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Margaret Booth

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For other people named Margaret Booth, seeMargaret Booth (disambiguation).

Margaret Booth
Born(1898-01-16)January 16, 1898
Los Angeles, California,U.S.
DiedOctober 28, 2002(2002-10-28)(aged 104)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationLos Angeles High School
Occupation(s)Film editor, producer
Years active1915–1985
RelativesElmer Booth(brother)

Margaret Booth(January 16, 1898 – October 28, 2002) was an Americanfilm editor.In a career lasting seven decades, Booth was most associated withMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer(MGM).

Born in Los Angeles, Margaret was the younger sister of actorElmer Booth,who starred in several films forD. W. Griffith.Elmer was killed in a train accident, and Griffith later employed Margaret as anegative cutter.Booth worked with Griffith's studio for several years. She later joinedLouis B. Mayer'snamesake studio,where she was mentored by film directorJohn M. Stahl.In 1924, Mayer merged his studio withMetro PicturesandGoldwyn Picturesto form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Stahl and Booth joined MGM, where she edited several of his films. Stahl later left MGM, while Booth stayed. She was named the studio's first official film editor byIrving Thalberg,MGM's then-production head. In 1935, Booth received anAcademy Awardnomination forBest Film EditingonMutiny on the Bounty.

After Thalberg's death, Mayer appointed Booth as the studio's supervising film editor, a position she held for nearly three decades. In 1968, Booth retired from MGM, and was hired byRay Starkas a supervising film editor for his studio Rastar Productions. In 1977, Booth was awarded anAcademy Honorary Awardfor her decades-long contributions as a film editor. She received her last credit as an executive producer forThe Slugger's Wife(1985). Booth became a centennial in 1998, and died in 2002 at the age of 104.

Early life

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Margaret Booth was born on January 16, 1898, in Los Angeles to Edward J. Booth, Sr. and Margaret A. Boland.[1]Her older brother wasElmer Booth,who was an actor forD. W. Griffithand the breadwinner for the family. On June 16, 1915, Elmer was riding with actorGeorge Siegmannin a car driven byTod Browning.Due to the heavy fog that day, Browning did not see the rear lamp of an oncoming train. Browning's car was hit by a train of theSalt Lake Railroad,killing Elmer instantly. Browning and Siegmann however survived but suffered serious injuries.[2]At Elmer's funeral, Griffith delivered an eulogy and approached Margaret with a job offer as a film joiner (also known as anegative cutter) to provide income for the family.[3]Margaret never forgave Browning for her brother's death.[4]

Career

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1915–1921: Editing for D. W. Griffith

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By this time, Booth had graduated fromLos Angeles High School.Griffith hired Booth on a salary for ten dollars a week as one of several female editors for his studio.[5]Booth remembered years later, "...in the old days we had to cut negative by eye. We matched the print to the negative without any edge numbers. We had to match the action. Sometimes there'd be a tiny pinpoint on the negative, and then you knew you were right, but it was very tedious work."[6][7]One of the films she worked on wasOrphans of the Storm(1921) starringLillian Gish.After a few months, Booth worked forParamount Pictures' editing department, assembling the tinted sections for release prints.[6]

1921–1938: Editing at MGM

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In 1921, Booth began working forLouis B. Mayerat hisnamesake film production studio.[8]Mayer had hiredJohn M. StahlwhenEdward Small,who was Stahl's publicity agent, inquired why there were no hired Jewish directors.[9]Booth observed Stahl in the editing room. Because Stahl was a perfectionist, he would shoot multiple takes of several scenes and leave outtake footage literally on the cutting room floor. At the end of the day, Booth assembled the outtakes and stayed overnight to practice her cutting techniques. One day, Stahl was frustrated when he couldn't make a scene work. After he left, Booth took her own approach; when Stahl screened her work, he was impressed and hired her immediately as his editorial assistant.[6][7]For Stahl, she editedThe Gay Deceiver(1926),Lovers?(1927), andIn Old Kentucky(1927).[10]

Stahl personally mentored Booth on the craft of film editing, explaining the exact purpose for his editing decisions. Booth reflected, "He taught the value of a scene. When a scene drops or doesn't drop, and when it sustains. You have to feel this, intrusively, in your work."[5]In 1924, Mayer merged withMetro PicturesandGoldwyn Picturesto form a new conglomerate film production studio known asMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer(MGM). Stahl stayed with MGM for several years,[11]but when he left the studio in 1927, he asked Booth to join him but she declined. Booth stated, "I went on to working at M-G-M, mostly with [Irving]Thalberg—the greatest man who was ever in pictures. M-G-M was like home to me. "[12]Her editing skills were appreciated by Thalberg, MGM's head of production, that he asked her if she would consider directing. However, she was not interested.[5]Regardless, according to film historianCari Beauchamp,Thalberg was the first known person to call cutters "film editors," starting with Booth.[13]Her first official editing credit was for the 1929part-talkiefilmThe Bridge of San Luis Rey.[14]

At MGM, Booth edited several films starringGreta Garbo,includingCamille(1936). She also editedWise Girls(1929),The Barretts of Wimpole Street(1934), andRomeo and Juliet(1936).[15]Booth received her only competitiveAcademy Awardnomination forBest Film EditingonMutiny on the Bounty(1935).[15]

1939–1968: Supervising editor of MGM

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In 1936, Thalberg had unexpectedly died and Mayer assumed the position as production head. Three years later, in 1939, Mayer appointed Booth to be the studio's supervising film editor.[15]Booth stated, "They liked me because I was fast. I was always very fast cutting everything I did. And boy, was I tough."[5]As the supervising editor, she did no actual film editing herself but instead hired the personnel and reviewed thedailiesfor each film, overseeing classics such asThe Wizard of Oz(1939) andBen-Hur(1959).[15][16]In his 1995 bookMaking Movies,directorSidney Lumetcalled Booth "a remarkable person. She was bright and tireless, and she loved movies. I don't know if she had any other life."[17]He told one story while filmingThe Hill(1965) in England, in which she arrived on location and asked to see a rough-cut version, promptly at eight during the following morning. A screening was arranged for her, with Lumet andThelma Connell,the editor forThe Hill,present. When the screening was over, she asked for two minutes of the film to be cut so it would be under two hours. Lumet pushed back and after two more screenings, Booth relented. Following the third screening, Lumet consoled a despondent Booth, who personally felt none of the new studio executives knew or care about filmmaking.[18]She remained in her position until she retired in 1968.[15][19]

In its 1982 article about Booth's long tenureship, theVillage Voicedescribes her as "the final authority of every picture the studio made for 30 years."[20]

1969–1985: Editing for Ray Stark

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After leaving MGM, Booth was hired byRay Starkas the supervising editor for his company, Rastar Productions. She supervised the editing for several films, includingThe Way We Were(1973),The Sunshine Boys(1975),The Goodbye Girl(1977),California Suite(1978), andAnnie(1982).[10]She was last credited as an executive producer forThe Slugger's Wife(1985) when she was 87.[15]

In 1977, Booth was awarded anAcademy Honorary Awarddenoting her for "62 years of exceptionally distinguished service to the motion picture industry as a film editor."[15]In 1983, she was awarded theWomen in FilmCrystal Awardfor outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry.[21]On her centennial birthday, in 1998, Booth was honored with a gala commemorating her seven-decade contributions to the film industry at the Sheraton Universal Hotel, hosted by theMotion Picture Editors Guild.[22]

Death and legacy

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On October 28, 2002, Booth, at age 104, died from complications after suffering astroke.She is interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood California.[13]In their obituary for Booth, the British newspaperThe Guardianstated, "All the filmmakers had to go through her in order to have a final editing of sound and vision approved," while describing her approach:

She was a pioneer of the classic editing style, the so-called "invisible cutting", the aim of which was to make the transition from one image to another as seamless as possible, so the audience was almost unaware of the flow of shots within a sequence. Narrative was dominant, maintaining a continuity of time and space, and matching cuts to action.[10]

Filmography

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Year Title Director Notes Refs
1921 Orphans of the Storm D. W. Griffith Cutter
Uncredited 		[6]
1924 Why Men Leave Home John M. Stahl Co-editor
Collaborated with Stahl 		[23]
Husbands and Lovers [23]
1925 Fine Clothes [23]
1926 Memory Lane [23]
The Gay Deceiver [23]
1927 The Enemy Fred Niblo Editor [23]
Lovers? John M. Stahl Editor [23]
In Old Kentucky Editor [23]
1928 Bringing Up Father Jack Conway Editor [23]
Telling the World Sam Wood Editor
Collaborated withJohn Colton 		[23]
The Mysterious Lady Fred Niblo Editor [23]
A Lady of Chance Robert Z. Leonard Editor [23]
1929 The Bridge of San Luis Rey Charles Brabin Editor [23]
Wise Girls E. Mason Hopper Editor
Screenwriter 		[23]
1930 The Rogue Song Lionel Barrymore Editor [23]
Redemption Fred Niblo Editor [23]
Strictly Unconventional David Burton Editor [23]
The Lady of Scandal Sidney Franklin Editor [23]
A Lady's Morals Editor [23]
1931 New Moon Jack Conway Editor [15]
The Prodigal Harry A. Pollard Editor [15]
It's a Wise Child Robert Z. Leonard Editor [15]
The Cuban Love Song W. S. Van Dyke Editor [15]
Five and Ten Robert Z. Leonard Editor [15]
Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) Editor [15]
1932 Lovers Courageous Editor [15]
Smilin' Through Sidney Franklin Editor [15]
Strange Interlude Robert Z. Leonard Editor [15]
The Son-Daughter Clarence Brown Editor [15]
1933 White Sister Victor Fleming Editor [15]
Peg o' My Heart Robert Z. Leonard Editor [15]
Storm at Daybreak Richard Boleslawski Editor [15]
Bombshell Victor Fleming Editor [15]
Dancing Lady Robert Z. Leonard Editor [15]
1934 Riptide Edmund Goulding Editor [15]
The Barretts of Wimpole Street Sidney Franklin Editor [15]
1935 Reckless Victor Fleming Editor [15]
Mutiny on the Bounty Frank Lloyd Editor
Nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Film Editing 		[15]
1936 Camille George Cukor Editor [15]
Romeo and Juliet Editor [15]
1938 A Yank at Oxford Jack Conway Editorial Supervisor [15]
1963 The V.I.P.s Anthony Asquith Production advisor [15]
1970 The Owl and the Pussycat Herbert Ross Editorial Supervisor [15]
1972 Fat City John Huston Editorial Supervisor [15]
1973 The Way We Were Sydney Pollock Editorial Supervisor [15]
1975 The Sunshine Boys Herbert Ross Editorial Supervisor [15]
The Black Bird David Giler Editorial Supervisor [15]
1976 Murder by Death Robert Moore Editorial Supervisor [15]
1977 The Goodbye Girl Herbert Ross Editorial Supervisor [15]
1978 California Suite Editorial Supervisor [15]
The Cheap Detective Robert Moore Associate producer [15]
Chapter Two Editorial Supervisor
Associate producer 		[15]
1980 Seems Like Old Times Jay Sandrich Editorial Supervisor
Associate producer 		[15]
1982 The Toy Richard Donner Associate producer [15]
Annie John Huston Associate producer [15]
1985 The Slugger's Wife Hal Ashby Executive producer [15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800–1994
  2. ^"Elmer Booth Killed".Moving Picture World.July 3, 1915. p. 75.RetrievedApril 1,2024– viaInternet Archive.
  3. ^Malone 2017,p. 34.
  4. ^Ska, David J. (2001).The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror.Macmillan. p.35.ISBN978-0571199969.
  5. ^abcdAcker 1991,p. 221.
  6. ^abcdBrownlow 1968,p. 302.
  7. ^abMalone 2017,p. 35.
  8. ^Galloway, Douglas (October 31, 2002)."Obituaries: Margaret Booth".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on April 2, 2024.RetrievedApril 2,2024.
  9. ^Eyman 2005,p. 56.
  10. ^abcBergan, Ronald (November 15, 2002)."Obituary: Margaret Booth".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on October 15, 2023.RetrievedApril 2,2024.
  11. ^Eyman 2005,p. 66.
  12. ^Brownlow 1968,p. 303.
  13. ^abLuther, Claudia (October 31, 2002)."Margaret Booth, 104; Film Editor Had 70-Year Career".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on December 2, 2023.RetrievedOctober 15,2019.
  14. ^"Margaret Booth, Film Editor, 104".The New York Times.Associated Press. November 2, 2002. p. B4.Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2022.RetrievedApril 2,2024.
  15. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajakalamanaoapaqarUnterberger 1998,p. 43.
  16. ^Malone 2017,p. 36.
  17. ^Lumet 1995,p. 151.
  18. ^Lumet 1995,pp. 152–154.
  19. ^Hatch, Kirsten (2013)."Margaret Booth".Women Film Pioneers Project.New York:Columbia University Libraries.doi:10.7916/d8-ps4e-hw86.Archivedfrom the original on April 2, 2024.
  20. ^Rafferty, Terrance(November 30, 1982). "His Girl Friday".Village Voice.p. 83.
  21. ^"Past Recipients".Women in Film Awards.Archived fromthe originalon August 30, 2011.RetrievedMay 10,2011.
  22. ^Viera, Lauren (January 15, 1998)."Legendary Editor Gets Time in the Spotlight".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on July 10, 2015.RetrievedApril 2,2024.
  23. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrsUnterberger 1998,p. 42.

Works cited

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