Frances Agnew (born Frances Scheuing) was an American screenwriter active during the 1920s.

Biography

Frances—known as Fanny Mae to family and friends—was born in

Anniston, Alabama Anniston is a city and the county seat of Calhoun County, Alabama, Calhoun County in Alabama, United States, and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston–Oxford metropolitan area, Anniston–Oxford Metropo ...

, in 1891. She was the daughter of Harry Scheuing and Elizabeth Hocking; she had four brothers. The family eventually relocated to New York City, where Frances became a journalist at ''The New York Telegraph''. In 1913, she appeared as an Indian Maid in a photoplay called ''Picnic in Dakota''. She recorded her appearance in her 1913 book, ''Motion Picture Acting''. A Picnic in Dakota Page-52-Image-166

In 1920, she moved to Los Angeles to cover entertainment for the publication after her co-worker, Margaret Ellinger, quit to become a scenarist for actress

Bessie Love Bessie Love (born Juanita Horton; September 10, 1898April 26, 1986) was an American-British actress who achieved prominence playing innocent, young girls and wholesome leading ladies in silent and early sound films. Her acting career spanned ne ...

. While on a European vacation in Rome, she caught up with the '' Ben Hur'' crew and was intrigued by the idea of writing movies. In 1924, she left the newspaper business behind (for a while, anyway) when she was hired on at

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

Betty Bronson Elizabeth Ada Bronson (November 17, 1906 – October 19, 1971) was an American film and television actress who began her career during the silent film era. Early years Bronson was born in Trenton, New Jersey, to Frank and Nellie Smith Bronso ...

unit to write scenarios. One of her first screenplays was the 1925 adaptation of

Alice Duer Miller Alice Duer Miller (July 28, 1874 – August 22, 1942) was an American writer whose poetry actively influenced political opinion. Her feminist verses influenced political opinion during the Women's suffrage in the United States, American suffrage ...

's ''

Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

'' story "Are Parents People?" In 1926, she left Paramount to sign a contract with

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. She also worked for First National and

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

for a time. In 1926, she was charged by

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan was ...

to do an uncredited re-titling and re-editing of his film ''

Summer Bachelors ''Summer Bachelors'' is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film produced and directed by Allan Dwan. The film is based on the 1926 novel ''Summer Widowers'' by Warner Fabian and stars Madge Bellamy, Matt Moore, Allan Forrest, and Hale H ...

'', and at this time became more interested in the idea of editing. She continued writing and working on films through the end of the decade, working on scripts for films like ''

The Joy Girl ''The Joy Girl'' is a 1927 American two-strip Technicolor silent comedy film directed by Allan Dwan, released by Fox Film Corporation, starring Olive Borden, Neil Hamilton, and Marie Dressler, and based on the short story of the same name by ...

'', ''

Silk Legs ''Silk Legs'' is a 1927 American comedy film directed by Arthur Rosson and written by Frances Agnew and Delos Sutherland. The film stars Madge Bellamy, James Hall, Joseph Cawthorn, Maude Fulton and Margaret Seddon. The film was released on D ...

'', ''

Syncopation In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat (music), off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of ...

'', and '' The Rainbow Man''. By 1932, she had returned to working as a newspaper columnist, writing about the state of the film industry for publications like ''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

''. She also wrote plays like ''Apples in Eden'' during the 1940s. During her later years, she was plagued by health troubles, including a broken hip sustained during a fall. She successfully sued her former physician and was awarded a hefty settlement after a jury agreed that her doctor's misdiagnosis had caused her permanent weakness in one of her legs. She died in Los Angeles on January 3, 1967. She had no children and never married.

Selected filmography

* '' Picnic in Dakota'' (actor) * '' The Rainbow Man'' (1929) (screenplay) * ''

'' (1929) * '' None But the Brave'' (1928) * '' Love Hungry'' (1928) * ''

Soft Living ''Soft Living'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by James Tinling and starring Madge Bellamy, Johnny Mack Brown and Mary Duncan. Cast * Madge Bellamy as Nancy Woods * Johnny Mack Brown as Stockney Webb * Mary Duncan as Lorna ...

'' (1928) * ''

'' (1927) * ''

'' (1927) * '' Summer Bachelor'' (1926) (uncredited) (also editor) * ''

Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

'' (1926) * ''

Mannequin A mannequin (sometimes spelled as manikin and also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off dif ...

'' (1926) * '' The Golden Princess'' (1925) * ''

Are Parents People? ''Are Parents People?'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film starring Betty Bronson, Florence Vidor, Adolphe Menjou, George Beranger, and Lawrence Gray. The film was directed by Malcolm St. Clair and released by Paramount Pictures ...

'' (1925)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnew, Frances American women screenwriters Screenwriters from Alabama 1891 births 1967 deaths American women columnists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American screenwriters