F. McGrew Willis (August 18, 1891 – October 13, 1957) was an American screenwriter of the silent and early sound film eras. Born Frank McGrew Willis on August 18, 1891, in Pleasanton, Iowa,[1] he broke into the film industry writing film shorts in 1914 and 1915 as a freelance screenwriter. His first feature credit came in 1915, with The Quest,[2] the first of three features he would pen in 1915.[3] Over the next fourteen years he would write the scripts or stories for 43 silent films, three of which, The Girl in the Pullman (1927), Annapolis (1928), and A Blonde for a Night (1928), he also produced for either De Mille Pictures and/or Pathé Exchange.[4][5][6] He would also produce another three films in 1928. In 1929, and through the next 6 years of the blossoming talking picture era, he would write the screenplays or stories for another 18 films.[3] In the late 1930s he would work in England, where he scripted 6 films during the remainder of the decade.[7] His final screenwriting credit would come on 1941's Sis Hopkins, for which he wrote the story.[8] Willis died on October 13, 1957, in Menlo Park, California, and was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.[1]
F. McGrew Willis | |
|---|---|
 Working on Up in Mabel's Room (1926) | |
| Born | August 18, 1891 Pleasanton, Iowa, United States |
| Died | October 13, 1957 (aged 66) Menlo Park, California, United States |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
| Years active | 1919–1944 |
Filmography
editThe follow list is compiled from the American Film Institute and from period reviews and news items in various film-industry trade publications:[3][7][9]
- The Quest (1915)
- John o' the Mountains (1915)
- Tainted Money (1915)
- Business Is Business (1915)
- The Iron Hand (1916)
- The Beckoning Trail (1916)
- The Whirlpool of Destiny (1916)
- The Gay Lord Waring (1916)
- The Pool of Flame (1916)
- The Silent Battle (1916)
- The Way of the World (1916)
- The Book Agent (1917)
- The Flame of Youth (1917)
- To Honor and Obey (1917)
- American Methods (1917)
- Even As You and I (1917)
- The Bride's Awakening (1918)
- A Burglar for a Night (1918)
- The Empty Cab (1918)
- Modern Love (1918)
- The Velvet Hand (1918)
- $5,000 Reward (1918)
- Playthings (1918)
- The End of the Game (1919)
- The Pagan God (1919)
- His Divorced Wife (1919)
- The Phantom Melody (1920)
- The Common Sin (1920)
- Everyman's Price (1921)
- Oliver Twist, Jr. (1921)
- Her Temporary Husband (1923)
- The Light That Failed (1923)
- Reckless Romance (1924)
- Charley's Aunt (1925)
- Madame Behave (1925)
- The Midshipman (1925)
- The Million Dollar Handicap (1925)
- Welcome Home (1925)
- Almost a Lady (1926)
- For Wives Only (1926)
- The Winner (1926)
- The Nervous Wreck (1926)
- Up in Mabel's Room (1926)
- The Night Bride (1927)
- Getting Gertie's Garter (1927)
- The Girl in the Pullman (1927)
- Annapolis (1928)
- A Blonde for a Night (1928)
- Twin Beds (1929)
- Two Weeks Off (1929)
- Charley's Aunt (1930)
- The Costello Case (1930)
- The Big Gamble (1931)
- Suicide Fleet (1931)
- Meet the Wife (1931)
- The Forty-Niners (1932)
- The Gambling Sex (1932)
- The Fighting Gentleman (1932)
- Secret Sinners (1933)
- Kiss of Araby (1933)
- Midshipman Jack (1933)
- When a Man Rides Alone (1933)
- Keep 'Em Rolling (1934)
- Back Page (1934)
- Manhattan Butterfly (1935)
- It's a Small World (1935)
- The Man in the Mirror (1936)
- You Must Get Married (1936)
- Let's Make a Night of It (1937)
- Clothes and the Woman (1937)
- Premiere (1938)
- Murder in Soho (1939)
- Sis Hopkins (1941)
References
edit- ^ a b "Frank McGrew Willis". Find a Grave. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
- ^ "The Quest". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
- ^ a b c "F. McGrew Willis". American Film Institute. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
- ^ "The Girl in the Pullman". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
- ^ "Annapolis". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
- ^ "A Blonde for a Night". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
- ^ a b "F. McGrew Willis". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 20 July 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
- ^ "Sis Hopkins". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
- ^ "Notes From All Over", news item, Motography, December 18, 1915, p. 1301, col. 1. Internet Archive. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
