Kate Corbaley (born Kate Alaska Hinckley Hooper) was a pioneering American screenwriter and development executive active from the silent era through her death in the 1930s.[1]

Kate Corbaley
Born
Kate Alaska Hinckley Hooper

September 1, 1878
Mazatlan, Mexico
DiedSeptember 23, 1938 (aged 60)
Los Angeles, California, USA
EducationStanford University
OccupationScreenwriter
SpouseCharles Corbaley (div.)

Biography

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Kate was born at sea off the coast of Mazatlan, Mexico, to William Hooper and Mary Caldwell.[2] Her family was financially well-off, and she attended Stanford University, where she studied English.[2] After graduation, she taught at San Bernardino High School before marrying engineer Charles Corbaley. The pair had four daughters before divorcing 12 years later.[3]

After the split, she turned to writing. She won several contests in the 1910s, went to work at MGM as a story editor after working for Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew.[2][4] She wrote a string of films through the 1920s, and published a book on screenwriting called Selling Manuscripts in the Photoplay Market. She eventually became a consultant at the Palmer Photoplay Institute, and worked as a development executive, evaluating scripts and making them more commercial.[5] She died on September 23, 1938, in her Cheviot Hills, Los Angeles, home after a brief illness.[3]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "Kate Corbaley – Women Film Pioneers Project". wfpp.cdrs.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  2. ^ a b c "26 Jan 1938, Page 13 - The Minneapolis Star at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  3. ^ a b "24 Sep 1938, 17 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  4. ^ "30 Nov 1919, 46 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  5. ^ "19 Jun 1934, Page 6 - Poughkeepsie Eagle-News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  6. ^ "5 May 1918, Page 8 - The San Bernardino County Sun at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-12.