Frances Goodrich (born in Belleville, N.J.) attended private schools and became interested in dramatics while at Vassar Collage, Poughkeepsie, New York. After graduating with the B.A. degree in 1912 she studied for a time at the New York School of Social Service, but left to become an actress in Henry Miller’s productions. In 1924 she appeared in George Kelly’s play, The Show Off.
[Parrish, Vicki, “The American Stage Careers of Fredric March and Florence Eldridge.” (1995). LSU. 6042.]
For the summer of 1928, Goodrich joined the summer stock cast at Denver’s Elitch Theatre. Goodrich showed Albert Hackett — another actor in the summer stock cast — a script she had written, entitled Such A Lady, and they rewrote it together. This was the beginning of their collaboration.
[Parrish, Vicki, “The American Stage Careers of Fredric March and Florence Eldridge.” (1995). LSU. 6042.]
Goodrich and Hackett began writing together in 1928, both looking to leave acting for writing careers. Their nephew, David L. Goodrich, described their collaboration: “She was the organizer, the one who shouted at producers (in ladylike tones); he was the main creator of sparkling dialogue.” Their first project was a play called Western Union, Please, and their next play Up Pops the Devil premiered on Broadway in the fall of 1930, running for 148 performances at what is now the Golden theatre.
[https://www.theintervalny.com/features/2016/03/7-women-of-theatre-history-you-should-know/]
The Hacketts were married in 1931 and were soon swept off to Hollywood, where they made their screenwriting debut with “The Secret of Madame Blanche” in 1933. That was followed by a streak of hit movies, most of them for MGM: “The Thin Man” (1934) and two sequels; “Naughty Marietta” (1935), the film version of Eugene O’Neill’s “Ah! Wilderness” (1935), the movie version of the musical “Lady in the Dark” (1944), in 1946 both “The Virginian” and Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” (which they said they developed from a Christmas card), Irving Berlin’s “Easter Parade” (1948) and “In the Good Old Summertime” (1949).
[Gussow, Mel. “Albert Hackett, 95, Half of Prolific Drama Team.” New York Times, 18 Mar. 1995.]
“There isn’t anything glamorous about us. We just have the capacity for hard work, and it has paid off.” -Frances Goodrich
[https://www.theintervalny.com/features/2016/03/7-women-of-theatre-history-you-should-know/.]
Seasons at the Theatre
- 1928
Productions/Roles:
Notable Roles, Awards, and Other Work:
- Received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama with her husband in 1956 for The Diary of Anne Frank.
- Received Academy Award for Screenplay nominations for The Thin Man, After the Thin Man, Father of the Bride, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
- Won Writers Guild of America awards for Easter Parade (1949), Father’s Little Dividend (1951), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), and The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), as well as nominations for In the Good Old Summertime (1949), Father of the Bride (1950) and The Long, Long Trailer (1954).
Elitch Theatre Connections:
- Goodrich wrote the Thin Man films which starred alum Myrna Loy.
Wikipedia Link:
