Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood (TV 2000)

This documentary, first shown on the Turner Classic Movies cable channel, tells of the life and career of screenwriter Frances Marion. By the mid 1920s, she was the most respected and ... See full summary »

Director:

Bridget Terry

Writers:

Cari Beauchamp (book), Bridget Terry

Stars:

Uma Thurman, Kathy Bates, Mary Lea Bandy

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Uma Thurman	...	Narrator (voice)
Kathy Bates	...	Frances Marion (voice)
Mary Lea Bandy	...	Herself
Cari Beauchamp	...	Herself
Kevin Brownlow	...	Himself
Jackie Cooper	...	Himself
Martha Coolidge	...	Herself
Fay Kanin	...	Herself
Callie Khouri	...	Herself
Martha Jenkins Lorah	...	Herself
Leonard Maltin	...	Himself
Polly Platt	...	Herself
Robin Swicord	...	Herself
Carson Thomson	...	Himself

Storyline

This documentary, first shown on the Turner Classic Movies cable channel, tells of the life and career of screenwriter Frances Marion. By the mid 1920s, she was the most respected and highest paid script writer in Hollywood. She also became the first person to win two Oscars for her work (for The Big House and The Champ).

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Plot Keywords:

hollywood | script writer | film industry | based on book | character name in title

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women in Hollywood

Filming Locations:

The Enchanted Hill - 1441 North Angelo Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chaise Lounge Productions LLC, UCLA Film and Television Archive

Technical Specs

Runtime:

56 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914)

User Reviews

Very Entertaining Doc

Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood (2000)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Turner Classic Movies documentary about screenwriter Frances Marion who was the highest paid writer in Hollywood for nearly three-decades. She got her big break by being the exclusive writer for Mary Pickford and after that she's go onto win two Oscars as well as write for nearly every major star working during that time. Her credits include THE BIG HOUSE, THE CHAMP, DINNER AT EIGHT, ANNA Christie and the silent masterpiece THE WIND. This documentary, narrated by Uma Thurman and Kathy Bates, does a great job at painting Hollywood during the silent era and into the early talkies. It was interesting learning how mostly women were working as writers and how much freedom they had as workers compared to how women were being treated throughout the rest of the country. I wasn't too familiar with Marion's personal life but hearing about the death of her actor husband was an interesting listen as were stories of her friendship with Pickford. The most fascinating part was how she would write screenplays for people she knew who needed the work. Fans of silent films will certainly want to watch this documentary, which gets shown on TCM once or twice a year.