James Watson Webb III (known as J. Watson Jr.) (January 9, 1916 – June 10, 2000) was an American film editor and heir to both the

Havemeyer Havemeyer is a German language, German surname. It may refer to the Havemeyer family. Notable persons with that name include: * Electra Havemeyer Webb (1888–1960), American antiques collector * Camilla Woodward Moss Havemeyer (1869–1934), Amer ...

and Vanderbilt families.

Early life

He was born in

Syosset, New York Syosset (also known as Little East Woods or Locust Grove) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the Town of Oyster Bay, in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 19,259 at the 202 ...

, to

James Watson Webb II James Watson Webb II (known as James Sr.) (July 1, 1884 – March 4, 1960) was an American polo champion and insurance executive. He was a grandson of William Henry Vanderbilt and James Watson Webb. Early life Webb was born on July 1, 1884 in Bu ...

of the Vanderbilt family and Electra Havemeyer. His siblings were Electra (1910–1982), Samuel (1912–1988), Lila (1913–1961) and Harry (1922–1975). He attended

Groton School Groton School (founded as Groton School for Boys) is a private college-preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Ranked as one of the top five boarding high schools in the United States in Niche (2021–2022), it is affiliated ...

and Yale University from which he graduated in 1938.

Career

He began work in California as an apprentice film editor at

20th-Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

, and eventually head of the editing department. He eventually became Zanuck's head film cutter and was involved in the founding of the

American Cinema Editors Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing. Members use the post-nominal ...

. Webb was the credited editor—as "J. Watson Webb" or "J. Watson Webb Jr."—on 30 films from 1941–52"J. Watson Webb Jr."
IMDb. Retrieved January 9, 2017. including '' A Letter to Three Wives'', ''

The Razor's Edge ''The Razor's Edge'' is a 1944 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It tells the story of Larry Darrell, an American pilot traumatized by his experiences in World War I, who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life. The story beg ...

'' with Tyrone Power, '' Wing and a Prayer'', '' State Fair'', '' With a Song in My Heart'', ''

Call Northside 777 ''Call Northside 777'' is a 1948 reality-based newspaper drama directed by Henry Hathaway. The film parallels the true story of a Chicago reporter who proved that a man jailed for murder was wrongly convicted 11 years before. James Stewart stars ...

'', '' Broken Arrow'' with

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...

and ''

Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bestsell ...

''. Also among his credits, along with ''Three Wives'' (1949) starring Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern and

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Do ...

were '' The Jackpot'' (1950) also with Stewart and '' Don't Bother to Knock'' (1952) starring Marilyn Monroe, Richard Widmark and Anne Bancroft. Webb retired from film editing in 1952.Oliver, Myrna
"J. Watson Webb Jr.; Film Editor Also Oversaw Family's Museum"
''Los Angeles Times'', June 14, 2000. Retrieved January 9, 2017.

Barbara McLean Barbara "Bobby" McLean (November 16, 1903 – March 28, 1996) was an American film editor with 62 film credits. In the period Darryl F. Zanuck was dominant at the 20th Century Fox Studio, from the 1930s through the 1960s, McLean was the stud ...

, his boss, promoted

Hugh S. Fowler Hugh S. Fowler (July 24, 1912 – August 2, 1975) was an American film editor with about 38 feature film credits from 1952 – 1972.Birth and death dates confirmed using the California Death Index (). He was named after his Grandmother, Mary Ann ...

to replace Webb.

Shelburne Museum

Webb succeeded his mother and served as the president of the

Shelburne Museum Shelburne Museum is a museum of art, design, and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the museum grounds. It is located ...

from 1960 until 1977 and then as chairman of the board of directors until 1996. Watson resigned from the board in a dispute over

deaccessioning Deaccessioning is the process by which a work of art or other object is permanently removed from a museum's collection to sell it or otherwise dispose of it.Report from the AAMD Task Force on Deaccessioning. 2010. ''AAMD Policy on Deaccessioning' ...

of an estimated $25-million worth of the museum's

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

collection which his mother had donated to the museum. Webb gave his mother's folk art first purchase, made at the age of 18 in Stamford, Connecticut, prominent display in his California home for decades.

Personal life

He died in Los Angeles, California, on June 10, 2000. Webb never married and was survived by three nephews and six nieces.

References

External links