For decades, Hollywood ignored women screenwriters, where the great ladies who contributed films by writing them became obscure, much like their massive contributions toward the films. One such screenwriter—whose name had almost been scrubbed from the annals in Hollywood—is finally getting credited for her work. Long-due credit speaks a lot again about deep-seated gender biases in the industry and the need to bring into notice the trailblazing ladies who shaped cinema. In the early days of Hollywood, women played key roles in the fledgling film industry. While they were certainly on screen as actors, many were also writers, directors, and producers. As the studio system crystallized, many of these contributions by women were downplayed or erased altogether.
One such example is the story of Frances Marion, a prolific screenwriter with many credits during the silent era and the early talkies, with critical and commercial success. Frances Marion was a leading screenwriter, working in the 1910s and completing over 300 scripts. She was one of the highest-paid screenwriters and the holder of two Academy Awards for Best Writing, and her name gradually disappeared from public consciousness under the prevalence of men. In the 1910s, Marion moved to Los Angeles to seek a career in Hollywood. She was driven by her fascination with films. Marion quickly made a name for herself with her ability to craft compelling stories that wowed audiences.
Her very successful collaborations with some of the biggest stars of the time, like Mary Pickford, established her as a brilliant and inspiring author. One of the most famous works by Marion was the tear-jerker drama “The Champ,” about a used-up boxer and his young son. The picture turned out to be both a critical and box-office smash hit, earning Marion the Academy Award for Best Story. Her sense of emotionally powerful storylines is reflected in other works, like the Academy Award-winning “The Big House,” another gritty prison drama done in 1930. Though Marion was very successful, her contribution was always undermined, and she was not so famous compared to men at that time—something that could be explained by the erasure of gender biases at that particular time, as often women were pushed to the background when their work had been instrumental to making the film a success.
Over the past few decades, though, the nature of Frances Marion’s legacy has been reclaimed alongside women like her receiving their rightful place in history. Scholars of film shuffled into archives, digging out forgotten scripts and outlining the stories of pioneering women. The renewed interest has led to a new appraisal of Marion’s work and, with it, a wider appreciation for all her contributions to Hollywood. The story of Frances Marion is a representation of the general plight of every female screenwriter working in Hollywood. Many women, in spite of their great contributions, were shoved to the periphery, and very little is remembered of these contributions. While recognizing Marion’s work, it reminds us of the important role of acknowledging and celebrating diverse voices that make film history.
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This renewed interest in Marion’s career has raised some useful points about the broader question of gender equality in Hollywood. For too long, this has been fanfare and nothing more. Major improvements have been made in the last couple of years, but women in the industry are still fighting against an innumerable list of challenges that include pay gaps, a lack of women in leadership positions, and poor career progression. It comes at a time when the industry is working to redress these inequalities by trying to be more inclusive and representative. The stories of women, Frances Marion alike, pioneers in this field of filmmaking, will be shared as a tribute to the past and to inspire future feminine generations of film directors. The case of Frances Marion is not unique to her; rather, it is part of the rediscovery of many female screenwriters from Hollywood’s early golden period, including Anita Loos, who wrote the famous “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” and Dorothy Parker, known for her biting wit in films like “A Star Is Born,” among others, lately being recognized for their works.
The idea of recognizing these women is not just a matter of credit where credit is due; it is also against the perception that has long been held that Hollywood has always been a male domain. In including female screenwriters in their history, historians and scholars are working towards a new paradigm in cinema history that includes the different voices that were usually shuttered in silence. The story of Frances Marion and her late honors serve to prove the consummate talent and resilience of women in Hollywood. Her situation today reminds us most forcefully that, though things have progressed a little, much remains to be done to accord respect based upon contributions by persons without regard to sex. It’s in building an inclusive and fair future for all filmmakers that the legacy left behind by such pioneering women as Marion really must be taken seriously.
