Biography
Jimmy Shute, was born in Glouchester, Massachusetts in 1900. His early education was in the Glouchester Public School System. He attended college at the Museum of Fine Arts School in Boston in pursuit of a career in Stage Design. The technical theater department of MFAS was contacted by George Pierce Baker to build sets for the the productions of Harvard's famous "47 Workshop". While there, Jimmy met and became involved with Eugene O'Neill and Robert Edmond Jones of the Provincetown Playhouse. He became their assistant for four years.
Following his time at the Provincetown Playhouse, Jimmy worked as the assistant to Jed Harris, the renown Broadway producer. He then turned to film and spent a year as assistant to Charles MacArthur and Ben Hecht while they were filming "Crimes Without Passion" at the Old Paramount studios; Astoria, NY. Upon conclusion of the film, Jimmy was hired by Roy Larson and Louis DeRochemont where he worked as Chief Script Writer, Head of the Editorial Board, and as an Associate Producer for The March of Time series. In 1949 he won his first of 2 Academy Awards for "A Chance to Live" Best Short Documentary, which he wrote, produced and in part directed for the March of Time.
In his years at MOT he developed a style and philosophy regarding screen writing that won him an Academy Award in 1949 for Best Short Documentary, and worked well with the ECA concept. These prior experiences made Jimmy well prepared to respond to Lothar Wolff's offer to join the Marshall Plan film unit based in Paris, as head of the script department. He believed that the words should never tell what was on the screen; that they, with the picture, should communicate the message. Jimmy, a modest and gregarious man, had no problem supporting and guiding the local writers contracted by the ECA or writing script and commentary himself as needed. Jimmy worked independently during those years and several more making documentaries in Europe, several of which were honored at places such as Cannes, Edinburgh and Venice Film Festivals.
In 1955 he won his second Academy Award for "Helen Keller in Her Story", Best Documentary Feature, for which he wrote the script and commentary and acted throughout as editorial and production adviser to Nancy Hamilton, the film's producer.
In his later years he worked independently on various projects completing a series of short film publicizing the creation of the construction of the Lincoln Centor for the Performing Arts. He also completed "A Legend is Born" featuring Rise Stevens of the Metropolitan Opera,and "Design for Music" featuring Leonard Bernstein. As an independent he also worked in Television writing, producing and directing documentaries and condensed Operas.
Jimmy retired to the Whitney Center in New Haven, Conn. where he spent his remaining years enjoying good company and the Arts he loved so much. He passed away in 1981.
