Marion Orth

Marion Orth (December 5, 1900 – December 1, 1984) was an American screenwriter of the silent and sound eras of Hollywood. She was a frequent collaborator of director Lois Weber.

Marion Orth
Born	Marion F. Smidl December 5, 1900 Illinois, USA
Died	December 1, 1984(1984-12-01) (aged 83) California, USA
Occupation	Screenwriter
Years active	1918–1944
Spouse	Edward Orth

Biography

Orth began her career as a playwright and magazine writer, publishing in Breezy Stories as early as 1917.^[1][2] In 1920, she moved from Chicago to Los Angeles at the invitation of Lois Weber, who had purchased the film rights to two of Orth's stories, "The Price of a Good Time" (filmed in 1917) and "Borrowed Clothes" (filmed in 1918).^[3] Orth went on to write several films with and for Weber, including A Midnight Romance, To Please One Woman, Too Wise Wives, and The Blot.^[4]

In 1923, she signed a seven-picture contract at Universal as a scenarist; her efforts at the studio included work on The Price of Pleasure and Dorothy Arzner's The Wild Party.^[3][5] She also wrote a string of films for Fox. In 1934, she began writing for Monogram Pictures.

In 1938, she settled a lawsuit with Republic for releasing a 1937 film called Circus Girl based on her novel. Orth was awarded $10,000.^[6][7]

Orth's apparently final film was released in 1944.^[8]

Selected filmography

• Oh, What a Night (1944)
• Sing Another Chorus (1941)
• Dr. Christian Meets the Women (1940)
• Tomboy (1940)
• Son of the Navy (1940)
• Hidden Enemy (1940)
• Under the Big Top (1938)
• Romance of the Limberlost (1938)
• Saleslady (1938)
• A Bride for Henry (1937) (adaptation)
• Paradise Isle (1937)
• Welcome Home (1935)
• Sing Sing Nights (1934)
• A Successful Failure (1934)
• Charlie Chan's Greatest Case (1933)
• Man Trouble (1930) (adaptation)
• Crazy That Way (1930)
• By Whose Hand? (1927)^[9]
• The Woman Who Did Not Care (1927)
• The Love Thrill (1927) (adaptation)
• White Gold (1927) (adaptation)
• Gigolo (1926) (adaptation)
• The People vs. Nancy Preston (1925)
• Chickie (1925)
• Single Wives (1924)
• Dark Stairways (1924)
• The Lure of Jade (1921)
• The Blot (1921)
• Too Wise Wives (1921)
• To Please One Woman (1920)
• A Midnight Romance (1919) (story)
• The Price of a Good Time (1917) (story)