Hubbry Logo
Luci WardLuci WardMain
Open search
Luci Ward
Community hub
Luci Ward
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Luci Ward
Luci Ward
Luci Ward
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Luci Ward (1907–1969) was an American screenwriter.[1] She mostly worked on crime B movies and Western films.

Key Information

Biography

[edit]

Ward was born and raised in Monroe, Louisiana, the daughter of Edgar Ward and Lucille Pipes. She had a brother, Royce, and two step-siblings from her father's second marriage (her mother died when she was young).

Ward began her career as a secretary to First National executives[2] and screenwriters (including Ben Markson)[3] before becoming a script girl.[4] Later, she got a chance to pen her own scripts. She also wrote articles for publications like Cosmopolitan, sometimes using the pen name Brooks Nevins.[5]

She testified at a National Labor Relations Board hearing that she was hired as a stenographer at Warner Brothers for $25 a week and wasn't given a raise when she was promoted to screenwriter. Warner Brothers then hired her a personal secretary at $32.50 a week.[6]

She was married to fellow screenwriter Jack Natteford and co-wrote several films with him.[7]

Selected filmography

[edit]

References

[edit]

Bibliography

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Luci Ward

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
''Luci Ward'' is an American screenwriter known for her prolific contributions to Western films and television series from the 1930s through the 1960s. Born on November 30, 1907, in Monroe, Louisiana, she established herself in Hollywood's B-movie circuit, penning screenplays and stories primarily for action-oriented and Western genre pictures. Ward often collaborated on projects in these fields, including notable credits such as ''The Law in Her Hands'' (1936), ''Red River Range'' (1938), ''Black Bart'' (1948), ''Rustlers'' (1949), and ''The Ride to Hangman's Tree'' (1967). Her work extended to television, where she wrote episodes for series including ''The Adventures of Kit Carson'', ''The Restless Gun'', and ''The Rifleman''. Ward was married to fellow screenwriter Jack Natteford, with whom she collaborated professionally. She died on November 30, 1969, in Los Angeles, California, on her 62nd birthday, concluding a career that spanned more than three decades in the film and television industry.

Early life

Family background and childhood

Luci Ward was born Lucille Ward on November 30, 1907, in Ouachita Parish, Monroe, Louisiana. She grew up in Monroe, Louisiana, where she spent her childhood before eventually moving to California to pursue a career in the film industry.

Entry into Hollywood

Luci Ward arrived in Hollywood and entered the film industry in 1928 as a stenographer at First National Pictures, shortly before the studio's merger with Warner Bros. She worked as a secretary for executives and screenwriters, including Ben Markson. She advanced to the position of script girl, a role that involved overseeing script continuity during filming and gave her firsthand exposure to the technical and creative aspects of motion picture production. In testimony before the National Labor Relations Board, Ward described the low wages in her early studio roles, stating that she began as a stenographer at $25 per week with no raise upon promotion and was later hired as a personal secretary at $32.50 per week. These entry-level positions reflected the limited financial rewards and limited advancement opportunities available to women in administrative film jobs at the time. By the mid-1930s, Ward transitioned from administrative support to creative work by writing her own scripts, culminating in her first screenwriting credit in 1936. This progression marked her shift from behind-the-scenes support roles to recognition as a scenarist at Warner Bros.

Screenwriting career

1930s beginnings

Luci Ward began her screenwriting career in 1936 with her first credited work on the Warner Bros. crime drama The Law in Her Hands, where she co-wrote the screenplay with George Bricker. That same year, she collaborated with Roy Chanslor on the screenplay for Murder by an Aristocrat, a mystery film adapted from Mignon G. Eberhart's novel. These early assignments established her in the genre of crime B-movies, typical of Warner Bros.' low-budget output during the period. In 1937, Ward continued working primarily for Warner Bros., contributing screenplays to the drama Mountain Justice and the musical Melody for Two. Her credits reflected the studio's diverse B-picture slate, spanning melodrama and light entertainment. By 1938, Ward's work shifted toward Westerns at Republic Pictures, where she became involved in the popular Three Mesquiteers series. She wrote the screenplay for Call the Mesquiteers, an early entry in the long-running cowboy team franchise. That same year, she co-wrote the screenplay and contributed to the original story for Red River Range, another Three Mesquiteers film starring John Wayne. These Western credits marked the beginning of her association with the genre that would define much of her later output.

1940s prolific period

During the 1940s, Luci Ward had her most prolific decade as a screenwriter, penning scripts for a substantial number of low-budget Westerns, crime pictures, and chapterplays, predominantly for studios including Republic Pictures and RKO Radio Pictures. She often specialized in B-Westerns, contributing to the genre's rapid production schedule during the war years and beyond, with several entries in series formats that allowed for quick turnaround. Her credits in the decade included Beyond the Sacramento (1940), Bad Men of the Hills (1942), The Fighting Buckaroo (1943), Law of the Northwest (1943), Riding West (1944), Raiders of Ghost City (1944), The Frozen Ghost (1945), Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946), Return of the Bad Men (1948), Black Bart (1948), and Rustlers (1949), among others. Ward frequently collaborated with her husband Jack Natteford on projects, notably co-writing the story and screenplay for Black Bart (1948) alongside William Bowers. She also provided the original screenplay for films like Sundown Valley (1944), showcasing her versatility within the constraints of B-movie production. This period marked the peak of her output in theatrical features before shifting toward television work in the following decade.

1950s–1960s television and later films

In the 1950s and 1960s, Luci Ward adapted her screenwriting career to the growing medium of television while producing a limited number of feature film credits, marking a shift from her earlier focus on theatrical B-Westerns to the serialized format of TV Westerns and other genres. She contributed 13 episodes to the syndicated Western series The Adventures of Kit Carson between 1951 and 1953, reflecting her early involvement in television writing during the medium's expansion. Ward also wrote for The Ford Television Theatre in 1953, an anthology series that allowed her to work in varied dramatic formats. Her feature work in this era included the Western Blackjack Ketchum, Desperado (1956), directed by Earl Bellamy, and the science-fiction disaster film The Night the World Exploded (1957), directed by Fred F. Sears. These credits represented her occasional returns to motion pictures amid her increasing television output. Ward continued contributing to television Westerns, writing for The Restless Gun in 1958 and The Rifleman in 1960, genres that aligned with her prior experience in B-Western storytelling. Her final screenwriting credit was the Western film The Ride to Hangman's Tree in 1967, bringing her career to a close after several decades of work in the industry. This later phase highlighted her versatility in transitioning to television formats that dominated the era's popular entertainment.

Personal life

Marriage and professional collaborations

Luci Ward was married to fellow screenwriter Jack Natteford, a union that lasted until her death on November 30, 1969. The couple maintained a close professional partnership, frequently collaborating on screenplays throughout their careers. Their joint writing credits often appeared on Western films, as well as other genres, reflecting a consistent collaborative dynamic in Hollywood's studio system. Representative examples include Return of the Bad Men (1948), for which they supplied the original story and co-wrote the screenplay alongside Charles O'Neal, and Black Bart (1948), where they provided the original story and screenplay with William Bowers. Such collaborations contributed to several genre pictures during the 1940s.

Magazine writing and other activities

Luci Ward also pursued magazine writing alongside her screenwriting career, contributing articles to publications including Cosmopolitan. No additional details on specific article titles, publication dates, or other non-screenwriting activities are documented in available primary sources.

Death

Final years and passing

Luci Ward's last screenwriting credit was for the 1967 Western film The Ride to Hangman's Tree, where she contributed the screenplay and story. She died on November 30, 1969, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 62, on her birthday.
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.