Viola Lawrence

American film editor
The basics

Quick Facts

IntroAmerican film editor
A.K.A.Viola Mallory
A.K.A.Viola Mallory
PlacesUnited States of America
wasFilm editor
Work fieldFilm, TV, Stage & Radio
Gender
Female
Birth2 December 1894, Brooklyn
Death20 November 1973Los Angeles (aged 79 years)
The details

Biography

Viola Mallory Lawrence (December 2, 1894, New York City – November 20, 1973) is considered by many to be the first woman film editor in Hollywood. She was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing: for Pal Joey (1957), with Jerome Thoms; and for Pepe (1960), with Al Clark.

Career

She began working at Vitagraph Studios in Flatbush, Brooklyn as a messenger at the age of 11. At 12, she was holding title cards. In 1915, she became the second female film cutter in cinema history, after Anna McKnight, who also worked at Vitagraph. She married Frank Lawrence, her film cutting teacher at Vitagraph.

In 1917, she moved to Hollywood and worked for Universal, First National, Gloria Swanson Productions and Columbia Pictures at various times. She became Columbia's "head editor" or "supervising editor" in 1925. After director Erich von Stroheim was fired from the production of Queen Kelly (1929), star Gloria Swanson herself directed an alternate ending, with the help of cinematographer Gregg Toland and Lawrence. Lawrence edited Samuel Goldwyn Studio's first sound film, Bulldog Drummond (1929). She rejoined Columbia in 1934 and remained there for the rest of her long career, ending with Pepe (1960).

Orson Welles biographer Charles Higham wrote that, when Lawrence was assigned to The Lady from Shanghai (1947), she reported to studio boss Harry Cohn that "the footage was a jumbled mess". She also informed Cohn that Welles "had not shot a single close-up"; Welles reluctantly obeyed orders to add some. Following poorly received previews, the studio had Lawrence make drastic cuts, over an hour of footage, shortening the film to 87 minutes.

The California State University, Fullerton University Archives and Special Collections has a collection of material about her.

Partial filmography

  • Within the Law (1917) (as Viola Mallory)
  • An Alabaster Box (1917) (as Viola Mallory)
  • The Heart of Humanity (1918) (as Viola Mallory)
  • Loot (1919) (as Viola Mallory)
  • His Divorced Wife (1919) (as Viola Mallory)
  • Once to Every Woman (1920)
  • The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926)
  • The Devil Dancer (1927)
  • The Awakening (1928)
  • Queen Kelly (1929)
  • Bulldog Drummond (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)
  • Lady by Choice (1934)
  • The Whole Town's Talking (1935)
  • Party Wire (1935)
  • Love Me Forever (1935)
  • A Feather in Her Hat (1935)
  • The King Steps Out (1936)
  • Craig's Wife (1936)
  • Penitentiary (1938)
  • I Am the Law (1938)
  • Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
  • Blondie Takes a Vacation (1939)
  • The Amazing Mr. Williams (1939)
  • Glamour for Sale (1940)
  • Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
  • You Belong to Me (1941)
  • Bedtime Story (1941)
  • 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)
  • Down to Earth (1947)
  • The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
  • The Dark Past (1948)
  • Knock on Any Door (1949)
  • Tokyo Joe (1949)
  • 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)
  • Queen Bee (1955)
  • Chicago Syndicate (1955)
  • The Eddy Duchin Story (1956)
  • Jeanne Eagels (1957)
  • Pal Joey (1957)
  • Who Was That Lady? (1960)
  • Pepe (1960)

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