Virginia Van Upp (January 13, 1902 – March 25, 1970) was an American film producer and screenwriter.

Early life

Virginia Van Upp was born in Chicago, the daughter of Harry and Helen Van Upp. Mrs Van Upp had been an editor and title writer for Thomas H. Ince. Virginia Van Upp performed in several silent films as a child actress. She soon worked her way up in the film industry becoming a script writer, film editor,

script reader Script coverage is a filmmaking term for the analysis and grading of screenplays, often within the "script development" department of a production company. While coverage may remain entirely oral, it usually takes the form of a written report, gui ...

, casting director, and

agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...

Career

Her first screenplay credit was for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

' ''The Pursuit of Happiness'' (1934). She was a prolific writer and re-writer of screenplays for Paramount until 1943.

Queen of Columbia

Ever on the lookout for talent, and after several writers failed to create a satisfying screenplay of '' Cover Girl'' (1944),

Harry Cohn Harry Cohn (July 23, 1891 – February 27, 1958) was a co-founder, president, and production director of Columbia Pictures Corporation. Life and career Cohn was born to a working-class Jewish family in New York City. His father, Joseph Cohn, wa ...

of Columbia Pictures hired Van Upp from Paramount to rewrite the script. ''Cover Girl'' was designed as a Technicolor project for Columbia's Rita Hayworth. Cohn surrounded his star with the best talent available, such as costume designers Travis Banton and Gwen Wakeling, who had extensive experience in big budget

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

films. Cohn was initially reluctant to have

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

from MGM as Hayworth's co-star, until he was convinced that Kelly and his assistant Stanley Donen would do the choreography for the film for no extra fee. Van Upp not only fashioned a successful screenplay from the discarded drafts, but most importantly, gained the confidence of Rita Hayworth, becoming a friend and a mediator between her and the studio - even supervising Hayworth's costumes and rewriting her own work to suit Hayworth's new persona. Seeing the impressive results, Cohn made Van Upp an associate producer and later Executive Producer at the studio. Not only did Cohn recognize the importance of appealing to the large female audiences, while men were away during World War II, but Van Upp's broad experience in the film industry at all levels made her a rarity: as opposed to most screenwriters who resented studio interference with their work, she understood and welcomed diversity of opinion and pressure from the studio to complete a successful film. Van Upp was only one of three female producers in Hollywood at the time. (The others were Joan Harrison who was associated with

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

, and

Harriet Parsons Harriet Oettinger Parsons (1906 – 1983) was an American film producer, actress, director, and magazine writer; one of the few female producers in the United States at the time. Her mother was famed gossip columnist Louella Parsons. Biography ...

, daughter of influential gossip columnist Louella Parsons.) On January 7, 1945, '' The New York Times'' commented:

Miss Van Upp's new berth is considered to be the most important position yet for a woman at a major studio. She will have the overall supervision and preparation and actual filming of twelve to fourteen top budget pictures to be made by Columbia during the year. Working under her will be several associate producers, all men.

As a producer, her work was often uncredited, such as the recutting of Orson Welles' vehicle for his wife Rita Hayworth, the expensive '' The Lady from Shanghai''. Perhaps Van Upp's best remembered production is film '' Gilda'' (1946), which she co-wrote and carefully supervised. After making ''

The Guilt of Janet Ames ''The Guilt of Janet Ames'' is a 1947 American sentimental film noir directed by Henry Levin, based on a story by Lenore Coffee, and starring Rosalind Russell and Melvyn Douglas. Plot War widow Janet Ames (Rosalind Russell) is stricken unconsc ...

'' (1947) with Rosalind Russell, Van Upp left Columbia to spend time with her family. Harry Cohn rewarded her with a job inspecting the Latin American market, where she visited 14 Central and South American countries. During this visit, Van Upp announced that she would produce films based on the novels ''Christ the Man'' and ''Tolvanera'' by Spanish writer Dr.

Ginés de La Torre Ginés is a Spanish personal name. It is the form of the Roman name " Genesius". People with this name include: *Ginés de la Jara, Spanish saint of the Early Middle Ages As a place name San Ginés can refer to: *San Ginés, Madrid, church in Ma ...

, but these plans never came to fruition. It was also announced that Virginia would produce a film on the life of

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred ...

for independent producer Edward Small; Small made the film several years later without her involvement. Van Upp's script for ''Christ the Man'', titled ''The Trial'', about a staging of the life of Jesus Christ in a small, American town, was projected for producer/director

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

. However, on Feb. 27, 1951, Paramount announced the picture had been abandoned because of "the heavy expenditure necessary to produce it," circa $2,000,000. Capra believed the subject matter influenced the decision. She returned to Columbia to work on Rita Hayworth's

comeback Comeback, The Comeback or Come Back may refer to: General * Comeback (publicity), a return to prominence by a well-known person * Comeback (retort), a witty response to an insult or criticism * Comeback (sports), an event where an athlete or team ...

film ''

Affair in Trinidad ''Affair in Trinidad'' is a 1952 American film noir directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. It was produced by Hayworth's Beckworth Corporation and released by Columbia Pictures. It is notable as Hayworth's "comebac ...

'' (1952), which reunited her with ''Gilda'' co-star Glenn Ford. A projected film at

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City an ...

was cancelled due to an illness, and she reportedly made films for the United States Army in West Germany.

Personal life

Virginia Van Upp was married twice. Her second husband was production manager Ralph W. Nelson.Ralph W. Nelson
IMDB They were divorced in 1949. The couple had one daughter.

Filmography

*'' The Pursuit of Happiness'' (1934) - screenplay *'' Timothy's Quest'' (1936) - screenplay *''

Too Many Parents ''Too Many Parents'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan, written by Virginia Van Upp and Doris Malloy, and starring Frances Farmer, Lester Matthews, Porter Hall, Henry Travers, Billy Lee, George Ernest and Sherwood Bai ...

'' (1936) - screenplay *'' Poppy'' (1936) - screenplay *'' My American Wife'' (1936) - uncredited writer *'' Easy to Take'' (1936) - screenplay *'' Swing High, Swing Low'' (1937) - screenplay *'' You and Me'' (1938) - screenplay *'' St. Louis Blues'' (1939) - screenplay *''

Honeymoon in Bali ''Honeymoon in Bali'' is a 1939 American romantic comedy film. It is also known by the alternative titles ''Husbands or Lovers'' and ''My Love for Yours''. Virginia Van Upp's screenplay was based on the short stories "Our Miss Keane" by Grace Sa ...

'' (1939) - screenplay *'' Cafe Society'' (1939) - story, screenplay *'' Virginia'' (1941) - story, screenplay *'' Come Live with Me'' (1941) - story *'' One Night in Lisbon'' (1941) - screenplay *''

Bahama Passage ''Bahama Passage'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by Edward H. Griffith, starring Madeleine Carroll and Sterling Hayden. The film was primarily shot on Salt Cay, Turks Islands in Technicolor. Plot When his father dies in an accident, Ad ...

'' (1941) - screenplay *'' The Crystal Ball'' (1943) - screenplay *''

Young and Willing ''Young and Willing'' is a 1943 American comedy film produced and directed by Edward H. Griffith and starring William Holden, Eddie Bracken, Robert Benchley, and Susan Hayward. With a screenplay by Virginia Van Upp based on the play ''Out of the F ...

'' (1943) - screenplay *'' Cover Girl'' (1944) - screenplay *''

The Impatient Years ''The Impatient Years'' is a 1944 romance film made by Columbia Pictures, directed by Irving Cummings, and written by Virginia Van Upp This was the final film Jean Arthur owed Columbia as part of her long contract which included periods of fight ...

'' (1944) - story, screenplay, associate producer *'' Together Again'' (1945) - screenplay, producer *''

She Wouldn't Say Yes ''She Wouldn't Say Yes'' is a 1945 screwball comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and starring Rosalind Russell and Lee Bowman. Plot A psychiatrist, Dr. Susan Lane, is leaving a military hospital after spending two weeks working with patients ...

'' (1945) - screenplay, producer *'' Gilda'' (1946) - producer *''

'' (1947) - uncredited producer *''

Here Comes the Groom ''Here Comes the Groom'' is a 1951 American musical romantic comedy film produced and directed by Frank Capra and starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. Based on a story by Robert Riskin and Liam O'Brien, the film is about a foreign correspondent w ...

'' (1951) - screenplay *''

'' (1952) - story, uncredited producer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Upp, Virginia Van 1902 births 1970 deaths Writers from Chicago American people of Dutch descent Film producers from Illinois Screenwriters from Illinois American women screenwriters 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American businesspeople American women film producers 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American businesswomen