Helen Logan
American screenwriter (1906–1989)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Helen Logan Reel (December 13, 1906 – January 15, 1989) was an American screenwriter active in Hollywood from 1935 to 1950.[1] She wrote screenplays with her partner (later husband) Robert Ellis.
Helen Logan | |
|---|---|
Helen Logan, from the 1927 UCLA yearbook | |
| Born | December 13, 1906 Los Angeles, California, US |
| Died | January 15, 1989 (age 82) Los Angeles, California, US |
| Other names | Helen Logan Reel |
| Education | University of California at Los Angeles |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
| Years active | 1935–1950 (film) |
| Spouse | Robert Ellis |
Early life and education
Helen Logan was born in Los Angeles, California, to William Edson Logan and Ida Jane Busick Logan.[2] She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1927,[3] and she was a charter member of the university's chapter of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority in 1925.[4]
Career
Logan began working at Fox as a script reader[3] before moving up the ranks to be a script clerk.[5][6] Eventually she wrote her own screenplays for Fox, working on two popular franchises, Charlie Chan[7] and the Jones Family. She also co-wrote the screenplay for a Shirley Temple movie, Susannah of the Mounties (1939).[8] Later she worked on wartime musical films, including Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943) with Alice Faye.[9][10][11]
Logan wrote many of her scripts in collaboration with writer-director-actor Robert Ellis. They began working with around 1934 and married at some point after 1940.[6] Ellis and Logan had separate contracts but made the same salary.[6]
Personal life
Logan married her longtime colleague Robert Ellis Reel in 1962, after decades together. In 1938, Ellis was sued by actress Vera Reynolds for $150,000; Reynolds alleged that Ellis had promised to marry her but instead took a trip to Mexico with Logan.[12][13] Ellis died in 1974,[14] and she died in 1989, in Los Angeles, at the age of 82.[15] Writing Chan, a video documentary about the Logan/Ellis writing team was produced in 2008, and included as extra content on a DVD box set of the Charlie Chan films.[16]
Selected filmography
- Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935)
- Ladies Love Danger (1935)
- The Lady in Scarlet (1935)[17]
- ¡Asegure a su Mujer! (Secure Your Wife) (1935)[18]
- Back to Nature (1936)
- Red Lights Ahead (1936)
- Footlights and Shadows (1936)
- Laughing at Trouble (1936)[7]
- Charlie Chan's Secret (1936)
- Charlie Chan at the Circus (1936)
- Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936)
- Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937)[7]
- Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1937)[7]
- Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937)[7]
- The Jones Family in Big Business (1937)[7]
- Born Reckless (1937)[7]
- Big Town Girl (1937)[7]
- Off to the Races (1937)[7]
- A Trip to Paris (1938)
- Rascals (1938)[19]
- Too Busy to Work (1939)[20]
- Charlie Chan in City in Darkness (1939)
- Susannah of the Mounties (1939)
- The Man Who Wouldn't Talk (1940)
- Star Dust (1940)[19]
- Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
- A Right to the Heart (1941)[21]
- The Great American Broadcast (1941)
- Iceland (1942)
- Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)[9][22]
- Pin Up Girl (1944)
- Something for the Boys (1944)[10]
- Four Jills in a Jeep (1944)[23]
- Greenwich Village (1944)[24]
- Do You Love Me? (1946)[22][25]
- I'll Get By (1950, story)[11]
