Frank Fenton (writer)
| Frank E. Fenton | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Frank Edgington Fenton February 13, 1903  Liverpool, England
|
| Died | August 23, 1971 (aged 68) Los Angeles, California
|
| Spouse(s) | June Martel (1941-1943) Mary Jane Hodge (1945-1957) |
Frank Edgington Fenton (February 13, 1903 - August 23, 1971) was an English-born but American-bred writer of screenplays, short stories, magazine articles, and novels.
In the fall of 1934, Fenton co-wrote an original story, “Dinky,” with John Fante, which they soon sold to Warner Bros. Studios on the strength of the latter’s exaggerated resume. Within five years, Fenton’s partner would write the classic novel, Ask the Dust, but at the time he was just another fledgling screenwriter and novelist. In 1935, Fenton began working with another friend with writing ambitions. Lynn Root, an acting protégé of Antoinette Perry, had four Broadway roles under his belt, and the two chose to collaborate on a play of their own.
“Stork Mad” premiered at Broadway’s Ambassador Theater on September 30, 1936. The show, which starred the comically taciturn Percy Kilbride, met with tepid reviews and closed after five performances. The two wrote one other play, “It’s a Cinch,” which remained un-produced. But the ever-resilient pair reworked “Stork Mad” and shopped it to Twentieth Century-Fox, who bought it as a vehicle for child-star Jane Withers.
Following their initial success on juvenile scripts for Withers and others, the two expanded into screwball comedy (Woman Chases Man, Keep Smiling), intrigue (International Settlement and While New York Sleeps) and happy hokum (Down on the Farm). They also provided two scripts for both the Saint (The Saint in London and The Saint Takes Over) and Falcon (The Gay Falcon and A Date with the Falcon) series pictures. Both series starred George Sanders.
From 1937 to 1946, Fenton and Root partnered on twenty-one film projects for Twentieth Century-Fox, Goldwyn, RKO and MGM.
In 1938, Fenton branched out into magazine writing, penning a total of nine short stories for Collier's in just over a two-year period (see "Short Stories" in "Selected Bibliography" below). He also wrote what many consider to be a classic (and satirically biting) look at the way "original stories" and screenplays were produced in Hollywood in an article for The American Mercury. During these years, Fenton could be found in one of three primary places: behind his typewriter, out on the town with his writer friends (often in the back room of Musso & Frank's restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard), or on a golf course.
On July 29, 1942, Fenton’s debut novel, “A Place in the Sun,” was published by Random House to positive reaction on both coasts. This from The New York Times:
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