Florence Ryerson

Biography

Florence Ryerson was an American playwright, screenwriter, and short story writer. She is mostly remembered as the co-writer of the fantasy film "The Wizard of Oz" (1939). In 1892, she was born under the name of Florence Willard in Glendale, California. She was the daughter of journalist Charles Dwight Willard (1860-1914) and his wife Mary McGregor. Charles worked for the newspapers "Los Angeles Times" and "Los Angeles Herald". He had also authored a number of books, including a history of Los Angeles. Florence was educated at both Stanford University and Radcliffe College. She married Harold Swayne Ryerson, who worked in the manufacture of ladies' clothes. From 1915 to 1927, Ryerson primarily worked as a short writer, publishing over 30 short stories. Her stories were published in magazines, such as "The American Magazine", "Ladies' Home Journal", "Munsey's Magazine", and "Woman's World". In 1926, Ryerson was hired as a screenwriter by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She started work in silent films, and soon expanded to sound films. Highlights of her career included entries into then popular series about Fu Manchu and Philo Vance. She and her second husband Colin Clements co-wrote the novels "This Awful Age" (1930) and "Mild Oats" (1933), considered among the earliest novels to depict the lives of female teenagers, They also adapted these novels to the play "June Mad" (1939), and the film "Her first Beau". The couple of Ryerson and Clements purchased the Workman Ranch, located in San Fernardo Valley. Ryerson renamed the ranch to the Shadow Ranch, inspired by the shade of its eucalyptus trees, They restored and expanded the 19th century adobe of the Ranch, which became their primary residence for the late 1930s and the entirety of the 1940s. In 1939, she co-wrote the screenplay for the film "The Wizard of Oz", adapting a children's novel by Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919). She is credited for creating Professor Marvel, the Kansas' counterpart to the Wizard of Oz. The writing duo of Ryerson and Clements co-wrote several Broadway plays during the 1940s. The partnership came do an end with Clements' death in 1948. In 1951, Ryerson retired to Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. She continued to write theatrical plays, which were produced by the local high school. In 1965 Ryerson died in Mexico City. The cause of death was heart failure. She was 72 years old. Her former residence at Shadow Ranch was designated a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1962, and still stands.