Donald Douglas obit

Donald Douglas Dies: Emmy-Nominated Editor Known For ‘Murder, She Wrote’ And ‘George Washington’ Was 87

 

He was not on the list.

Donald Douglas, a film editor known for Murder, She Wrote, George Washington and The Eddie Capra Mysteries, has died. His family announced that Douglas died October 3 at Grace Pointe in Greeley, CO, after a brief illness. He was 87.

The two-time Emmy nominee was born in 1932 in Kendall, FL. At seventeen, Douglas enlisted in the Air Force and served for four years as a radar operator during the Korean War. While training for his Air Force service in California, Douglas met and married his first wife Kaye, with whom he would have four children.

After his time in the Air Force, Douglas returned to Southern California, where he caught the attention of Hanna Barbera boss Bill Hanna and dipped his feet into film editing. Douglas launched his decades-long film editing career at Hanna Barbera and went on to work multiple shows including The Yogi Bear Show, The Jetsons, The Flintstones and Jonny Quest.

Douglas’ editing talent expanded beyond the realm of animation as he went on to serve as editor for 1968’s The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Kojak and Barretta. In 1978, he joined The Eddie Capra Mysteries team and edited three episodes. A year later, the veteran editor married his second wife Rosemary.

When the 80s rolled around, so did a number of opportunities including the Golden Globe-winning Murder She Wrote, which starred Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher, the show’s lead intellectual crime-solver and writer. Douglas directed a total of 53 Murder episodes and earned an Emmy nomination for his work in 1985. The nomination would be his second as he received another nod in 1984 for his work on the Barry Bostwick biopic series George Washington.

When Murder, She Wrote came to a close in 1991, so did Douglas’ editing career. In 1994 Douglas and his wife retired and moved to Greeley, Colorado.

Douglas is survived by his wife, Rosemary, his four children, one stepson and eight grandchildren.

Donald Douglas was born on November 26, 1932 in Kendall, Florida, USA. He was an editor, known for Murder, She Wrote (1984), Darkroom (1981) and Goliath Awaits (1981). He died on October 3, 2020 in Greeley, Colorado, USA.

Editor

Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote (1984)

Murder, She Wrote

7.2

TV Series

Editor

1984–1991

53 episodes

 

George Washington (1984)

George Washington

7.8

TV Mini Series

Editor (as Don Douglas)

1984

3 episodes

 

River Phoenix, Richard Dean Anderson, Peter Horton, Drake Hogestyn, Terri Treas, and Roger Wilson in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1982)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

6.6

TV Series

Editor

1982

1 episode

 

The Neighborhood (1982)

The Neighborhood

6.1

TV Movie

Editor

1982

 

James Coburn in Darkroom (1981)

Darkroom

7.2

TV Series

film editor

1981–1982

7 episodes

 

Goliath Awaits (1981)

Goliath Awaits

6.6

TV Mini Series

Editor

1981

 

Today's F.B.I. (1981)

Today's F.B.I.

7.0

TV Series

Editor

1981

1 episode

 

The Oklahoma City Dolls (1981)

The Oklahoma City Dolls

6.1

TV Movie

Editor

1981

 

Morgan Fairchild, Robert Picardo, Eve Arden, Red Buttons, José Ferrer, Mark Harmon, Ray Milland, Howard Duff, Kaye Ballard, Morgan Brittany, Robert Culp, Vincent Gardenia, Robert Goulet, David Groh, Carolyn Jones, Fernando Lamas, Brianne Leary, and Jan Murray in The Dream Merchants (1980)

The Dream Merchants

6.3

TV Mini Series

Editor

1980

2 episodes

 

Police Story: Confessions of a Lady Cop (1980)

Police Story: Confessions of a Lady Cop

6.4

TV Movie

Editor

1980

 

Power (1980)

Power

6.1

TV Movie

Editor

1980

 

Vincent Baggetta in The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978)

The Eddie Capra Mysteries

7.0

TV Series

Editor

1978

3 episodes

 

Little Women (1978)

Little Women

6.7

TV Mini Series

Editor

1978

2 episodes

 

Robert Blake in Baretta (1975)

Baretta

6.7

TV Series

Editor

1976–1977

7 episodes

 

Telly Savalas in Kojak (1973)

Kojak

7.1

TV Series

Editor

1974–1976

13 episodes

 

Loopy de Loop (1959)

Loopy de Loop

6.2

TV Series

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1970–1975

8 episodes

 

Injun Trouble (1969)

Injun Trouble

4.0

Short

Editor (as Don Douglas)

1969

 

Bugged by a Bee (1969)

Bugged by a Bee

4.7

Short

Editor (as Don Douglas)

1969

 

Ted Cassidy, Lu Ann Haslam, Kevin Schultz, and Michael Shea in The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1968)

The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

7.2

TV Series

Editor

1968–1969

4 episodes

 

Space Ghost (1966)

Space Ghost

7.2

TV Series

Editor (as Don Douglas)

1966–1968

20 episodes

 

The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show

6.8

TV Series

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas, film editing)

1967–1968

2 episodes

 

Moby Dick and the Mighty Mightor (1967)

Moby Dick and the Mighty Mightor

6.5

TV Series

Editor

1967–1969

 

The Secret Squirrel Show (1965)

The Secret Squirrel Show

6.6

TV Series

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1965–1966

26 episodes

 

The Atom Ant Show (1965)

The Atom Ant Show

6.4

TV Series

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1965–1966

26 episodes

 

Winsome Witch (1965)

Winsome Witch

6.7

TV Series

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1965–1966

26 episodes

 

Squiddly Diddly (1965)

Squiddly Diddly

6.1

TV Series

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1965–1966

26 episodes

 

Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This? (1966)

Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This?

6.4

TV Movie

Editor (as Don Douglas)

1966

 

Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet, Don Messick, Alan Reed, and Jean Vander Pyl in The Flintstones (1960)

The Flintstones

7.5

TV Series

Editor

1960–1966

63 episodes

 

Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey (1964)

Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey

6.5

TV Series

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1964–1966

23 episodes

 

The Magilla Gorilla Show (1964)

The Magilla Gorilla Show

6.2

TV Series

Editor

1964–1966

31 episodes

 

Breezly and Sneezly (1964)

Breezly and Sneezly

6.2

TV Series

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1964–1966

23 episodes

 

The Peter Potamus Show (1964)

The Peter Potamus Show

6.1

TV Series

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1964–1966

22 episodes

 

Big Mouse-Take (1965)

Big Mouse-Take

6.0

Short

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1965

 

Pork Chop Phooey (1965)

Pork Chop Phooey

4.9

Short

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1965

 

Tim Matheson, Danny Bravo, Don Messick, and Mike Road in Jonny Quest (1964)

Jonny Quest

7.9

TV Series

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1964–1965

7 episodes

 

Ricochet Rabbit & Droop-a-Long (1964)

Ricochet Rabbit & Droop-a-Long

6.8

TV Series

Editor (as Don Douglas)

1964

15 episodes

 

Punkin' Puss & Mushmouse (1964)

Punkin' Puss & Mushmouse

6.8

TV Series

Editor (as Don Douglas)

1964

7 episodes

 

Trouble Bruin (1964)

Trouble Bruin

5.6

Short

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1964

 

Julie Bennett, Daws Butler, and Don Messick in Hey There, It's Yogi Bear (1964)

Hey There, It's Yogi Bear

6.5

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1964

 

Habit Rabbit (1963)

Habit Rabbit

5.4

Short

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1963

 

Crook Who Cried Wolf (1963)

Crook Who Cried Wolf

5.3

Short

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1963

 

Daws Butler, Don Messick, George O'Hanlon, Penny Singleton, Jean Vander Pyl, and Janet Waldo in The Jetsons (1962)

The Jetsons

7.0

TV Series

film editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1962–1963

20 episodes

 

Just a Wolf at Heart (1963)

Just a Wolf at Heart

5.4

Short

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1963

 

The Yogi Bear Show (1961)

The Yogi Bear Show

6.6

TV Series

Editor

1961

31 episodes

 

Life with Loopy (1960)

Life with Loopy

5.9

Short

Editor (as Donald A. Douglas)

1960

 

Editorial Department

The Naked Ape (1973)

The Naked Ape

5.2

editorial consultant

1973

 

Journey Back to Oz (1972)

Journey Back to Oz

5.7

editorial consultant (uncredited)

1972

 

Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet, Don Messick, Alan Reed, and Jean Vander Pyl in The Flintstones (1960)

The Flintstones

7.5

TV Series

supervising editor

1962

1 episode