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Drawn to Hollywood at a time when women could still carve out a place for themselves in the burgeoning film industry, pioneering screenwriter Frances Marion became the top writer at MGM—and the highest-paid in the business, male or female—penning classics for stars such as Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Greta Garbo, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, and Jean Harlow. Known for her skill at adapting literary works and writing superb parts for women, Marion was equally adept when it came to sparkling comedies and gritty crime dramas. A staggeringly versatile talent who helped shape the nascent art of script writing, Marion became the first writer to win two Academy Awards.
Looking for a place to start?
Check out the pair of Wallace Beery vehicles that brought Marion Oscar gold: the heartfelt boxing tale The Champ and the influential prison drama The Big House. Then go back to the silent era, when she proved her brilliance with scripts for masterpieces like The Wind, directed by Victor Sjöström. |
