Orville Nix
Encyclopedia
Orville Orhel Nix was a witness to the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy
in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. His filming of the event is considered nearly as important as the more famous Abraham Zapruder
film.
Nix worked for the General Services Administration
as an air conditioning engineer in the former Terminal Annex building on the south side of Dealey Plaza
. He filmed with an 8 mm
movie camera, first from the southwest corner of Main and Houston streets, then from the south side of Main Street 50 feet (15 m) west of Houston, then from a point about another 50 feet west. The footage contains three scenes: the motorcade entering Dealey Plaza, the last shot of the assassination in front of the grassy knoll along Elm Street, and the panic and confusion afterward.
The Nix film was obtained as a result of a notice that the FBI gave to film processing plants in the Dallas area, that the FBI would be interested in obtaining or knowing about any film they processed relating to the assassination. When Nix heard about this from his processor, he delivered the film to the FBI office in Dallas on December 1, 1963. It was returned to him three days later.
United Press International
purchased the copyright for $5,000 and took possession of the original film from Nix on December 6, 1963. UPI distributed frame enlargements to its news subscribers the following day. The original was examined by the House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1978. When UPI returned the copyright and all its copies to the Nix family in 1992, the original film was missing. In 2002, the Nix family assigned the copyright of the film to the Dallas County Historical Foundation, which operates the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.
Nix was interviewed in 1966 by investigator Mark Lane
for his documentary Rush to Judgment
. In a filmed interview undertaken by Lane, he also stated that the film he received back was not identical to the one that he shot. He told Lane that at the time of the assassination, he believed that the shots came from behind the fence on the grassy knoll, but was later told that conclusive proof existed that shots only came from the Texas School Book Depository and that he was convinced by this. He was also interviewed by CBS News
in 1967 for a television documentary on the Kennedy assassination.
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. His filming of the event is considered nearly as important as the more famous Abraham Zapruder
Abraham Zapruder
Abraham Zapruder was an American manufacturer of women's clothing. He was filming with a home-movie camera as U.S. President John F...
film.
Nix worked for the General Services Administration
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
as an air conditioning engineer in the former Terminal Annex building on the south side of Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza , in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas , is the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
. He filmed with an 8 mm
8 mm film
8 mm film is a motion picture film format in which the filmstrip is eight millimeters wide. It exists in two main versions: the original standard 8mm film, also known as regular 8 mm or Double 8 mm, and Super 8...
movie camera, first from the southwest corner of Main and Houston streets, then from the south side of Main Street 50 feet (15 m) west of Houston, then from a point about another 50 feet west. The footage contains three scenes: the motorcade entering Dealey Plaza, the last shot of the assassination in front of the grassy knoll along Elm Street, and the panic and confusion afterward.
The Nix film was obtained as a result of a notice that the FBI gave to film processing plants in the Dallas area, that the FBI would be interested in obtaining or knowing about any film they processed relating to the assassination. When Nix heard about this from his processor, he delivered the film to the FBI office in Dallas on December 1, 1963. It was returned to him three days later.
United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
purchased the copyright for $5,000 and took possession of the original film from Nix on December 6, 1963. UPI distributed frame enlargements to its news subscribers the following day. The original was examined by the House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1978. When UPI returned the copyright and all its copies to the Nix family in 1992, the original film was missing. In 2002, the Nix family assigned the copyright of the film to the Dallas County Historical Foundation, which operates the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.
Nix was interviewed in 1966 by investigator Mark Lane
Mark Lane (author)
Mark Lane is an American lawyer who has written many books, including Rush to Judgment, one of two major books published in the immediate wake of the John F. Kennedy assassination that questioned the conclusions of the Warren Commission. Another book, Plausible Denial, published in 1991, continued...
for his documentary Rush to Judgment
Rush to Judgment
Rush to Judgment is a book by American lawyer Mark Lane. It is about the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and takes issue with the conclusions of the Warren Commission, suggesting there was a conspiracy to assassinate John F...
. In a filmed interview undertaken by Lane, he also stated that the film he received back was not identical to the one that he shot. He told Lane that at the time of the assassination, he believed that the shots came from behind the fence on the grassy knoll, but was later told that conclusive proof existed that shots only came from the Texas School Book Depository and that he was convinced by this. He was also interviewed by CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
in 1967 for a television documentary on the Kennedy assassination.
External links
- JFK Online, Orville Nix Film.