Dorothy Spencer (February 3, 1909 – May 23, 2002), known as Dot Spencer, was an American film editor with 75 feature film credits from a career that spanned more than 50 years.[2][3] Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing on four occasions, she is remembered for editing three of director John Ford's best known movies, including Stagecoach (1939) and My Darling Clementine (1946), which film critic Roger Ebert called "Ford's greatest Western".[4]

Dorothy Spencer
Dorothy Spencer in her home in Encinitas, CA, June 1985
Born
Dorothy M. Spencer[1]

(1909-02-03)February 3, 1909
DiedMay 23, 2002(2002-05-23) (aged 93)
OccupationFilm editor
Years active1929–1979
FamilyJeanne Spencer (sister)

Career

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Spencer was born in Covington, Kentucky in 1909. She entered the film industry at age 15 when she joined Consolidated-Aller Lab in 1924. She moved to Fox, becoming a member of the editorial department. Worked at First National Studios assisting editors including Louis Loeffler and Irene Morra. At Fox, she and Loeffler were part of an editorial team that also included, at one time or another, Barbara McLean, Robert Simpson, William Reynolds and Hugh S. Fowler.[citation needed]

In the 1940s, Spencer edited Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent (1940) and Lifeboat (1944); the latter featured a particularly feisty and well-edited Tallulah Bankhead performance. Spencer edited four films with director Ernst Lubitsch, commencing with To Be or Not to Be (1942), and now considered "one of film's great farces",[5] and concluding with Lubitsch's last, posthumous credit That Lady in Ermine (1948). Spencer also edited director Elia Kazan's feature film debut, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945).

Spencer edited the disaster film Earthquake (1974), which was the last of her eight collaborations with director Mark Robson.

Variety's Eileen Kowalski notes that, "Indeed, many of the editorial greats have been women: Dede Allen, Verna Fields, Thelma Schoonmaker, Anne V. Coates and Dorothy Spencer."[6] Spencer was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film Editing for Earthquake, which was her fourth and final nomination. It followed her nomination for what still reigns as the most expensive movie ever made, Cleopatra (1963).[citation needed]

Spencer had previously been nominated for Decision Before Dawn (directed by Anatole Litvak, 1951) and, with Otho Lovering, for Stagecoach (directed by John Ford, 1939). Spencer was awarded the American Cinema Editors Career Achievement Award in 1989, and was among the first four editors to receive the Award.[citation needed]

She retired to Encinitas, California. She had disconnected from Hollywood so much that her death, decades later, was not noted in the press of the time.[7]

Partial filmography

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This filmography is based on the listing at the Internet Movie Database.[3]

Editor
Year Film Director Notes Other notes
1929 Married in Hollywood Marcel Silver
Nix on Dames Donald Gallaher
1931 Mamá Benito Perojo
1934 Coming Out Party John G. Blystone
Uncredited
Such Women Are Dangerous James Flood
She Was a Lady Hamilton MacFadden Second collaboration with Hamilton MacFadden
1935 Lottery Lover Wilhelm Thiele
1936 The Moon's Our Home William A. Seiter First collaboration with William A. Seiter
The Case Against Mrs. Ames Second collaboration with William A. Seiter
The Luckiest Girl in the World Edward Buzzell
1937 Vogues of 1938 Irving Cummings Second collaboration with Irving Cummings
Stand-In Tay Garnett First collaboration with Tay Garnett
1938 Blockade William Dieterle
Trade Winds Tay Garnett Second collaboration with Tay Garnett
1939 Stagecoach John Ford First collaboration with John Ford
Winter Carnival Charles Reisner
Eternally Yours Tay Garnett Third collaboration with Tay Garnett
Slightly Honorable Fourth collaboration with Tay Garnett
1940 The House Across the Bay Archie Mayo First collaboration with Archie Mayo
Foreign Correspondent Alfred Hitchcock First collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock
1941 Sundown Henry Hathaway First collaboration with Henry Hathaway
The Captain from Köpenick Richard Oswald
1942 To Be or Not to Be Ernst Lubitsch First collaboration with Ernst Lubitsch
1943 Heaven Can Wait Second collaboration with Ernst Lubitsch
Happy Land Irving Pichel
1944 Lifeboat Alfred Hitchcock Second collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock
Sweet and Low-Down Archie Mayo Second collaboration with Archie Mayo
1945 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Elia Kazan First collaboration with Elia Kazan
A Royal Scandal Otto Preminger
1946 Dragonwyck Joseph L. Mankiewicz First collaboration with Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cluny Brown Ernst Lubitsch Third collaboration with Ernst Lubitsch
My Darling Clementine John Ford Second collaboration with John Ford
1947 The Ghost and Mrs. Muir Joseph L. Mankiewicz Second collaboration with Joseph L. Mankiewicz
1948 That Lady in Ermine Ernst Lubitsch Fourth collaboration with Ernst Lubitsch
The Snake Pit Anatole Litvak First collaboration with Anatole Litvak
1949 Down to the Sea in Ships Henry Hathaway Second collaboration with Henry Hathaway
1950 Three Came Home Jean Negulesco First collaboration with Jean Negulesco
Under My Skin Second collaboration with Jean Negulesco
1951 Fourteen Hours Henry Hathaway Third collaboration with Henry Hathaway
Decision Before Dawn Anatole Litvak Second collaboration with Anatole Litvak
1952 Lydia Bailey Jean Negulesco Third collaboration with Jean Negulesco
What Price Glory John Ford Third collaboration with John Ford
1953 Tonight We Sing Mitchell Leisen
Man on a Tightrope Elia Kazan Second collaboration with Elia Kazan
Vicki Harry Horner
1954 Night People Nunnally Johnson First collaboration with Nunnally Johnson
Demetrius and the Gladiators Delmer Daves
Broken Lance Edward Dmytryk First collaboration with Edward Dmytryk
Black Widow Nunnally Johnson Second collaboration with Nunnally Johnson
1955 Prince of Players Philip Dunne First collaboration with Philip Dunne
Soldier of Fortune Edward Dmytryk Second collaboration with Edward Dmytryk
The Left Hand of God Third collaboration with Edward Dmytryk
The Rains of Ranchipur Jean Negulesco Fourth collaboration with Jean Negulesco
1956 The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit Nunnally Johnson Third collaboration with Nunnally Johnson
The Best Things in Life Are Free Michael Curtiz
1957 A Hatful of Rain Fred Zinnemann
1958 The Young Lions Edward Dmytryk Fourth collaboration with Edward Dmytryk
1959 The Journey Anatole Litvak Third collaboration with Anatole Litvak
A Private's Affair Raoul Walsh Second collaboration with Raoul Walsh
1960 Seven Thieves Henry Hathaway Fourth collaboration with Henry Hathaway
From the Terrace Mark Robson First collaboration with Mark Robson
North to Alaska Henry Hathaway Fifth collaboration with Henry Hathaway
1961 Wild in the Country Philip Dunne Second collaboration with Philip Dunne
1963 Cleopatra Joseph L. Mankiewicz Third collaboration with Joseph L. Mankiewicz
1964 Circus World Henry Hathaway Sixth collaboration with Henry Hathaway
1965 Von Ryan's Express Mark Robson Second collaboration with Mark Robson
1966 Lost Command Third collaboration with Mark Robson
1967 A Guide for the Married Man Gene Kelly
Valley of the Dolls Mark Robson Fourth collaboration with Mark Robson
1969 Daddy's Gone A-Hunting Fifth collaboration with Mark Robson
1971 Happy Birthday, Wanda June Sixth collaboration with Mark Robson
1972 Limbo Seventh collaboration with Mark Robson
1974 Earthquake Eighth collaboration with Mark Robson
1979 The Concorde... Airport '79 David Lowell Rich
Editorial department
Year Film Director Role Notes
1926 The Strong Man Frank Capra Assistant editor First collaboration with Frank Capra
1927 Long Pants Second collaboration with Frank Capra
1928 In Old Arizona
  • Irving Cummings
  • Raoul Walsh
First collaboration with Irving Cummings and Raoul Walsh
1929 Four Married Men Marcel Silver
1934 As Husbands Go Hamilton MacFadden First collaboration with Hamilton MacFadden
Actress
Year Film Director Role
1967 Pilyo Sa Girls José 'Pepe' Wenceslao
Documentaries
Editor
Year Film Director
1945 Here Is Germany Frank Capra
TV series
Actress
Year Title Role Notes
1955 Cameo Theatre 1 episode

Awards

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Awards
Year Film Role
1940 Stagecoach Nominated for an Academy Award
1952 Decision Before Dawn
1964 Cleopatra
1975 Earthquake

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Social Security Death Index listing for SSN 565-16-7201; see "Person Details for Dorothy M. Spencer aka: Dot (V.C. Aunt once removed)". FamilySearch. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  2. ^ "Overview for Dorothy Spencer". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Dorothy Spencer at IMDb
  4. ^ Ebert, Roger (October 26, 1997). "Great Movies: My Darling Clementine". Chicago Sun Times.
  5. ^ Schwartz, Dennis (September 22, 2005). "To Be or Not to Be". Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  6. ^ (Editor) "Tina Hirsch" By Eileen Kowalski Variety 14 November 2001 (subscription)
  7. ^ Edwards, Gavin (October 29, 2022). "Overlooked No More: Dorothy Spencer, Film Editor Sought Out by Big Directors". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 5, 2022.

Further reading

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  • Flynn, Peter (2000). "Dorothy Spencer". In Pendergast, Tom; Pendergast, Sara (eds.). International Dictionary of Film and Filmmakers. Vol. 4 (4 ed.). St. James Press. p. 810. ISBN 9781558624535. In Stagecoach the editing principles of the Russian Formalists were deftly employed to convey suspense and pace. Most apparent is the chase sequence—in which the stagecoach is pursued by hostile Comanches—where the cutting is deliberately disorienting to convey the consternation of the passengers, while the crosscutting (alternating between the passengers' point of view and shots of the besetting Indians) increases the scene's tempo. The film was to earn Spencer her first Academy Award nomination. Encyclopedia article that describes several highlights of Spencer's editing career.