Archives of Popular Culture: Viola Lawrence film editor (Collection)

Regarded as Hollywood's first lady film cutter, Viola Lawrence began her career holding title cards for the Brooklyn-based film company Vitagraph. In 1911, she earned a meager $5 as a messenger. But she persisted in the business and worked her way up to edit her first film in 1912. Five years later, she resettled in Hollywood where she was signed by Carl Laemmle for Universal. During the 1920's, she was under contract to First National and to the independent companies of Gloria Swanson and Samuel Goldwyn at United Artists (1927-30). She spent the remainder of her lengthy career at Columbia (1931-60), where she rose to the position of supervising editor. She avidly believed in the power of close-ups and in highlighting actor's eyes to convey drama and emotion.

Lawrence did some of her finest work on two seminal films noir: The Lady from Shanghai (1947) and In a Lonely Place (1950)); and on the musical Pal Joey (1957), for which she received an Oscar nomination. Her swan song was the big budget musical comedy Pepe (1960), an ill-advised attempt at replicating the success of Around the World in 80 Days (1956). Lawrence later claimed that it had been her toughest assignment to date, as she had to pare down 500,000 feet of exposed film to just 20,000. In the end, the picture still ran to 195 minutes. Its relative failure may well have precipitated Lawrence's retirement.

Viola Lawrence was married to pioneer editor Frank Lawrence, who had been her mentor back in her days at Vitagraph.

Source: IMDb Mini Biography By: I.S.Mowis

Filmography:

Within the Law (1917)

An Alabaster Box (1917)

The Heart of Humanity (1918)

Loot (1919)

His Divorced Wife (1919)

The Virgin of Stamboul (1920)

Once to Every Woman (1920)

The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926)

The Devil Dancer (1927)

Two Lovers (1928)

The Awakening (1928)

Queen Kelly (1929)

Bulldog Drummond (1929)

This Is Heaven (1929)

What a Widow! (1930)

The Pagan Lady (1931)

Men Are Such Fools (1932)

Sailor Be Good (1933)

Man’s Castle (1933)

No Greater Glory (1934)

Whom the Gods Destroy (1934)

The Party’s Over (1934)

Lady by Choice (1934)

The Whole Town’s Talking (1935)

Party Wire (1935)

Love Me Forever (1935)

A Feather in Her Hat (1935)

The Lone Wolf Returns (1935)

Lady of Secrets (1936)

The King Steps Out (1936)

Craig’s Wife (1936)

The Devil’s Playground (1937)

Speed to Spare (1937)

Life Begins with Love (1937)

She Married an Artist (1937)

Penitentiary (1938)

There’s Always a Woman (1938)

City Streets (1938)

I Am The Law (1938)

There’s That Woman Again (1938)

Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

Blondie Takes a Vacation (1939)

The Amazing Mr. Williams (1939)

Five Little Peppers at Home (1940)

The Doctor Takes a Wife (1940)

He Stayed for Breakfast (1940)

Glamour for Sale (1940)

This Thing Called Love (1940)

The Lone Wolf takes a Chance (1941)

The Big Boss (1941)

Two in a Taxi (1941)

Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)

You Belong to Me (1941)

Bedtime Story (1941)

Screen Snapshots Series 21, No. 6 (1942 short)

Two Yanks in Trinidad (1942)

They All Kissed the Bride (1942)

My Sister Eileen (1942)

One Dangerous Night (1943)

First Comes Courage (1943)

Cover Girl (1944)

Secret Command (1944)

Tonight and Every Night (1945)

She Wouldn’t Say Yes (1945)

Hit the Hay (1945)

The Fighting Guardsman (1946)

Perilous Holiday (1946)

Down to Earth (1947)

The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

Mary Lou (1948)

The Gallant Blade (1948)

Leather Gloves (1948)

The Dark Past (1948)

Knock on Any Door (1949)

Tokyo Joe (1949)

And Baby Makes Three (1949)

The Traveling Saleswoman (1950)

In a Lonely Place (1950)

Harriet Craig (1950)

The Flying Missile (1950)

Sirocco (1951)

The First Time (1952)

Paula (1952)

Affair in Trinidad (1952)

Salome (1953)

Man in the Dark (1953)

Miss Sadie Thompson (1953)

Jesse James vs. the Daltons (1954)

The Miami Story (1954)

Three for the Show (1955)

Tight Spot (1955)

Chicago Syndicate (1955)

Queen Bee (1955)

The Eddy Duchin Story (1956)

Jeanne Eagels (1957)

Pal Joey (1957)

Who Was That Lady? (1960)

Pepe (1960)