Hubbry Logo
Barbara McLeanBarbara McLeanMain
Open search
Barbara McLean
Community hub
Barbara McLean
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Barbara McLean
Barbara McLean
Barbara McLean
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Barbara "Bobby" McLean[1] (November 16, 1903 – March 28, 1996) was an American film editor with 62 film credits.

Key Information

In the period Darryl F. Zanuck was dominant at the 20th Century Fox Studio, from the 1930s through the 1960s, McLean was the studio's most prominent editor and ultimately the head of its editing department.[2][3][4] She won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for the film Wilson (1944). She was nominated for the same award another six occasions, including All About Eve (1950).[5][6] Her total of seven nominations for Best Editing Oscar was not surpassed until 2012 by Michael Kahn.[7]

She had an extensive collaboration with the director Henry King over 29 films, including Twelve O'Clock High (1949). Her impact was summarized by Adrian Dannatt in 1996 who wrote that McLean was "a revered editor who perhaps single-handedly established women as vital creative figures in an otherwise patriarchal industry."[8]

Early life and career

[edit]

McLean was born in Palisades Park, New Jersey; she was the daughter of Charles Pollut, who ran a film laboratory. As a child she worked on release prints from the adjacent studio of E.K. Lincoln in Grantwood, who was an early producer of films. No doubt the early experience in processing of film was helpful to McLean when she became an assistant film editor, but McLean later commented that her musical training as a child also was very important.[3]

In 1924, she married J. Gordon McLean, who was a film projectionist and later, a cameraman. After marrying, the couple moved to Los Angeles, California. McLean found work as an assistant editor at First National Studio. She subsequently joined Twentieth Century Pictures, where initially, she assisted the editor Alan McNeil.[3][9] In 1933, she received her first editing credit for Gallant Lady;[3] her work on Les Misérables (directed by Richard Boleslawski, 1935) was nominated for the Academy Award for Film Editing.

20th Century Fox

[edit]

In 1935, 20th Century Pictures merged with the Fox Film Corporation to form 20th Century Fox. Darryl F. Zanuck was the head of the merged studio, and McLean became the chief editor under his sponsorship. John Gallagher has written that "Studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck was himself a brilliant editor and maintained the best editorial department in Hollywood."[10]

McLean retained this position until her retirement in 1969. McLean had more authority over the editing of the studio's films than is typical for contemporary film editors; as Lizzie Francke described it: "McLean worked during a period when the editor was often left to his or her own devices in the cutting room. The pressures of production turn-over during the hey-day of the studio system often meant that the director could not be around to supervise since they were on to their next production."[11]

Darryl Zanuck not only trusted McLean with the editing of 20th Century Fox's more important projects, he depended on her judgment in many other areas of filmmaking, including casting and production.[3] In 1940, a Los Angeles Times story commented that "Barbara McLean, one of Hollywood's three women film editors, can make stars — or leave their faces on the cutting room floor."[12]

The films McLean edited at 20th Century Fox included The Rains Came (1939), the only time she worked with director Clarence Brown, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for editing. She was credited with working on John Ford's Tobacco Road (1941), and George Cukor's, Winged Victory (1944). In 1950–1951, McLean edited three of Joseph L. Mankiewicz's films, including All About Eve, for which she received her final Academy Award nomination. Her nomination was among the 14 nominations for the film.

In the 1940s, McLean and her first husband divorced. In 1951 she married Robert D. Webb, who had been working as King's assistant director.

Collaboration with Henry King

[edit]
"For all her focus on keeping the narrative moving, McLean's editing could dazzle if called for. In A Bell for Adano (1945), she took material director Henry King shot on the return of the Italian POWs to their village and put it together with such a pure sense of emotion that when she cut at exactly the right moment to King's overhead shot of the prisoners and villagers coming together in the square, the cut was more heart-stopping than conventional close-ups would have been."
— Tom Stempel[3]

McLean began her long association with the director Henry King on the films The Country Doctor (1936) and Lloyd's of London (1936); she received her second nomination for an Academy Award for the latter film. McLean received three further nominations for editing films directed by King: for Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), The Song of Bernadette (1943), and Wilson (1944). On Wilson, as Tom Stempel has described, McLean "had to cut down the enormous amount of footage from the 1912 Democratic convention into a workable sequence, and she condensed several bill-signing sequences into montage sequences."[3] Wilson was the only film for which McLean won an Academy Award for Film Editing.[5]

It may be that King and McLean's greatest accomplishment was the film Twelve O'Clock High (1949); Sean Axmaker has written "Twelve O'Clock High was one of the early and arguably the greatest of the Hollywood films to examine the pressures of command and the psychological toll of making life and death decisions for men they come to know and care for."[13] While the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, neither King nor McLean received personal Academy Award recognition for their work in making that film. Nearly half of the 62 films crediting McLean as editor were directed by Henry King.

Later years

[edit]

McLean edited Viva Zapata! (1952), one of Elia Kazan's films, and Michael Curtiz's The Egyptian (1954). She also edited the first released movie produced in CinemaScope, Henry Koster's The Robe (1953). McLean's last editing credit was for Untamed (1955). She was co-producer of Seven Cities of Gold (1955). Her later work was primarily as a supervisor and administrative. McLean was instrumental in the careers of other film editors such as Hugh S. Fowler, William H. Reynolds, and Robert Simpson.

McLean retired from 20th Century Fox in 1969, apparently because of her husband's poor health.[9] She received the inaugural American Cinema Editors Career Achievement Award in 1988. She died in Newport Beach, California in 1996.

Partial filmography

[edit]
Editor
Year Film Director Notes Other notes More notes
1929 Coquette Sam Taylor
Uncredited
1933 Gallant Lady Gregory La Cava First collaboration with Gregory La Cava
1934 The House of Rothschild
First collaboration with Sidney Lanfield
The Affairs of Cellini Gregory La Cava Second collaboration with Gregory La Cava
The Mighty Barnum Walter Lang First collaboration with Walter Lang
1935 Clive of India Richard Boleslawski First collaboration with Richard Boleslawski
Les Misérables Second collaboration with Richard Boleslawski
Metropolitan Third collaboration with Richard Boleslawski
Professional Soldier Tay Garnett
1936 The Country Doctor Henry King First collaboration with Henry King
Sins of Man
Sing, Baby, Sing Sidney Lanfield Second collaboration with Sidney Lanfield
Lloyd's of London Henry King Second collaboration with Henry King
1937 Seventh Heaven Third collaboration with Henry King
Love Under Fire George Marshall
1938 In Old Chicago Henry King Fourth collaboration with Henry King
The Baroness and the Butler Walter Lang Second collaboration with Walter Lang
Alexander's Ragtime Band Henry King Fifth collaboration with Henry King
Suez Allan Dwan
1939 Jesse James Henry King Sixth collaboration with Henry King
Stanley and Livingstone
  • Henry King
  • Otto Brower
 Seventh collaboration with Henry King
The Rains Came Clarence Brown
1940 Little Old New York Henry King Eighth collaboration with Henry King
Maryland Ninth collaboration with Henry King
Down Argentine Way Irving Cummings First collaboration with Irving Cummings
Chad Hanna Henry King Tenth collaboration with Henry King
1941 Tobacco Road John Ford
A Yank in the R.A.F. Henry King Eleventh collaboration with Henry King
Remember the Day Twelfth collaboration with Henry King
1942 Rings on Her Fingers Rouben Mamoulian
The Magnificent Dope Walter Lang Third collaboration with Walter Lang
The Black Swan Henry King Thirteenth collaboration with Henry King
1943 Hello, Frisco, Hello H. Bruce Humberstone First collaboration with H. Bruce Humberstone
The Song of Bernadette Henry King Fourteenth collaboration with Henry King
1944 Wilson Fifteenth collaboration with Henry King
Winged Victory George Cukor
1945 A Bell for Adano Henry King Sixteenth collaboration with Henry King
The Dolly Sisters Irving Cummings Second collaboration with Irving Cummings
1946 Three Little Girls in Blue H. Bruce Humberstone Second collaboration with H. Bruce Humberstone
Margie Henry King Seventeenth collaboration with Henry King
1947 Nightmare Alley Edmund Goulding
Captain from Castile Henry King Eighteenth collaboration with Henry King
1948 Deep Waters Nineteenth collaboration with Henry King
When My Baby Smiles at Me Walter Lang Fourth collaboration with Walter Lang
1949 Prince of Foxes Henry King Twentieth collaboration with Henry King
Twelve O'Clock High Twenty-first collaboration with Henry King
1950 The Gunfighter Twenty-second collaboration with Henry King
No Way Out Joseph L. Mankiewicz First collaboration with Joseph L. Mankiewicz
All About Eve Second collaboration with Joseph L. Mankiewicz
1951 I'd Climb the Highest Mountain Henry King Twenty-third collaboration with Henry King
Follow the Sun Sidney Lanfield Third collaboration with Sidney Lanfield
David and Bathsheba Henry King Twenty-fourth collaboration with Henry King
People Will Talk Joseph L. Mankiewicz Third collaboration with Joseph L. Mankiewicz
1952 Viva Zapata! Elia Kazan
Wait till the Sun Shines, Nellie Henry King Twenty-fifth collaboration with Henry King
Lure of the Wilderness Jean Negulesco First collaboration with Jean Negulesco
O. Henry's Full House Henry King Twenty-sixth collaboration with Henry King "The Gift of the Magi" segment
Uncredited
The Snows of Kilimanjaro Twenty-seventh collaboration with Henry King
1953 Niagara Henry Hathaway
The Desert Rats Robert Wise
The Robe Henry Koster
King of the Khyber Rifles Henry King Twenty-eighth collaboration with Henry King
1954 The Egyptian Michael Curtiz
1955 Untamed Henry King Twenty-ninth collaboration with Henry King
Producer
Year Film Director Credit Notes
1955 Seven Cities of Gold Robert D. Webb Producer First collaboration with Robert D. Webb
1956 On the Threshold of Space Associate producer Second collaboration with Robert D. Webb

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Barbara McLean

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Barbara McLean (November 16, 1903 – March 28, 1996) was an American film editor known for her pioneering role as one of the most influential women in Hollywood's editing departments, particularly at 20th Century Fox where she served as supervising editor and head of the post-production department for decades. She won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for Wilson (1944) and received a total of seven nominations for the award, a record for female editors that stood for many years. Often called "Bobbie," she was a trusted collaborator of studio head Darryl F. Zanuck, who frequently relied on her judgment for final cuts, and she edited many of the studio's major productions across genres including dramas, musicals, and epics. McLean's career spanned from the 1930s to the late 1960s, beginning with early credits in the 1930s and becoming prominent after joining 20th Century Fox in 1935, where she worked on films such as Lloyd's of London (1936), Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), All About Eve (1950), 12 O'Clock High (1949), and The Robe (1953). Her work contributed to nine Best Picture-nominated films, highlighting her impact on some of the era's most acclaimed motion pictures. She retired in 1969 and remained a respected figure in film history until her death.

Early life

Birth and family background

Barbara McLean was born Barbara Pollut on November 16, 1903, in Palisades Park, New Jersey. Her father was Charles Pollut, who operated a film laboratory near the family home in Palisades Park. As a teenager, McLean worked in her father's lab, cutting and splicing film, which provided her early hands-on experience in the editing process. No further details about her mother, siblings, or extended family are documented in available sources. She acquired the surname McLean through her marriage to projectionist J. Gordon McLean in 1924.

Entry into film editing

McLean relocated to Los Angeles with her husband in 1924 and began her Hollywood career as a film technician before transitioning to assistant editing roles. Her first job in Los Angeles was in a lab at Fox Studios, followed by assistant editor positions at studios including First National and United Artists, where she assisted on films such as Mary Pickford's Coquette (1929). By the early 1930s, McLean had advanced to full film editor responsibilities, receiving her first sole editing credit on Gallant Lady (1933). In 1933 she began working for Darryl Zanuck at Twentieth Century Pictures, which merged with Fox Film Corporation in 1935 to form 20th Century Fox.

Film editing career

Early credits and 1930s work

Barbara McLean began receiving editing credits in the 1930s after working as an assistant editor for several studios in the early part of the decade. Her first on-screen credit as editor came with The Affairs of Cellini (1934). In 1935, she joined 20th Century Fox, marking the start of her long association with the studio. At Fox, McLean's early work included Les Misérables (1935), directed by Richard Boleslawski, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Film Editing. She followed this with Lloyd's of London (1936), another project that received an Oscar nomination in the same category. Her editing on the musical Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), directed by Henry King, brought her a third nomination for Best Film Editing during the decade. She also edited The Rains Came (1939), which earned her a fourth Academy Award nomination for Best Film Editing. McLean continued to build her reputation with Jesse James (1939), a major Western production at Fox that highlighted her ability to handle large-scale narrative pacing. These 1930s credits established her as a prominent editor in Hollywood, with four Academy Award nominations for Best Film Editing over the course of the decade.

Major work at 20th Century Fox

Barbara McLean maintained a long-term association with 20th Century Fox from the mid-1930s until her retirement in the 1960s. She has sixty-two film credits, primarily for the studio. As the studio's most prominent and conspicuous editor throughout Darryl F. Zanuck's dominant era at 20th Century Fox, McLean occupied a central position in the post-production process. Her role as a film editor encompassed shaping the narrative flow, pacing, and dramatic structure of major feature films through the assembly and refinement of footage in the cutting room. McLean was widely regarded as the studio's primary editor during this time, with her work reflecting both her technical expertise and her influence on the final form of the studio's output across multiple decades. This sustained tenure and volume of credits underscored her status as one of the most significant figures in Hollywood editing during the studio era.

Notable films edited

Barbara McLean edited numerous acclaimed films during her tenure at 20th Century Fox, particularly in the 1940s and 1950s, contributing to their pacing, emotional depth, and overall narrative effectiveness. She collaborated frequently with director Henry King. In the 1940s, McLean edited The Song of Bernadette (1943), a biographical drama that received widespread praise and earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Film Editing. Her work on Wilson (1944), another Henry King-directed biographical epic, won her the Academy Award for Best Film Editing, highlighting her talent for structuring expansive historical narratives. In the 1950s, she edited All About Eve (1950), Joseph L. Mankiewicz's razor-sharp satire, for which she received her seventh and final Oscar nomination for Best Film Editing; the film's precise timing and seamless scene transitions reflect her skill in elevating dialogue-driven material. McLean also edited The Robe (1953), the first feature film released in CinemaScope, a technical milestone that required careful handling of the new widescreen format to maintain visual coherence and storytelling momentum. As supervising editor at the studio, she oversaw editing on many additional Fox productions during this period, though her direct credited contributions on these landmark films underscore her central role in the era's cinematic achievements.

Leadership at 20th Century Fox

Promotion to supervising editor

In 1949, Barbara McLean was promoted to head of the editing division at 20th Century Fox, a position she held for 20 years until her retirement in 1969. In this supervisory role, she oversaw the department's operations and supervised the work of other editors, including prominent male colleagues. McLean was widely known in trade-publication columns as "Hollywood's Editor-in-Chief" for her authority over post-production processes at the studio. Her influence extended to administrative oversight of editing across the studio's feature films, ensuring consistency and quality in the final assembly of productions during a period when she wielded significant control under Darryl F. Zanuck. While she continued editing select projects in the early years of this role, her work increasingly focused on departmental leadership and post-production supervision.

Relationship with Darryl F. Zanuck

Barbara McLean developed a notably close professional relationship with Darryl F. Zanuck at 20th Century Fox, where he nicknamed her "Bobby" and relied heavily on her editorial judgment and broader counsel. Zanuck frequently consulted her on decisions extending beyond the cutting room, including casting and costumes, and studio executives understood that when he prefaced a statement with "Bobby says…," it represented a final decision rather than a mere opinion. He selected her to edit his personal productions and kept her chair next to his in the projection room, where they reviewed dailies and discussed changes directly. Their collaboration featured mutual respect and practical methods for resolving disagreements; in the projection room, Zanuck initially relayed notes through an intermediary, but after McLean objected to being blamed for forgotten instructions, he began shouting them directly to her for immediate input. When they disagreed on a sequence, they sometimes flipped a coin to settle the matter, with McLean later recalling, "Nine times out of ten I was right." She enjoyed considerable autonomy in assembling the first cut, explaining, "I’ve always been pretty fortunate in being able to put the picture in the first cut as I saw fit," and noted that Zanuck listened to her views. Early in their association, Zanuck rehired McLean for The Bowery (1933) after discovering "Bobbie" was a woman, and he immediately accepted her insistence on reshooting scenes with Wallace Beery when she argued it was necessary for the picture. A prominent example of her influence occurred during 1936 screen tests for Lloyd's of London, when Zanuck deferred to her preference for Tyrone Power over Don Ameche, announcing "Bobby says…" and casting Power, which launched his stardom. McLean's supervisory position as head of the editing department stemmed directly from her trusted role as Zanuck's preferred editor.

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

Barbara McLean won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for her work on Wilson (1944) at the 17th Academy Awards in 1945, defeating nominees Leroy Stone for Going My Way, Owen Marks for Janie, Roland Gross for None but the Lonely Heart, and Hal C. Kern and James E. Newcom for Since You Went Away. The film itself earned ten nominations overall and five wins, highlighting the significance of McLean's contribution to its success. McLean received a total of seven nominations for Best Film Editing, including the win for Wilson (1944). Her other nominations were for Les Misérables (1935), Lloyd's of London (1936), Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), The Rains Came (1939), The Song of Bernadette (1943), and All About Eve (1950). This total represented a record for female editors that stood until 2012. Her achievement with Wilson remains a landmark in her career.

Other recognition

In 1988, Barbara McLean received the Career Achievement Award from the American Cinema Editors (ACE), shared with Gene Milford as one of the first two recipients of this honor recognizing lifetime contributions to the craft of film editing. This accolade from her professional peers acknowledged her extensive influence over decades in Hollywood, particularly her leadership in post-production at 20th Century Fox. Her pioneering role has been further recognized posthumously through inclusion in scholarly and archival projects documenting the history of women film editors. These profiles emphasize her status as a trailblazer who rose to supervisory authority in a male-dominated field during the studio era.

Personal life

Marriage and family

Barbara McLean married J. Gordon McLean, a film projectionist, in 1924. The couple relocated to Los Angeles that year to pursue opportunities in the film industry. Their marriage ended in divorce, but McLean retained her husband's surname professionally for the remainder of her career. In 1951, McLean married director Robert D. Webb after they worked together on David and Bathsheba (1951). Their relationship developed following an invitation to dinner from the film's star, Susan Hayward. McLean retired from editing in 1969. Webb died in 1990, and McLean remained widowed until her own death in 1996.

Later years and death

Retirement

Barbara McLean retired from 20th Century Fox in 1969 after serving as chief of the editing division since 1949. Her departure was prompted by the serious illness of her husband, director Robert Webb. Although her hands-on editing career concluded earlier with her last credit on Untamed (1955), she remained active in supervisory and production capacities until retirement. Her final credited film work was as associate producer on On the Threshold of Space (1956). No additional professional credits appear after 1956, consistent with her shift to administrative leadership at the studio. In 1988, well after her retirement, McLean was honored with the inaugural Career Achievement Award from the American Cinema Editors.

Death

Barbara McLean died on March 28, 1996, at a convalescent home in Newport Beach, California. She was 92 years old. Her death was reported in several major publications, confirming the date and location of her passing in Orange County. She is buried at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar, California.

Legacy

Impact as a pioneering editor

Barbara McLean is widely regarded as a pioneering figure in Hollywood film editing, notably as one of the first women to head the editing department at a major studio. She assumed leadership of the editing division at 20th Century Fox in 1949 and held that position until her retirement in 1969, wielding considerable authority over the final cut of the studio's films during a key period of the studio system. This role marked a significant breakthrough for women in a field traditionally dominated by men, where editors were rarely granted such oversight or creative control at the executive level. Her influence extended to shaping the narrative rhythm and pacing characteristic of classic Hollywood cinema, as she participated in script discussions, production meetings, and on-set decisions that affected how stories were structured and told through editing. McLean's approach helped define the polished, seamless storytelling style of the era's big-studio productions, emphasizing continuity, emotional flow, and dramatic tension in ways that aligned with the demands of the Golden Age. In histories of women in film, McLean is celebrated for demonstrating women's capacity for high-level creative authority in Hollywood, helping pave the way for future generations of female editors. Her leadership at Fox and her broader impact are frequently highlighted in scholarly and industry accounts of women film editors' contributions.

Posthumous recognition

Following her death in 1996, Barbara McLean has been recognized in several scholarly and industry projects dedicated to documenting the contributions of women in film editing. These efforts highlight her pioneering status as one of the earliest female editors to achieve major success in Hollywood's studio system. The "Edited By: Women Film Editors" web resource, hosted by Princeton University and spearheaded by filmmaker Su Friedrich, includes a detailed profile of McLean that underscores her career achievements and influence at 20th Century Fox. This ongoing academic initiative celebrates overlooked women editors and positions McLean as a foundational figure in the field. She is also featured in Girish Shambu's 2019 essay "Hidden Histories: The Story of Women Film Editors," published on the Criterion Collection website, which examines her role alongside other early trailblazers in a broader historical narrative of women's contributions to cinema. Publications by the American Cinema Editors, including articles in CineMontage, have placed McLean in retrospectives on pioneering women picture editors during the studio era, emphasizing her lasting impact on the profession. These inclusions reflect continued appreciation for her legacy in film history.

References

  1. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-02-mn-53943-story.html
  2. https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/08/nyregion/barbara-mclean-92-a-pioneer-in-film-editing-and-zanuck-guru.html
  3. https://womenfilmeditors.princeton.edu/mclean-barbara-bobbie/
  4. https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/local/201-mag/2025/12/26/barbara-bobbie-mclean-was-nominated-multiple-times-for-an-oscar/73147137007/
  5. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0572492/
  6. https://www.facebook.com/forgottenfemalesfreedom/photos/barbara-mclean-was-a-prominent-hollywood-film-editor-she-cut-nine-oscar-best-pic/616494793911554/
  7. https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/mclean-barbara-1903-1996
  8. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8286918/barbara-mclean
  9. https://womenfilmeditors.princeton.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/McLEAN_Smythe_Cineaste.pdf
  10. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0572492/bio/
  11. https://cinemontage.org/raising-kane-overview-hollywood-film-editing-1930s/
  12. https://variety.com/2020/artisans/production/womens-history-month-female-editors-thelma-schoonmaker-1203521812/
  13. https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/07/nyregion/barbara-mclean-film-editor-at-20th-century-fox-dies-at-92.html
  14. https://medium.com/@mikepallotta/all-about-bobbie-the-untold-story-of-hollywoods-most-powerful-woman-580b1dd3bc1b
  15. https://cinemontage.org/o-pioneers-these-picture-editors-led-the-way-for-women-in-post-production-during-the-golden-years-of-the-studio-system/
  16. https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1945
  17. https://cinemontage.org/early-womans-place-cutting-room/
  18. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0572492/awards/
  19. https://web.archive.org/web/20080612092616/http://www.editorsguild.com/v2/magazine/archives/0306/cover_story.htm
  20. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0572492/fullcredits
  21. https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/apr/07/oscar-winning-film-editor-barbara-mclean-dies-at/
  22. https://thelastdrivein.com/category/the-cutting-room/barbara-mclean-film-editing/
  23. https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/6582-hidden-histories-the-story-of-women-film-editors
  24. https://womenfilmeditors.princeton.edu/many-thanks/
  25. https://cinemontage.org/moviola-mavens/
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.