History – Page 98 – On Screenwriting and Media with Dr. Rosanne Welch

Presenting my talk “How the chaos of collaboration in the writer’s room created the golden age of television” at the Screenwriting Research Conference in Porto, Portugal

** We have returned from Porto and I am streaming out our photos over the next few weeks.

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Chatting with conference attendees before my talk at the Screenwriting Research Conference in Porto, Portugal

A great way to encounter these international friends I only see in person once a year at the 2019 Screenwriting Research Conference.

** We have returned from Porto and I am streaming out our photos over the next few weeks.

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18 Ursula Le Guin from The Sisterhood of Science Fiction – Dr. Rosanne Welch [Video] (33 seconds)

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The Sisterhood of Science Fiction: A Walk Through Some Writers and Characters You (Should) Know And Love

This one allowed me to riff on some of my favorite female science fiction writers across time, whether they be novelists or television writers. It also opened up a good conversation on what art we support and include in our lives – and what that art says to us and about us. — Rosanne

Transcript:

Then we move up to Ursula Le Guin. Quite famous. Quite wonderful. Tons of books. I could have covered the whole page with her books. Really somebody and again Ursula definitely not a dude’s name right so I think we’re safe. They think “Hey now women can put their names on science fiction and we can really think about their stuff.” Lots are really interesting alien stuff. Lots of strong female characters and that’s what comes out in these women writers, right? and again that fear the boys won’t read them, but I think we think we’ve moved beyond that right because Wonder Woman made a lot of money. So maybe we’re in a good place but Ursula Le Guin definitely worth paying attention to.

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20 Gene Gauntier & D.W. Griffith from “When Women Wrote Hollywood” with Dr. Rosanne Welch [Video] (15 seconds)

Part of the California State University, Fullerton Faculty Noon Time Talks at the Pollak Library.

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Transcript:

Other things she did. She gave the first directing job to a guy named Larry who was an actor who wasn’t doing very well and he needed some money and he became DW Griffith. So she put him into the world right? She started his career which i think is important.

Dr. Rosanne Welch discusses the women in her new book “When Women Wrote Hollywood” which covers female screenwriters from the Silents through the early 1940s when women wrote over 50% of films and Frances Marion was the highest paid screenwriter (male or female) and the first to win 2 Oscars. Yet, she fails to appear in film history books, which continue to regurgitate the myth that male directors did it all – even though it’s been proven that the only profitable movies Cecil B. de Mille ever directed were all written by Jeannie Macpherson film ever won for Best Picture was written by Robert E. Sherwood (who people have heard of, mostly due to his connection to Dorothy Parker) and Joan Harrison.

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

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05 Writers Changing The Face of TV from “Why The Monkees Matter: Even 50 Years Later [Video] (40 seconds)

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From Denver Pop Culture Con 2019.

Wherever you go, you find Monkees fans and the Denver Popular Culture Con was no different. Amid rooms full of caped crusaders and cosplay creations, I was initially not sure how many folks would attend a talk on a TV show from the 1960s – but happily I was met by a nice, engaged audience for my talk on Why the Monkees Matter – and afterward they bought books! What more could an author ask for?

Transcript

So these folks changed I say the face of television. Before 1966 we’re having a lot of fairly — for small very white folks — but also very sort of middle-of-the-road. — Very gentle and there’s nothing wrong with that but it’s all one flavor. There’s not a whole lot of difference there right? If you’ll notice in the bottom corner, who do you think that is? Micky Dolenz was a TV star. People think they were nobodies coming to the show but Micky Dolenz had himself had a show for three years because his parents were performers right and they had a friend who said they’re doing this show called Circus Boy. Would your kid die his hair blonde to be in it? and his parents were like “Yeah that’s good. That’s his college fund right there.”

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.

McFarland (Direct from Publisher) | Amazon | Kindle Edition | Nook Edition

Want to use “Why The Monkees Matter” in your classroom?

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Quotes from When Women Wrote Hollywood – 44 in a series – Time to be remembered

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

Buy “When Women Wrote Hollywood” Today!

Ida May Park began and ended her life and career in Los Angeles, California, credited as a writer of approximately five hundred scenarios and fifty features, having had a successful career as a director with fourteen films under her belt. Unfortunately, as a woman of early Hollywood, she falls into a category of women who were notable enough to have some of their work survive and be remembered, but not notable enough for many history books or archives to chronicle her career.

Ida May Park: Prolific Pioneer
by Jackie Perez

Buy a signed copy of when Women Write Hollywood or Buy the Book on Amazon

†

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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

17 “A Wrinkle In Time” and The Movies from The Sisterhood of Science Fiction – Dr. Rosanne Welch [Video] (28 seconds)

Watch this entire presentation

The Sisterhood of Science Fiction: A Walk Through Some Writers and Characters You (Should) Know And Love

Transcript:

…On a book that for years and years Hollywood wasn’t making into a movie because it starred a little girl and they really didn’t think enough people would pay money to see the story of a little girl having this wild crazy adventure. Even though Alice in Wonderland has been around a long time okay. So it’s interesting. We really we sort of censor before we even put things out into the audience for them to really tell us what they’re gonna watch right? So we have to think about that.

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19 Gene Gauntier from “When Women Wrote Hollywood” with Dr. Rosanne Welch [Video] (32 seconds)

Part of the California State University, Fullerton Faculty Noon Time Talks at the Pollak Library.

Watch this entire presentation

Transcript:

Gene Gauntier is from Ireland. She was born in Kansas. She ended up being the first person to film a movie on location and it was “From The Manger to the Cross” which was the story of The Christ. It was the first time that the story of Jesus was told on film and she went to Jerusalem and then she filmed some in other places in Europe. So she was pretty famous for a good long time. A company called the Kalum company. Again when that company went out of business and all their paperwork disappeared, a lot of her history disappeared with it but you can find “From The Manger to the Cross” on YouTube

Buy a signed copy of when Women Wrote Hollywood

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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

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Journal of Screenwriting Call For Submissions For A Special Issue Focusing On Female Screenwriters

Don’t forget: The Journal of Screenwriting is calling for articles for a special issue with a focus on female screenwriters, to be published in November 2020. I will be co-editing this Special Issue! — Rosanne

Call For Submissions

Special Issue: Female Screenwriters

Download Call for Papers: Female Screenwriters (PDF) | Download Note for Contributors (PDF)

The Journal of Screenwriting is calling for articles for a special issue with a focus on female screenwriters, to be published in November 2020.

JOSC wants to emphasize the importance of female screenwriters across eras, genres, mediums. This importance may arise from an analysis of bodies of work, from individual scripts written by women or from case studies where female screenwriters have worked collaboratively to express screen stories. Articles may also include women’s work behind the scenes in advocating for/promoting greater gender equality within screenwriting milieux. Articles on female screenwriters from diverse cultural backgrounds are encouraged.

Articles may include (but are not limited to) the following topics:

Female screenwriters in silent cinema
The influence of female writer(-directors) in contemporary culture
Case studies on an individual screenwriter’s work, collaborations between women or on how women-centred stories have been brought to the screen
Historiography of manuals and screenwriting pedagogy where this reflects the work of female screenwriters
National and global tendencies with regard to women within screenwriting – relations, influences, cultural transfers
Censorship and women’s stories and women’s writings
Biographies of female screenwriters of any era
Female screenwriters within writing partnerships
The work of female screenwriters within script production (e.g. as showrunners, script editors or consultants)
• The question of a female voice within screenwriting
In the first instance, please email abstracts of up to 400 words and a short biography, no later than Friday, 4 October 2019 to both of the editors of this special issue: Rosanne Welch: rosanne@welchwrite.com Rose Ferrell: rosieglow@westnet.com.au Completed articles of between 4000 and 8000 words should be sent by the end of January 2020.