2013 Essays

Margaret Booth

Hatch, Kristen

Margaret Booth began work as a negative cutter for D. W. Griffith in 1915. After Griffith closed down his Los Angeles offices, she worked briefly at Paramount before joining Louis B. Mayer’s studio in 1919. There she began to work closely with John Stahl, who tutored her in the art of film cutting. When Mayer merged with Metro-Goldwyn, Booth joined a staff of about two dozen cutters, including Blanche Sewell. At MGM, Booth eventually became the supervising editor, where she remained until 1969.