To highlight the wonderful yet largely forgotten work of a collection of female screenwriters from the early years of Hollywood (and as a companion to the book, When Women Wrote Hollywood) we will be posting quick bits about the many films they wrote along with links to further information and clips from their works which are still accessible online. Take a few moments once or twice a week to become familiar with their names and their stories. I think you’ll be surprised at how much bold material these writers tackled at the birth of this new medium. — Rosanne Welch
When Women Wrote Hollywood – “My Man Godfrey” (1936) – Wr: Zoë Akins – 41 in a series
My Man Godfrey is a 1936 American screwball comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava.[2] The screenplay was written by Morrie Ryskind, with uncredited contributions by La Cava, based on 1101 Park Avenue, a short novel by Eric Hatch. The story concerns a socialite who hires a derelict to be her family’s butler, only to fall in love with him. The film stars William Powell and Carole Lombard.[3] Powell and Lombard had been briefly married years earlier.[4]
The film was remade in 1957 with June Allyson and David Niven in the starring roles. In 1999, the original version of My Man Godfrey was deemed “culturally significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. — Wikipedia
More About My Man Godfrey
More about Sarah Y. Mason and Victor Heerman
- Read more about this screenwriter in When Women Wrote Hollywood
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- Zoë Akins on Wikipedia
- Zoë Akins on IMDB
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