cahn. Some members of the Cahn family were already in the film business at the time Danny Cahn was born. His family (his grandparents and his father, a baby at the time) had migrated from Poland
and Russia
to Philadelphia, before settling in New York on the lower east side of Manhattan.
The Cahn family would later move to Hollywood, where his uncle Edward Cahn had managed to join the film business in 1913. Eddy Cahn worked first as a prop man and then later moved up to become one of the top film editors at Universal Studios
.
Dann Cahn's father, Philip Cahn, tried ranching in North Hollywood on a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) piece of property that he bought with proceeds he had saved and money earned from his wife Gertrude's dress shop ("Gertrude's" on Hollywood Boulevard
). The ranch property was located at the junction of Vineland and Aqua Vista in North Hollywood next to the Los Angeles River. His father purchased 2,500 baby chicks. But one night the electricity gave out and the incubators went cold. The baby chicks didn't make it. Soon after, Philip Cahn would also join his brother in the film business as a film editor. Dann Cahn's father Philip edited Imitation of Life
with Claudette Colbert
.
With an uncle and father in the film business, young Danny Cahn grew up in Hollywood and would hang around his father's sets prior to World War II
. Dann also got the itch to work on movies. Fascinated by the Dead End Kids
pictures that were popular at the time and having acted in a few high school plays, young Danny Cahn thought he might like to become an actor
. Cahn got his SAG
card and worked on bit parts in several B-movies before deciding that most actors were starving and that he wanted a real paying gig.
During World War II
, Dann Cahn was among the hundreds of actors, directors, producers, writers, editors, cameramen, makeup artists and even musicians enlisted in the armed services who found themselves stationed not in the European front or the Pacific theater, but at the old Hal Roach Studios in Culver City
. As members of the First Motion Picture Unit
, these soldiers contributed to the war effort by making more than 400 training films and documentaries.
Of making films for the military, Cahn said, “I was an editor in the unit and two of us were sent to the Pentagon
for a year and we made newsreels. We were all in for 3½ years, and most of us got a world of experience."
Cahn is the middle part of one of the only three-generation families in ACE editing history. His father, Philip Cahn, had a long career at Universal, mainly cutting Abbott and Costello
comedies. His son, Danny Cahn Jr., ACE, is also picture editor on features and TV series, and was elected president of the Motion Picture Editor's Guild at the beginning of 2011.
. Cahn also edited The Untouchables (TV series), and The Loretta Young Show. Dann Cahn also worked at Glenn Larson Productions as head of post production.
I Love Lucy
was the first sitcom to shoot with three cameras and ship in 35 mm instead of kinescopes. Cahn was one of the first editors to master cutting on a film Moviola
with four heads (three for picture and one for sound).
At Desilu Studios, Cahn mentored several I Love Lucy
team members, editors Gary Freund and Ted Rich both started as his apprentices. His other apprentices included Bud Molin
and a fourth, “the one I had to nurse the longest...” Cahn said, “that was Michael Kahn
, ACE, and he is now the number one editor in town, doing all of Steven Spielberg
’s shows.”
Cahn would go on to work with several notable feature film director
s, including Orson Welles
(Fountain of Youth) and the notorious Russ Meyer
(Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
). Cahn would also direct at least one episode of the classic TV series, Leave It to Beaver
and would also produce and/or direct several other films or television shows.
Judy Cahn until her death in late 2010. They have a son, Daniel Cahn Jr., who is also a film editor (third generation). His hobby is collecting exotic birds.
Cahn's work on I Love Lucy is featured in the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center
in Jamestown, New York
, which has an exhibit including his "three-headed monster" editing machine.
(See also SaveLucyDesiCenter.org.)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film editor who has received the Career Achievement Award from the American Cinema Editors
American Cinema Editors
Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing itself. The society is not to be confused with an industry union, such as the I.A.T.S.E...
(ACE). Cahn is best known as the head editor of the TV series, 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...
and for his work as the head of post-production of comediene Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
and Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
's Desilu Playhouse. Cahn would also go on to edit several more movies and TV series such as The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
. Cahn worked with Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
, Russ Meyer
Russ Meyer
Russell Albion "Russ" Meyer was a U.S. motion picture director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, actor and photographer....
and others.
Early life
Cahn was born and raised in Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia
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...
. His parents were Philip and Gertrude Cahn. Some members of the Cahn family were already in the film business at the time Danny Cahn was born. His family (his grandparents and his father, a baby at the time) had migrated from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to Philadelphia, before settling in New York on the lower east side of Manhattan.
The Cahn family would later move to Hollywood, where his uncle Edward Cahn had managed to join the film business in 1913. Eddy Cahn worked first as a prop man and then later moved up to become one of the top film editors at Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
.
Dann Cahn's father, Philip Cahn, tried ranching in North Hollywood on a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) piece of property that he bought with proceeds he had saved and money earned from his wife Gertrude's dress shop ("Gertrude's" on Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
). The ranch property was located at the junction of Vineland and Aqua Vista in North Hollywood next to the Los Angeles River. His father purchased 2,500 baby chicks. But one night the electricity gave out and the incubators went cold. The baby chicks didn't make it. Soon after, Philip Cahn would also join his brother in the film business as a film editor. Dann Cahn's father Philip edited Imitation of Life
Imitation of Life (1934 film)
Imitation of Life is a 1934 American drama film directed by John M. Stahl. The screenplay by William Hurlbut, based on Fannie Hurst's 1933 novel of the same name, was augmented by eight additional uncredited writers, including Preston Sturges and Finley Peter Dunne...
with Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
.
With an uncle and father in the film business, young Danny Cahn grew up in Hollywood and would hang around his father's sets prior to 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...
. Dann also got the itch to work on movies. Fascinated by the Dead End Kids
Dead End Kids
The Dead End Kids were a group of young actors from New York who appeared in Sidney Kingsley's Broadway play Dead End in 1935. In 1937 producer Samuel Goldwyn brought all of them to Hollywood and turned the play into a film...
pictures that were popular at the time and having acted in a few high school plays, young Danny Cahn thought he might like to become an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Cahn got his SAG
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
card and worked on bit parts in several B-movies before deciding that most actors were starving and that he wanted a real paying gig.
During 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...
, Dann Cahn was among the hundreds of actors, directors, producers, writers, editors, cameramen, makeup artists and even musicians enlisted in the armed services who found themselves stationed not in the European front or the Pacific theater, but at the old Hal Roach Studios in Culver City
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
. As members of the First Motion Picture Unit
First Motion Picture Unit
The First Motion Picture Unit was the first unit of the United States Military to be made up entirely of motion picture personnel. It was also the title of a 1943 documentary about the unit.-Organization:...
, these soldiers contributed to the war effort by making more than 400 training films and documentaries.
Of making films for the military, Cahn said, “I was an editor in the unit and two of us were sent to the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
for a year and we made newsreels. We were all in for 3½ years, and most of us got a world of experience."
Cahn is the middle part of one of the only three-generation families in ACE editing history. His father, Philip Cahn, had a long career at Universal, mainly cutting Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
comedies. His son, Danny Cahn Jr., ACE, is also picture editor on features and TV series, and was elected president of the Motion Picture Editor's Guild at the beginning of 2011.
Career highlights
Dann Cahn started out working in a film library and then later moved up as an assistant editor on motion pictures. His first job in television came in 1949, the Lucky Strike Showtime. Most notably, Cahn worked at Desilu on the TV series, I Love LucyI 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...
. Cahn also edited The Untouchables (TV series), and The Loretta Young Show. Dann Cahn also worked at Glenn Larson Productions as head of post production.
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...
was the first sitcom to shoot with three cameras and ship in 35 mm instead of kinescopes. Cahn was one of the first editors to master cutting on a film Moviola
Moviola
A Moviola is a device that allows a film editor to view film while editing. It was the first machine for motion picture editing when it was invented by Iwan Serrurier in 1924.-History:...
with four heads (three for picture and one for sound).
At Desilu Studios, Cahn mentored several 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...
team members, editors Gary Freund and Ted Rich both started as his apprentices. His other apprentices included Bud Molin
Bud Molin
Henry David “Bud” Molin, A.C.E., was an American film editor and television director.-Early life and career:...
and a fourth, “the one I had to nurse the longest...” Cahn said, “that was Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn (film editor)
Michael Kahn is an American film editor. His credits range from TV's Hogan's Heroes to feature films directed by George C. Scott and Steven Spielberg, with whom he has had an extended, notable collaboration over more than thirty years.Kahn is a member of the American Cinema Editors...
, ACE, and he is now the number one editor in town, doing all of Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
’s shows.”
Cahn would go on to work with several notable feature film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
s, including Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
(Fountain of Youth) and the notorious Russ Meyer
Russ Meyer
Russell Albion "Russ" Meyer was a U.S. motion picture director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, actor and photographer....
(Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a 1970 American schlock melodrama film starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett and David Gurian...
). Cahn would also direct at least one episode of the classic TV series, Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood...
and would also produce and/or direct several other films or television shows.
Personal life
Cahn was married to former pro golferProfessional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
Judy Cahn until her death in late 2010. They have a son, Daniel Cahn Jr., who is also a film editor (third generation). His hobby is collecting exotic birds.
Cahn's work on I Love Lucy is featured in the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center
Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center
The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center is a museum in Jamestown, New York, dedicated to the lives and careers of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The museum officially opened in 1996 "to preserve and celebrate the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and enrich the world through the healing powers of love...
in Jamestown, New York
Jamestown, New York
Jamestown is a city in Chautauqua County, New York in the United States. The population was 31,146 at the 2010 census.The City of Jamestown is adjacent to Town of Ellicott and is at the southern tip of Chautauqua Lake...
, which has an exhibit including his "three-headed monster" editing machine.
(See also SaveLucyDesiCenter.org.)
Selected filmography
- I Love Lucy's 50th Anniversary Special (2001) (TV) (consultant)
- Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (1991) (TV)
- Jake Spanner, Private Eye (1989) (TV)
- Bates MotelBates MotelBates Motel is a 1987 television movie about Alex West, a mentally disturbed youth who was committed to an asylum after killing his abusive stepfather. There he befriends Norman Bates and ends up inheriting the infamous Bates Motel.-Plot:...
(1987) (TV) - My Sister SamMy Sister SamMy Sister Sam is an American situation comedy series that aired on CBS from 1986 to 1988. It was created by Stephen Fischer and executive produced by Diane English.-Synopsis:...
(1986) TV series - Tough EnoughTough Enough (film)Tough Enough is a 1983 film directed by Richard Fleischer, starring Dennis Quaid, Pam Grier, Warren Oates and Stan Shaw.-Plot synopsis:A down-on-his-luck country & western singer from Fort Worth enters a "toughman" competition to help pay his family's bills. Surprisingly, he does well against the...
(1983) - Remington SteeleRemington SteeleRemington Steele is an American television series, co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from 1982 to 1987. The series blended the genres of romantic...
(1982) TV series - The Fall GuyThe Fall GuyThe Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
(1981) TV series - The OctagonThe Octagon (film)The Octagon is a 1980 action film with Chuck Norris in the leading role. It was directed by Eric Karson and written by Paul Aaron and Leigh Chapman. It was filmed in Los Angeles, California and released on August 14, 1980. It is notable for its inventive use of 'voice over' effects to portray the...
(1980) - Man from Atlantis (1977) TV series
- Shaft TV series (associate producer) (3 episodes, 1974)
- Police WomanPolice Woman (TV series)Police Woman is an American television police drama starring Angie Dickinson that ran on NBC for four seasons, from September 13, 1974, to March 29, 1978.-Synopsis:...
(1974–1975) TV series - The Most Deadly GameThe Most Deadly GameThe Most Deadly Game is an American drama television series that ran for 12 episodes on ABC from 1970 to 1971. The series was produced by Aaron Spelling Productions, with Aaron Spelling being the executive producer. It starred Yvette Mimieux , Ralph Bellamy, and George Maharis....
(1970) TV series - Beyond the Valley of the DollsBeyond the Valley of the DollsBeyond the Valley of the Dolls is a 1970 American schlock melodrama film starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett and David Gurian...
(1970) - The Beverly HillbilliesThe Beverly HillbilliesThe Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
(28 episodes, 1963–1964) - Leave It to BeaverLeave It to BeaverLeave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood...
(1 episode, 1961) Director - The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour (1959)
- Frances Langford Presents (1959) TV series (writer)
- Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1 episode, 1959) Director
- The Scarface Mob (1959) (TV) (second unit director)
- The Fountain of Youth (1958) (TV) (editorial supervisor)
- The Californians (1957) TV series (editorial supervisor)
- 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...
(editorial supervisor) (106 episodes, 1952–1957) - Cavalcade of AmericaCavalcade of AmericaCavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented a musical, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on...
(2 episodes, 1956–1957) - Make Room for Daddy (1953) TV series
- I Love Lucy film (1953)
- 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...
(33 episodes, 1951–1952) - 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...
(1952) TV series - Airborne Lifeboat (1945)
External links
- Dann Cahn Sr. IMDB credits
- Youtube Interview with Dann Cahn Part 1
- Editor's Guild Magazine "MPEG Veterans Days: Honoring Our Retirees"
- "Serving their country in wartime – by making films" LA Times, By Susan King, September 27, 2005
- Archive of American Television, January 19, 2008: Dann Cahn's Full Interview Description