William Hornbeck Papers
 
Ref. #: Coll8
 
Wesleyan Cinema Archives
Wesleyan University
 
Contact Information:
Wesleyan Cinema Archives
Center for Film Studies
Wesleyan University
301 Washington Ter.
Middletown, CT 06459
(860) 685-3396
Email: ljohnson*at*Wesleyan*dot*edu
 
Processed by: David Rivel and Leith Johnson
Date completed: 2007
DACS revision and encoding by: Leith Johnson
Date revised and encoded: 2007
 
© 2007 Wesleyan University. All rights reserved.
 
 
 Descriptive Summary
 
Creator:
Hornbeck, William, 1901-1983
 
Title:
William Hornbeck Papers
 
Inclusive dates:
1917-1983, bulk 1945-1984
 
Extent:
12 linear feet
 
Language of materials:
Materials are in English
 
Repository:
Wesleyan Cinema Archives, Wesleyan University
 
 
 Administrative Information
 
Access:
Unrestricted access.
 
Source of acquisition:
Gift of the Estate of William Hornbeck, 1984.
 
Preferred citation:
William Hornbeck Papers, Wesleyan Cinema Archives, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn.
 
Copyright notice:
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendents, as stipulated by United States law.


 Index Terms

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Capra, Frank, 1897-1991
Hornbeck, William, 1901-1983
Korda, Alexander, Sir, 1893-1956
Litvak, Anatole, 1902-1974
Mankiewicz, Joseph L.
Sennett, Mack, 1880-1960
Stevens, George Cooper, 1904-1975
Motion picture editors
United States. Army. Signal Corps
Universal City Studios
Vietnam
Wyler, William, 1902-1981


 Related Collections

Frank Capra Archive


 Biographical Note

1901 William Hornbeck born in Los Angeles, California (Aug. 23)
1916 Entered film industry working for Keystone Film Company
1923 Became supervising editor for Mack Sennett
1932? Married to actress Marjorie "Babe" Kane
1933-77 Member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences; served on Board of Governors for several terms
1934 Hired by London Film Productions, Ltd. as editor
1935 Became supervising editor for London Film Productions, Ltd.
1940 Went with Alexander Korda to Hollywood to finish Thief of Baghdad for London Film Productions, Ltd
1942-46 Member United States Army Signal Corps Photographic Unit; supervised final editing of Why We Fight series; awarded Legion of Merit
1945 Married Rosemary Shy (November 18)
1946 Appointed assistant to vice president in charge of studio operations, Republic Pictures
1946 Worked for Liberty Films
1947-60 Worked as freelance editor
1950 Founding member of American Cinema Editors
1952 Won Academy Award for Best Editing for A Place in the Sun
1960 Appointed editorial supervisor at Universal Pictures
1966 Appointed vice president in charge of the editorial department at Universal Pictures
1976 Retired from film industry
1980 Rosemary Hornbeck died (March 16)
1983 William Hornbeck died in Ventura, California (Oct. 11)


Partial Filmography

1923-34 Numerous shorts for Mack Sennett
1923 The Extra Girl
1927 His First Flame
1928 The Good-Bye Kiss
1930 Midnight Daddies
1932 Hypnotized
1935 The Scarlet Pimpernel
1938 The Rebel Son
1941 Lydia
1941 That Hamilton Woman
1942 Jungle Book
1942-45 "Why We Fight" films (War Comes to America, Two Down and One to Go, The Battle of China, The Battle of Russia, Prelude to War, The Battle of Britain, Divide and Conquer, The Nazis Strike)
1946 It's a Wonderful Life
1947 Singapore
1948 State of the Union
1949 The Heiress
1950 Riding High
1951 A Place in the Sun
1951 Something to Live For
1953 Shane
1953 Act of Love
1954 The Barefoot Contessa
1955 The Girl Rush
1956 Giant
1957 The Quiet American
1958 I Want to Live!
1959 A Hole in the Head
1959 Suddenly, Last Summer

Scope and Content

The William Hornbeck Papers span his professional and personal life from 1917 to 1983, with the bulk of the material falling into the post-World War II period. There is almost no information on Hornbeck�s tenure with the Keystone Film Company and Mack Sennett (1916-1933), although there are datebooks and some photographs from this period. Hornbeck�s work for Alexander Korda, first in England (1934-1940) then in the United States (1940-1942), is covered somewhat more completely. The material for his years as chief editor in the United States Army Signal Corps Photographic Unit is spotty, consisting primarily of citations and routine forms (Honorable Discharge, Reserve Corps Availability Questionnaire, etc.).

Each of Hornbeck�s important post-War films except It�s Wonderful Life (1946) is covered by some documentation, typically including a "production card" (in which Hornbeck recorded the dates for the beginning and ending of shooting, for the beginning and ending of post-production work, and for the various premieres), a cast and crew list, and a contract for Hornbeck�s services. During this time, Hornbeck worked with some of Hollywood's most important directors, including George Stevens, Joseph Mankewicz, Anatole Litvak, and Frank Capra. In 1952, Hornbeck won the Oscar for Best Editing for A Place in the Sun. Of tangential but significant interest are the documents from George Stevens�s 1966 lawsuit concerning the television broadcast of A Place In the Sun and the script materials and correspondence relating to the unrealized project, The Legend of Liberty Hill.

Hornbeck�s years at Universal Pictures (1960-1976) are proportionately the best documented area of the collection. There are shooting schedules, gross revenue reports, and other production records for Universal films of the period and inter-office memoranda on a variety of subjects, including aspect ratios.

Although correspondence is maintained in both the professional and personal series, there is not a great deal of distinction between the two. Professional correspondence includes letters to and from the American Film Institute and Kevin Brownlow, both of whom were researching the silent periods of American film. The information contained within that correspondence concerning Hornbeck�s years with Mack Sennett helps redress the overall weakness of the collection in that area. The articles series contains interviews with Hornbeck and one article written by him. Numerous clippings detail Hornbeck�s professional chronology.

Of interest in the personal series are Hornbeck�s very detailed letters to his wife, Rosemary, written while he was working on An Act of Love in Paris and The Quiet American in Vietnam. Interspersed with personal matters are stories about the productions and observations about local events and culture. From 1940 to 1975 Hornbeck kept careful records of his salary payments and these notes provide useful information concerning his chronology. Also, the folder on horoscopes includes the astrological forecast which was instrumental in convincing Hornbeck to leave America in 1934 to work for Alexander Korda. The autograph book of Ruth Hornbeck, William's mother, contains signatures of some of the most important figures from the late silent period.

The photographs are open, but not yet processed. They cover Hornbeck's entire personal and professional life and include many autographed celebrity photos. The realia series and 16mm film series are also open, but not yet processed.

Arrangement of the Collection

Series I. Professional
Series II. Personal
Series III. Photographs
Series IV. Realia
Series V. 16mm Films

Container Listing

Box Folder

Series I. Professional

1 1 Diary 1917
  2 Diary 1918
  3 Diary 1919
  4 Diary 1922
  5 Diary 1923
  6 Diary 1924
  7 Diary 1934
  8 Diary 1935
  9 Diary 1936
  10 Diary 1937
  11 Diary 1938
  12 Diary 1939
  13 Diary 1940
  14 Correspondence  1928,1930
       
    Korda  
  15 Correspondence 1934-1949
  16 The Scarlet Pimpernel program 1934
  17 Sanders of the River program 1935
       
2 1 United States Army 1943-1983
  2 Republic Pictures 1945-1946
  3 Liberty Films 1944-1949
  4 The Heiress 1948-1949
  5 Something to Live For 1950-1951
12 Something to Live For editing notebook 1950-1951
2 6 A Place in the Sun 1951-1966
  7 Shane 1951-1956
  8 Act of Love 1952-1956
  9 The Barefoot Contessa 1953-1954
  10 The Girl Rush 1954-1955
  11 Giant 1953-1957
  12 The Quiet American 1956-1957
  13 I Want to Live! 1958
  14 A Hole in the Head 1958-1959
  15 Suddenly Last Summer, turtles short 1959, 1964
       
    Universal City Studios  
  16 Notebook #1 1960 Feb 23-Mar 8
  17 Notebook #2 1960 Mar 9-Mar 25
  18 Notebook #3 1960 Mar 28-Apr 1
  19 Notebook #4 1960 Apr 4-Apr 21
  20 Notebook #5 1960 Apr 22-May 22
  21 Notebook #6 1960 May 23-Jun 28
  22 Notebook #7 1960 Jun 29-Aug 4
  23 Notebook #8 1960 Aug 5-Sep 18
  24 Notebook #9 1960 Sep 19-Oct 26
25 Notebook #10 1960 Oct 27-Dec 8
3 1 Notebook #11 1960 Dec 9-1961 Jan 19
  2 Notebook #12 1961 Jan 20-Mar 1
  3 Notebook #13 1961 Mar 2-Jun 19
  4 Notebook #14 1961 Jun 20-Oct 22
  5 Notebook #15 1961 Oct 23-1962 Feb 9
  6 Notebook #16 1962 Feb 12-May 20
  7 Notebook #17 1962 May 31-Oct 5
  8 Notebook #18 1962 Oct 8-1963 Jan 29
  9 Notebook #19 1963 Jan 30-May 24
  10 Notebook #20 1963 May 27-Sep 17
  11 Notebook #21 1963 Sep 18-1964 Jan 22
4 1 Notebook #22 1964 Jan 23-May 22
  2 Notebook #23 1964 May 25-Sep 14
  3 Notebook #24 1964 Sep 15-1965 Jan 20
  4 Notebook #25 1965 Jan 21-May 11
  5 Notebook #26 1965 May 12-Aug 27
  6 Notebook #27 1965 Aug 30-Dec 31
  7 Notebook #28 1966 Jan 3-Apr 26
  8 Notebook #29 1966 Apr 27-Aug 17
  9 Notebook #30 1966 Aug 19-Dec 26
  10 Notebook #31 1966 Dec 27-1967 May 18
5 1 Notebook #32 1967 May 19-Sep 12
  2 Notebook #33 1967 Sep 13-1968 Jan 5
  3 Notebook #34 1968 Jan 8-Apr 26
  4 Notebook #35 1968 Apr 29-Aug 28
  5 Notebook #36 1968 Aug 29-1969 Jan 1
  6 Notebook #37 1969 Jan 2-Apr 23
  7 Notebook #38 1969 Apr 24-Aug 25
  8 Notebook #39 1969 Aug 26-1970 Jan 13
  9 Notebook #40 1970 Jan 14-May 15
  10 Notebook #41 1970 May 18-Sep 6
6 1 Notebook #42 1970 Sep 7-Dec 3
  2 Notebook #43 1970 Dec 4-1971 May 3
  3 Notebook #44 1971 May 4-Aug 27
  4 Notebook #45 1971 Aug 30-Dec 1
  5 Notebook #46 1971 Dec 2-1972 Apr 7
  6 Notebook #47 1972 Apr 10-Aug 11
  7 Notebook #48 1972 Aug 14-Dec 14
  8 Notebook #49 1972 Dec 15-1973 May 8
  9 Notebook #50 1973 May 9-Sep 3
  10 Notebook #51 1973 Sep 4-1974 Jan 9
7 1 Notebook #52 1974 Jan 10-May 2
  2 Notebook #53 1974 May 3-Aug 31
  3 Notebook #54 1974 Sep 3-1975 Jan 22
  4 Notebook #55 1975 Jan 23-May 20
  5 Notebook #56 1975 May 21-Sep 30
  6 Notebook #57 1975 Oct 1-1976 Feb 10
  7 Notebook #58 1976 Feb 11-Mar 31
  8 Correspondence 1955-1963
  9 Correspondence 1964-1966
  10 Correspondence 1966-1973
  11 Correspondence 1974-1976
  12 Correspondence 1977, undated
  13 Staff 1969-1973
  14 Staff 1975-1976, undated
8 1 Production information 1959-1976
  2 Anamorphic 1962-1975
  3 Production schedules 1955-1974
  4 Production schedules 1975-1976
  5 Travel 1968-1971
  6 Notes undated
  7 Retirement letters 1976
  8 Universal Old Timers 1979-1981
  9 Universal Old Timers 1981-1983
       
    The Legend of Liberty Hill  
  10 Correspondence 1980-1982
  11 Treatments 1980
  12-13 Treatments undated
       
Institutional affiliations
       
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
9 1 Correspondence 1937-1977
2 Award ceremonies 1947-1972
3 Newsletters 1947-1970
4 Membership directories 1941, 1973
5 New building proposal undated
6 Tribute to William Hornbeck 1984 Feb 6
7 American Cinema Editors 1953-1976
8 Society of Motion Picture Editors 1940, 1942
       
Awards
       
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
9 Correspondence 1947
10 Correspondence 1952
11 Letters of congratulations 1952
12 Correspondence 1959
       
Guild of British Film Editors
13 Correspondence 1974-1975
14 Journal 1975-1979
15 Journal 1979-1981
       
16 Los Angeles Film Teachers' Association 1983
       
Professional correspondence
17 American Film Institute 1967-1976
18 A
19 Brownlow 1963-1967
20 Brownlow 1968-1980
21 B
10 1 Capra 1953-1978
2 C-G
3 H-L
4 Milford 1965-1970
5 M-R
6 Stanford 1962-1964
7 Tanner 1980-1982
8 S-V
9 W-Z
10 Letters of recommendation about Hornbeck 1919-1942
11 Letters of recommendation from Hornbeck 1946-1975
       
Articles written by and interviews with Hornbeck
12 American Cinematographer 1941 Sep
13 The Canadian Film Editor 1971 Dec
14 Interview with Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell 1980 Jul 9
     
15 Clippings 1914-1939
16 Clippings 1940-1947
17 Clippings 1948-1951
18 Clippings 1952-1953
19 Clippings 1954-1959
20 Clippings 1960-1984

Series II. Personal

Correspondence
21 A-G
22 Hornbeck to Rosemary Hornbeck 1953 Jun 6-Sep 5
23 Hornbeck to Rosemary Hornbeck 1956 Dec 26-Dec 31
  24 Hornbeck to Rosemary Hornbeck 1957 Jan 1-Jan 16
25 Hornbeck to Rosemary Hornbeck 1957 Jan 15-Feb 1
26 H-K
27 Lyon 1970-1975
28 Lyon 1976-1982
11 1 L-R
2 S-Z, fragments
3 Christmas cards, A-C
4 Christmas cards, D-J
5 Christmas cards, L-Z
 
Capra tributes
6 U.S. Signal Corps Photographic Center Reunion 1970
7 American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award 1981-1982
 
8 Celebrity autographs undated
9 Certificates 1915-1965, undated
  10 England documentation 1934-1940
11 Environmental organizations 1977
12 Fraternal organizations 1965-1983
13 Horoscopes 1934, undated
14 Jet travel log 1959, 1961
15 Marriage certificate 1945
16 Republican Party 1977-1983
17 Ruth Hornbeck's autograph book 1928-1929
18 Salary log 1940-1976
19 Stamp and coin collecting 1952-1983
20 Testimonials 1952-1983
21 Tributes 1949-1977

Series III. Photographs

9 boxes, 6 albums. Not processed

Series IV. Realia

1 box. Not processed.

Series V. 16mm Films

3 reels. Not processed.