Ethel Hill
Ethel Hill (April 6, 1898, Sacramento, California – May 17, 1954, Hollywood, California) was an American screenwriter and race horse owner.[1][2][3]
When Dore Schary first went to work for Columbia Pictures as a new screenwriter, he was paired with the veteran Hill to learn from her; together, they wrote the screenplay for Fury of the Jungle (1933).[4] Hill was described by Marc Norman in his book What Happens Next: A History of American Screenwriting as "an extremely dear and generous woman [who] had an interest in horses and often wore jodhpurs and riding gear to the studio."[4] Perhaps her best known film is The Little Princess (1939), starring Shirley Temple.
Hill bought the Thoroughbred race horse War Knight, a son of Preakness winner High Quest, as a foal "with her $1500 life savings".[5] He went on to win 10 of 28 starts,[5] including the 1944 Arlington Handicap.[2] He was injured in 1945 and did not win any of his five 1946 starts[5] leading up to the $100,000 added Santa Anita Handicap, which he proceeded to win in a photo finish.[1][3] He retired to stud afterward.[5]
Partial filmography
- As screenwriter, unless otherwise indicated.
- The Level (1914 short)
- Dollar Down (1925)
- Virtue (1932, story)
- Fury of the Jungle (1933)
- Whirlpool (1934)
- Side Streets (1934, story)
- Blind Date (1934)
- Party Wire (1935)
- The Public Menace (1935)
- More Than a Secretary (1936, story)
- When You're in Love (1937, story)
- It Happened in Hollywood (1937)
- Just Around the Corner (1938)
- The Little Princess (1939)
- Maryland (1940)
- Small Town Deb (1941)
- Maisie Gets Her Man (1942)
- In Old Oklahoma (1943)
- The Fighting Seabees (1945, uncredited contributing writer)
- Twice Blessed (1945)
- Two Smart People (1946)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "80,200 See War Knight Win Santa Anita Handicap". Chicago Sunday Tribune. Associated Press. March 10, 1946.
Charging into the lead in the last few strides, War Knight, 6 year old bay horse owned by Miss Ethel Hill, Hollywood scenario writer, won the $100,000 added Santa Anita Handicap in a photo finish.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Movie Magnates Eye Easy Dough". Salt Lake Tribune. Associated Press. December 23, 1945 – via Newspapers.com.
Screenwriter Ethel Hill plans to mop up with War Knight, winner of the Arlington Handicap in 1944
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jimmie Fidler (April 7, 1946). "Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood". Monroe Morning World – via Newspapers.com.
Ha! Screen-Writer Ethel Hill, whose nag won the $100,000 Santa Anita Handicap, had to change her phone number to escape from too-insistent salesmen!
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Norman, Marc (October 8, 2008). What Happens Next: A History of American Screenwriting. Crown Publishing Group. p. 136. ISBN 0307450201. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Morton Cathro (March 2, 2005). "Hollywood Ending". bloodhorse.com. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
External links
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