Wetzel Whitaker

American Mormon filmmaker (1908–1985)
  • Producer
  • Director
  • Animator
Years active1939-1980

Wetzel Orson "Judge" Whitaker (September 30, 1908 – November 1, 1985) was a filmmaker and animator. He is most known for his early work as a Disney animator, particularly the animation of the stepsisters from Cinderella, and his work as a director for BYU Motion Picture Studios. Most of the films he was involved in, such as The Windows of Heaven, Johnny Lingo and Pioneers in Petticoats, were made in cooperation with his brother Scott Whitaker. The two of them ran the BYU Motion Picture Studio during this time, receiving commission from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to make films.

Biography

Wetzel "Judge" Whitaker was born in Heber City, Utah and grew up primarily in Utah and Colorado. His nickname came from his brother calling him "Judge", comparing him to the local justice of the peace.[1]

He attended the Art Institute of Chicago and in 1929 became the Art Director for the St. Louis Times. In 1930, Judge married Doris Youkstetter and a few years later had his first child during the Great Depression. In 1932, Judge moved his family to California where he worked for the Charles Mintz Studios and then Disney Studios. In 1953, Judge Whitaker left his job at Disney and went on to direct the BYU Motion Picture Studio. In 1971, he was given an honorary doctorate by BYU, a few months after receiving his honorary doctorate from BYU, Judge Whitaker's wife, Doris, died and in 1973 Judge remarried his childhood friend, Louise Eccles. He retired from his work at the motion picture studio in 1974.[2]

Disney Studios

In 1932 during the Great Depression, Judge was laid off from his job at the paper. With no job, and a young wife and newborn baby to provide for, he began to work freelance jobs to make ends meet. While working as a freelance artist Judge met Walt Pfeiffer, a childhood friend of Walt Disney. Judge had never heard of Walt Disney before but, after learning about this 'up-and-coming' young man, decided to move to California and apply to work for Disney Studios. Judge was initially hired as a "trainee" animator, but after winning a competition among the new animators to animate a new Disney character, Donald Duck,[3] he became a full-fledged animator.[4] While working for Disney, Judge was part of projects such as Cinderella, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland.

BYU Motion Picture Studio

In 1945, Judge Whitaker was asked by leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to create a film on the Church Welfare Program. Judge recruited fellow Church members from Disney to help him with the project. These men consisted of Eric Larson, W. Cleon Skousen, John Lewis and Scott Whitaker. This small council of men began work on two films for their Church, Church Welfare in Action and The Lord's Way, which debut in Salt Lake City, UT in 1948.[5]

In 1952, Judge requested a year long leave of absence from Disney to spend time with his family in Utah. During this leave of absence, President Ernest L. Wilkinson created the Department of Motion Picture Production at BYU and offered Judge the opportunity to head the new department.[6] Judge accepted his offer and in January 1953 began organizing the new department on campus. In 1971, Judge Whitaker was given an honorary doctorate by BYU.

Filmography

Animator

Producer/director

References

  1. ^ Biography for Judge Whitaker (1908–1985) at IMDb
  2. ^ Whitaker, Wetzel. "Looking Back: An Autobiography"
  3. ^ Whitaker, Wetzel. "Looking Back: An Autobiography"
  4. ^ Jones, Alexis (November 26, 2012), "'A Reel Legacy' tells story of LDS Church's early film efforts", Deseret News
  5. ^ History of Church-Produced Mormon Films, 6 October 2014
  6. ^ Whitaker, Wetzel O.

External links

  • Wetzel Whitaker at the MLCA Database
  • Judge Whitaker at IMDb
  • Biography on ldsfilm.com
  • Whitaker, Wetzel O. at Harold B. Lee Library
  • v
  • t
  • e
Films of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Feature-length
Shorts
  • Hearts of the Children (1959)
  • Unto the Least of These (1959)
  • Up in Smoke (1960)
  • The Search for Truth (1962)
  • Summer of Decision (1962)
  • The Windows of Heaven (1963)
  • Bitter Wind (1963)
  • Man's Search for Happiness (1964)
  • The Long Road Back (1965)
  • When Thou Art Converted (1968)
  • Worthy To Stand (1969)
  • Johnny Lingo (1969)
  • Pioneers in Petticoats (1969)
  • What About Thad? (1970)
  • Run Dick, Run Jane (1971)
  • Cipher in the Snow (1973)
  • The First Vision (1976)
  • John Baker's Last Race (1976)
  • The Mailbox (1977)
  • The Phone Call (1977)
  • The Gift (1977)
  • Uncle Ben (1978)
  • The Trophy Case (1979)
  • The Emmett Smith Story (1979)
  • Blind Love (1979)
  • Greater Love (1980)
  • Joseph Smith: The Man (1980)
  • The Drop Card (1980)
  • In One Blinding Moment (1980)
  • Mr. Krueger's Christmas (1980)
  • A Marvelous Work Begins (1982)
  • The Last Leaf (1984)
  • The Award (1985)
  • The Nativity (1986)
  • Our Heavenly Father's Plan (1986)
  • The Power of the Word (1986)
  • Lay Hold upon the Word (1986)
  • A Lamp unto My Feet (1987)
  • Look to God and Live (1987)
  • Together Forever (1987)
  • The Pump (1988)
  • What Is Real? (1989)
  • Labor of Love (1990)
  • On the Way Home (1992)
  • The Lamb of God (1992)
  • The Mediator (1993)
  • Finding Faith in Christ (2003)
  • Joy to the World (2003)
  • The Restoration (2004)
  • Finding Happiness (2006)
  • Scriptures Legacy (2014)
Early films
Advertising campaigns
  • Homefront (1973-present)
  • Truth Restored (2008-present)
  • "I'm a Mormon" (2010-2018)
ProductionKey people
  • Wetzel Whitaker
  • Scott Whitaker
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
International
  • ISNI
  • VIAF
  • WorldCat
National
  • United States
Other
  • SNAC