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James Nelson

James Nelson

Producer · Died June 18, 2014, aged 81 · California, USA

James M. Falkinburg (September 25, 1932 – June 18, 2014), known in the entertainment industry as James "Jim" Nelson, was an American sound editor, film producer and post-production supervisor. As a sound editor, Nelson worked on many of the iconic films and television programs of the 1950s, '60s and '70s, including Rock Around the Clock, The Monkees, the beach party films, The Brady Bunch, Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces and The Exorcist. In total, he edited the sound effects for over 100 films and 38 television programs comprising more than 1,700 episodes, as well as several made-for-TV movies, documentaries and television specials. Description above from the Wikipedia article James Nelson (sound editor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia​

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 25, 1932
Died
June 18, 2014 (aged 81)
From
California, USA
Works as
Producer
Titles
39 on MovieCove · 53 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Down 2% in 30 days

What are James Nelson's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
43%
Survival
23%
Power
20%
Ideas
9%
Bonds
5%
Justice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Melancholic
3
Dread
1
Triumphant
1
Absurd
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Bittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch James Nelson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 25 of their 39 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Nelson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

53 credits, 39 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • The Seventh Coin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Executive Producer

  • Solar Crisis(1990)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Hey Good Lookin'(1982)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Borderline(1980)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The China Syndrome(1979)

    Associate Producer · Unit Production Manager

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope(1977)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Coonskin(1974)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Mandingo(1975)

    Sound Effects Editor

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Freebie and the Bean(1974)

    Sound Effects

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Hearts and Minds(1974)

    Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Badlands(1973)

    Supervising Sound Editor · Thanks

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Last Foxtrot in Burbank(1973)

    Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • American Graffiti(1973)

    Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The King of Marvin Gardens(1972)

    Sound Effects

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • No Drums, No Bugles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Executive Producer

  • They Call Him Marcado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Sound Editor · Supervising Sound Editor

  • The Fearmaker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Supervising Sound Editor

  • The Christian Licorice Store(1971)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • A Safe Place (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Supervising Sound Editor

  • Johnny Got His Gun(1971)

    Sound Effects Editor

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Two-Lane Blacktop(1971)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Drive, He Said(1971)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Projectionist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Supervising Sound Editor

  • The Baby Maker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Supervising Sound Editor

  • Five Easy Pieces(1970)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Cheyenne Social Club(1970)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Grasshopper(1970)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • To Catch a Pebble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Supervising Sound Editor

  • The Picasso Summer(1969)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Head(1968)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell(1968)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Name of the Game Is Kill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Supervising Sound Editor

  • Psych-Out(1968)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Fox (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Supervising Sound Editor

  • The Girl, the Body, and the Pill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Roy Stanton

  • Tarzan and the Great River (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Editor

  • The Trip(1967)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Born Losers(1967)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The War Wagon(1967)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Wild Angels(1966)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Shooting(1966)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Queen of Blood(1966)

    Sound Effects

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Sergeant Dead Head(1965)

    Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Motorpsycho!(1965)

    Sound

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Beach Blanket Bingo(1965)

    Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • How to Murder Your Wife(1965)

    Sound Effects Editor

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Pajama Party(1964)

    Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • The Comedy of Terrors(1963)

    Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Archie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Sound Effects Editor

  • Hootenanny Hoot! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Post Production Supervisor

  • Walk on the Wild Side(1962)

    Supervising Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Fearmakers(1958)

    Sound Effects Editor

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The James Dean Story(1957)

    Sound Designer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 53 titles from 1957 to 1993.

Biggest box office

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

$775M worldwide

Highest rated

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 53: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleProducing6 of 53: 5 only producing, 1 with another roleEditing1 of 53: 1 only editing, 0 with another roleOther crew46 of 53: 45 only other crew, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score54th

By decade

1950s2 · crew1960s23 · 1 acting · 22 crew1970s24 · crew1980s2 · crew1990s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do James Nelson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 39; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 67th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 39 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th13
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

16 of their 39 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Universally Panned2
  • Crowd Pleaser14
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed16

Most loved · producer

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is James Nelson's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 9 · minimalMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does James Nelson work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Nelson's MovieCove titles; Wilford Brimley shares the most, 2.