Frances Hyland (screenwriter)
# Frances Hyland (screenwriter)

Frances Hyland (born Frances C. Moore) was an American screenwriter active between the late 1920s and the late 1940s. She was the first woman hired as a "gagman" at a film studio, and she wrote dozens of comedic scripts over the course of her career.

## Biography

Hyland was born in Arkansas, the daughter of William C. Moore and Aura Lee Dickey. Her father was the editor of the local newspaper; he would later move to California and edit The Hueneme Harbor Bulletin.

In 1926, she became the first woman to be hired by Universal as a "gagman" (comedy writer). She later worked for Tiffany Pictures. She continued to work steadily throughout the 1930s and 1940s, producing scripts for well-received films like The Sin of Nora Moran, A Shriek in the Night, and In Old California.

She was married to filmmaker Albert Ray until his death. Her date of death and final resting place are unknown.

## Selected filmography

* In Old Sacramento (1946)
* Murder in the Music Hall (1946)
* The Cheaters (1945)
* Someone to Remember (1943)
* In Old California (1942)
* You're Telling Me (1942)
* Girl from Avenue A (1940)
* Free, Blonde and 21 (1940)
* The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1939)
* Charlie Chan in Reno (1939)
* Winner Take All (1939)
* Everybody's Baby (1939)
* Keep Smiling (1938)
* Island in the Sky (1938)
* City Girl (1938)
* 45 Fathers (1937)
* Under Your Spell (1936)
* Star for a Night (1936)
* The Crime of Dr. Forbes (1936)
* My Marriage (1936)
* Thunder in the Night (1935)
* Smart Girl (1935)
* Helldorado (1935)
* Money Means Nothing (1934)
* A Woman's Man (1934)
* The Sin of Nora Morgan (1933)
* A Shriek in the Night (1933)
* The Intruder (1933)
* Officer Thirteen (1932)
* Guilty or Not Guilty (1932)
* The Thirteenth Guest (1932)
* Deceit (1932)
* Morals for Women (1931)
* Two Men and a Maid (1929)
* The Voice Within (1929)
* Painted Faces (1929)
* Marriage by Contract (1928)
* The Power of Silence (1928)
* The Grain of Dust (1928)
* The House of Scandal (1928)
* Women's Wares (1927)
