Frances Goodrich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frances Goodrich
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Goodrich with her husband Albert Hackett
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| Born | December 21, 1890 Belleville, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Died | January 29, 1984 (aged 93) New York City, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Vassar College New York School of Social Work |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
| Spouse(s) |
Robert Ames
(m. 1917; div. 1923)Albert Hackett
(m. 1931) |
| Relatives | Henry Demarest Lloyd (uncle) |
Frances Goodrich (born December 21, 1890 – died January 29, 1984) was a talented American writer. She was an actress, a playwright, and a screenwriter. She is most famous for working with her husband, Albert Hackett.
Together, Frances and Albert won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1956. They earned this award for their play The Diary of Anne Frank. This famous play first opened in 1955.
Contents
Early Life & Education
Frances Goodrich was born in Belleville, New Jersey. She was the second of five children in her family. When she was two years old, her family moved to Nutley, New Jersey.
Frances went to Collegiate School in Passaic, New Jersey. She then graduated from Vassar College in 1912. After college, she studied at the New York School of Social Work from 1912 to 1913. However, she decided to leave to become an actress.
Becoming an Actress
Frances Goodrich started her acting career at the Players Club in New York City. Later, she performed in stock theater in Northampton, Massachusetts.
She acted in several plays on Broadway, which is a famous theater district. Some of her Broadway roles included Perkins (1918) and Daddy Long Legs (1918). She also appeared in Fashions for Men (1922) and Queen Victoria (1923). Later, she acted in A Good Bad Woman (1925) and Skin Deep (1927). Her last Broadway role was in Excess Baggage (1927).
Writing Career & Teamwork
In the summer of 1928, Frances Goodrich joined a theater group in Denver. There, she met Albert Hackett. Frances showed Albert a play she had written called Such A Lady. They decided to rewrite it together. This was the start of their amazing teamwork.
After they got married, Frances and Albert moved to Hollywood. They began writing screenplays for movies. Their first big movie script was for Up Pops the Devil for Paramount Pictures.
Working with MGM Studios
In 1933, Frances and Albert signed a contract with MGM, a major movie studio. They worked there until 1939. One of their first jobs was writing the script for The Thin Man (1934).
The director, W.S. Van Dyke, told them to use the book by Dashiell Hammett as a guide. He wanted them to focus on creating funny and clever conversations. These conversations were for the main characters, Nick and Nora Charles. William Powell and Myrna Loy played these roles.
The Thin Man became a huge hit. People loved the script because it showed a modern couple in a very real way.
Award-Winning Scripts
Frances and Albert were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay four times. These nominations were for:
- The Thin Man (1934)
- After the Thin Man (1936)
- Father of the Bride (1950)
- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1955)
They also won several Writers Guild of America awards for their screenplays. These awards were for:
- Easter Parade (1949)
- Father's Little Dividend (1951)
- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
- The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
They also wrote other well-known films. These include Another Thin Man (1939) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946).
The Diary of Anne Frank Play
One of their most important achievements was writing the play The Diary of Anne Frank. This play won them the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It tells the true story of a young girl hiding during World War II.
Personal Life
Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett first met in 1928. They were both acting in a summer theater group at Elitch Theatre. They got married in 1931. Frances and Albert stayed married for the rest of her life.
Frances Goodrich's uncle was Henry Demarest Lloyd. He was a famous writer known for exposing problems in society.
