Ann McKnight (sometimes credited as Anna McKnight) was an American film editor active primarily during Hollywood's silent era, and has been credited as the first women to take up the profession (ahead of

Viola Lawrence Viola Mallory Lawrence (December 2, 1894, New York City – November 20, 1973) is considered by many to be the first female film editor in Hollywood. She was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing: for ''Pal Joey'' (195 ...

). She cut more than two dozen films during the mid-1910s and early 1930s, and often worked with fellow editor George Marsh.

Biography

Anna started off her career working at

Vitagraph Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907 ...

in Brooklyn as an editor in 1913, making a mark early on in the medium's history. She was not credited on many of her earliest jobs. She later worked at

Film Booking Offices of America Film Booking Offices of America (FBO), registered as FBO Pictures Corp., was an American film studio of the Silent film, silent era, a midsize producer and distributor of mostly low-budget films. The business began in 1918 as Robertson-Cole, an ...

; her last credit was on 1931's ''Smart Woman''. Little else is known about her life, but based on newspaper clippings, it seems likely that she is not the actress Ann McKnight murdered in 1930 by her husband, William Burkhardt. The two have often been conflated.

Selected filmography

* '' Smart Woman'' (1931) * '' The Runaround'' (1931) * ''

The Sin Ship ''The Sin Ship'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures and directed by the actor Louis Wolheim in his only directorial effort. The film marks the last contribution Wolheim made to the film industry ...

'' (1931) * ''

Kept Husbands ''Kept Husbands'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code drama film directed by Lloyd Bacon, starring Dorothy Mackaill and Joel McCrea, with major supporting roles filled by Robert McWade, Florence Roberts and Mary Carr. The original sto ...

'' (1931) * '' Leathernecking'' (1930) * '' Inside the Lines'' (1930) * '' He Knew Women'' (1930) * ''

Lovin' the Ladies ''Lovin' the Ladies'' is a 1930 American romantic comedy film directed by Melville W. Brown, and starring Richard Dix, Lois Wilson and Allen Kearns. It made a profit of $65,000. The film's screenplay was adapted by J. Walter Ruben, based on th ...

'' (1930) * '' Second Wife'' (1930) * ''

Dance Hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing, but usually refers to a specific type of twentieth-century venue, with dance clubs (nightclubs) becoming more popular towards the end of the century. The palais de danse was a term ap ...

'' (1929) * ''

Jazz Heaven ''Jazz Heaven'' is a 1929 American pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by Melville Brown and written by Myles Connolly and J. Walter Ruben, based on a story by Pauline Forney and Dudley Murphy. It was moderately successful for RKO Pictures ...

'' (1929) * ''

The Very Idea ''The Very Idea'' is an American comedy film directed by Frank Craven and Richard Rosson and written by William LeBaron, based on his play of the same title. Released in 1929, it was the fourth film released by RKO Pictures, starring Sally Blane ...

'' (1929) * ''

Street Girl ''Street Girl'' is a 1929 Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code musical film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Betty Compson, John Harron and Jack Oakie. It was adapted by Jane Murfin from "The Viennese Charmer", a short story by William Carey Won ...

'' (1929) * ''

The Red Sword ''The Red Sword'' is a 1929 American silent adventure film directed by Robert G. Vignola and starring William Collier Jr., Marian Nixon and Carmel Myers. The film was produced and distributed by FBO Pictures, shortly before it was taken over ...

'' (1929) * ''

The Jazz Age The Jazz Age was a period from 1920 to the early 1930s in which jazz music and dance styles gained worldwide popularity. The Jazz Age's cultural repercussions were primarily felt in the United States, the birthplace of jazz. Originating in New O ...

'' (1929) * ''

Hey Rube! ''Hey Rube!'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by George B. Seitz. Plot Cast * Hugh Trevor as String * Gertrude Olmstead as Lutie * Ethlyne Clair as Zelda * Bert Moorhouse as Moffatt (credited as Bert Moorehouse) * Walter McG ...

'' (1928) * '' Stolen Love'' (1928) * '' Sally's Shoulders'' (1928) * ''

The Circus Kid ''The Circus Kid'' is a 1928 American sound part-talkie drama film directed by George B. Seitz. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchronized musical score and sound effects along with Eng ...

'' (1928) * '' Alex the Great'' (1928) * ''All's Swell on the Ocean'' (1924) (short)

References

American film editors American women film editors Year of birth missing Year of death missing {{US-film-editor-stub