Maurine Watkins and Libeled Lady

Released in 1936, the film Libeled Lady featured an all-star cast including Spencer Tracy, Jean Harlow, William Powell, and Myrna Loy.  The film, nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, credited four writers for its screenplay--one of the writers was Crawfordsville's Maurine Watkins.  After graduating from Crawfordsville High School in 1914, Watkins attended several universities before writing her Broadway hit, "Chicago".  After success on the stage, Watkins turned her attention to film writing.  Watkins' other screen contributions include Doctors' Wives (1931), No Man of Her Own (1932), and I Love You Again (1940). 

In Libeled Lady, an heiress sues a newspaper for libel after a false story is printed. The newspaper's editor then tries to set the heiress up in a compromising situation so that she is forced to drop the suit. 

Want to see Maurine Watkins' film for yourself?  If you have Turner Classic Movies, you're in luck.  TCM will be showing Libeled Lady on Monday February 7th at 12 p.m. and on March 15th at 11:15 p.m. 

Also, CDPL has a photograph of Maurine Watkins with the Sunshine Society.  You can view the photo here.

Sources:
TCM database entry for Libeled Lady

IMDb entry for Maurine Dallas Watkins