# Al Clark (film editor)

Al Clark (September 15, 1902 – July 13, 1971) was a prolific American film editor whose career spanned four decades, most of which was spent at Columbia Pictures. He was nominated for 5 Academy Awards and 1 Emmy during his career. He is credited with editing over 120 films, and towards the end of his career, in the 1960s, he also edited several television series.

## Career

Clark began his career in 1933 at the Poverty Row studio, Tower Productions. The first film he worked on was the crime drama, The Important Witness. In 1934 he would begin his long association with Columbia Pictures, on Lambert Hillyer's crime drama, Men of the Night. His work on the 1937 screwball comedy, The Awful Truth, starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant, earned him the first of his five Academy Award for Best Film Editing nominations. In 1939 Clark co-edited, along with Gene Havlick, Frank Capra's classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which stars Jean Arthur and James Stewart. The two editors were nominated for an Academy Award, losing to the editors for Gone With the Wind. His third nomination came in 1940 for the classic political drama, All the King's Men, shared with Robert Parrish. The winner that year was Harry W. Gerstad for Champion. In 1958, he and William A. Lyon edited the western Cowboy, starring Glenn Ford and Jack Lemmon. However, the editing award that year went to Adrienne Fazan for Gigi. Clark's fifth and final Oscar nomination came in 1961, for his work on Pepe, which he co-edited by Viola Lawrence. That year the Oscar went to Daniel Mandell for The Apartment. His long association with Columbia came to an end in 1962, with Clark's work on The Interns. After his departure from Columbia, Clark edited only two more films: the 1963 comedy Hootenanny Hoot, for MGM; and the 1969 Elvis Presley western, Charro!.
Beginning in 1952 on NBC's Cavalcade of America, Clark worked sporadically on television shows. His television credits include Dennis the Menace (1959), The Twilight Zone (1963), Gilligan's Island (1964), Perry Mason (1963–65), and I Dream of Jeannie (1965). His final work in television was from 1967 to 1968 on The High Chaparral. His work on Ben Casey garnered him an Emmy Award nomination in 1963.

## Filmography

(Per AFI database)
Editor :
| Year | Film | Director | Notes | Other notes |
| 1933 | The Important Witness | Sam Newfield | First collaboration with Sam Newfield | |
| 1933 | Big Time or Bust | Sam Newfield | Second collaboration with Sam Newfield | |
| 1934 | Men of the Night | Lambert Hillyer | First collaboration with Lambert Hillyer | |
| 1935 | Square Shooter | David Selman | First collaboration with David Selman | |
| 1935 | The Revenge Rider | David Selman | Second collaboration with David Selman | |
| 1935 | Fighting Shadows | David Selman | Third collaboration with David Selman | |
| 1935 | Justice of the Range | David Selman | Fourth collaboration with David Selman | |
| 1935 | Riding Wild | David Selman | Fifth collaboration with David Selman | |
| 1935 | The Case of the Missing Man | D. Ross Lederman | First collaboration with D. Ross Lederman | |
| 1935 | Guard That Girl | Lambert Hillyer | Second collaboration with Lambert Hillyer | |
| 1935 | Gallant Defender | David Selman | Sixth collaboration with David Selman | |
| 1936 | Dangerous Intrigue | David Selman | Seventh collaboration with David Selman | |
| 1936 | Ticket to Paradise | Aubrey Scotto | | |
| 1936 | Blackmailer | Gordon Wiles | | |
| 1936 | End of the Trail | Erle C. Kenton | First collaboration with Erle C. Kenton | |
| 1936 | Legion of Terror | Charles C. Coleman | First collaboration with Charles C. Coleman | |
| 1936 | More Than a Secretary | Alfred E. Green | First collaboration with Alfred E. Green | |
| 1937 | Let's Get Married | Alfred E. Green | Second collaboration with Alfred E. Green | |
| 1937 | The Devil Is Driving | Harry Lachman | First collaboration with Harry Lachman | |
| 1937 | It Happened in Hollywood | Harry Lachman | Second collaboration with Harry Lachman | |
| 1937 | The Awful Truth | Leo McCarey | | |
| 1938 | When G-Men Step In | Charles C. Coleman | Second collaboration with Charles C. Coleman | |
| 1938 | Holiday | George Cukor | | |
| 1938 | The Main Event | Danny Dare | | |
| 1938 | Squadron of Honor | Charles C. Coleman | Third collaboration with Charles C. Coleman | |
| 1938 | The Lady Objects | Erle C. Kenton | Second collaboration with Erle C. Kenton | |
| 1938 | The Little Adventuress | D. Ross Lederman | Second collaboration with D. Ross Lederman | |
| 1939 | North of Shanghai | D. Ross Lederman | Third collaboration with D. Ross Lederman | |
| 1939 | Let Us Live | John Brahm | First collaboration with John Brahm | |
| 1939 | Good Girls Go to Paris | Alexander Hall | | |
| 1939 | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Frank Capra | | |
| 1940 | Cafe Hostess | Sidney Salkow | First collaboration with Sidney Salkow | |
| 1940 | The Lone Wolf Strikes | Sidney Salkow | Second collaboration with Sidney Salkow | |
| 1940 | The Man with Nine Lives | Nick Grinde | | |
| 1940 | Escape to Glory | John Brahm | Second collaboration with John Brahm | |
| 1940 | The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady | Sidney Salkow | Third collaboration with Sidney Salkow | |
| 1940 | The Lady in Question | Charles Vidor | First collaboration with Charles Vidor | |
| 1940 | Prairie Schooners | Sam Nelson | | |
| 1941 | The Devil Commands | Edward Dmytryk | | |
| 1941 | They Dare Not Love | James Whale | | |
| 1941 | The Richest Man in Town | Charles Barton | First collaboration with Charles Barton | |
| 1941 | Ladies in Retirement | Charles Vidor | Second collaboration with Charles Vidor | |
| 1942 | The Adventures of Martin Eden | Sidney Salkow | Fourth collaboration with Sidney Salkow | |
| 1942 | Meet the Stewarts | Alfred E. Green | Third collaboration with Alfred E. Green | |
| 1942 | Blondie for Victory | Frank R. Strayer | First collaboration with Frank R. Strayer | |
| 1942 | Daring Young Man | Frank R. Strayer | Second collaboration with Frank R. Strayer | |
| 1943 | City Without Men | Sidney Salkow | Fifth collaboration with Sidney Salkow | |
| 1943 | She Has What It Takes | Charles Barton | Second collaboration with Charles Barton | |
| 1943 | It's a Great Life | Frank R. Strayer | Third collaboration with Frank R. Strayer | |
| 1943 | Appointment in Berlin | Alfred E. Green | Fourth collaboration with Alfred E. Green | |
| 1943 | What a Woman! | Irving Cummings | First collaboration with Irving Cummings | |
| 1944 | Address Unknown | William Cameron Menzies | | |
| 1944 | The Impatient Years | Irving Cummings | Second collaboration with Irving Cummings | |
| 1944 | One Mysterious Night | Budd Boetticher | First collaboration with Budd Boetticher | |
| 1944 | Sergeant Mike | Henry Levin | First collaboration with Henry Levin | |
| 1944 | She's a Sweetheart | Del Lord | | |
| 1945 | Leave It to Blondie | Abby Berlin | First collaboration with Abby Berlin | |
| 1945 | Counter-Attack | Zoltan Korda | | |
| 1945 | The Gay Senorita | Arthur Dreifuss | | |
| 1945 | The Girl of the Limberlost | Mel Ferrer | | |
| 1946 | Tars and Spars | Alfred E. Green | Fifth collaboration with Alfred E. Green | |
| 1946 | Gunning for Vengeance | Ray Nazarro | First collaboration with Ray Nazarro | |
| 1946 | The Phantom Thief | D. Ross Lederman | Fourth collaboration with D. Ross Lederman | |
| 1946 | Gallant Journey | William A. Wellman | | |
| 1947 | Johnny O'Clock | Robert Rossen | First collaboration with Robert Rossen | |
| 1947 | Her Husband's Affairs | S. Sylvan Simon | First collaboration with S. Sylvan Simon | |
| 1947 | Blondie's Anniversary | Abby Berlin | Second collaboration with Abby Berlin | |
| 1948 | The Swordsman | Joseph H. Lewis | First collaboration with Joseph H. Lewis | |
| 1948 | I Love Trouble | S. Sylvan Simon | Second collaboration with S. Sylvan Simon | |
| 1948 | The Fuller Brush Man | S. Sylvan Simon | Third collaboration with S. Sylvan Simon | |
| 1948 | Blondie's Reward | Abby Berlin | Third collaboration with Abby Berlin | |
| 1949 | Slightly French | Douglas Sirk | First collaboration with Douglas Sirk | |
| 1949 | The Undercover Man | Joseph H. Lewis | Second collaboration with Joseph H. Lewis | |
| 1949 | We Were Strangers | John Huston | | |
| 1949 | All the King's Men | Robert Rossen | Second collaboration with Robert Rossen | |
| 1950 | Convicted | Henry Levin | Second collaboration with Henry Levin | |
| 1950 | The Petty Girl | Henry Levin | Third collaboration with Henry Levin | |
| 1950 | Emergency Wedding | Edward Buzzell | | |
| 1951 | Smuggler's Gold | William Berke | | |
| 1951 | Lorna Doone | Phil Karlson | First collaboration with Phil Karlson | |
| 1951 | The Texas Rangers | Phil Karlson | Second collaboration with Phil Karlson | |
| 1951 | Never Trust a Gambler | Ralph Murphy | | |
| 1951 | The Family Secret | Henry Levin | Fourth collaboration with Henry Levin | |
| 1952 | Boots Malone | William Dieterle | | |
| 1953 | Last of the Comanches | André de Toth | First collaboration with André de Toth | |
| 1953 | The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. | Roy Rowland | | |
| 1953 | Conquest of Cochise | William Castle | First collaboration with William Castle | |
| 1953 | The Nebraskan | Fred F. Sears | First collaboration with Fred F. Sears | |
| 1953 | Bad for Each Other | Irving Rapper | | |
| 1953 | The Wild One | László Benedek | | |
| 1954 | Tanganyika | André de Toth | Second collaboration with André de Toth | |
| 1954 | Naked Alibi | Jerry Hopper | | |
| 1954 | Sign of the Pagan | Douglas Sirk | Second collaboration with Douglas Sirk | |
| 1955 | New Orleans Uncensored | William Castle | Second collaboration with William Castle | |
| 1955 | Chief Crazy Horse | George Sherman | | |
| 1955 | Bring Your Smile Along | Blake Edwards | | |
| 1955 | The Gun That Won the West | William Castle | Third collaboration with William Castle | |
| 1955 | The Last Frontier | Anthony Mann | | |
| 1956 | Jubal | Delmer Daves | First collaboration with Delmer Daves | |
| 1956 | Miami Exposé | Fred F. Sears | Second collaboration with Fred F. Sears | |
| 1956 | You Can't Run Away from It | Dick Powell | | |
| 1957 | The Tall T | Budd Boetticher | Second collaboration with Budd Boetticher | |
| 1957 | The Guns of Fort Petticoat | George Marshall | | |
| 1957 | The Night the World Exploded | Fred F. Sears | Third collaboration with Fred F. Sears | Uncredited |
| 1957 | 3:10 to Yuma | Delmer Daves | Second collaboration with Delmer Daves | |
| 1957 | Decision at Sundown | Budd Boetticher | Third collaboration with Budd Boetticher | |
| 1958 | Cowboy | Delmer Daves | Third collaboration with Delmer Daves | |
| 1958 | The Lineup | Don Siegel | | |
| 1958 | Buchanan Rides Alone | Budd Boetticher | Fourth collaboration with Budd Boetticher | |
| 1958 | Apache Territory | Ray Nazarro | Second collaboration with Ray Nazarro | |
| 1958 | Senior Prom | David Lowell Rich | First collaboration with David Lowell Rich | |
| 1959 | Gunmen from Laredo | Wallace MacDonald | | |
| 1959 | Hey Boy! Hey Girl! | David Lowell Rich | Second collaboration with David Lowell Rich | |
| 1959 | The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock | Sidney Miller | | |
| 1960 | Man on a String | André de Toth | Third collaboration with André de Toth | |
| 1960 | All the Young Men | Hall Bartlett | | |
| 1960 | Pepe | George Sidney | | |
| 1962 | 13 West Street | Philip Leacock | | |
| 1962 | The Underwater City | Frank McDonald | | |
| 1962 | The Interns | David Swift | | |
| 1963 | Hootenanny Hoot | Gene Nelson | | |
| 1969 | Charro! | Charles Marquis Warren | | |

### Shorts

Editor :
| Year | Film | Director |
| 1933 | How to Break 90 #1: The Grip | George Marshall |
| 1933 | How to Break 90 #3: Hip Action | George Marshall |
| 1933 | How to Break 90 #5: Impact | George Marshall |
| 1934 | It's the Cats | Albert Ray |
| 1934 | Counsel on De Fence | Arthur Ripley |
| 1957 | Not One Shall Die | David Lowell Rich |

### TV series

Editor :
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1953 | Cavalcade of America | 1 episode |
| 1955 | Damon Runyon Theater | 2 episodes |
| 1953−55 | Ford Theatre | 7 episodes |
| 1958 | Shirley Temple's Storybook | 1 episode |
| 1959 | Goodyear Theatre | 2 episodes |
| 1959 | Adventure Showcase | 1 episode |
| 1959 | Dennis the Menace | 1 episode |
| 1959−60 | Alcoa Theatre | 2 episodes |
| 1962−63 | Ben Casey | 7 episodes |
| 1963 | The Twilight Zone | 2 episodes |
| 1964 | Gilligan's Island | 1 episode |
| 1965 | The Farmer's Daughter | 1 episode |
| 1965 | Gidget | 1 episode |
| 1965 | I Dream of Jeannie | 1 episode |
| 1963−65 | Perry Mason | 16 episodes |
| 1967−68 | The High Chaparral | 5 episodes |