Gloria Katz

Gloria Katz was one of the few female screenwriters to make an impact during the 1970s, co-writing, with her husband, Willard Huyck, "American Graffiti" (1973), directed by George Lucas and based on events in his life growing up in a small California city. Katz and Huyck joined the long Hollywood tradition of husband-wife writing teams (Henry & Phoebe Ephron, Irving Ravetch & Harriet Frank, Jr., etc.), but as Katz moved into producing films Huyck directed, the results were less stellar. Katz was graduated from UCLA Film School, after which she went to work for Universal Pictures editing educational films. She married Huyck in 1969, and they began writing together. Their first produced effort was "American Graffiti," which earned them an Academy Award nomination as well as awards for best original screenplay from both the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics. Katz and Huyck immediately set out to make their own films, co-writing the scripts and with Katz producing and Huyck directing. Their first such effort was "Messiah of Evil" (1974), a low budget film which earned little notice. They were back working for others with "Lucky Lady" (1975), a comedy romp that sputtered at the box office. But, in 1979, they won critical praise for "French Postcards," a film based on Huyck's experiences in France, which they co-wrote and Katz produced. In 1984, they co-wrote "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" for Steven Spielberg, and also offered their own film, "Best Defense," which starred Dudley Moore with an appearance by Eddie Murphy. It did not succeed. Katz and Huyck then co-wrote, with Katz producing and Huyck directing the disastrous "Howard the Duck" (1986), one of Hollywood's legendary flops. It was not until 1994 that they again co-wrote a produced screenplay, "Radioland Murders." In the late 80s, the duo dabbled in TV. They executive produced and wrote "A Father's Homecoming" (NBC, 1988), their first TV movie. In 1989, they wrote and executive produced an unsold pilot, "Mothers, Daughters, and Lovers" (NBC), about a woman who takes her two daughters to live in rural America.