I teach several classes for the Stephens College Low-Residency MFA in Screenwriting, including History of Screenwriting. In fact, I created the curriculum for that course from scratch and customized it to this particular MFA in that it covers ‘Screenwriting’ (not directors) and even more specifically, the class has a female-centric focus. As part History of Screenwriting I, the first course in the four-class series, we focus on the early women screenwriters of the silent film era who male historians have, for the most part, quietly forgotten in their books. In this series, I share with you some of the screenwriters and films that should be part of any screenwriters education. I believe that in order to become a great screenwriter, you need to understand the deep history of screenwriting and the amazing people who created the career. — Dr. Rosanne Welch
Making An American Citizen (1912) – Alice Guy Blaché
Making an American Citizen is a 1912 silentcomedyshort film by the pioneering French woman filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché, produced at Solax Studios.[1] Originally advertised as “educational drama” or “educational subject,” it grapples with the theme of immigration, assimilation, and of becoming a “good American.”[2][3] The film carries an explicit feminist message: the lopsided power dynamics in an immigrant couple becomes increasingly equalized, as the couple spends more time in America. The wife learns to stand up to her husband’s abuses, while the husband is repeatedly coerced by other American citizens into treating his wife as his equal, until he is able to internalize the ethos of the Progressive Era. The film works to allay anxieties over Eastern European immigrant men bringing “Old World” patriarchal values and practices to the “New World.”[4][5] — Wikipedia
“1960s TV Censorship and The Monkees” gives a brief overview of where censorship standards were in the era – and how The Monkees pushed the envelope with its mentions of the Vietnam War – and Sunset Strip riots – and even with the outrageous storytelling behind “Frodis Caper”, the episode that celebrated the saving of an alien plant that very closely resembled a marijuana plant…
Writer Treva Silverman said the staff got away with such jokes because the network executives were just old enough not to understand any of the references. Presented at Stephens College MFA in Screenwriting classes on Friday, August 5, 2016
Transcript:
It’s called “Monkee’s Watch Their Feet.” It’s written by Coslough Johnson, who’s the brother of Arte Johnson who is from Laugh-In and this is the story of aliens who come down to Earth and they kidnap Micky Dolenz and make a copy of him who’s a robot and their trying to understand the brain of Americans, which is pretty silly, but notice the sort of patriotic backdrop here. It guest starred Pat Paulsen, who is going to end up on Laugh-In and these are some lines that he has in this episode. Think about what he’s talking about right in the center of the Vietnam War. Particularly I like this line. This is the aliens talking about the Americans. We don’t ever have to say Vietnam. We know what they’re talking about. These are the guys. This is the age of the guy who is being drafted to go. This other is a nice chunk that they talk about. “They want to put the blame on teenagers. Take the war for example. Whose fault is it? Not ours. we’re not fighting. It must be those crazy kids. They’re the ones doing all the fighting.”
Dr. Rosanne Welch is a professor in the Low Residency MFA in Screenwriting Program from Stephens College, California State University, Fullerton, Mount San Antonio Community College and Cal Poly Pomona. In 2007, she graduated with her Ph.D. in 20th Century U.S./Film History from Claremont Graduate University. She graduated with her M.A. in 20th Century United States History from California State University, Northridge in 2004.
Welch is also a television writer/producer with credits for Beverly Hills 90210 , CBS’s Emmy winning Picket Fences and Touched By An Angel . She also writes and hosts her own podcasts on 3rdPass.media, her first one titled “Mindful(I) Media with Dr. Rosanne Welch.”
I am so proud and excited to post this link to the presentations 5 of my Stephens College MFA in Screenwriting students made at this year’s Citizen Jane Film Festival. The event was titled: When Women Ran Hollywood: Meet 5 Female Screenwriters Who Helped Invent Hollywood. My students gave tight, ten minute presentations on female screenwriters who we should all know – women like Anita Loos and Adela Rogers St. Johns – whose biographies I had read as a child in Cleveland – and women like Frances Goodrich Hackett, who I hadn’t heard of until I began my own PhD dissertation – and finally Eve Unsell and Jeanie MacPherson.
Rather than be new names to most all of you we ought to recognize these women’s names – and accomplishments – much as we instantly recognize the names of the male directors of early Hollywood. Sadly, historians frequently left the women’s names out of the books so this course and this assignment are an exercise in bringing Anita, Adela, Frances, Eve and Jeanie back into the mainstream conversation about the art – and history – of screenwriting.
The students I have to thank for researching, writing and presenting on these women – and then trekking out to Columbia, Missouri (home of Stephens College) to share their findings with the larger community of scholars – are Toni Anita Hull, Amelia Phillips, Laura Kirk, Sarah Whorton and Julie Berkobien. Watch and learn – and fall in love with all 10 of these women all over again – or for the first time.
The Stephens College MFA in Screenwriting is proud to present five of our fabulous MFA students who will in turn introduce the audience to five female screenwriters whose work we know, but whose names have been left out of the textbooks. Help us write them back in and remind us all that Women Ran Hollywood once and are on their way to doing it again!
Rosanne Welch, Master of Fine Arts in TV and Screenwriting Professor
Toni Anita Hull, Master of Fine Arts in TV and Screenwriting Candidate
Amelia Phillips, Master of Fine Arts in TV and Screenwriting Candidate
Laura Kirk, Master of Fine Arts in TV and Screenwriting Candidate
Sarah Whorton, Master of Fine Arts in TV and Screenwriting Candidate
Julie Berkobien, Master of Fine Arts in TV and Screenwriting Candidate
Since Mexican-Americans were not yet a prominent stereotype in middle America, the writers weren’t used to relying on them for humor, whereas most of the largely Jewish writing staff knew the standard jokes associated with other ethnicities, especially Italians since the two immigrant-based ethnic groups often shared neighborhoods in urban centers around the country.
You Can Please Some of the People Some of the Time… None of the People All of the Time: A History of the Art of Adaptation in Movies like Dune, The Godfather, Harry Potter and More!
Dr. Rosanne Welch speaks on A History of the Art of Adaptation in Movies like Dune, The Godfather, Harry Potter and More! at the California State University, Fullerton Library
Part of the program series for Dune by Frank Herbert: A 50th Anniversary Celebration.
It all takes place in New York City, because that’s where the therapist lives and where the girl has gone. When we turn it into a movie Barbra Streisand and the staff completely took out the second brother. He’s already dead when the book starts. Instead of flashbacking to him, she just said “Nevermind. We don’t care” and the title of book “Prince of Tides” is Luke Wingo. by kicking him out of the story she turns that into being Tom, the main character. So many people who adored the book and adored this character Luke were angry because not only did she erase him, but they reconfigured where his nickname went. That’s a huge change from the original mention in the book, but it tightened the movie, because the movie, in the end, is a love story between the guy and the therapist. That is part of the novel, but not the focus of the novel. So, her she’s going to star in the thing. She’s going to play the therapist. Guess who’s going to be the more important character? Sorry. You want Barbra Streisand to make your move, that’s what you are going to get.
About this talk
Dr. Rosanne Welch (RTVF) speaks on the craft of history of film adaptations from the controversy of the silent film Birth of a Nation (protested by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1915) to Breakfast at Tiffany’s (to which author Truman Capote famously said, “The only thing left from the book is the title”) to The Godfather . Naturally, the behemoth in adaptation – Harry Potter (which depended on the relationship created by adapter Steve Kloves and author J.K. Rowling) will be discussed, as will the subject of this month’s celebration: Dune.
Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
About Dr. Rosanne Welch
Dr. Rosanne Welch is a professor in the Low Residency MFA in Screenwriting Program from Stephens College, California State University, Fullerton, Mount San Antonio Community College and Cal Poly Pomona. In 2007, she graduated with her Ph.D. in 20th Century U.S./Film History from Claremont Graduate University. She graduated with her M.A. in 20th Century United States History from California State University, Northridge in 2004.
Welch is also a television writer/producer with credits for Beverly Hills 90210 , CBS’s Emmy winning Picket Fences and Touched By An Angel . She also writes and hosts her own podcasts on 3rdPass.media, her first one titled “Mindful(I) Media with Dr. Rosanne Welch.”
I teach several classes for the Stephens College Low-Residency MFA in Screenwriting, including History of Screenwriting. In fact, I created the curriculum for that course from scratch and customized it to this particular MFA in that it covers ‘Screenwriting’ (not directors) and even more specifically, the class has a female-centric focus. As part History of Screenwriting I, the first course in the four-class series, we focus on the early women screenwriters of the silent film era who male historians have, for the most part, quietly forgotten in their books. In this series, I share with you some of the screenwriters and films that should be part of any screenwriters education. I believe that in order to become a great screenwriter, you need to understand the deep history of screenwriting and the amazing people who created the career. — Dr. Rosanne Welch
The Birth, the Life and the Death of Christ (1906) – Alice Guy Blaché
(1 additional page on the linked site. Click through for large images)
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I MAKE THE MONKEES CLOTHES BY GENE ASHMAN
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gene Ashman was born in Los Angeles. At the age of ten he moved to New York City, where he studied classical piano for Eye years. At 15, he returned to LA, and while studying history at the University of Southern California he became interested in designing costumes. Since then Gene has become one of the most sought after costume designers in the movie and television industry. His credits include The Eddie Bodin Story, The Harder They Fall, Who Was That lady?, Circus Boy (yes. Gene designed the outfit Micky wore on the show), Bewitched and The Monkets. Currently, Gene is designing the costumes for Funny Girl.
WHEN I was designing costumes for Bewitched. Bert Schneider called me in for an interview. One of the first things he asked was, “How do you feel about young people?’ I thought for a minute and then I said. “The kids of today are very interesting and exciting and. clothe…wise arc into something quite different from anything that has ever been done before.” Mr. Schneider seemed pleased with my response and told Mt all about his upcoming TV pilot, The Afonkeer. After describ-ing the wonderful and zany idea to rne, he told me he would make arrangements for me to meet Davy /ones. Micky [Mena. Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith—the four boys whom he and his partner, Bob Rakhon. had chosen to be the Monkees. To tell the truth. when I first met the boys I was shocked by their long hair and uninhibited mannerisms. but as I sat and talked with them I soon saw their separate personalities emerg-ing. Here. in a nutshell. is what I saw then: Davy—young: energetic: fantastic ideas. Afike—a little reticent: serious-minded: artistic. Afkky (whom I had known from CIMIT Boyl—totally inven-tive; no one can know how great he will be—even himself—until he channels his energies. Poser—very sensitive: great humanitarian qualities: excellent singer and guitarist.
FIRST MEETING
My first meeting with the Monkees was at night, after they had spent all day rehearsing for the show. We sat around and discussed their likes and dislikes. We decided that we definitely wanted the Monkee: clothes to reflect their individual taste. style and personalities. We wanted to avoid the Camaby Street look. the “Mod” look, or any other wellsestablished look. Ultis 6 stately. I decided that although all of the Monkees’ clothes would he derived from basically the same design. their afore-mentioned personalities were to emerge through their clothes. All of Mike’s things would have a definite Weller”, flavor. For instance. he would have terrinch tide vents on all his jackets, like the Western gamblers used to wear. Micky’s jackets would be a oncsbutton, doublesbreasted, rolled collar cut—reflecting his casualness. Peter’s jackets would be a very slim. twabutton, double-breasted cut—form-fining with lots of freedom of move-ment. And Day (who was the most style-conscious of all the boys) would have two-button. double-breasted jackets with a slight English flavor.
Now, all I had to do was find a shop to give me the inspiration and basic design patterns that I needed. Firm. I went all over L.A. and. believe me. that’s a great big city. I was shocked to find nothing that was right for the Monkees. I headed for San Francisco. and after several days of searching through the wens’ shops there I came hack to the studio tired and dejected. I don’t believe in Fate. but I really think she way watching over me at this moment. I was almost ready to give up when—on the way to grab a sandwich at the Copper Skillet. a block from the studio-il passed a little more which sold vets’ hip clothing for mien. I looked at the sign. It said: 1.enny’s Boot Parlor.
I thought—hhor o sooner nome for o store—and I wandered inside. The first thing I discovered was that Lennyi was nor just a hoot parlor. It was one of the grooviest men’s stores I’d ever been in. I was fascinated by everything I saw—shirts of endless design and pattern, pants in every fabric and cut imaginable—plus an array of the most beautiful boots ever.
“Hi, a friendly voice greeted me. “I’m Lenny Able. Can I help your
“You sure Can.” I said, and I sat down and told Lenny my story. He. like me, became fascinated by the idea of creating clothes for the Monkem. He could share my enthusiasm. dig-ging the whole idea as the grooviest chalknge ever. “What’s the budget”‘ he asked at one point. “$700.” I said sheepishly, and he looked at me as though I were crazy and didn’t say a word. He just went right on raving about the clothes that could he created for the Monkees. (Usu-ally. “wardrobe” for a TV pilot is scaled at about $2,000. The entire production cost for the Monkees’ pilot was originally scaled at $100.000 and ended up at 5300,000, but 1 exceeded my wardrobe budget by only a few hundred dollars—quite a feat.)
THE MONKEE LOOK The first innovation I came up with was a plasterion; in cos-tuming tern, that means patch. This technique was used on what in now known as the Monkee shin. I didn’t want to design lregular double-breasted shirt, and though the Monkee shins ook as though they’re double-breasted. actually they’re not. As you know, there are two rows of four buttons down the
My book on The Monkees — Why The Monkees Matter — brought great joy into my life this year – allowing me to host a few book signings, attend a few concerts, meet a few of the more fabulous members of the Zilch Podcast Nation and even resulted in my being invited into the (marvelous and mind-blowing to my inner nine-year-old) St. Louis concert VIP photo op line where I had this lovely photo taken with Micky and Peter (and saw to it that they both had copies of the book).
In 2017 I’m looking forward to seeing these projects published:
PERFORM: Succeeding as a Creative Professional. Chapter 5 Essay. Starting Over: “Everything I Need To Know About A Career In Hollywood I Learned From Writing Scripts” Editor: Anna Weinstein. January 2017
Blue and Gray in Black and White and Color Chapter: “Hidden Behind Hoopskirts: The Many Women of Hollywood’s Civil War Sagas”, “ Doug Brode, editor, 2018.
![More On The Vietnam War and The Monkees from 1960’s TV Censorship and The Monkees with Dr. Rosanne Welch [Video] (1:03)](https://rosannewelch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/monkees-censorship-16-vietnam-2.jpeg)
![When Women Ran Hollywood: Citizen Jane Film School 2016 [Video] (1 hour)](https://rosannewelch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/citizen-jane-panel-2016.png)
![More On Adapting The Prince of Tides from A History of the Art of Adaptation [Video] (1:00)](https://rosannewelch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/adapt-31-prince-of-tides-2.jpeg)
