Helen Logan (December 13, 1906 – January 15, 1989) was an American

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

active from 1935 to 1950.

Biography

Helen Logan was born in Los Angeles, California, to William Edson Logan and Ida Jane Busick. She attended the

University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

and then went to work at Fox as a script reader before moving up the ranks to be a script clerk. Eventually she began writing her own screenplays for Fox, working on two popular franchises, ''

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was conceived as an alter ...

'' and the

Jones Family The Jones Family film series is seventeen 20th Century Fox second feature family comedies produced between 1936 and 1940. Somewhat similar to the mildly comic tone of MGM's '' Andy Hardy'' and Columbia Pictures '' Blondie'' films, the Joneses st ...

. Later she worked on wartime

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

s. She wrote many of her scripts in collaboration with writer-director-actor Robert Ellis, who she began working with around 1934 and married at some point after 1940. In fact, in 1938, Ellis was sued by actress

Vera Reynolds Vera Reynolds (born Vera Nancy Reynolds; November 25, 1899 – April 22, 1962) was an American film actress. Early life and career Born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1899, Reynolds first worked in films at age 12. She began as a dancer, worke ...

for $150,000; Reynolds alleged that Ellis had promised to marry her but instead took a trip to Mexico with Logan. Ellis and Logan had separate contracts but made the same salary.

Selected filmography

* ''

Charlie Chan in Egypt ''Charlie Chan in Egypt'' is the eighth of 16 20th Century Fox Charlie Chan films starring Warner Oland in the title role. It was released in 1935. Plot Charlie Chan is brought in when an archaeologist disappears while excavating ancient art t ...

'' (1935) * ''

Ladies Love Danger ''Ladies Love Danger'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and written by Samson Raphaelson, Robert Ellis and Helen Logan. The film stars Mona Barrie, Gilbert Roland, Donald Cook, Adrienne Ames, Hardie Albright a ...

'' (1935) * ''

Back to Nature Back to nature or return to nature is a philosophy or style of living which emphasises closeness to nature, rather than artifice and civilisation. In this, the rustic customs and pastoralism of country life are preferred to urban fashion and so ...

'' (1936) * ''

Red Lights Ahead ''Red Lights Ahead'' is a 1936 American film directed by Roland D. Reed. It was the last film released by the Poverty Row studio Chesterfield Pictures before it became part of Republic Pictures. Plot A family evening situation with quarreling ...

'' (1936) * '' Footlights and Shadows'' (1936) * ''

Charlie Chan's Secret ''Charlie Chan's Secret'' is a 1936 American mystery film directed by Gordon Wiles and starring Warner Oland, Henrietta Crosman and Rosina Lawrence. It is the tenth film in Fox's Charlie Chan series featuring Oland as the detective. Plot Cha ...

'' (1936) * ''

Charlie Chan at the Circus ''Charlie Chan at the Circus'' is the 11th film produced by Fox starring Warner Oland as Charlie Chan. A seemingly harmless family outing drags a vacationing Chan into a murder investigation. The film's sets were designed by the art director Dun ...

'' (1936) * ''

Charlie Chan at the Race Track ''Charlie Chan at the Race Track'' is the 12th film in the 20th Century Fox-produced Charlie Chan series starring Warner Oland in the title role. Plot When a prominent racehorse owner winds up dead-allegedly kicked to death by his prized stall ...

'' (1936) * ''

Charlie Chan at the Olympics ''Charlie Chan at the Olympics'' (1937) is possibly the most topical Charlie Chan film, as it features actual footage from the 1936 Berlin Olympics. There is also a scene where Charlie crosses the Atlantic in the '' Hindenburg.'' This is the 14th ...

'' (1937) * ''

The Jones Family in Big Business ''Big Business'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Jed Prouty, Shirley Deane and Spring Byington. It was part of Twentieth Century Fox's Jones Family series of films.Drew p.180 The film's art direction was b ...

'' (1937) * ''

A Trip to Paris ''A Trip to Paris'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair and starring Jed Prouty, Shirley Deane and Spring Byington.Drew p.180 It was part of the Jones Family series of films. In the film, the family take a vacation to Pa ...

'' (1938) * ''

Charlie Chan in City in Darkness ''City in Darkness'', also known as ''Charlie Chan in City in Darkness'' is a 1939 American drama film directed by Herbert I. Leeds and starring Sidney Toler, Lynn Bari, and Richard Clark. It is one of the films in the Charlie Chan film series, ...

'' (1939) * '' The Man Who Wouldn't Talk'' (1940) * ''

Sun Valley Serenade ''Sun Valley Serenade'' is a 1941 musical film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller, Milton Berle, and Lynn Bari. It features the Glenn Miller Orchestra as well as dancing by the Nicholas Brothers. ...

'' (1941) * ''

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

'' (1942) * ''

Hello, Frisco, Hello ''Hello, Frisco, Hello'' is a 1943 American musical film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Alice Faye, John Payne, Lynn Bari, and Jack Oakie. The film was made in Technicolor and released by 20th Century-Fox. This was one of the last ...

'' (1943) * '' Pin Up Girl'' (1944) * ''

Something for the Boys ''Something for the Boys'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields. Produced by Mike Todd, the show opened on Broadway in 1943 and starred Ethel Merman in her fifth Cole Porter musical. P ...

'' (1944) * ''

Four Jills in a Jeep ''Four Jills in a Jeep'' is a 1944 American comedy-drama musical film starring Kay Francis, Carole Landis, Martha Raye, and Mitzi Mayfair as themselves, re-enacting their USO tour of Europe and North Africa during World War II. Production The wo ...

'' (1944)

References

Bibliography

* Solomon, Aubrey. ''The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography''. McFarland, 2011.

External links

* * 1906 births 1989 deaths American women screenwriters 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American screenwriters Screenwriters from California Writers from Los Angeles University of California, Los Angeles alumni {{US-screen-writer-stub