Agnes Christine Johnston was an American screenwriter who wrote for more than 80 films between 1915 and 1948.

Biography

Early life

Johnston was born in

Swissvale, Pennsylvania Swissvale is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, east of downtown Pittsburgh. Named for a farmstead owned by James Swisshelm, during the industrial age it was the site of the Union Switch and Signal Company of George Westinghouse. Th ...

, to John Johnston and Isabel McElhany. She attended the

Horace Mann School , motto_translation = Great is the truth and it prevails , address = 231 West 246th Street , city = The Bronx , state = New York , zipcode = 10471 , countr ...

and later took a playwright class at Harvard. Her sister Isabel Johnston also became a screenwriter.

Career

When

Vitagraph Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, ...

gave her an assignment to write a scenario for a

James Oliver Curwood James Oliver Curwood (June 12, 1878 – August 13, 1927) was an American action-adventure writer and conservationist. His books were often based on adventures set in the Hudson Bay area, the Yukon or Alaska and ranked among the top-ten best selle ...

novel ''God's Country and the Woman'', she reportedly completed the scenario in 24 hours. Johnston penned a number of Andy Hardy films starring Mickey Rooney—among them '' The Hardys Ride High'', '' Andy Hardy's Double Life'', and '' Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble''. Her other films included the comedy '' Seventeen'', the romantic comedy '' Janie'' and its sequel, ''

Janie Gets Married ''Janie Gets Married'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Vincent Sherman, and written by Agnes Christine Johnston. The film stars Joan Leslie, Robert Hutton, Edward Arnold, Ann Harding, Robert Benchley, and Dorothy Malone. The film wa ...

'', plus the 1946 adaptation of ''

Black Beauty ''Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions, the Autobiography of a Horse'' is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she was bedridden and seriously ill.Merriam-Webster (1995). ...

''. She also wrote the musical comedy '' The Time, the Place and the Girl''.

Personal life

Johnson was married to fellow screenwriter Frank Mitchell Dazey; the couple had three children together. Agnes died in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

, in 1978.

Partial filmography

* ''

An Amateur Orphan ''An Amateur Orphan'' is a 1917 American silent film starring Gladys Leslie. It was also the film debut for Chester Morris. Its survival status is currently unknown. The screenplay was written by Agnes Christine Johnston specifically for Leslie ...

'' (1917) * ''

The Fires of Youth ''The Fires of Youth'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Emile Chautard and starring Frederick Warde, Helen Badgley and Ernest Howard.Connelly p.348 Cast * Frederick Warde as Iron Hearted Pemberton * Helen Badgley as Billy * Er ...

'' (1917) * ''

It Happened to Adele ''It Happened to Adele'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Van Dyke Brooke and starring Gladys Leslie, Carey L. Hastings and Peggy Burke.Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema p.55 Prints and/or fragments were found in the ...

'' (1917) * '' Her New York'' (1917) * '' When Love Was Blind'' (1917) * ''

How Could You, Caroline? ''How Could You, Caroline?'' is a 1918 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Frederick A. Thomson, with a screenplay by Agnes Christine Johnston. It stars Bessie Love, James W. Morrison, and Dudley Hawley. The film, filmed in Charlest ...

'' (1918) * '' The Great Adventure'' (1918) * '' Daddy-Long-Legs'' (1919) * ''

Alarm Clock Andy ''Alarm Clock Andy'' is a 1920 American silent comedy film directed by Jerome Storm and written by Agnes Christine Johnston. The film stars Charles Ray, Millicent Fisher, George Webb, Tom Guise, and Andrew Robson. The film was released on Mar ...

'' (1920) * ''

Her Husband's Friend ''Her Husband's Friend'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Fred Niblo starring Enid Bennett. A copy of the film is preserved at the Library of Congress. Plot Princeton Hadley (Chatterton), because of favors done during his colle ...

'' (1920) * ''

Home Stuff ''Home Stuff'' is a 1921 American silent comedy film directed by Albert H. Kelley and starring Viola Dana, Tom Gallery and Josephine Crowell.Munden p.360 Cast * Viola Dana as Madge Joy * Tom Gallery as Robert Deep * Josephine Crowell as 'Ma' ...

'' (1921) * '' Rich Men's Wives'' (1922) * ''

Children of Dust ''Children of Dust'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Johnnie Walker, Pauline Garon, and Lloyd Hughes.Munden p. 124. Cast * Johnnie Walker as Terwilliger * Pauline Garon as Helen Raymond * Lloyd Hu ...

'' (1923) * ''

Poor Men's Wives ''Poor Men's Wives'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Barbara La Marr, David Butler and Betty Francisco.Connelly p.216 The previous year Gasnier had directed a film called ''Rich Men's Wives''. Syn ...

'' (1923) * '' Mothers-in-Law'' (1923) * '' The Female'' (1924) * '' Forbidden Paradise'' (1924) * '' For Another Woman'' (1924) * '' Proud Flesh'' (1925) * '' Don't'' (1925) * ''

The Denial ''The Denial'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Hobart Henley. The film stars Claire Windsor, Bert Roach, William Haines, Lucille Ricksen, and Robert Agnew. The film was written by Agnes Christine Johnston based on the play ...

'' (1925) * ''

Lovey Mary ''Lovey Mary'' is a 1926 American comedy-drama film directed by King Baggot, with Bessie Love in the title role. It is based on the Lovey Mary (book), 1903 novel of the same name by Alice Hegan Rice, a sequel to Rice's ''Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabba ...

'' (1926) * '' The Enemy'' (1927) * '' The Patsy'' (1928) * ''

The Shannons of Broadway ''The Shannons of Broadway'' is a 1929 American comedy film directed by Emmett J. Flynn and starring James Gleason, Lucile Gleason and Mary Philbin. It was based on James Gleason's 1927 play of the same title, which was later remade as ''Goodbye ...

'' (1929) * ''

The Divine Lady ''The Divine Lady'' is a 1929 American pre-Code Vitaphone sound film with a synchronized musical score, sound effects, and some synchronized singing, but no spoken dialogue. It stars Corinne Griffith and tells the story of the love affair betwe ...

'' (1929) * '' Lucky Devils'' (1933) * ''

Headline Shooter ''Headline Shooter'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama about the life of a newsreel photographer. Director Otto Brower intertwined the screenplay written by Agnes Christine Johnston, Allen Rivkin, and Arthur Kober, with actual newsreel footage ...

'' (1933) * '' Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble'' (1944) * ''

Mickey Mickey is a given name and nickname, almost always masculine and often a short form (hypocorism) of Michael, and occasionally a surname. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name or nickname Men * Mickey Andrews (bor ...

'' (1948)

References

External links

*
Agnes Christine Johnson
at Women Film Pioneers Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Agnes Christine 1896 births 1978 deaths American women screenwriters People from Swissvale, Pennsylvania Women film pioneers Screenwriters from Pennsylvania 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American screenwriters