Logan R. Frazee; Shared Oscar for Special Effects

Logan R. Frazee, 82, who shared an Academy Award for special effects. Frazee and A.D. Flowers won the Oscar in 1979 for developing a device to control flight patterns of miniature airplanes during motion picture photography. A native Californian, Frazee became a special effects technician at MGM during its golden age, creating rain for Gene Kelly’s classic “Singin’ in the Rain” and other special effects for “An American in Paris,” “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and “Raintree County.” Later as a freelance technician, Frazee worked on such films as “Tora, Tora, Tora,” “The Towering Inferno” and “Chinatown.” He spent a dozen years creating special effects for the popular Western television series “Gunsmoke” and “Have Gun Will Travel.” On Feb. 9 in Los Angeles of complications after a stroke.