After a long illness, John Urie passed away on June 26 at his home in Santa Paula, Calif. He was 83.
The loss of his life has been felt by assorted people throughout the industry because he gave life to so many of their careers and made so many friends along the way. Before the web and new director showcases, gaining exposure for one’s own talent was a considerably different proposition. It depended more heavily on getting someone else to recognize and believe in your talent. And on that front, director/entrepreneur Urie was a leading beacon of light.
His legendary Los Angeles studio, John Urie and Associates, was a spawning ground. And his credibility with the agency community was often enough to get ad shops to try out unknown talent during the 1960s.
The directors who cut their teeth at his studio included Ron Dexter, Stu Hagmann, Joe Hanwright, Remi Kramer, David Stern, Ahmed Lateef, Dick Bailey and David Impastato. Young cameramen broke into commercials via the Urie studio, among them John Hora, Ed Martin, Alan Daviau, Woody Omens. Caleb Deschanel (who co-founded and directs spots via Dark Light Pictures) and Kent Wakeford (who became a director and co-founded Wakeford/Orloff).
Editors also emerged from the Urie fold, including Pete Verity and editor-turned-director David Dryer. A key grip at Urie, David Farrow, became a leading automotive spot director. Casting director Niki Minter made a successful transition to director. Also blossoming at Urie were animation directors Bob Curtis and Jean-Guy Jacques.
Before starting his own studio in 1958, Urie worked at UPA writing, producing and directing animated, stop motion, and puppetry commercials–not to mention ads deploying cut-outs in the pre-Monty Python era. Among his creations was Western Airlines’ “The Only Way to Fly” campaign with an animated bird kicking back and sitting on the tailend of a plane. And then there was the classic, “Hey. How’ bout a nice Hawaiian Punch?” commercial. Urie then started turning out live action spots and short films with a special touch that was ahead of its time.
Jean-Guy Jacques remembered Urie for having “a unique gift for recognizing people with a special talent as an editor or a cameraman, a writer or a director. That gift, the talent he hired and the notable work he produced allowed his studio to quickly grow from a staff of three to a staff of over sixty. John created a place his staff never wanted to leave. Many became award winners.”
Urie used to say, “With a smile, you can go around the world.”
“And he did,” noted Jacques. His generous spirit and creativity will be missed by a huge number of friends.”
Urie is survived by his son Willard and his daughter Cinthia, three granddaughters and two great grandsons, a younger brother Richard, and a sister, Margaret Huston. John Urie’s younger son Kurt passed away at the age of 33 in 1993 from cancer. He also lost his wife Cheli in ’07. He loved working with his sons–Kurt was involved in video playback and Willard continues to serve as a gaffer.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clara, Calif., P.O. Box 152, Santa Paula, CA 93061. (805 525-7910).
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More