Gene Fowler Jr.; Film Editor and Director of Science Fiction Movies

Gene Fowler Jr., 80, a veteran film editor and director of such cult hits as “I Was a Teenage Werewolf.” The son of novelist Gene Fowler, he was born in Denver and brought up in New York City. The young Fowler earned third mate’s papers at the Knights Seamanship School, but soon moved to Southern California, where he enrolled at USC and studied film editing at 20th Century Fox. Fowler’s first feature was “The Ox-Bow Incident” starring Henry Fonda. During his World War II tenure in the Army Special Services, Fowler created the Oscar-winning documentary “Seeds of Destiny.” He worked as film editor for the legendary director Fritz Lang among others, and edited and directed a total of more than 100 films and television series. He earned a Golden Globe Award for his work on “Wall of Fire” and an Academy Award nomination for “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” But Fowler was perhaps best known for directing cult science fiction films, including “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” in 1957, which introduced Michael Landon, and “I Married a Monster From Outer Space” in 1958. Fowler served two terms as president of the American Cinema Editors and won its Eddie Award for outstanding film editing. In television, he earned Emmys for his work on “The Blue Knight,” “The Glass House,” “The Waltons” and “Rawhide.” On Monday in the Hollywood Hills.