Speedway

Gene Milford

Gene Milford
Born
Arthur Eugene Milford

(1902-01-19)January 19, 1902
Lamar, Colorado, United States
DiedDecember 23, 1991(1991-12-23) (aged 89)
Santa Monica, California, United States
Occupation(s)Film and television editor
Years active1926–1981
Known forOne hundred feature film credits
Notable workLost Horizon - 1937
On the Waterfront - 1954
A Face in the Crowd - 1957
Wait Until Dark - 1967
AwardsAcademy Award for Best Film Editing for Lost Horizon

Arthur Eugene Milford (January 19, 1902 – December 23, 1991) was an American film and television editor with about one hundred feature film credits. Among his most noted films are Lost Horizon (directed by Frank Capra - 1937), On the Waterfront (directed by Elia Kazan - 1954), A Face in the Crowd (Kazan - 1957), and Wait Until Dark (directed by Terence Young - 1967).[1]

Milford won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for Lost Horizon (with Gene Havlick) and for On the Waterfront; he was also nominated for an Academy Award for One Night of Love (directed by Victor Schertzinger - 1934). He had been elected to the American Cinema Editors, and he and Barbara McLean received its inaugural Career Achievement Awards in 1988.

Partial filmography

Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint in the trailer for the 1954 film On the Waterfront, for which Milford won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing
Editor
Year Film Director Notes Other notes
1926 Two Can Play Nat Ross
1927 Say It with Diamonds
Ladies at Ease Jerome Storm
1928 Comrades Cliff Wheeler
Free Lips Wallace MacDonald
The Devil's Cage Wilfred Noy
The Masked Angel Frank O'Connor
Life's Mockery Robert F. Hill
1929 Flight Frank Capra First collaboration with Frank Capra
1930 Vengeance Archie Mayo
Around the Corner Bert Glennon
Ladies Must Play Raymond Cannon First collaboration with Raymond Cannon
1931 The Lion and the Lamb George B. Seitz First collaboration with George B. Seitz
The Flood James Tinling
The Texas Ranger D. Ross Lederman First collaboration with D. Ross Lederman
Arizona George B. Seitz Second collaboration with George B. Seitz
Branded D. Ross Lederman Second collaboration with D. Ross Lederman
Uncredited
Shanghaied Love George B. Seitz Third collaboration with George B. Seitz
Platinum Blonde Frank Capra Second collaboration with Frank Capra
One Man Law Lambert Hillyer First collaboration with Lambert Hillyer
Maker of Men Edward Sedgwick
1932 The Big Timer Edward Buzzell
Hello Trouble Lambert Hillyer Second collaboration with Lambert Hillyer
McKenna of the Mounted D. Ross Lederman Third collaboration with D. Ross Lederman
White Eagle Lambert Hillyer Third collaboration with Lambert Hillyer
Forbidden Trail Fourth collaboration with Lambert Hillyer
Sundown Rider Fifth collaboration with Lambert Hillyer
1933 The California Trail Sixth collaboration with Lambert Hillyer
The Thrill Hunter George B. Seitz Fourth collaboration with George B. Seitz
Brief Moment David Burton First collaboration with David Burton
My Woman Victor Schertzinger First collaboration with Victor Schertzinger
Let's Fall in Love David Burton Second collaboration with David Burton
1934 The Ninth Guest Roy William Neill
The Fighting Ranger George B. Seitz Fifth collaboration with George B. Seitz
The Man Trailer Lambert Hillyer Seventh collaboration with Lambert Hillyer
Sisters Under the Skin David Burton Third collaboration with David Burton
One Night of Love Victor Schertzinger Second collaboration with Victor Schertzinger
The Captain Hates the Sea Lewis Milestone
1935 Carnival Walter Lang
Let's Live Tonight Victor Schertzinger Third collaboration with Victor Schertzinger
Fighting Shadows David Selman First collaboration with David Selman
Love Me Forever Victor Schertzinger Fourth collaboration with Victor Schertzinger
The Public Menace Erle C. Kenton First collaboration with Erle C. Kenton
Grand Exit Second collaboration with Erle C. Kenton
Too Tough to Kill D. Ross Lederman Fourth collaboration with D. Ross Lederman
1936 The Music Goes 'Round Victor Schertzinger Fifth collaboration with Victor Schertzinger
And So They Were Married Elliott Nugent
Shakedown David Selman Second collaboration with David Selman
They Met in a Taxi Alfred E. Green First collaboration with Alfred E. Green
1937 When You're in Love Robert Riskin
Lost Horizon Frank Capra Third collaboration with Frank Capra
The League of Frightened Men Alfred E. Green Second collaboration with Alfred E. Green
It Can't Last Forever Hamilton MacFadden
Something to Sing About Victor Schertzinger Sixth collaboration with Victor Schertzinger
1938 Tarzan's Revenge D. Ross Lederman Fifth collaboration with D. Ross Lederman
Mr. Boggs Steps Out Gordon Wiles
The Overland Express Drew Eberson
1939 The Mikado Victor Schertzinger Seventh collaboration with Victor Schertzinger
I Was a Convict Aubrey Scotto
Frontier Pony Express Joseph Kane
Coast Guard Edward Ludwig
Those High Grey Walls Charles Vidor
1940 Military Academy D. Ross Lederman Sixth collaboration with D. Ross Lederman
Blondie Plays Cupid Frank R. Strayer
1941 Tillie the Toiler Sidney Salkow
The Stork Pays Off Lew Landers
Confessions of Boston Blackie Edward Dmytryk
1943 Higher and Higher Tim Whelan First collaboration with Tim Whelan
1944 The Falcon Out West William Clemens
Step Lively Tim Whelan Second collaboration with Tim Whelan
The Falcon in Hollywood Gordon Douglas
1945 Having Wonderful Crime A. Edward Sutherland
China Sky Ray Enright
1951 The Man with My Face Edward Montagne
1954 On the Waterfront Elia Kazan First collaboration with Elia Kazan
1955 Man with the Gun Richard Wilson
1956 Baby Doll Elia Kazan Second collaboration with Elia Kazan
1957 A Face in the Crowd Third collaboration with Elia Kazan
1961 Splendor in the Grass Fourth collaboration with Elia Kazan
Force of Impulse Saul Swimmer
1962 Taras Bulba J. Lee Thompson
1963 Rampage Phil Karlson
1964 Wild and Wonderful Michael Anderson
The New Interns John Rich
1965 Strange Bedfellows Melvin Frank
That Funny Feeling Richard Thorpe
1966 The Chase Arthur Penn
Incident at Phantom Hill Earl Bellamy
Texas Across the River Michael Gordon
1967 Countdown Robert Altman
Wait Until Dark Terence Young First collaboration with Terence Young
1969 The Great Bank Robbery Hy Averback
1970 There Was a Crooked Man... Joseph L. Mankiewicz
1971 Mrs. Pollifax-Spy Leslie H. Martinson
The Steagle Paul Sylbert
Uncredited
1974 W Richard Quine
The Klansman Terence Young Second collaboration with Terence Young
Editorial department
Year Film Director Role Notes Other notes
1938 Swing It, Sailor! Raymond Cannon Supervising editor Second collaboration with Raymond Cannon
Uncredited
1981 Inchon Terence Young Supervising film editor Third collaboration with Terence Young
Director
Year Film
1958 The Pusher
Producer
Year Film Director Credit
1958 The Pusher Himself Producer
Documentaries
Editor
Year Film Director
1942 The World at War Lowell Mellett
Short documentaries
Editor
Year Film Director
1940 Look to Lockheed for Leadership Shirley Burden
1946 Kentucky Basketeers Joseph Walsh
Battle for Survival
Shorts
Editor
Year Film Director
1962 On the Harmfulness of Tobacco Paul Newman
TV documentaries
Editor
Year Film Director
1957 Maurice Chevalier's Paris Andrew Marton
TV movies
Editor
Year Film Director
1967 Valley of Mystery Joseph Lejtes
1972 No Place to Run Delbert Mann
1973 The Man Without a Country
Miracle on 34th Street Fielder Cook
1974 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Joseph Hardy
1975 The Count of Monte Cristo David Greene
1978 Breaking Up Delbert Mann
Home to Stay
1979 Torn Between Two Lovers
And Baby Makes Six Waris Hussein
Editorial department
Year Film Director Role
1977 Tell Me My Name Delbert Mann Supervising editor
1978 Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II Jud Taylor
TV pilots
Editorial department
Year Film Director Role
1977 The World of Darkness Jerry London Supervising editor
1978 The World Beyond Noel Black
TV series
Editor
Year Title Notes
1971−72 Nichols 9 episodes
1972 The Rookies 2 episodes
Director
Year Title Notes
1951 The Faye Emerson Show 14 episodes
1953−56 Omnibus 2 episodes

References

Further reading

  • Braudy, Leo (2005). On the Waterfront. British Film Institute Classics. Vol. 78. Macmillan. p. 34. ISBN 9781844570720. Of course, all traditional narrative films try to make the cuts invisible and create the illusion of a continuous space. But here particularly that illusion is connected to the ethos of a community, the illusory comfort of D 'n D and the embrace of the group. An appreciation of the editing of this film, which is possibly the most influential film that Milford edited.
  • Gallagher, John A. (2000). "Ralph Rosenblum". In Pendergast, Tom; Pendergast, Sara (eds.). International Dictionary of Film and Filmmakers, Edition 4. St. James Press. ISBN 978-1-55862-449-8. OCLC 44818539. After cutting a short-lived TV series, The Search, Rosenblum and Sid Katz set up their own editorial service, and were joined by veteran editor Gene Milford, for years the chief editor at Columbia Pictures. Their company, MKR films, became quite successful cutting spots, promotionals, industrials and corporate films, TV pilots, and the acclaimed TV series Omnibus and the popular Guy Lombardo Show. It was truly a wonderful training ground, and Rosenblum was frequently called upon to transform a shapeless mass of footage into a coherent whole.
  • LoBrutto, Vincent (2012). "On the Waterfront (1954)". The Art of Motion Picture Editing: An Essential Guide to Methods, Principles, Processes, and Terminology. Skyhorse Publishing Inc. p. 112. ISBN 9781581158816. Milford had to understand the changing role of acting in American film. After a career of cutting more conventional actors, and a more mannered Hollywood style of performance, the editor working with Kazan learned how to apply the right editing strategy to sustain and capture the method style of On the Waterfront. LoBrutto discusses the editing of On the Waterfront in terms of the transition between styles of acting, with the earlier style reflecting the persona of the actor, and the successor "method" style reflecting an interpretation of the character.
  • McBride, Joseph (2011). Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 362. ISBN 9781604738384. Discussion of the editing of Lost Horizon. The preview of the film's first cut to an audience in Santa Barbara had been a disaster, and subsequent cuts were very different.
  • Piper, Jim (2001). Get the Picture?: The Movie Lover's Guide to Watching Movies. Skyhorse Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 9781581150810. Piper uses a scene from On the Waterfront to illustrate editing technique. During a speech to stevedores by the local catholic priest, Milford intercut the reactions of listeners with shots of the priest himself.