Jan Isbell Fortune (December 5, 1892 – October 2, 1979) was an American journalist, novelist, and screenwriter known for scripting several Western films in the 1930s and 1940s. She also wrote for ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'' and ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...

'', among other publications, as well as several books.

Early life

Jan Isbell was born on December 5, 1892, in the back of a post office in

Wellington, Texas Wellington is a city and county seat of Collingsworth County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,189 at the 2010 census. History Sometime in 1889 or 1890, as smaller ranches and farmlands were being purchased, Ernest Theodore O'Neil, hi ...

. She was the first girl born in that town. As a child, she liked to write poetry and narrative, and was usually seen with a book. She graduated from Wellington High School in May 1910, in which she was part of the school's first graduating class. She later moved to Dallas with her mother and her sister Lucille. She had multiple jobs before she married her first husband, Joseph Byrd Fortune Jr., and they had four children.

Career

She began working for ''

'' in 1922. She worked at the newspaper for 15 years before quitting in 1937 and moving to Hollywood to pursue a career in film screenwriting. "I landed in Los Angeles with $3.87", she told reporters. "I read in a paper that

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

studio was going to make a picture based on the life of Sam Houston. So I went after the job." Upon arriving in Los Angeles, she and her daughter found themselves stealing food to survive. Eventually, she landed a contract with Republic Pictures before starting a career with

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

. Her work over the years appeared in publications such as ''

'', ''

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good House ...

'', and ''

Collier's ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Collie ...

''. She also wrote several books after she stopped writing for films, including a book about

Bonnie and Clyde Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The co ...

. She compiled and edited the memoirs of Emma Kraus Parker, mother of Bonnie Parker, in the 1934 book ''Fugitives: The true story of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker''. She wrote dramatic sketches about the history of Texas, which were broadcast on radio.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fortune, Jan 1892 births 1979 deaths 20th-century American novelists American newspaper journalists American women screenwriters American women novelists Journalists from Texas People from Wellington, Texas Screenwriters from Texas 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American journalists