Mary C. McCall Jr.Mary C. McCall Jr.

"Mary C. McCall Jr. was, according to studio head and frequent negotiating counterpart, Jack Warner, the "meanest woman in town." She was also the first woman elected president of the Screen Writers Guild, friends with Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart, enemies with RKO's Howard Hughes, and a victim of the Hollywood's anti-communist blacklist. During the and 1940s and early 1950s, McCall reigned as one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood and secured the first contract for the Screen Writers Guild, guaranteeing screenwriters a minimum wage, credit protection, and pay raises. Her work changed labor relations in Hollywood and throughout her career, she she built a network of strong, if not always like-minded Hollywood feminists who, for twenty years, fought for recognition and power in Hollywood. J. E. Smyth's biography tells the story of McCall's extraordinary life and her crucial but under-recognized impact on Hollywood. In addition to her work as President of the Screen Writers Guild, McCall was also a successful screenwriter, who specialized in films about women. Most notably, she wrote Maisie, which focused on a working-class woman and eventually became a successful franchise. Her tenure as president of the Screen Writers Guild came to an end when Hollywood producers destroyed her career after she stood up against Howard Hughes and RKO Pictues once the studio denied a suspected Communist writer credit on a film he wrote. McCall's colorful and compelling life and work offers a powerful reminder and model for how women shaped one of the most powerful cultural industries of the past century"-- Provided by publisher.