Frances Agnew

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

Frances Agnew
film still detail
Born
Frances C. Scheuing

July 1, 1891
Anniston, Alabama, USA
DiedJanuary 3, 1967 (aged 75)
Los Angeles, California, USA
OccupationScreenwriter, journalist

Biography

Frances—known as Fanny Mae to family and friends[1]—was born in Anniston, Alabama, 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 found employment as a journalist at The New York Telegraph.[2] 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.[3]

Francis Agnew in the 1913 photoplay "Picnic in Dakota" as the Indian Maid

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.

While on a European vacation in Rome, she caught up with the Ben Hur crew and was intrigued by the idea of writing movies.[4] In 1924, she left the newspaper business behind (for a while, anyway) when she was hired on at Paramount's Betty Bronson unit to write scenarios.[5][6] One of her first screenplays was the 1925 adaptation of Alice Duer Miller's Saturday Evening Post story "Are Parents People?"[7] In 1926, she left Paramount to sign a contract with MGM.[8] She also worked for First National and Fox for a time.[9]

In 1926, she was charged by Allan Dwan to do an uncredited re-titling and re-editing of his film Summer Bachelors, and at this time became more interested in the idea of editing.[4] She continued writing and working on films through the end of the decade, working on scripts for films like The Joy Girl, Silk Legs, Syncopation, 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.[10] She also wrote plays like Apples in Eden during the 1940s.[11]

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.[12]

She died in Los Angeles on January 3, 1967. She had no children and never married.

Selected filmography

References
  1. Parsons, Louella O. (21 Dec 1954). "'Under the Sea' Film Stars Russell Simpson". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  2. "Frances Agnew Here". The Los Angeles Times. 6 May 1920. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  3. Frances Agnew; Frances May Scheuing (1913). Motion Picture Acting: How to Prepare for Photoplaying, what Qualifications are Necessary, how to Secure an Engagement, Salaries Paid to Photoplayers. Reliance Newspaper Syndicate.
  4. "Frances Agnew Returns". The Los Angeles Times. 27 Mar 1927. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  5. "In Filmland". The San Francisco Examiner. 2 Nov 1924. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  6. "Studio and Stage". The Los Angeles Times. 3 Jun 1925. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  7. "A Co-Starring Team of Interest". The Los Angeles Times. 16 Jan 1925. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  8. "Frances Agnew Signs on M-G-M Scenario Staff". The Los Angeles Times. 31 Jan 1926. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  9. "'Harold Teen' on Screen". The San Francisco Examiner. 7 Jun 1928. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  10. Agnew, Frances (5 Nov 1933). "What's Wrong with the Theatre in New York?". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  11. "Theatres". The San Francisco Examiner. 14 Jul 1941. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  12. "Woman Given $37,883 in Suit Against Doctor". The Los Angeles Times. 4 Jul 1953. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
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