Dann Cahn
Dann Cahn, who worked as an assistant editor on Orson Welles’ 1948 film “Macbeth” and an editorial supervisor eight years later on “Fountain of Youth,” died Wednesday at his California home.
Cahn, 89, was the last surviving member of the original creative team behind “I Love Lucy,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
He began his Hollywood career as a child actor, appearing in the 1938 movie “Newsboys’ Home” with Jackie Cooper.
During World War II, he worked on training films and spent a year at the Pentagon editing combat footage into newsreels.
A year after working on ‘Macbeth,” Cahn served as editor of the NBC anthology “Your Show Time.” He joined Desilu and “I Love Lucy” in 1951. Five years later, he worked as editorial supervisor on Welles’ “Fountain of Youth” at Desilu.
“(Orson) laid out in his mind a lot of the editing ahead of time,” Cahn recalled of “Fountain of Youth” in a 2008 interview with author Ben Walters. “It was modified to some extent later, but he had a very clear picture of the way it was going to go, and he was right. The novelty of the way that thing is presented ̵ no one else has really attempted that.”
Cahn’s nearly 100 TV and film projects included such shows as “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “Remington Steele,” “Leave It to Beaver” and “Police Woman,” as well as the 1970 Russ Meyer’s film “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Cahn was predeceased by his wife of 57 years, professional golfer Judy Baker, and their daughter, Dana. He is survived by his son, Daniel.
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