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Kavanaugh-Hecker (Frances) Clippings, Scrapbook, and Photographs
MSA.29  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Related Archival Materials
  • Scope and Contents
  • Preferred Citation
  • Biographical Note
  • Conditions Governing Access
  • Conditions Governing Use
  • Acquisition
  • Processing History

  • Contributing Institution: Library and Archives at the Autry
    Title: Frances Kavanaugh-Hecker Clippings, Scrapbook, and Photographs
    Creator: Kavanaugh-Hecker, Frances
    Identifier/Call Number: MSA.29
    Physical Description: 3 Linear Feet (2 boxes, 1 oversized box)
    Date (inclusive): 1941-1947
    Abstract: Frances Kavanaugh-Hecker (1915-2009) was known as the "Cowgirl of the typewriter" and was one of the few women scriptwriters for western film and television. This collection consists of ephemera, newspaper clippings, publications, publicity packets, and a scrapbook. Material in this collection was created from 1941-1947.
    Language of Material: English .

    Related Archival Materials

    Collections 88.58, 97.110,and 97.149, Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles, California.

    Scope and Contents

    This collection consists of ephemera, newspaper clippings, publications, photographs, and a scrapbook by and about Frances Kavanaugh-Hecker and the movie productions she worked on during her career. Publications include full and partial issues of industry periodicals, such as the Hollywood Reporter and Hollywood Review, dating from 1941-1947. Also included are publicity packets for 12 of her films, primarily focusing on the Trail Blazers.

    Preferred Citation

    Frances Kavanaugh-Hecker Clippings and Scrapbook, 1941-1947, Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles; MSA.29; [folder number] [folder title][date].

    Biographical Note

    Frances Kavanaugh-Hecker (1915 February - 2009 January 23) was known as the "Cowgirl of the typewriter" and was one of the few women scriptwriters for western film and television. During her career she wrote for Monogram, PRC, United Artists, and Eagle Lion Studio. She was main writer for the Trail Blazers from 1942-1944, starring Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, and Bob Steele. Between 1941 and 1950, she wrote over 30 scripts.
    In 1997, the Autry celebrated Kavanaugh-Hecker's contribution to Westerns with an exhibit in the Museum's Imagination Gallery, featuring her L. S. Smith typewriter, two screenplays, and ephemera.

    Conditions Governing Access

    Appointments to view materials are required. To make an appointment please visit https://theautry.org/research-collections/library-and-archives  and fill out the Researcher Application Form.

    Conditions Governing Use

    Copyright has not been assigned to the Autry Museum of the American West. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Research Services and Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Autry Museum of the American West as the custodian of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

    Acquisition

    Donated in Memory of Frances Kavanaugh-Hecker by Robert Hecker to the Autry.

    Processing History

    Processing of collection and publication of finding aid made possible by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Scrapbooks
    Clippings
    Women screenwriters
    Hollywood Review
    Western television programs
    Hollywood Reporter
    Photographs
    Western films
    Arts publicity
    Press kits
    Women in motion pictures
    Mud Creek Glacier (Calif.) -- Photographs
    Women in the motion picture industry
    Reviews
    Trail blazers (Motion picture : 1940)