Week 6 After exploring the different library databases and Project Muse, I had a difficult locating extensive information on these three women filmmakers. I found that the Academic Search Complete database through the Woodruff Library page had the most sources that provided more complete information. I came across a lot of articles that would just mention the director and not provide any details. Instead, many of these articles would focus on the actors and actresses in the film, rather than talking about the director. I found that if I specifically search for biographies on the filmmakers, or search specific films that they directed, I was more successful in finding useful sources. Since Fletcher and Thomas are so young, it was difficult to find sources that talked about their careers. For Marshall, I was able to find background information on her life growing up, her career, and information surrounding World War II and women as her movie "A League of Their Own" portrays.1.Penny Marshall 2. Anne Fletcher 3. Betty Thomas
Penny Marshall " "Penny Marshall Biography." Biography.com, 3 Apr. 2014, www.biography.com/people/penny-marshall-9542495.
This source provides a good synopsis of Marshall's early life and background, and then it provides insight into her early TV acting roles that lead into her eventual career as a director. After going through her various acting roles, there is a section that tells of her career as a director, going through her different films and providing information on each and talks about the success and impact it had. This source is reliable as I came across it through a search in the Academic Search Complete database.
" Kalogerakis, George, and Lorenzo Benet. "Penny Marshall." People., vol. 24, no. 26, 23 Dec. 1996, p. 105., Penny Marshall.
This source provides insight into Penny Marshall's persona. It offers imagery of what she looks like, what she is wearing, what her schedule for the day is, and quotes from her as she goes about her day. The article mentions and quotes Marshall's sister, who also is in the media business and works as a TV producer, providing insight on her upbringings and family life. It tells about a day in her life, but then provides the bigger picture of her role in Hollywood. This source is dependable because I came across is through a search in the Academic Search Complete library database.
" Brissey, Breia. "Take Us Back to The Ball Game." Entertainment Weekly, no. 1228/1229, 12 Oct. 2012, pp. 88-89. EBSCOhost, Penny Marshall.
This source gives background information on Marshall's film A League of Their Own and provides and interview with Marshall 20 years after the films release providing her interpretation and insight as she looks back on the film. This source is reliable because I came across is through a search in the Academic Search Complete library database.
Anne Fletcher
" Fish, Marnie. "From Dancer to Director." Dancer Spirit, vol. 14, no. 5, 2010, pp. 66-69. EBSCOhost.
This source talks about Anne Fletcher and how she established herself as a dancer which allowed her for her eventual success in the film industry, specifically with her films "The Proposal" and "Step Up." This source is reliable as I found in through the EBSCOhost search through the Woodruff Library database.
" Greenblatt, Leah. "Hot Pursuit." Entertainment Weekly, no. 1363, 15 May 2015, pp. 40-41. EBSCOhost.
This source provides insight on Fletcher's film, "The Proposal." It doesn't talk much specifically about Fletcher, but it goes in depth and provides details about her film which inherently provides insight on her and her stylistic choices. This source is reliable because I came across is through a search in the Academic Search Complete library database.
" Arnett, Lisa. "The Real Deal." Dance Spirit, vol. 6, no. 10, 2006, p. 144. EBSCOhost.
This article provides information on how Anne Fletcher casted dancers for her film "Step Up!" Her background as a dancer proves its importance in the making of this film as she watched and casted dancers. In doing this, she could put scenes together and doesn't have to make several cuts to show the lead dancers together. This source was found through Academic Search Complete in the Woodruff Library Database. "
Betty Thomas " Bush, et al. "John Tucker Must Die." Entertainment Weekly, no. 874/875, 28 Apr. 2006, p. 85. EBSCOhost. This article provides information on Betty Thomas' film "John Tucker Must Die" which then provides insight on her and her stylistic choices as a director. This source was found through Academic Search Complete in the Woodruff Library Database.
" Young, John. "Alving Squeaks To The Top." Entertainment Weekly, no. 1094, 19 Mar. 2010, p. 79. EBSCOhost.
This article talks about Thomas' film "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel." The article compares what this movie earned in comparison to that of other films that are also by female filmmakers. Thomas' film is the first film directed by a woman to earn more than two hundred million dollars at movie theatres, and lists the next five highest-grossing films directed by women, including "Twilight" by Catherine Hardwicke. This source was found through Academic Search Complete through the Woodruff Library Database.
" Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca, and Kristen Baldwin. "Betty Thomas (Cover Story)." Entertainment Weekly, 385/386, no. 2/5p, 27 June 1997, p. 44. EBSCOhost.
This source profiles Betty Thomas and encompasses her background and her career. It covers what makes her successful, her career as a motion picture director, what motivates her, her future plans, etc. This source was found through Academic Search Complete through the Woodruff Library Database.
Week 7
For my topic, I have chosen to focus on Penny Marshall.
As far as Penny Marshall's existing article, I plan on adding extensively to her background. Her background growing up and her relationships with her family members and her significant others played a big role in the establishment and progression of her career and I don't think the existing article emphasizes or provides enough information on it. The article makes mention of some of her family members including her father, brother, and sister, but it does not explain the nature of their relationships and the affect it had on her future career. Also, the only mention of her mother is just that her birth name was given to her after her mother's favorite actress, but no information on how her mother influenced her career.
As far as the section of the article about her career, I want to organize each film, television show, and project that she worked on, acted in, wrote, or directed. There is already a list established of films she acted in, directed, produced and television shows she acted in, directed, and produced, but the section itself that describes some of her projects that is unclear. There are also only a few projects highlighted from her extensive career. I understand that it is not necessary to summarize each and every project she ever took part in, but I want to highlight her most important projects in more detail. Even her most famous films such as A League of Their Own, Big, Awakenings, and Riding in Cars with Boys, do not have any type of synopsis or background in the article. I want to organize this section and add more detail.
"Penny Marshall." Biography, vol. 6, no. 9, Sept. 2002, p. 112. EBSCOhost
This source provides insight on Penny Marshall's background and how her career progressed. This biography discusses how her parents, respectively a filmmaker and a dance instructor, influenced her endeavors growing up and how her brother gave her her first big break as a writer and how she married Rob Reiner who also worked as a professional in the film industry.
Sidewater, Nancy. "Penny Marshall." Entertainment Weekly, no. 761, 23 Apr. 2004, p. 64. EBSCOhost
This source provides first hand insight from Penny Marshall and her experience on set making the film A League of their Own. She describes the hardships she faced and how her actresses looked beat up, but she ended up being successful.
"Penny Marshall Biography." Biography.com, 3 Apr. 2014, www.biography.com/people/penny-marshall-9542495.
This source provides a good synopsis of Marshall's early life and background, and then it provides insight into her early TV acting roles that lead into her eventual career as a director. After going through her various acting roles, there is a section that tells of her career as a director, going through her different films and providing information on each and talks about the success and impact it had. This source is reliable as I came across it through a search in the Academic Search Complete database.
Kalogerakis, George, and Lorenzo Benet. "Penny Marshall." People., vol. 24, no. 26, 23 Dec. 1996, p. 105., Penny Marshall.
This source provides insight into Penny Marshall's persona. It offers imagery of what she looks like, what she is wearing, what her schedule for the day is, and quotes from her as she goes about her day. The article mentions and quotes Marshall's sister, who also is in the media business and works as a TV producer, providing insight on her upbringings and family life. It tells about a day in her life, but then provides the bigger picture of her role in Hollywood. This source is dependable because I came across is through a search in the Academic Search Complete library database.
Brissey, Breia. "Take Us Back to The Ball Game." Entertainment Weekly, no. 1228/1229, 12 Oct. 2012, pp. 88-89. EBSCOhost, Penny Marshall.
This source gives background information on Marshall's film A League of Their Own and provides and interview with Marshall 20 years after the films release providing her interpretation and insight as she looks back on the film. This source is reliable because I came across is through a search in the Academic Search Complete library database.
Week 8 Write an outline of that topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia article's "lead section." Write it in your sandbox.
Penny Marshall (born October 15, 1943 in the Bronx, New York) is an American actress, director and producer. She is the daughter of Marjorie Marshall, a tap dance teacher, and Tony Marshall, a film director and producer. Her parent's background in entertainment, along with her brothers background as a comedy writer and her sister's background as a casting director and producer paved way for Marshall's career. Her career began with Television roles which lead to her role on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley in 1943. In 1985, her career progressed, and she began directing. Her first film was Jumpin Jack Flash and then she went on to direct hit films including Big, A League of Their Own, and Riding in the Cars With Boys.
Identify what is missing: I need to make changes to the format of the article as a whole to make the beginning an outline for what I am going to go into detail in later in the article and also to make it more clear and better organized. I need to add information to her background, her career, and to her important films. I need to include and mention people that she worked with or people that influenced her work. I need to expand upon and complete the list of her awards and nominations.
Rough Draft for Peer Edit Week 11 Penny Marshall (born October 15, 1943 in the Bronx, New York) is an American actress, director and producer. She is the daughter of Marjorie Marshall, a tap dance teacher, and Tony Marshall, a film director and producer. Her parent's background in entertainment, along with her brothers background as a comedy writer and her sister's background as a casting director and producer paved way for Marshall's career. Carole Penny Marshall was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York, on October 15, 1943, to Marjorie Irene (1908–1983), a tap dance teacher who ran the Marjorie Marshall Dance School, and Anthony "Tony" Masciarelli (1906–1999), later Marshall, a director of industrial films and later a producer. She is the sister of actor/director/TV producer Garry Marshall and Ronny Hallin, a television producer. She began her career as a tap dancer at age three, and later taught tap at her mother's dance school. She graduated from Walton High School, a private girls' high school in New York and then went to the University of New Mexico for 2 1/2 years. There, Penny got pregnant with daughter, Tracy Reiner, and soon after married the father, Michael Henry, in 1961. The couple divorced two years later in 1963. She married Rob Reiner on April 10, 1971. Her career began with Television roles which lead to her role on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley in 1943. In 1985, her career progressed, and she began directing. Her first film was Jumpin Jack Flash and then she went on to direct hit films including Big, A League of Their Own, and Riding in the Cars With Boys. Her career began with acting. She started with television commercials, highlighted by a Head and Shoulders commercial she was in with Farrah Fawcett. She struggled at first as the few commercials she booked focused on her less-glamourous look, featuring her as the "before" part of "before and after" ads for beauty products. By 1971, after working in the industry, Marshall landed a recurring role as secretary Myrna Turner on The Odd Couple, a show by her brother Gary Marshall. She rose to fame in the 1970s for her role as Laverne DeFazio on the television sitcom Laverne & Shirley (1976–1983), receiving three nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her portrayal. Marshall also appeared twice on The Mary Tyler Moore Show before scoring a larger role on another of her brother's series, Happy Days. Her TV career progressed into a directing career. Penny began directing such films as Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), Big (1988) and A League of Their Own (1992). Jumping Jack Flashstarred Whoopi Goldberg and she urged Marshall to take the director's seat. Although this film was not particularly successful in the box office, her next picture, Big (1988), allowed Marshall to become the first female director ever to gross more than $100 million at the box office with one movie. Her next movie, Awakenings, was nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award in 1991. Marshall didn't win the award, but her stature as a director continued to grow. A League of Their Own (1992) also grossed more than $100 million, making Marshall the first woman with two such blockbusters to her credit.
This is a great description of your filmmaker! I certainly think you do a wonderful job describing her early life, her motives for filmmaking, as well as her greatest achievements in her career. I would certainly take into account her strategies and techniques within her filmmaking, such as what makes her films unique to an audience. Her accomplishments are so important, but as readers we need to know what made her work worthy of these accomplishments! I assume this is your condensed paragraph for the opening of the article, so perhaps you could make her early life/ motive section more concise along with her accomplishments.
This is a really good description of her life and career. I would consider adding a little bit about what distinguished Marshall from other directors maybe in terms of inspiration or purpose of her work. (Joel)
Peer Review Response Thank you for your feedback! I felt that there was so much background that was important and was left out of her wikipedia article that I didn't focus on her actual films and the techniques/purpose/inspiration that embodies her work. I will conduct more research on what distinguishes Marshall from other filmmakers of her time.
Week 6 After exploring the different library databases and Project Muse, I had a difficult locating extensive information on these three women filmmakers. I found that the Academic Search Complete database through the Woodruff Library page had the most sources that provided more complete information. I came across a lot of articles that would just mention the director and not provide any details. Instead, many of these articles would focus on the actors and actresses in the film, rather than talking about the director. I found that if I specifically search for biographies on the filmmakers, or search specific films that they directed, I was more successful in finding useful sources. Since Fletcher and Thomas are so young, it was difficult to find sources that talked about their careers. For Marshall, I was able to find background information on her life growing up, her career, and information surrounding World War II and women as her movie "A League of Their Own" portrays.1.Penny Marshall 2. Anne Fletcher 3. Betty Thomas
Penny Marshall " "Penny Marshall Biography." Biography.com, 3 Apr. 2014, www.biography.com/people/penny-marshall-9542495.
This source provides a good synopsis of Marshall's early life and background, and then it provides insight into her early TV acting roles that lead into her eventual career as a director. After going through her various acting roles, there is a section that tells of her career as a director, going through her different films and providing information on each and talks about the success and impact it had. This source is reliable as I came across it through a search in the Academic Search Complete database.
" Kalogerakis, George, and Lorenzo Benet. "Penny Marshall." People., vol. 24, no. 26, 23 Dec. 1996, p. 105., Penny Marshall.
This source provides insight into Penny Marshall's persona. It offers imagery of what she looks like, what she is wearing, what her schedule for the day is, and quotes from her as she goes about her day. The article mentions and quotes Marshall's sister, who also is in the media business and works as a TV producer, providing insight on her upbringings and family life. It tells about a day in her life, but then provides the bigger picture of her role in Hollywood. This source is dependable because I came across is through a search in the Academic Search Complete library database.
" Brissey, Breia. "Take Us Back to The Ball Game." Entertainment Weekly, no. 1228/1229, 12 Oct. 2012, pp. 88-89. EBSCOhost, Penny Marshall.
This source gives background information on Marshall's film A League of Their Own and provides and interview with Marshall 20 years after the films release providing her interpretation and insight as she looks back on the film. This source is reliable because I came across is through a search in the Academic Search Complete library database.
Anne Fletcher
" Fish, Marnie. "From Dancer to Director." Dancer Spirit, vol. 14, no. 5, 2010, pp. 66-69. EBSCOhost.
This source talks about Anne Fletcher and how she established herself as a dancer which allowed her for her eventual success in the film industry, specifically with her films "The Proposal" and "Step Up." This source is reliable as I found in through the EBSCOhost search through the Woodruff Library database.
" Greenblatt, Leah. "Hot Pursuit." Entertainment Weekly, no. 1363, 15 May 2015, pp. 40-41. EBSCOhost.
This source provides insight on Fletcher's film, "The Proposal." It doesn't talk much specifically about Fletcher, but it goes in depth and provides details about her film which inherently provides insight on her and her stylistic choices. This source is reliable because I came across is through a search in the Academic Search Complete library database.
" Arnett, Lisa. "The Real Deal." Dance Spirit, vol. 6, no. 10, 2006, p. 144. EBSCOhost.
This article provides information on how Anne Fletcher casted dancers for her film "Step Up!" Her background as a dancer proves its importance in the making of this film as she watched and casted dancers. In doing this, she could put scenes together and doesn't have to make several cuts to show the lead dancers together. This source was found through Academic Search Complete in the Woodruff Library Database. "
Betty Thomas " Bush, et al. "John Tucker Must Die." Entertainment Weekly, no. 874/875, 28 Apr. 2006, p. 85. EBSCOhost. This article provides information on Betty Thomas' film "John Tucker Must Die" which then provides insight on her and her stylistic choices as a director. This source was found through Academic Search Complete in the Woodruff Library Database.
" Young, John. "Alving Squeaks To The Top." Entertainment Weekly, no. 1094, 19 Mar. 2010, p. 79. EBSCOhost.
This article talks about Thomas' film "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel." The article compares what this movie earned in comparison to that of other films that are also by female filmmakers. Thomas' film is the first film directed by a woman to earn more than two hundred million dollars at movie theatres, and lists the next five highest-grossing films directed by women, including "Twilight" by Catherine Hardwicke. This source was found through Academic Search Complete through the Woodruff Library Database.
" Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca, and Kristen Baldwin. "Betty Thomas (Cover Story)." Entertainment Weekly, 385/386, no. 2/5p, 27 June 1997, p. 44. EBSCOhost.
This source profiles Betty Thomas and encompasses her background and her career. It covers what makes her successful, her career as a motion picture director, what motivates her, her future plans, etc. This source was found through Academic Search Complete through the Woodruff Library Database.
Week 7
For my topic, I have chosen to focus on Penny Marshall.
As far as Penny Marshall's existing article, I plan on adding extensively to her background. Her background growing up and her relationships with her family members and her significant others played a big role in the establishment and progression of her career and I don't think the existing article emphasizes or provides enough information on it. The article makes mention of some of her family members including her father, brother, and sister, but it does not explain the nature of their relationships and the affect it had on her future career. Also, the only mention of her mother is just that her birth name was given to her after her mother's favorite actress, but no information on how her mother influenced her career.
As far as the section of the article about her career, I want to organize each film, television show, and project that she worked on, acted in, wrote, or directed. There is already a list established of films she acted in, directed, produced and television shows she acted in, directed, and produced, but the section itself that describes some of her projects that is unclear. There are also only a few projects highlighted from her extensive career. I understand that it is not necessary to summarize each and every project she ever took part in, but I want to highlight her most important projects in more detail. Even her most famous films such as A League of Their Own, Big, Awakenings, and Riding in Cars with Boys, do not have any type of synopsis or background in the article. I want to organize this section and add more detail.
"Penny Marshall." Biography, vol. 6, no. 9, Sept. 2002, p. 112. EBSCOhost
This source provides insight on Penny Marshall's background and how her career progressed. This biography discusses how her parents, respectively a filmmaker and a dance instructor, influenced her endeavors growing up and how her brother gave her her first big break as a writer and how she married Rob Reiner who also worked as a professional in the film industry.
Sidewater, Nancy. "Penny Marshall." Entertainment Weekly, no. 761, 23 Apr. 2004, p. 64. EBSCOhost
This source provides first hand insight from Penny Marshall and her experience on set making the film A League of their Own. She describes the hardships she faced and how her actresses looked beat up, but she ended up being successful.
"Penny Marshall Biography." Biography.com, 3 Apr. 2014, www.biography.com/people/penny-marshall-9542495.
This source provides a good synopsis of Marshall's early life and background, and then it provides insight into her early TV acting roles that lead into her eventual career as a director. After going through her various acting roles, there is a section that tells of her career as a director, going through her different films and providing information on each and talks about the success and impact it had. This source is reliable as I came across it through a search in the Academic Search Complete database.
Kalogerakis, George, and Lorenzo Benet. "Penny Marshall." People., vol. 24, no. 26, 23 Dec. 1996, p. 105., Penny Marshall.
This source provides insight into Penny Marshall's persona. It offers imagery of what she looks like, what she is wearing, what her schedule for the day is, and quotes from her as she goes about her day. The article mentions and quotes Marshall's sister, who also is in the media business and works as a TV producer, providing insight on her upbringings and family life. It tells about a day in her life, but then provides the bigger picture of her role in Hollywood. This source is dependable because I came across is through a search in the Academic Search Complete library database.
Brissey, Breia. "Take Us Back to The Ball Game." Entertainment Weekly, no. 1228/1229, 12 Oct. 2012, pp. 88-89. EBSCOhost, Penny Marshall.
This source gives background information on Marshall's film A League of Their Own and provides and interview with Marshall 20 years after the films release providing her interpretation and insight as she looks back on the film. This source is reliable because I came across is through a search in the Academic Search Complete library database.
Week 8 Write an outline of that topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia article's "lead section." Write it in your sandbox.
Penny Marshall (born October 15, 1943 in the Bronx, New York) is an American actress, director and producer. She is the daughter of Marjorie Marshall, a tap dance teacher, and Tony Marshall, a film director and producer. Her parent's background in entertainment, along with her brothers background as a comedy writer and her sister's background as a casting director and producer paved way for Marshall's career. Her career began with Television roles which lead to her role on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley in 1943. In 1985, her career progressed, and she began directing. Her first film was Jumpin Jack Flash and then she went on to direct hit films including Big, A League of Their Own, and Riding in the Cars With Boys.
Identify what is missing: I need to make changes to the format of the article as a whole to make the beginning an outline for what I am going to go into detail in later in the article and also to make it more clear and better organized. I need to add information to her background, her career, and to her important films. I need to include and mention people that she worked with or people that influenced her work. I need to expand upon and complete the list of her awards and nominations.
Rough Draft for Peer Edit Week 11 Penny Marshall (born October 15, 1943 in the Bronx, New York) is an American actress, director and producer. She is the daughter of Marjorie Marshall, a tap dance teacher, and Tony Marshall, a film director and producer. Her parent's background in entertainment, along with her brothers background as a comedy writer and her sister's background as a casting director and producer paved way for Marshall's career. Carole Penny Marshall was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York, on October 15, 1943, to Marjorie Irene (1908–1983), a tap dance teacher who ran the Marjorie Marshall Dance School, and Anthony "Tony" Masciarelli (1906–1999), later Marshall, a director of industrial films and later a producer. She is the sister of actor/director/TV producer Garry Marshall and Ronny Hallin, a television producer. She began her career as a tap dancer at age three, and later taught tap at her mother's dance school. She graduated from Walton High School, a private girls' high school in New York and then went to the University of New Mexico for 2 1/2 years. There, Penny got pregnant with daughter, Tracy Reiner, and soon after married the father, Michael Henry, in 1961. The couple divorced two years later in 1963. She married Rob Reiner on April 10, 1971. Her career began with Television roles which lead to her role on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley in 1943. In 1985, her career progressed, and she began directing. Her first film was Jumpin Jack Flash and then she went on to direct hit films including Big, A League of Their Own, and Riding in the Cars With Boys. Her career began with acting. She started with television commercials, highlighted by a Head and Shoulders commercial she was in with Farrah Fawcett. She struggled at first as the few commercials she booked focused on her less-glamourous look, featuring her as the "before" part of "before and after" ads for beauty products. By 1971, after working in the industry, Marshall landed a recurring role as secretary Myrna Turner on The Odd Couple, a show by her brother Gary Marshall. She rose to fame in the 1970s for her role as Laverne DeFazio on the television sitcom Laverne & Shirley (1976–1983), receiving three nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her portrayal. Marshall also appeared twice on The Mary Tyler Moore Show before scoring a larger role on another of her brother's series, Happy Days. Her TV career progressed into a directing career. Penny began directing such films as Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), Big (1988) and A League of Their Own (1992). Jumping Jack Flashstarred Whoopi Goldberg and she urged Marshall to take the director's seat. Although this film was not particularly successful in the box office, her next picture, Big (1988), allowed Marshall to become the first female director ever to gross more than $100 million at the box office with one movie. Her next movie, Awakenings, was nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award in 1991. Marshall didn't win the award, but her stature as a director continued to grow. A League of Their Own (1992) also grossed more than $100 million, making Marshall the first woman with two such blockbusters to her credit.
This is a great description of your filmmaker! I certainly think you do a wonderful job describing her early life, her motives for filmmaking, as well as her greatest achievements in her career. I would certainly take into account her strategies and techniques within her filmmaking, such as what makes her films unique to an audience. Her accomplishments are so important, but as readers we need to know what made her work worthy of these accomplishments! I assume this is your condensed paragraph for the opening of the article, so perhaps you could make her early life/ motive section more concise along with her accomplishments.
This is a really good description of her life and career. I would consider adding a little bit about what distinguished Marshall from other directors maybe in terms of inspiration or purpose of her work. (Joel)
Peer Review Response Thank you for your feedback! I felt that there was so much background that was important and was left out of her wikipedia article that I didn't focus on her actual films and the techniques/purpose/inspiration that embodies her work. I will conduct more research on what distinguishes Marshall from other filmmakers of her time.