History – Page 123 – On Screenwriting and Media with Dr. Rosanne Welch

When Women Wrote Hollywood – Bella and Sam Spewack – 42 in a series

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 – Bella and Sam Spewack – 42 in a series

Samuel (September 16, 1899 – October 14, 1971) and Bella Spewack (March 25, 1899 – April 27, 1990) were a husband-and-wife writing team.

Samuel, who also directed many of their plays, was born in Ukraine. He attended Stuyvesant High School in New York City[1] and then received his degree from Columbia College.

They settled in New Hope, Pennsylvania. In the latter part of the decade, Samuel wrote several novels, including Mon Paul, The Skyscraper Murder, and The Murder in the Gilded Cage, on his own, while the pair collaborated on plays. The two wrote several plays and screenplays for mostly B-movies throughout the 1930s, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Story for My Favorite Wife in 1940. They also penned a remake of Grand Hotel, entitled Week-End at the Waldorf (1945), which starred Ginger Rogers.

Always known as a turbulent couple, the Spewaks were in the midst of their own marital woes in 1948 when they were approached to write the book for Kiss Me, Kate, which centered on a once-married couple of thespians who use the stage on which they’re performing as a battling ground. Bella initially began working with composer Cole Porter on her own, but theatrical necessity overcame marital sparks, and the Spewacks completed the project together. It yielded each of them two Tony Awards, one for Best Musical, the other for Best Author of a Musical. Kiss Me, Kate proved to be their most successful work. — Wikipedia

More about Bella and Sam Spewack

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Quote from “America’s Forgotten Founding Father” by Dr. Rosanne Welch – 36 in a series – Writing and Dinners

Learn more about the American Revolution through the eyes of an important, Italian Immigrant, Filippo Mazzei.
Read his story today!

“Filippo also conceded that he was more useful in writing and publishing on timely topics and in private conversations with high ranking men so he began that work in earnest. He spent his nights entertaining dinner debates with land owners from around the colony and his spare time writing to members of Congress.”

From America’s Forgotten Founding Father — Get Your Copy Today!

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Also from the Mentoris Project

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3 Great Gifts for the Readers in your Life from Dr. Rosanne Welch

Looking for great gifts for the readers in your life? Check out these 3 books from Dr. Rosanne Welch.

All available in print and ebook versions from your local bookseller or your favorite online source!

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Rosanne and front window display of “When Women Wrote Hollywood” before reading and Signing event at Skylark Bookshop

Rosanne and front window display of “When Women Wrote Hollywood” before reading and Signing event at Skylark Bookshop (@skylarkbookshop) in Columbia, Missouri during the @citizenjanefilmfestival

When Women Wrote Hollywood Book Reading and Signing, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, Missouri

On Saturday, November 3rd, 2018 several of the contributors to When Women Wrote Hollywood gathered at the Skylark Bookshop in Columbia, Missouri for a signing and launch party that functioned like a mini-reunion of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Class of 2017.

Many thanks to all who came to hear them each speak with passion about the research subjects who became whole chapters in this book of essays on female screenwriters from the Silent Era into the 1940s.

Check it out!

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* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
** Many of these books may be available from your local library.
Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

More On Mazzei: Persons Buried at the Monticello Graveyard, 1773 – 1997

This series will focus on material I found while researching my book, America’s Forgotten Founding Father: A Novel Based on the Life of Filippo Mazzei.

These next few items come from the Bibliography I submitted when proposing the original book. — Rosanne.

More On Mazzei: Persons Buried at the Monticello Graveyard, 1773 – 1997

This list was compiled from the Annual Reports of the Monticello Association, an organization of descendants of Thomas Jefferson. The Monticello Association is responsible for the care and preservation of the Monticello graveyard; Jefferson descendants are still buried there today.

It is interesting that Filippo’s wife, the previous Mrs. Martin from London, was also said to be buried in the Monticello Graveyard although she is not listed here. An email exchange with Monticello researchers did confirm that she IS indeed buried in the cemetery so perhaps this list only contains the actual Jefferson descendants and not all persons buried in the cemetery.

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Also from the Mentoris Project

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Time-lapse: When Women Wrote Hollywood Book Reading and Signing, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, Missouri

Time-lapse.: When Women Wrote Hollywood Book Reading and Signing, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, Missouri

A short time-lapse of the entire event.

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172 Photos from Stephens College Citizen Jane Film Festival 2018

Scenes from the Stephens College Citizen Jane Film Festival 2018 focusing on students of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Program.

These students presented 2 programs during Citizen Jane, an academic panel entitled “Frank and Funny: Female Screenwriters Who Should Be More Famous” and a book reading/signing for “When Women Wrote Hollywood”, a collection of essays written by members of the first graduating MFA class and edited by professor, Dr. Rosanne Welch.

See all 172 photos from Stephens College Citizen Jane Film Festival 2018 in this album

Watch a video of the complete book reading

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** Many of these books may be available from your local library.
Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Sarah Wharton, Writer of Adela Rogers St. Johns: Survival of the Feisty via Instagram

Sarah Wharton, Writer of Adela Rogers St. Johns: Survival of the Feisty

How Women Wrote Hollywood Book Reading and Signing, Skylark Bookshop @skylarkbookshop , Columbia, Missouri during the Citizen Jane Film Festival

When Women Wrote Hollywood Book Reading and Signing, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, Missouri

Check it out!

Buy a signed copy of when Women Wrote Hollywood

Paperback Edition | Kindle Edition | Google Play Edition

* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
** Many of these books may be available from your local library.
Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library

Quotes from When Women Wrote Hollywood – 11 in a series – The “It Girl” and Valentino

Do you know about these women screenwriters? Many don’t. Learn more about them today!

Get your copy today!

“Tame by today’s standards, Glyn’s scandalous romantic fiction had a huge influence on pop culture in the early 20th century. She popularized the concept of “It” – a certain type of sex appeal – and made Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson and Clara Bow stars.”

The Glorious Ms. Glyn
Amy Banks

Buy a signed copy of when Women Write Hollywood

Paperback Edition | Kindle Edition | Google Play Edition

* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out!
† Available from the LA Public Library

23 Identity Construction and Confusion 2 from How The Monkees Changed Television [Video] (0:48)

What this entire presentation — How The Monkees Changed Television with Rosanne Welch, PhD (Complete Presentation and Q&A) [Video] (45:06)

Rosanne Welch, PhD, Author of Why The Monkees Matter, presents “How The Monkees Changed Television” at a Cal State Fullerton Lunch Lecture on May 8, 2018.

In this talk, she shows how The Monkees, and specifically their presence on television, set the stage for large changes to come in the late 1960s.

Transcript

As they were putting the show together the original credits give him that name. By the time it finally gets on the air they’ve gone to Micky Dolenz. Don’t know why but now suddenly the character the goofy crazy one is Micky Dolenz and the problem with that is we don’t know who the real guys are and above and beyond the character you are and the person you are in your publicity the fan magazines were going crazy back in the day and they were inventing a persona for you. Micky Dolenz’s sister who tours with him musically now wrote a column “What it’s like to be Mickey’s sister”. Which you’re pretty sure wasn’t anything that actually happened in their family right and when Davy Jones decided to get married, it had to be kept a secret because nobody wanted the cute boy to be married or girls would feel guilty for wanting him that would be a bad thing to do

Buy Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture

A hit television show about a fictitious rock band, The Monkees (1966-1968) earned two Emmys–Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Acheivement in Comedy.

Capitalizing on the show’s success, the actual band formed by the actors, at their peak, sold more albums than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined, and set the stage for other musical TV characters from The Partridge Family to Hannah Montana. In the late 1980s, the Monkees began a series of reunion tours that continued into their 50th anniversary.

This book tells the story of The Monkees and how the show changed television, introducing a new generation to the fourth-wall-breaking slapstick created by Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers.

Its creators contributed to the innovative film and television of 1970s with projects like Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laugh-In and Welcome Back, Kotter. Immense profits from the show, its music and its merchandising funded the producers’ move into films such as Head, Easy Riderand Five Easy Pieces.

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