Frances Guihan

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
East St. Louis, Illinois, USA
DiedDecember 21, 1951
Los Angeles, California, USA
OccupationScreenwriter
Years active1916–1938 (film)
SpouseIvan Kahn (div.)

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.

Biography

Beginnings

Frances 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

Her 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

In 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

References

  1. ^ Pitts p.390
  2. ^ "9 Dec 1923, Page 3 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  3. ^ a b "29 Aug 1920, Page 14 - The Decatur Daily Review at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  4. ^ a b "16 Mar 1937, Page 18 - Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  5. ^ a b "13 Jun 1919, 15 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  6. ^ "14 Mar 1937, 59 - The Miami News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-01-11.

Bibliography

  • Pitts, Michael R. Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films. McFarland, 2012.