Talk:Lawrence W. Butler

AllMovie biography isn't reliable
@Kintaro correctly noticed that The Jungle Book did not win an Academy Award for special effects, but their edit was reverted by @Teblick for contradicting the cited source (a biography from AllMovie syndicated by the New York Times). While the "Career" section of this article stated that it did, both the introduction and the filmography sections say that Butler only won one Oscar (for The Thief of Bagdad). This is borne out by other better sources than AllMovie (like the official list of Oscar winners and the | New York Times article covering the ceremony), as well as AllMovie itself (see https://www.allmovie.com/artist/lawrence-butler-vn15428213/awards).

This error makes the entire AllMovie biography suspect in my mind. It worries me that it is the primary reference for the entire "Career" section. I will add a "better source needed" tag in hopes that someone with more film experience can find other more reliable sources that can support the biography's assertions. Martey (talk) 22:52, 1 May 2024 (UTC)
 * @Martey Thank you for that clarification. I apologize for my error. Eddie Blick (talk) 23:32, 1 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Hi fellas! in my opinion, that line by The New York Times, "The Jungle Book (1942, for which he won a second Academy Award)", cannot be taken literally... 'cause from my point of view it simply refers to the fact that "The Jungle Book" (and other films) contributed to the second Academy award that Butler had been granted with... but that second accolade was awarded in 1976 and, furthermore, not for a specific film. It turns out that the second Award was a "honorary" Oscar for achievements during his career. Following IMDB, Butler won two Oscars, one in 1941 for effects in a film (The Thief of Bagdad) and a second Oscar in 1976, the Technical Achievement Award for the concept of applying low inertia and stepping electric motors to film transport systems and optical printers for motion-picture production. There's the source I found, it wasn't that difficult: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0125022/awards/ . So it shouldn't be difficult to bring some light to the reader on that matter. Any volunteers for the editing of the article so that the clarification is brought? Kintaro (talk) 00:07, 2 May 2024 (UTC)
 * @Kintaro (and ping to @Martey), Thanks for suggesting that source, but I think we will need another one. IMDb is not considered a reliable source for content of Wikipedia articles. (Please see WP:USERGENERATED and WP:IMDB.) Eddie Blick (talk) 01:23, 2 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Gentlemen, I just learned that, in fact, Larry Butler was granted with three Academy Awards : in 1942 (as mentioned), in 1969 (for the effects in Marooned, shared with Robie Robertson) and in 1976 (as mentioned). A few sources out there:
 * https://www.cinemasight.com/awards-history/academy-awards-individual-categories/scientific-or-technical-award-class-iii-certificate/
 * https://www.atogt.com/askoscar/display-person.php?id=46001&var=1
 * https://www.atogt.com/askoscar/display-person.php?id=13008&var=2
 * https://www.vesglobal.org/ves-honors/
 * https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-10-22-mn-10-story.html
 * https://bigerboat.com/indexfx/?p=2104
 * Hope the above links bring some help with that sources requirement we all are looking for.
 * Also please note that Butler is mentioned right here, in this Wikipedia: Academy Award for Technical Achievement. Regards. Kintaro (talk) 02:26, 2 May 2024 (UTC)