Thomas Gerald Stanford (1924 – 2017) was an American film and television editor with about sixteen feature film credits. He won the

Academy Award for Best Film Editing The Academy Award for Best Film Editing is one of the annual awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Nominations for this award are closely correlated with the Academy Award for Best Picture. For 33 consecutive years, ...

at the

34th Academy Awards The 34th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1961, were held on April 9, 1962, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. They were hosted by Bob Hope; this was the 13th time Hope hosted the Oscars. Legendar ...

for the film ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

'' (1961), which was only his second credit as an editor. Long afterwards, ''West Side Story'' was listed as the 38th best-edited film of all time in a 2012 survey of members of the

Motion Picture Editors Guild The Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG; IATSE Local 700) is the guild that represents freelance and staff motion picture film and television editors and other post-production professionals and story analysts throughout the United States. The Moti ...

. The film's editing is also featured in Louis Giannetti's textbook ''Understanding Movies''. Stanford's first credit as an editor was for '' Suddenly, Last Summer'' (1959), which was a major production by the independent producer

Sam Spiegel Samuel P. Spiegel (November 11, 1901December 31, 1985) was an American independent film producer born in the Galician area of Austria-Hungary. Financially responsible for some of the most critically acclaimed motion pictures of the 20th centur ...

. Excepting a 1955 film version of the opera ''Don Giovanni'', any earlier work as an assistant editor wasn't credited. This was typical in the 1950s. Stanford edited three films with director Sydney Pollack, including Pollack's first feature ''

The Slender Thread ''The Slender Thread'' is a 1965 American drama film starring Anne Bancroft and Sidney Poitier. It was the first feature-length film directed by future Oscar-winning director, producer and actor Sydney Pollack. Poitier portrays Alan, a college ...

'' (1964). Stanford's work on Pollack's feature '' Jeremiah Johnson'' (1972) drew the attention of critic Gene Siskel, who wrote "Oddly enough, it is the violent scenes, the ones that don't work within the story, in which Pollack excels. Jeremiah's battle with a pack of wolves, and, later, a pack of Crow Indians, are stunning examples of direction and editing." In the 1960s, Stanford edited two films directed by

Mark Rydell Mark Rydell (born Mortimer H. Rydell; March 23, 1929) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has directed several Academy Award-nominated films including '' The Fox'' (1967), '' The Reivers'' (1969), ''Cinderella Liberty'' (1973) ...

, including his debut '' The Fox'' (1967). Stanford's last film before his retirement was '' Born to Race'' (1988). Stanford died at the age of 93 in 2017.

Filmography

This filmography is based on the listing at the Internet Movie Database. *'' Born to Race'' (1988) *''

Split Decisions ''Split Decisions'' is a 1988 American crime drama sports film directed by David Drury and starring Craig Sheffer, Jeff Fahey and Gene Hackman. Plot On the east side of New York City, boxing trainer Danny McGuinn is trying to prepare one of his ...

'' (1988) *'' Saving Grace'' (1986) (additional editor) *''

The Legend of the Lone Ranger ''The Legend of the Lone Ranger'' is a 1981 American Western film that was directed by William A. Fraker and stars Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse and Christopher Lloyd. It is based on the story of The Lone Ranger, a Western character create ...

'' (1981) *'' Before and After'' (1979) *'' Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force'' (1978) *'' Mad Bull'' (1977) *'' The Yanks Are Coming'' (1974) *''

The Yakuza ''The Yakuza'' is a 1974 neo-noir crime drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura and Brian Keith. The screenplay by Paul Schrader and Robert Towne is from a story by Schrader's brother, Leonard Schrader. ...

'' (1974) *'' Jeremiah Johnson'' (1972) *''

The Steagle ''The Steagle'' is a 1971 American comedy film based on the novel of the same name by Irvin Faust. The film was directed by Paul Sylbert and starred Richard Benjamin. The film concerns the personality change which overcomes the protagonist during ...

'' (1971) *'' The Reivers'' (1969) *'' Hell in the Pacific'' (1968) *''

Don't Make Waves ''Don't Make Waves'' is a 1967 American sex comedy (with elements of the beach party genre) starring Tony Curtis, Claudia Cardinale, Dave Draper and Sharon Tate. Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film was directed by Alexander Mackendric ...

'' (1967) *'' The Fox'' (1967) *''

'' (1965) *'' The Truth About Spring'' (1965) *'' Emil and the Detectives'' (1964) (was later edited to ''

Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The pr ...

'' as a 2-part in 1966) *''

In the Cool of the Day ''In the Cool of the Day'' is a 1963 British-American romantic drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Metrocolor and Panavision. The film is directed by Robert Stevens and starring Peter Finch, Jane Fonda, Angela Lansbury, Arthur Hill, a ...

'' (1963) *''

'' (1961) *'' Suddenly, Last Summer'' (1959)

References

External links

Thomas Stanford (née Schloss)
1924 births 2017 deaths American film editors Best Film Editing Academy Award winners USC School of Cinematic Arts faculty Film people from Düsseldorf {{US-film-editor-stub