Mo Henry

Whenever I go to the movies I’m always the last one out of the theater. I stay for the entirety of the credits, while the clean up crew waits to come in and tidy up the theater. I’m not sure when I started this, but I definitely know why. One day, I decided that if my child was, say, the gaffer on a film, I’d be proud of what he did and I’d want people to see his name on the big screen. So, it was at that moment, that I decided to treat other people’s children the way I’d want them to treat mine. It’s a bit corny, I know, but I always stay to read the names. And believe me, there are some interesting names scrolling along the screen.

Over the years there is one name I’ve seen over and over. I saw her name again tonight on the credits for The Bucket List. It’s Mo Henry. Mo is a negative cutter. For many years I thought Mo was an African-American man. I don’t know why, I just did. One day I decided to look up her name (when I still thought she was a he) and found out that not only is Mo a woman, but she even has a fan club! Apparently, I’m not the only one who stays to the end of the credits. Mo has been the negative cutter on over 300 movies and is highly acclaimed as being one of the best. I must admit, I can’t differentiate her work from other negative cutters but it seems some people can.

Mo’s is the only name that I’ve seen consistently over the years (other than the actors) but I still enjoy reading the credits. And, if you aren’t staying to the end, you could be missing some fun stuff. Some movies actually put footage in amidst the credits to keep you entertained as you read the credits. My favorite post film movies are “The Runaway Bride” and “Finding Nemo.” If you haven’t seen the credits on those movies, you really should. Do it for Mo’s mom, and others like her.