A nod to editors

SUSAN KING’S column on “When Comedy Ruled the Screen” [Dec. 18] during the ‘30s and ‘40s was a gem. I was particularly impressed with her acknowledgment of the film editor’s contribution to the comedy films of that era.

Most reviews of motion pictures ignore the contribution made by editors. The editor creates the timing of a movie as a film is constructed cut by cut. In drama as well as comedy, timing is all-important to a motion picture.

In the early ‘40s, my father, Philip Cahn, edited the successful Abbott and Costello films at Universal mentioned in King’s piece. Universal’s profits had been in decline. The Abbott and Costello films turned their red ink to black.

Management actually gave my dad a bonus (not common for film editors).

DANN CAHN

Hollywood