Editing Margaret Booth (section)

===1921–1938: Editing at MGM===
In 1921, Booth began working for [[Louis B. Mayer]] at his [[Louis B. Mayer Pictures|namesake film production studio]].<ref name="Variety">{{cite magazine |last=Galloway |first=Douglas |url=https://variety.com/2002/scene/people-news/margaret-booth-1117875330/ |title=Obituaries: Margaret Booth |magazine=Variety |date=October 31, 2002 |access-date=April 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402214623/https://variety.com/2002/scene/people-news/margaret-booth-1117875330/ |archive-date=April 2, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> Mayer had hired [[John M. Stahl]] when [[Edward Small]], who was Stahl's publicity agent, inquired why there were no hired Jewish directors.{{sfn|Eyman|2005|p=56}} Inside the editing room, Booth observed Stahl, and because he was a perfectionist, Stahl would shoot multiple takes of several scenes and leave outtake footage literally on the cutting room floor. At the end of the day, Booth assembled the outtakes and stayed overnight to practice her cutting techniques. One day, Stahl was frustrated when he couldn't make a scene work. After he left, Booth took her own approach; when Stahl screened her work, he was impressed and hired her immediately as his editorial assistant.{{sfn|Malone|2017|p=35}} For Stahl, she edited ''[[The Gay Deceiver]]'' (1926), ''[[Lovers (1927 film)|Lovers?]]'' (1927), and ''[[In Old Kentucky (1927 film)|In Old Kentucky]]'' (1927).<ref name="The Guardian">{{cite news |last=Bergan |first=Ronald |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/nov/16/guardianobituaries.filmnews |title=Obituary: Margaret Booth |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=November 15, 2002 |access-date=April 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015145634/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/nov/16/guardianobituaries.filmnews |archive-date=October 15, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Stahl personally mentored Booth on the craft of film editing, explaining the exact purpose for his editing decisions. Booth reflected, "He taught the value of a scene. When a scene drops or doesn't drop, and when it sustains. You have to feel this, intrusively, in your work."{{sfn|Acker|1991|p=221}} In 1924, Mayer merged with [[Metro Pictures]] and [[Goldwyn Pictures]] to form a new conglomerate film production studio known as [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (MGM). Stahl stayed with MGM for several years,{{sfn|Eyman|2005|p=66}} but when he left the studio in 1927, he asked Booth to join him but she declined. Booth stated, "I went on to working at M-G-M, mostly with [Irving] [[Irving Thalberg|Thalberg]]—the greatest man who was ever in pictures. M-G-M was like home to me."{{sfn|Brownlow|1968|p=303}} Her editing skills were appreciated by Thalberg, MGM's head of production, that he asked her if she would consider directing. However, she was not interested.{{sfn|Acker|1991|p=221}} Regardless, according to film historian [[Cari Beauchamp]], Thalberg was the first known person to call cutters "film editors," starting with Booth.<ref name="LATimes">{{cite news|last=Luther|first=Claudia|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-31-me-booth31-story.html |title=Margaret Booth, 104; Film Editor Had 70-Year Career|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=October 31, 2002 |access-date=October 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202110701/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-31-me-booth31-story.html|archive-date=December 2, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Her first official editing credit was for the 1929 [[part-talkie]] film ''[[The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1929 film)|The Bridge of San Luis Rey]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/02/arts/margaret-booth-film-editor-104.html |title=Margaret Booth, Film Editor, 104 |page=B4 |agency=Associated Press |work=The New York Times |date=November 2, 2002 |access-date=April 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412005744/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/02/arts/margaret-booth-film-editor-104.html |archive-date=April 12, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Menuel|2016|p=61}} 

At MGM, Booth edited several films starring [[Greta Garbo]], including ''[[Camille (1936 film)|Camille]]'' (1936). She also edited ''[[Wise Girls (1929 film)|Wise Girls]]'' (1929), ''[[The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934 film)|The Barretts of Wimpole Street]]'' (1934), and ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1936 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]'' (1936).{{sfn|Unterberger|1998|p=43}} Booth received her only competitive [[Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]] on ''[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)|Mutiny on the Bounty]]'' (1935).{{sfn|Unterberger|1998|p=43}}