Anne Froelick
Encyclopedia
Anne Froelick Taylor was an American
screenwriter
from 1941 to 1950, and later a playwright and novelist. Her screenwriting career ended when she was identified as a communist by two witnesses at a hearing before the HUAC.
Anne Froelick was born in Hinsdale, Massachusetts
, but her family moved to Princeton, New Jersey
when she was a child. She briefly attended Smith College before moving to New York City
at the age of 19 to try to start an acting career. Beginning in her career in 1938, Taylor was onetime model
and actress in New York City, Taylor began her writing career while serving as secretary to Howard Koch
, then a writer for Orson Welles
' The Mercury Theatre on the Air. Taylor assisted Koch on his adaptation of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds
which made radio history when it was broadcast that same year.
When Koch went to work as a writer at Warner Bros.
, he wanted the studio to hire Taylor as a writer. After helping Koch on the psychological themes and rewriting some of the scenes for his screenplay for The Letter
, Warner Bros. signed Taylor to a writing contract. Her first screen credit was the 1941 drama Shining Victory
, which she co-wrote with Koch. Her screenwriting credits followed: The Master Race, Miss Susie Slagle's, Easy Come, Easy Go, and Harriet Craig
.
Taylor was involved in causes such as fighting fascism
and promoting unions
and desegregation
, which reportedly had led her to join the Communist Party
. In 1951, Taylor's party membership caused her husband, Philip Taylor, to lose his job as a manufacturing planner at Lockheed
. She continued to try to make a living as a writer using her married name. She wrote four plays that were produced locally, including Storm in the Sun. Along with that, she co-wrote a comic novel, Press on Regardless, with Fern Mosk, which was published by Simon & Schuster
in 1956.
Anne Froelick Taylor died of natural causes on January 26, 2010, aged 96, in a nursing home in Los Angeles.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
from 1941 to 1950, and later a playwright and novelist. Her screenwriting career ended when she was identified as a communist by two witnesses at a hearing before the HUAC.
Anne Froelick was born in Hinsdale, Massachusetts
Hinsdale, Massachusetts
Hinsdale is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, but her family moved to Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
when she was a child. She briefly attended Smith College before moving to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at the age of 19 to try to start an acting career. Beginning in her career in 1938, Taylor was onetime model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
and actress in New York City, Taylor began her writing career while serving as secretary to Howard Koch
Howard Koch (screenwriter)
Howard E. Koch was an American playwright and screenwriter who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s.-Early Years:...
, then a writer for Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
' The Mercury Theatre on the Air. Taylor assisted Koch on his adaptation of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds (radio)
The War of the Worlds was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was performed as a Halloween episode of the series on October 30, 1938, and aired over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network. Directed and narrated by actor and future filmmaker...
which made radio history when it was broadcast that same year.
When Koch went to work as a writer at Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, he wanted the studio to hire Taylor as a writer. After helping Koch on the psychological themes and rewriting some of the scenes for his screenplay for The Letter
The Letter (1940 film)
The Letter is a 1940 American film noir directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Howard Koch is based on the 1927 play of the same name by W. Somerset Maugham, originally filmed in 1929.-Plot:...
, Warner Bros. signed Taylor to a writing contract. Her first screen credit was the 1941 drama Shining Victory
Shining Victory
Shining Victory is a 1941 film based on the play, Jupiter Laughs, by A. J. Cronin. It stars James Stephenson, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Donald Crisp, and Barbara O'Neil, and it was the first film directed by Irving Rapper. Bette Davis makes a brief cameo appearance as a nurse in the film.-Plot...
, which she co-wrote with Koch. Her screenwriting credits followed: The Master Race, Miss Susie Slagle's, Easy Come, Easy Go, and Harriet Craig
Harriet Craig
Harriet Craig is a 1950 Columbia Pictures film starring Joan Crawford. The screenplay by Anne Froelick and James Gunn was based upon a 1925 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by George Kelly. The film was directed by Vincent Sherman and produced by William Dozier...
.
Taylor was involved in causes such as fighting fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
and promoting unions
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
and desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
, which reportedly had led her to join the Communist Party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
. In 1951, Taylor's party membership caused her husband, Philip Taylor, to lose his job as a manufacturing planner at Lockheed
Lockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
. She continued to try to make a living as a writer using her married name. She wrote four plays that were produced locally, including Storm in the Sun. Along with that, she co-wrote a comic novel, Press on Regardless, with Fern Mosk, which was published by Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
in 1956.
Anne Froelick Taylor died of natural causes on January 26, 2010, aged 96, in a nursing home in Los Angeles.