Robert C. Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Clifford Jones (1936-03-30)March 30, 1936[1] Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | February 1, 2021(2021-02-01) (aged 84) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | Sylvia Hirsch Jones |
| Children | Leslie Jones |
| Parent | Harmon Jones |
Robert Clifford Jones (March 30, 1936 – February 1, 2021) was an American film editor, screenwriter, and educator. He received anAcademy Award for the screenplay of the filmComing Home (1978). As an editor, Jones hadnotable collaborations with the directorsArthur Hiller (seven films from 1967 to 1992) andHal Ashby (four films from 1973 to 1982).[2] Jones was nominated three times for theAcademy Award for Best Film Editing:It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963),Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), andBound for Glory (1976).
Jones was born in Los Angeles on March 30, 1936.[3] His father,Harmon Jones, was a Canadian-born film editor who was nominated for an Oscar for his work onGentleman's Agreement.[4][5] Jones enrolled in college, but subsequentlydropped out and worked at a shipping room for20th Century Fox.[6] He started off as an assistant film editor for movies likeUntamed (1955) andThe Long, Hot Summer (1958). He described his job as "magic", adding that it had "opened my eyes to what my dad had done".[4]
After being drafted into theU.S. Army,[7] Jones worked at the Army Pictorial Center from 1958 to 1960. Even though he did not attend film school or have any formal training in editing, he was thrust into the role of a film editor.[6] He was responsible for editing Army training films, documentaries, and several segments ofThe Big Picture television program.[8] He credits this stint for giving him the "experience and confidence" needed to pursue a career in film editing.[6]
Upon his return from military service, Jones collaborated withGene Fowler Jr. to editA Child Is Waiting andIt's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (both released in 1963).[4] He was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Film Editing for the latter film.[6] He then increased his editing credentials by working onThe Tiger Makes Out (1967) andPaint Your Wagon (1969).[3] His work inGuess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) earned him his second Oscar nomination for Best Film Editing.[4] Almost a decade elapsed before he received his third Academy Award editing nomination for the musical dramaBound for Glory (1976).[5]
Jones was also involved in writing film scripts.[5] He initially declined to work onComing Home (1978) as editor whenHal Ashby asked him. However, he relented and joined as a screenwriter afterWaldo Salt suffered a heart attack two months before the start of production.[4] That film ultimately won the 1979Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, which he shared with Salt andNancy Dowd.[3] Jones was surprised by the win and stated that going on stage to receive the award marked the first time he met Salt and Dowd.[4] He was then the co-screenwriter forBeing There (1979), which his daughter said he rewrote.[6][5] Although he was originally granted credit by the studio (United Artists–Lorimar Productions),[4][6] theWriters Guild reversed that in anarbitration decision and awarded credit only toJerzy Kosiński, the author of the book that the movie was based on.[6] Jones believed that his "writing career would have been a whole lot different if [he] had gotten screen credit" and that "it was a dark day in my life".[6] He consequently focused on editing for the remainder of his career.[4][5]
The final film Jones edited wasUnconditional Love, released in 2002.[3] After retiring from the film industry, he became a professor at theSchool of Cinematic Arts of theUniversity of Southern California (USC),[9] serving in that capacity for 15 years.[5][6] He was presented with theAmerican Cinema Editors Career Achievement Award in February 2014.[10]
Jones was married to Sylvia Hirsch Jones, a professor of psychology,[11] for 59 years until his death.[4] Together, they had two daughters: Hayley andLeslie, who followed her father's footsteps and was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Film Editing.[11][12] She assisted Jones during the early part of her career on films likeSee No Evil, Hear No Evil andThe Babe.[4]
Jones died on February 1, 2021, at his home in Los Angeles. He was 84, and suffered fromLewy body dementia in the time leading up to his death.[4][13]
| Year | Film | Director | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | A Child Is Waiting | John Cassavetes | ||
| It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | Stanley Kramer | First collaboration with Stanley Kramer | ||
| 1964 | Invitation to a Gunfighter | Richard Wilson | ||
| 1965 | Ship of Fools | Stanley Kramer | Second collaboration with Stanley Kramer | |
| 1966 | The Trouble with Angels | Ida Lupino | ||
| Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title | Harmon Jones | |||
| 1967 | Tobruk | Arthur Hiller | First collaboration with Arthur Hiller | |
| The Tiger Makes Out | Second collaboration with Arthur Hiller | |||
| Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | Stanley Kramer | Third collaboration with Stanley Kramer | ||
| 1968 | I Love You, Alice B. Toklas | Hy Averback | ||
| 1969 | Paint Your Wagon | Joshua Logan | ||
| 1970 | Love Story | Arthur Hiller | Third collaboration with Arthur Hiller | |
| 1971 | Cisco Pike | Bill L. Norton | ||
| 1972 | The New Centurions | Richard Fleischer | ||
| Man of La Mancha | Arthur Hiller | Fourth collaboration with Arthur Hiller | ||
| 1973 | The Last Detail | Hal Ashby | First collaboration with Hal Ashby | |
| 1974 | The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder | Arthur Hiller | Fifth collaboration with Arthur Hiller | |
| 1975 | Shampoo | Hal Ashby | Second collaboration with Hal Ashby | |
| 1976 | Bound for Glory | Third collaboration with Hal Ashby | ||
| 1978 | Heaven Can Wait | First collaboration with Warren Beatty | ||
| 1982 | Lookin' to Get Out | Hal Ashby | Sixth collaboration with Hal Ashby | |
| 1985 | Twice in a Lifetime | Bud Yorkin | ||
| 1989 | See No Evil, Hear No Evil | Arthur Hiller | Sixth collaboration with Arthur Hiller | |
| 1990 | Days of Thunder | Tony Scott | ||
| 1991 | Married to It | Arthur Hiller | Seventh collaboration with Arthur Hiller | |
| 1992 | The Babe | Eighth collaboration with Arthur Hiller | ||
| 1993 | Beyond the Law | Larry Ferguson | ||
| 1994 | Love Affair | Glenn Gordon Caron | ||
| 1996 | City Hall | Harold Becker | ||
| 1998 | Bulworth | Warren Beatty | Second collaboration with Warren Beatty | |
| 1999 | Crazy in Alabama | Antonio Banderas | ||
| 2002 | Unconditional Love | P. J. Hogan |
| Year | Film | Director | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Untamed | Henry King | Apprentice editor | Uncredited |
| 1958 | The Long, Hot Summer | Martin Ritt | First assistant editor | |
| 1993 | Indecent Proposal | Adrian Lyne | Additional film editor |
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Lookin' to Get Out | Hal Ashby | Special thanks: For being there |
| Year | Film | Director | Notes | Other notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Coming Home | Hal Ashby | Fourth collaboration with Hal Ashby | ||
| 1979 | Being There | Fifth collaboration with Hal Ashby | Uncredited |
| Year | Film | Director | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Picnic | Marshall W. Mason | Technical director |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Faerie Tale Theatre | 2 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 93rd Academy Awards | In memoriam |
| Year[A] | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Best Film Editing | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | Nominated | [17] |
| 1968 | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | Nominated | [18] | |
| 1977 | Bound for Glory | Nominated | [19] | |
| 1979 | Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen | Coming Home | Won | [20] |
Leslie Jones received an Oscar nom this year for editing "The Thin Red Line," while her father, Robert C. Jones, received a nomination for editing for "It's A Mad (4) World" in 1963 and her grandfather, Harmon Jones, received the same nomination on "A Gentleman's Agreement" in 1947.
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| National | |
