Winifred Dunn 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. ...

, editor, radio scenario writer, and art critic in the early 20th century. She was one of the youngest scenario editors of the silent era and was credited with writing over 40 productions.Hansen, James. "Winifred Dunn." In Jane Gaines, Radha Vatsal, and Monica Dall'Asta, eds. Women Film Pioneers Project. Center for Digital Research and Scholarship. New York, NY: Columbia University Libraries, 2013. Web. September 27, 2013.Imperato, Pascal James., and Eleanor M. Imperato. ''They Married Adventure: The Wandering Lives of Martin and Osa Johnson''. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 1992. Print.

Early life

Born around 1898, Winifred Dunn spent her childhood on an island at Squirrel Lake,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

.Motion Picture News, Inc. ''Motion Picture News Booking Guide and Studio Directory (Oct 1927)''. N.p.: New York, Motion Picture News, 1927. Print. Coming from a family of writers, Dunn made her decision to be a writer at the age of 6. She moved out to

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, at a young age,"Scenario Editor at Metro. Youngest Chief Is to Take Charge." ''Los Angeles Times'' (10 Feb. 1923). starting a career that would lead her to be one of the youngest scenario editors in the film industry.

Career

At the age of 18, Winifred Dunn wrote her first film, ''

Too Late Too Late may refer to: Film and theatre *'' Too Late (1914 film)'', American film written by Winifred Dunn * ''Too Late'' (1996 film), a Romanian film * ''Too Late'' (2000 film), a Portuguese film * ''Too Late'' (2015 film), an American film * ' ...

'', which launched her formal writing career with the production company

Selig Polyscope The Selig Polyscope Company was an American motion picture company that was founded in 1896 by William Selig in Chicago. The company produced hundreds of early, widely distributed commercial moving pictures, including the first films starring Tom ...

. Her talent for writing and formatting entertainment pieces became apparent when Dunn translated a German play into English, as well as formatted the production aspects to fit a natural setting on the American stage. Sparrows poster

In 1921, Dunn made the big move out to Hollywood to continue the expansion of her career with Sawyer-Lubin Productions."New Combine To Start Work Soon." ''Los Angeles Times'' (25 May 1924). It was there that her 1922 production of ''

Quincy Adams Sawyer ''Quincy Adams Sawyer'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Clarence G. Badger. Distributed by Metro Pictures, the film is written by Bernard McConville, based on the 1900 novel ''Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks'', wr ...

'' (1922) was edited and titled, and also where she wrote a screen adaptation of ''Your Friend and Mine'' (1923) by Willard Mack. In February 1923, Dunn began a new position with

Metro Pictures Metro Pictures Corporation was a Film, motion picture production company founded in early 1915 in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a forerunner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The company produced its films in New York, Los Angeles, and sometimes at leas ...

, later known as Metro Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, with formal tasks of a scenario editor. It wasn't long before Dunn was known as one of the "busiest scenario editors in Hollywood." A 1924 story in ''The Los Angeles Times'' quotes Dunn encouraging other writers to read many newspapers in order to "keep a metaphorical finger on the pulse of life everywhere." With her quickly growing popularity, Dunn was recruited by actress

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

in 1925 to work collaboratively on future projects. The first collaboration of Dunn and Pickford was the 1926 hit ''

Sparrows Sparrow may refer to: Birds * Old World sparrows, family Passeridae * New World sparrows, family Passerellidae * two species in the Passerine family Estrildidae: ** Java sparrow ** Timor sparrow * Hedge sparrow, also known as the dunnock or hed ...

''. The role played by Pickford was out of the ordinary for her often lighthearted work, and therefore was a significant driver for its success. The film was later criticized for copyright issues by

Harry Hyde Harry Hyde (January 17, 1925 – May 13, 1996) was a leading crew chief in NASCAR stock car racing in the 1960s through the 1980s, winning 56 races and 88 pole positions. He was the 1970 championship crew chief for Bobby Isaac. He inspired t ...

, who claimed the plot of ''Sparrows'' was eerily similar to his film ''

The Cry of the Children ''The Cry of the Children'' is a 1912 American silent short drama film directed by George Nichols for the Thanhouser Company. The production, based on the poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning about child labor, stars Marie Eline, Ethel Wright, a ...

'', and sued both Dunn and Pickford for $100,000. This was also the year Dunn's film ''

Twinkletoes ''Twinkletoes'' is a 1926 American silent film, silent romantic drama film directed by Charles Brabin and starring Colleen Moore. The film, as with most of Moore's vehicles at this time, was produced by her husband John McCormick (producer), Jo ...

'' was released. Dunn had tough competition for her production of ''Twinkletoes'' to be performed by famous actress

Colleen Moore Colleen Moore (born Kathleen Morrison; August 19, 1899 – January 25, 1988) was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era. Moore became one of the most fashionable (and highly-paid) stars of the era and helped po ...

.Codori, Jeff. ''Colleen Moore: A Biography of the Silent Film Star''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2012. Print. Based on the Thomas Burke book ''Twinkletoes: A Tale of the Limehouse'', Dunn had to dig deep into her creative mind to create a film story that fit Moore, while staying relatively true to the original narrative. Dunn beat out the competition and production began a few weeks later. Toward the close of 1926, Dunn signed a contract for long-term employment of writing scenarios with

First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

. It was here that she wrote the scenario for ''

The Patent Leather Kid ''The Patent Leather Kid'' is a 1927 American silent drama film about a self-centered boxer who performs a heroic act in World War I that severely wounds him. It was directed by Alfred Santell and stars Richard Barthelmess, Molly O'Day, Lawfo ...

''."Woman's Right Script Raises Big Question." ''Los Angeles Times'' (6 Mar. 1927). To prepare for this assignment, she sat at a boxing ring every Friday night to gain a feel for what the production should be like. In April 1928, Dunn resigned from First National in order to pursue writing pieces with "more sentiment and less sentimentality.""Scenarist Aids Olympic Games." ''Los Angeles Times'' (8 Apr. 1928). Dunn remained a freelance writer into the sound era and continued her talents through other mediums as well. Dunn was hired to ghostwrite

Osa Johnson Martin Elmer Johnson (October 9, 1884 – January 13, 1937) and Osa Helen Johnson (née Leighty, March 14, 1894 – January 7, 1953) were married American adventurers and documentary filmmakers. In the first half of the 20th century the coupl ...

's autobiography, ''I Married Adventure: The Lives and Adventures of Martin and Osa Johnson'', which was released in 1940. Dunn applied her own spin to the facts found through extensive interviews and research of the story so readers could easily get "swept away." After its release, the book took off, selling 288,000 copies in the first eight months.

Achievements

Dunn was of the youngest scenario editors in the film industry. In April 1928, Dunn took on the duties of chairman of the Women's Executive Committee of the Southern California Olympic Games. Later that year, Dunn was inducted into the writer's executive committee for the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

as the only female, and also served as a member of the Executive Board for the Writer's Guild.

Personal life

In December 1928, Winifred Dunn announced her marriage to Harold Swartz, a successful sculptor."Scenarist Bride Of Sculptor." ''Los Angeles Times'' (21 Dec. 1928). The ceremony was held in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, and Dunn's mother was present. Contrary to popular norms of the time, Dunn did not let her marriage stop her career and continued to work as a freelance writer. After Dunn filed for divorce against Swartz in May 1942,"Divorce Actions." The Palm Beach Post (May. 1942) records of her life stopped appearing in periodicals for public viewing.

Filmography

Winifred Dunn has been credited as a screenwriter in 41 productions, as editor in three, and both screenwriter and editor in two.

Screenwriter

* ''Too Late'', 1914 * ''Out of the Depths'', 1914 * ''And the Children Pay'', 1918 * ''Peg o' the Sea'', 1918 * ''Human Passions'', 1919 * ''It Happened In Paris'', 1919 * ''The Red Viper'', 1919 * '' Thunderbolts of Fate'', 1919 * ''Your Wife and Mine'', 1919 * ''Garments of Truth'', 1921 * '' Silent Years'' (1921) * ''

The Glory of Clementina ''The Glory of Clementina'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Emile Chautard and starring Pauline Frederick, Edward Martindel and George Cowl.Munden p.298 It is based on the 1911 novel '' The Glory of Clementina Wing'' by British a ...

'', 1922 * ''Little Eva Ascends'', 1922 * '' Two Kinds of Women'', 1922 * ''

When Love Comes ''When Love Comes'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Helen Jerome Eddy, Harrison Ford and Fanny Midgley.Munden p.885 Cast * Helen Jerome Eddy as Jane Coleridge * Harrison Ford as Peter Jamison * Fa ...

'', 1922 * '' Held To Answer'', 1923 * '' In Search of a Thrill'', 1923 * ''

Stormswept ''Stormswept'' is a 1923 silent film starring brothers Wallace Beery and Noah Beery. The advertising phrase used for the movie was "Wallace and Noah Beery, The Two Greatest Character Actors on the American Screen." The film was written by Winif ...

(Wreckage)'', 1923 * ''

The Eagle's Feather ''The Eagle's Feather'' is a 1923 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by Edward Sloman and starring James Kirkwood, Sr., James Kirkwood and Mary Alden. It was produced and distributed by Metro Pictures. Cast Pr ...

'', 1923 * ''

The Fog ''The Fog'' is a 1980 American supernatural horror film directed by John Carpenter, who also co-wrote the screenplay and created the music for the film. It stars Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Janet Leigh and Hal Holbrook. It ...

'', 1923 * ''

The Man Life Passed By ''The Man Life Passed By'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Percy Marmont, Jane Novak, and Eva Novak. The Novak sisters portray two sisters in the film. Plot As described in a film magazine revie ...

'' (1923) * ''

Your Friend and Mine ''Your Friend and Mine'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Clarence G. Badger and starring Enid Bennett, Huntley Gordon, and Willard Mack. It is based upon the play of the same name by Mack. Cast Preservation With no prints of ...

'', 1923 * ''

Along Came Ruth ''Along Came Ruth'' is a 1924 American comedy film starring Viola Dana. The film was directed by Edward F. Cline and written by Winifred Dunn, based on Holman Francis Day's play of the same name, itself based on the play '' La Demoiselle de mag ...

'', 1924 * ''

The Shooting of Dan McGrew "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" is a narrative poem by British-Canadian writer Robert W. Service, first published in '' The Songs of a Sourdough'' in 1907 in Canada. Details The tale takes place in a Yukon saloon during the Yukon Gold Rush of th ...

'', 1924 (with

Barbara La Marr Barbara La Marr (born Reatha Dale Watson; July 28, 1896 – January 30, 1926) was an American film actress and screenwriter who appeared in twenty-seven films during her career between 1920 and 1926. La Marr was also noted by the medi ...

) * '' Sandra'', 1924 (uncredited; with Arthur H. Sawyer and Barbara La Marr) * ''

'', 1926 * ''

Lonesome Ladies ''Lonesome Ladies'' is a 1927 American comedy film directed by Joseph Henabery and written by Winifred Dunn. The film stars Lewis Stone, Anna Q. Nilsson, Jane Winton, Doris Lloyd, Edward Martindel and Fritzi Ridgeway. The film was released on ...

'', 1927 * ''

The Drop Kick ''The Drop Kick'' (also known as ''Glitter'' in the UK) is a 1927 silent film directed by Millard Webb written by Katherine Brush about a college football player (Richard Barthelmess). It was one of the early films of John Wayne who was only a ...

'', 1927 * ''

The Tender Hour ''The Tender Hour'' is a 1927 American romantic drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice, written by Winifred Dunn, and starring Billie Dove, Ben Lyon, Montagu Love, Alec B. Francis, Constantine Romanoff, and Laska Winter. It was released on ...

'', 1927 * ''Adoration'', 1928 * ''Submarine'', 1928 * ''Mamba'', 1930 * ''Free Love'', 1930 * '' Mother's Millions'', 1931 * ''

The Impatient Maiden ''The Impatient Maiden'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by James Whale, starring Lew Ayres and Mae Clarke, and released by Universal Pictures. The screenplay was written by Richard Schayer and Winifred Dunn, based on the novel ...

'', 1932 * ''

I Have Lived ''I Have Lived'' is a 1933 American drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Alan Dinehart, Anita Page and Allen Vincent.Pitts p.93 Plot A playwright discovers an actress to star in his latest play, unaware of her secret background. ...

'', 1933 * ''Rainbow over Broadway'', 1933 * ''

Las fronteras del amor ''Las fronteras del amor'' is a 1934 American Spanish language romance film directed by Frank Strayer, which stars José Mojica, Rosita Moreno, and Rafael Corio. The screenplay was written by Winifred Dunn and Miguel de Zárraga, from a screenpl ...

'' (1934) * ''

I Give My Love ''I Give My Love'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by Karl Freund and written by Doris Anderson and Milton Krims. The film stars Paul Lukas, Wynne Gibson, Eric Linden, Anita Louise, John Darrow and Dorothy Appleby. The film was released ...

'', 1934

Editor

* ''

'', 1922 * '' Man and Woman'', 1920 * ''

The Beauty Prize ''The Beauty Prize'' is a musical comedy in three acts, with music by Jerome Kern, book and lyrics by George Grossmith and P. G. Wodehouse. It was first produced by Grossmith and J A E Malone on 5 September 1923 at the Winter Garden Theatre, ...

'', 1924

Screenwriter and Editor

* ''Human Passions'', 1919 * ''It Happened In Paris'', 1919

References

External links

*
Women Film Pioneers Project
Columbia University) {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Winifred 1898 births 1977 deaths People from Chicago American women screenwriters American art critics People from Oneida County, Wisconsin Women film pioneers American women non-fiction writers Screenwriters from Illinois American women film editors American film editors 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American screenwriters