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Mary C. McCall Jr.

Writer · Died April 3, 1986, aged 81 · New York City, New York, USA

Mary C. McCall, Jr. (April 4, 1904, New York, New York – April 3, 1986, Los Angeles, California) was a writer best known for her screenwriting. She was the first woman president of the Writers Guild of America, serving from 1942–44 and 1951-52. Born in 1904, McCall was a graduate of Vassar College and Trinity College, Dublin. She began writing advertising copy and fiction after graduation. McCall got into the film industry when Warner Bros. hired her to help with the screenplay of the film Scarlet Dawn (1932), based on her novel Revolt. Among her screen credits are the 1935 film version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, starring James Cagney as Puck, The Fighting Sullivans, and Mr. Belvedere Goes to College. She also wrote or co-wrote eight of the ten films in the Maisie series. In the late 1930s, she was one of the founders of the Screen Writers Guild. In the 1950s and 1960s, she branched out into television, being credited with four episodes of The Millionaire and one each of Sea Hunt, I Dream of Jeannie, and Gilligan's Island, among others. A number of her stories were published in such magazines as Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Collier's, and The Saturday Evening Post from the 1930s to the 1950s. McCall was one of many who clashed with the conservative Motion Picture Alliance. On July 27, 1954, she had to defend herself in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee against reports that she was a communist sympathizer. She was completely exonerated by the separate California Senate Factfinding Subcommittee on Un-American Activities of the General Research Committee in its report to the California Senate. Mary C. McCall, Jr. died of "complications of cancer" at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital, one day shy of her 82nd birthday. She was survived by two sons and two daughters. She was the first recipient of the Writers Guild's Valentine Davies Award in 1962. In 1985, she also received the Guild's Edmund J. North Award.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 4, 1904
Died
April 3, 1986 (aged 81)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 42 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 53% in 30 days

What are Mary C. McCall Jr.'s films like?

Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
35%
Self
25%
Morality
19%
Power
10%
Society
7%
Survival
4%
Romantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 18 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 13 · Serious 4 · Dark 1

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 9 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 10 · Charged 7 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 10 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 5

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 14 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
9
Joyful
7
Tense
5
Romantic
4
Melancholic
4
Other
16

How their films linger

Feel-good11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy14
  • Bittersweet4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Mary C. McCall Jr.'s films?

As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Mary C. McCall Jr.'s titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

42 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page.

  • I Dream of Jeannie(1965)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Gilligan's Island(1964)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Juke Box Rhythm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Screenplay

  • Sea Hunt(1958)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • Slim Carter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Story

  • The Millionaire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 4 episodes · Writer

  • Ride the Man Down(1952)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Thunderbirds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Screenplay

  • Dancing in the Dark(1949)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Belvedere Goes to College(1949)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Ford Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • Keep Your Powder Dry(1945)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Maisie Goes to Reno(1944)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Reward Unlimited (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Writer

  • The Fighting Sullivans(1944)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Swing Shift Maisie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Writer

  • Panama Hattie(1942)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Maisie Gets Her Man(1942)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • On the Sunny Side(1942)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Kathleen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Screenplay

  • Ringside Maisie(1941)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Maisie Was a Lady(1941)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Gold Rush Maisie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Screenplay

  • Congo Maisie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Writer

  • Maisie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Screenplay

  • Dramatic School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Screenplay

  • Breaking the Ice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Screenplay

  • A Slight Case of Murder(1938)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • It's All Yours (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Screenplay

  • I Promise to Pay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Screenplay

  • Women of Glamour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Screenplay

  • Ready, Willing and Able(1937)

    Treatment · Writer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Craig's Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Screenplay

  • Dr. Socrates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Adaptation

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream(1935)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Woman in Red(1935)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Secret Bride(1934)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Babbitt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Screenplay

  • Desirable (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Story · Writer

  • Scarlet Dawn(1932)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Street of Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Screenplay

  • It's Tough to Be Famous(1932)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 41 titles from 1932 to 1965.

Biggest box office

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)

$2.6M worldwide

Highest rated

The Fighting Sullivans (1944)

Midcredits 89th

Most popular right now

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing39 of 41: 39 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score54thOther crew2 of 41: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1930s17 · crew1940s16 · crew1950s6 · crew1960s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Mary C. McCall Jr.'s films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 18; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Approval · how many liked their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Reach · how many have seen their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 21 titles divides audiences: 9 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed6
  • Mixed5

Most loved · writer

The Fighting Sullivans (1944)

Midcredits 89th · 79% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 54/100 and the plot and story 46/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Mary C. McCall Jr. work with?

People who share at least 2 of Mary C. McCall Jr.'s MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ann Sothern shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers