The Agnes Christine Johnston and Frank Dazey papers span the years 1914-1968 (bulk 1920-1939) and encompass 5.5 linear feet. The collection includes final scripts, as well as various drafts and notes for films written and collaborated on by both authors, unpublished manuscripts and unproduced scripts by both authors, as well as contracts, correspondence, clippings, other miscellaneous writings, and ephemera.

Agnes Christine Johnston (1896-1978) was an American writer, who wrote not only for the screen, but for television, the stage, radio, and magazines. She was born in Swissvale, Pennsylvania to mother, Isabel M. Johnston. In 1918, Ms. Johnston, her mother and her older sister, Isabel (named for their mother) moved to Hollywood, California, where Ms. Johnston became a scenario writer for several major and minor studios. Both her mother and sister were also working writers, writing short stories and film scenarios. Sometime around 1916, Johnston was listed in WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA, a harbinger of her success in the film industry.

Today she is most well-known for her work on the Andy Hardy films, such as, THE COURTSHIP OF ANDY HARDY (1942) and ANDY HARDY'S BLONDE TROUBLE (1944), both starring Mickey Rooney. Some of her other notable films include NOBODY'S FOOL (1936), MOVIE CRAZY (1932), FORBIDDEN PARADISE" (1924), RICH MEN'S WIVES (1922), DADDY-LONG-LEGS (1919) starring Mary Pickford, and BEVERLY OF GRAUSTARK (1926) starring Marion Davies. Eventually, Johnston met and married Frank Dazey, sometime around World War II, and had three children, Francis, Jr., Ruth, and Mitchell. In 1952, both Johnston and her husband were contracted by the Office of Public Affairs where they worked on the High Commissioner of Germany Film Program (HICOG) and were sent to Germany to research and write anti-communist films. Towards the end of their lives Johnston and Dazey moved to Mexico where they lived until Dazey was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the late 1960s.

Frank Dazey (1892-1970) born Francis Mitchell Harding Dazey, was an American writer. He was born in New York to actress Lucy Harding and father Charles T. Dazey, a writer, screenwriter, and playwright, most well-known for his Broadway play, “In Old Kentucky.” Dazey graduated from Harvard University and served in the National Guard in 1916. He eventually moved to California, where he worked on more than twenty feature films, including 13 HOURS BY AIR (1936), CHILDREN OF THE DUST (1923) and MANHATTAN MADNESS (1925), which he co-wrote with his father Charles T. Dazey. Frank Dazey also collaborated on several films with his wife, including NOBODY'S FOOL and RICH MEN'S WIVES. Despite his extensive film credits, Dazey considered himself first and foremost a playwright, writing three Broadway plays, “Sweet Stranger,” “Black Boy,” and “Peter Weston” as well as several off-Broadway productions.