On Screenwriting and Media with Dr. Rosanne Welch
Writing, Film, Television and More!
Christa McAuliffe (first civilian teacher in space), Judy Resnik (first Jewish person and 2nd American female in space), Kalpana Chawla (first Indian woman in space) and Laurel Clark. I wrote about these female astronauts in my Encyclopedia of Women in Aviation and Space back in 1998 – by then Challenger had happened – but Columbia had not. Worth taking a moment to remember their dedication…
I’m excited to announce that the 4-volume encyclopedia I’ve been working on with my friend and colleague Peg Lamphier for the last two years — Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection has now appeared in the ABC-CLIO Spring Catalog.
We’d like to thank the many colleagues too numerous to mention who contributed to the research and writing!
Ask your local public or university library to order a set!
Link: Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection
Amazon.com: Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection
You all know my affinity for the good Doctor so I was happy to see today’s review of season 9 by Los Angeles Times reviewer Robert Lloyd (because if we don’t start including the names of writers of things we like, how can we expect anyone to include our names?) found the new season to be back on track for fun and frolic! (also I think much can be learned about writing from reading reviews of other people’s writing and trying not to make the same mistakes they make!). Watch the film or movie, then read the review and see whether you agree or not. Wildly educational exercise for writers!
Thanks to Dan Kammer, the Library Director at Stephens College, for including a display of my publications in an exhibition of work by various faculty members this month. It looks great – and hopefully the students will be intrigued enough to stop by and read some of the books – or use them for research in their own academic adventures!
Though I teach One-Hour Drama I thought it would be cool to highlight the fact that for the first time ever the 3 finalists for the Thurber Prize for Humor Writing are all female. The prize is named after James Thurber of Ohio who wrote The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and years of New Yorker cartoons (even after he went blind!).
We should be reading these women:
Roz Chast, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
Annabelle Gurwitch, I See You Made an Effort: Compliments, Indignities, and Survival Stories from the Edge of 50
Julie Schumacher, Dear Committee Members
link: Thurber Prize for American Humor
I love movies about writers and the power of writing so when I noticed the trailer for Trumbo, based on the life of blacklisted Hollywood writer Dalton Trumbo, I had to see it right away – and I did and now I recommend you see both the trailer – and the film. The script was adapted from the book by Bruce Cook (which is also worth reading) by John McNamara, who I remember pitching to when he was a producer on The Adventures of Briscoe County, Jr. (which was the show he did before his long run on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which itself was the ‘new Superman’ before Smallville arrived on the scene).
Anyway, what I enjoyed about the trailer is the idea that this is not just a plot-laden movie about the guy who wrote Roman Holiday (another movie you should see) with a front during the Blacklist; Trumbo the movie looks to be a movie about ideas and the freedom of speech and thought that is at the heart of the Constitution of the United States. As I said, I love movies about writers and the journeys to find their own voices and Trumbo’s story is one of those – along with the chance to make choices about what is worth standing for in this world – and the fact that those choices can lead to sacrifices – he spent 11 months in jail. And as you’ll see in the trailer – John Goodman is in the movie so how can it miss?
Random fun from my research – where were you (or were you) for the 1966-67 Television Season? Which shows did you watch then and which in reruns years later?)
Top 30 Network Programs by household ratings
(Households with TVs – 55.15 million)
Bonanza (NBC) – 29.1
The Red Skelton Hour (CBS) – 28.2
The Andy Griffith Show (CBS) – 27.4
The Lucy Show (CBS) – 26.2
The Jackie Gleason Show (CBS) – 25.3
Green Acres (CBS) – 24.6
Daktari (CBS) – 23.4
Bewitched (ABC) – 23.4
The Beverly Hillbillies (CBS) – 23.4
Gomer Pyle USMC (CBS) – 22.8
The Ed Sullivan Show (CBS) – 22.8
The Virginian (NBC) – 22.8
The Lawrence Welk Show (ABC) – 22.8
A Family Affair (CBS) – 22.6
The Dean Martin Show (NBC) – 22.6
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (CBS) – 22.2
Hogan’s Heroes (CBS) – 21.8
CBS Friday Night Movies (CBS) – 21.8
The Wonderful World of Disney (NBC) – 21.5
NBC Saturday Night Movies (NBC) – 21.4
Dragnet 1967 (NBC) – 21.2
Get Smart (NBC) – 21.0
Rat Patrol (ABC) – 20.9
Petticoat Junction (CBS) – 20.9
That Girl (ABC) – 20.8
Bob Hope (NBC) – 20.7
Tarzan (NBC) – 20.5
ABC Sunday Night Movie (ABC) – 20.4
The FBI (ABC) – 20.2
I Spy (NBC) – 20.2
My Three Sons (CBS) – 20.2
CBS Thursday Night Movies (CBS) – 20.2
![Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection [Book]](https://rosannewelch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Women-in-History-Cover-Image-201x198.jpg)
