David Loxton
Encyclopedia
David R. Loxton was a producer of documentaries and other programs for public television in the USA.
Loxton was born in Kingston
, Ontario
, Canada
, the son of Bill Loxton
& Binkie Loxton (née Pattullo). He grew up in England where his father was a Wing Commander in the RAF. Upon moving to the USA in 1966, he joined the production staff of WNET
, the major New York public-television affiliate. In 1972, he created the Television Lab, which presented the work of independent film makers like Nam June Paik and of the choreographer Twyla Tharp, who has worked with video.
In addition to serving as the director of the Television Lab from 1972 through 1984, Loxton developed the Nonfiction TV series, which presented such works as Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang, I Remember Harlem and The Times of Harvey Milk
. Loxton was the executive producer of Nonfiction TV from 1978 through 1983. Loxton was the executive producer of programs for the Great Performances, NET Playhouse and American Playhouse series.
During his career he received many Awards, such as –
Emmy Awards – The Police Tapes
(1977), Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang (1979), Third Avenue: Only the Strong Survive (1980)
Du Pont/Columbia Awards - Lord of the Universe
(1974), The Police Tapes
(1977), I Remember Harlem (1982), Pesticide and Pills (1982)
In 1985, he won an ACE. award, cable television's equivalent of an Emmy, for best original drama, for Countdown to Looking Glass
, about a United States-Soviet confrontation in the Middle East. He was co-executive producer, with Frederick Barzyk, of the program.
In addition, he was director of drama for the Great Performances series and senior executive producer for specials, both at WNET
. He was executive producer of Tales From the Hollywood Hills, a critically acclaimed series shown under the auspices of Great Performances. When he became ill, he had just begun production of Childhood, a six-part documentary for the Public Broadcasting Service.
He married Pamela Anne Marx on 11 May 1968 at the Presbyterian Church in Shrewsbury, New Jersey
; he had 2 sons.
He died of pancreatic cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan in 1989. His obituary
was published in The New York Times
.
Loxton was born in Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the son of Bill Loxton
Bill Loxton
Wilfrid William Loxton , known as Bill Loxton, was a British Royal Air Force pilot during the Battle of Britain....
& Binkie Loxton (née Pattullo). He grew up in England where his father was a Wing Commander in the RAF. Upon moving to the USA in 1966, he joined the production staff of WNET
WNET
WNET, channel 13 is a non-commercial educational public television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey. With its signal covering the New York metropolitan area, WNET is a primary station of the Public Broadcasting Service and a primary provider of PBS programming...
, the major New York public-television affiliate. In 1972, he created the Television Lab, which presented the work of independent film makers like Nam June Paik and of the choreographer Twyla Tharp, who has worked with video.
In addition to serving as the director of the Television Lab from 1972 through 1984, Loxton developed the Nonfiction TV series, which presented such works as Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang, I Remember Harlem and The Times of Harvey Milk
The Times of Harvey Milk
The Times of Harvey Milk is an American documentary film that premiered at The Telluride Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, and then on November 1, 1984 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco...
. Loxton was the executive producer of Nonfiction TV from 1978 through 1983. Loxton was the executive producer of programs for the Great Performances, NET Playhouse and American Playhouse series.
During his career he received many Awards, such as –
Emmy Awards – The Police Tapes
The Police Tapes
The Police Tapes is a 1977 documentary about a police precinct in the South Bronx. The original ran ninety minutes and was produced for public television; a one-hour version later aired on ABC...
(1977), Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang (1979), Third Avenue: Only the Strong Survive (1980)
Du Pont/Columbia Awards - Lord of the Universe
Lord of the Universe
Lord of the Universe is a 1974 American documentary film about Prem Rawat at an event in November 1973 at the Houston Astrodome called "Millennium '73". Lord of the Universe was first broadcast on PBS on February 2, 1974, and released in VHS format on November 1, 1991...
(1974), The Police Tapes
The Police Tapes
The Police Tapes is a 1977 documentary about a police precinct in the South Bronx. The original ran ninety minutes and was produced for public television; a one-hour version later aired on ABC...
(1977), I Remember Harlem (1982), Pesticide and Pills (1982)
In 1985, he won an ACE. award, cable television's equivalent of an Emmy, for best original drama, for Countdown to Looking Glass
Countdown to Looking Glass
Countdown to Looking Glass is a Canadian made-for-television movie that premiered in the United States on HBO on 14 October 1984 and was also broadcast on CTV in Canada. The movie presents a fictional confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over the Strait of Hormuz, the...
, about a United States-Soviet confrontation in the Middle East. He was co-executive producer, with Frederick Barzyk, of the program.
In addition, he was director of drama for the Great Performances series and senior executive producer for specials, both at WNET
WNET
WNET, channel 13 is a non-commercial educational public television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey. With its signal covering the New York metropolitan area, WNET is a primary station of the Public Broadcasting Service and a primary provider of PBS programming...
. He was executive producer of Tales From the Hollywood Hills, a critically acclaimed series shown under the auspices of Great Performances. When he became ill, he had just begun production of Childhood, a six-part documentary for the Public Broadcasting Service.
He married Pamela Anne Marx on 11 May 1968 at the Presbyterian Church in Shrewsbury, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
; he had 2 sons.
He died of pancreatic cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan in 1989. His obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
was published in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.