Dorothy Spencer(1909-2002)
- Editor
- Actress
Four-time Oscar nominee Dorothy Spencer was one of the versatile
stalwarts of the Hollywood studio system. She began her career as a
cutter with Fox and subsequently enjoyed a close collaboration with the
independent producer Walter Wanger at
Paramount (1936) and United Artists (1937-41). Her longest career spell
was at 20th Century Fox, from 1943 to 1963, during which time her
assignments ranged from war/action movies and gothic thrillers to
large-scale Biblical epics shot in CinemaScope.
Testimony to the high level of competence and consistency of her work
can be found in the frequency of her associations with prominent
directors: Tay Garnett
(Stand-In (1937),
Trade Winds (1938),
Eternally Yours (1939));
John Ford
(Stagecoach (1939),
My Darling Clementine (1946),
What Price Glory (1952));
Ernst Lubitsch
(To Be or Not to Be (1942),
Heaven Can Wait (1943),
Cluny Brown (1946));
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
(Dragonwyck (1946),
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947),
Cleopatra (1963));
Edward Dmytryk
(Broken Lance (1954),
The Left Hand of God (1955),
The Young Lions (1958));
Henry Hathaway
(Down to the Sea in Ships (1949),
North to Alaska (1960),
Circus World (1964)); and
Mark Robson
(Von Ryan's Express (1965),
Valley of the Dolls (1967),
Earthquake (1974)).
Spencer was at her best working on action subjects, her cutting
instrumental to augmenting the director's work in creating or
sustaining the desired level of suspense. Arguably, the most difficult
task of her lengthy career was having to pare down the 70,000 feet of
film shot for the epic production of "Cleopatra" to 'a mere' 22,000
feet. Spencer retired in 1979. Though the Oscar ultimately eluded her,
she was awarded an American Cinema Editors Career Achievement Award in
1989. She was also presented with a 'Golden Scissors Award' for her
outstanding work on the disaster epic "Earthquake".
stalwarts of the Hollywood studio system. She began her career as a
cutter with Fox and subsequently enjoyed a close collaboration with the
independent producer Walter Wanger at
Paramount (1936) and United Artists (1937-41). Her longest career spell
was at 20th Century Fox, from 1943 to 1963, during which time her
assignments ranged from war/action movies and gothic thrillers to
large-scale Biblical epics shot in CinemaScope.
Testimony to the high level of competence and consistency of her work
can be found in the frequency of her associations with prominent
directors: Tay Garnett
(Stand-In (1937),
Trade Winds (1938),
Eternally Yours (1939));
John Ford
(Stagecoach (1939),
My Darling Clementine (1946),
What Price Glory (1952));
Ernst Lubitsch
(To Be or Not to Be (1942),
Heaven Can Wait (1943),
Cluny Brown (1946));
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
(Dragonwyck (1946),
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947),
Cleopatra (1963));
Edward Dmytryk
(Broken Lance (1954),
The Left Hand of God (1955),
The Young Lions (1958));
Henry Hathaway
(Down to the Sea in Ships (1949),
North to Alaska (1960),
Circus World (1964)); and
Mark Robson
(Von Ryan's Express (1965),
Valley of the Dolls (1967),
Earthquake (1974)).
Spencer was at her best working on action subjects, her cutting
instrumental to augmenting the director's work in creating or
sustaining the desired level of suspense. Arguably, the most difficult
task of her lengthy career was having to pare down the 70,000 feet of
film shot for the epic production of "Cleopatra" to 'a mere' 22,000
feet. Spencer retired in 1979. Though the Oscar ultimately eluded her,
she was awarded an American Cinema Editors Career Achievement Award in
1989. She was also presented with a 'Golden Scissors Award' for her
outstanding work on the disaster epic "Earthquake".