William Hornbeck (August 23, 1901 – October 11, 1983) was an American film editor and film industry executive. In a 1977 poll of film editors, he had been called "the best film editor the industry has produced." Posted online at filmreference.com . He was nominated four times for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing, and won the award for A Place in the Sun (1951). Other important credits include It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Giant (1956), and I Want to Live! (1958). He edited films from notable directors including Zoltan Korda, Frank Capra, and George Stevens. Universal Pictures almost brought him on board to completely re-edit George Lucas' American Graffiti.
Hornbeck started his editing career in his teens with the Keystone Studios, which were located close to his family's home in Los Angeles, California. In the 1920s he became head of the editing department, working on dozens of films each year. Transcript of a short interview with Hornbeck. In 1934 he went to England, where he headed the editing department for Alexander Korda's film production company. He was generally credited as the "supervising editor"; an exception was The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), where he was credited as the editor. In 1941 he returned to the United States, and during World War II he served in the Pictorial Service of the Signal Corps of the United States Army. His unit, which produced the films in the Why We Fight series, was led by Frank Capra. Following the war he worked as an editor for a succession of studios and as a freelance editor. In 1960 Hornbeck became the Supervisor for Editorial Operations for Universal Pictures. In 1966 he became a vice-president of the same company. Hornbeck retired in 1976.
Hornbeck was one of the original members of the American Cinema Editors, the honorary society of film editors, when it was founded in 1950. Hornbeck died in 1983. In her appreciation, Jeanine Basinger wrote "A true pioneer and a major international influence on film editing, Hornbeck and his work should be remembered for its quality and influence, as well as for his contribution in terms of training a whole generation of young editors in both England and America." Some of his papers are included in the Ogden and Mary Louise Reid Cinema Archives at Wesleyan University
Selected filmography Filmography based on the listing at the Internet Movie Database.
+ Editor Year Film Director Notes 1927 His First FlameHarry Edwards The Girl from EverywhereEdward F. Cline1928 The Good-Bye Kiss Mack SennettFirst collaboration with Mack Sennett1929 Midnight DaddiesSecond collaboration with Mack Sennett1932 HypnotizedThird collaboration with Mack Sennett1934 The Scarlet PimpernelHarold Young1941 LydiaJulien Duvivier1946 It's a Wonderful LifeFrank CapraFirst collaboration with Frank Capra1947 SingaporeJohn Brahm1948 State of the UnionFrank CapraSecond collaboration with Frank Capra1949 The HeiressWilliam Wyler1950 Riding HighFrank CapraThird collaboration with Frank Capra1951 A Place in the Sun George StevensFirst collaboration with George Stevens1952 Something to Live ForSecond collaboration with George Stevens 1953 ShaneThird collaboration with George Stevens Act of LoveAnatole Litvak1954 The Barefoot ContessaJoseph L. MankiewiczFirst collaboration with Joseph L. Mankiewicz1955 The Girl RushRobert Pirosh1956 GiantGeorge StevensFourth collaboration with George Stevens 1958 The Quiet AmericanJoseph L. MankiewiczSecond collaboration with Joseph L. Mankiewicz I Want to Live!Robert Wise 1959 A Hole in the HeadFrank CapraFourth collaboration with Frank Capra Suddenly, Last SummerJoseph L. MankiewiczThird collaboration with Joseph L. Mankiewicz
+ Editorial department Year Film Director Role1934 Moscow NightsAnthony Asquith Supervising editor 1935 Sanders of the RiverZoltan Korda The Ghost Goes WestRené Clair 1936 Things to ComeWilliam Cameron Menzies The Man Who Could Work MiraclesLothar Mendes RembrandtAlexander Korda Men Are Not GodsWalter Reisch 1937 Dark JourneyVictor Saville Elephant Boy Storm in a Teacup Knight Without ArmourJacques Feyder The Return of the Scarlet PimpernelHanns Schwarz Paradise for TwoThornton Freeland 1938 The Divorce of Lady XTim Whelan The DrumZoltan Korda Prison Without BarsBrian Desmond Hurst The Rebel Son 1939 Over the Moon Q Planes The Spy in BlackMichael PowellSupervising film editor The Four FeathersZoltan Korda Supervising editor The Lion Has Wings 1940 21 DaysBasil Dean The Thief of Bagdad 1941 That Hamilton WomanAlexander Korda Supervising film editor LydiaJulien Duvivier1942 Jungle BookZoltan Korda1947 Magic TownWilliam A. WellmanMontage1959 Suddenly, Last SummerJoseph L. MankiewiczEditorial consultant
Documentaries
+ Additional crew Year Film Director Role1945 Here Is GermanyFrank CapraProject officer
Shorts
+ Editor Year Film Director1926 Flirty Four-FlushersEdward F. Cline
See also List of film director and editor collaborations - Hornbeck edited four films directed by Frank Capra. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) received numerous Academy Award nominations. Vincent LoBrutto included an analysis of Hornbeck's contributions in his 2012 book,The Art of Motion Picture Editing.
References
Further reading Confirms birth and death dates; contains links to interviews of Hornbeck. Certain of his film related material and personal papers are contained in the Wesleyan University Cinema Archives to which scholars and media experts from around the world may have full access. See Includes a brief biography.