Frances Guihan (September 22, 1890 – December 21, 1951) was an American screenwriter.[1] She worked on more than 40 films during her career, including a number of B westerns.
Frances Guihan | |
|---|---|
 American screenwriter Frances Guihan (1890 – 1951), on page 4022 of the May 8, 1920 Motion Picture News. The caption notes that she has been writing scenarios for Pathé films. | |
| Born | Frances Elizabeth Guihan September 22, 1890 |
| Died | December 21, 1951 |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
| Years active | 1916–1938 (film) |
| Spouse | Ivan Kahn (div.) |
Biography
editBeginnings
editFrances was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, the youngest daughter of Dennis Guihan and Catherine Fagan.[2] She began her career working in a St. Louis office for $12 a week, writing scenarios at night (most of which were rejected).[3]
Hollywood career
editHer scenarios eventually attracted notice from people in high places, and soon she was in Hollywood commanding $70,000 a year.[3] In those early years, she was known for writing (and, in one case, directing) scenarios for Japanese actor Sessue Hayakawa. She then transitioned into writing for actress and producer Ruth Roland.[4] Over the course of her career, she also wrote at Balboa, Metro, and Haworth.[5] She'd later work extensively on the Buck Jones Westerns.[6]
Personal life
editIn 1919, she married Ivan Kahn, an actor, businessman, scenario writer, and amateur boxer. The pair met while Kahn started writing comedies for Pathe and Kalem.[5] After they divorced, she'd remarry.
She also owned an anti-gray hair tonic company she purchased from a friend. "You'd be surprised how many stars use the stuff," she'd later tell a reporter (although she declined to name names).[4]
Selected filmography
edit- A Heart in Pawn (1919)
- The Courageous Coward (1919)
- I Have Killed (1924)
- The Cancelled Debt (1927)
- She's My Baby (1927)
- Thumbs Down (1927)
- Closed Gates (1927)
- In the First Degree (1927)
- Face Value (1927)
- Stranded (1927)
- Marry the Girl (1928)
- A Million for Love (1928)
- Burning Up Broadway (1928)
- Bachelor's Paradise (1928)
- Midstream (1929)
- Cock o' the Walk (1930)
- Bulldog Courage (1935)
- Empty Saddles (1936)
- The Boss Rider of Gun Creek (1936)
- The Cowboy Star (1936)
- Westbound Mail (1937)
- Law for Tombstone (1937)
- Frontier Scout (1938)
References
edit- ^ Pitts p.390
- ^ "9 Dec 1923, Page 3 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
- ^ a b "29 Aug 1920, Page 14 - The Decatur Daily Review at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
- ^ a b "16 Mar 1937, Page 18 - Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
- ^ a b "13 Jun 1919, 15 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
- ^ "14 Mar 1937, 59 - The Miami News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
Bibliography
edit- Pitts, Michael R. Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films. McFarland, 2012.