Levien, Sonya, 1888?-1960

Sonya Levien was born in Russia, most likely around 1888, although her "official" birthdate is usually given as December 25, 1898. Her family emigrated to the United States when she was eight years old, settling on the East Side of New York City. She worked her way through New York University Law School and was admitted to the Bar in 1909. Temperamentally unsuited to the practice of the law, she secured a position on the Woman's Journal. She joined the staff of Metropolitan magazine and married the magazine's editor, Carl Hovey, in 1917; they had two children, and remained married until his death in 1956. The Fox Film Corporation signed her to a contract in 1929, and she remained there until 1940; in 1941, she went to work for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. During her career, Levien either wrote or collaborated on seventy films and in 1955, she and William Ludwig won the Academy Award for story and screenplay for the film, "Interrupted Melody." Sonya Levien died of cancer on March 19, 1960.

From the description of Papers of Sonya Levien, 1908-1960. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 680513047

Biographical Note

Sonya Levien was born in Russia, most likely around 1888, although her "official" birth date is usually given as 25 December 1898. Her family emigrated to the United States when she was eight years old, settling on the East Side of New York City. She worked her way through New York University Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1909. Finding that, temperamentally, she was unfit for the practice of law, she secured a position on the Woman's Journal, a magazine owned by Alice Stone Blackwell, primarily devoted to woman's suffrage. She joined the staff of Metropolitan magazine, eventually becoming an assistant editor. She married the magazine's editor, Carl Hovey, in 1917; they had two children, and remained married until his death in 1956. Her short stories attracted the attention of Jesse L. Lasky, head of Famous Players-Lasky, who invited her to Hollywood in 1921. Hew first scenario, Cheated Love (1921), was adapted by Levien from one of her short stories. A long-term contract was offered, but not wanting to leave her family in New York City, she declined. Not long after, however, Carl Hovey accepted a position as story editor for Cecil B. DeMille, and Levien returned to California. The Fox Film Corporation signed her to a contract in 1929, where she remained until 1940. At Fox, she was entrusted with writing the screenplays of vehicles for the studio's most popular stars, Janet Gaynor (six films) and Will Rogers (five films). Among her most noteworthy screenplays of this period were Daddy Long Legs (1931), Cavalcade (1933), State Fair (1933), The Country Doctor (1936), In Old Chicago (1938), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939). In 1941, she went to work for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where her versatility was proven with such prestigious films as The Valley of Decision (1945), The Green Years (1946), Quo Vadis (1951), The Great Caruso (1951), Oklahoma! (1955), Interrupted Melody (1955), for which she and William Ludwig won the Academy Award for story and screenplay, and Bhowani Junction (1956). Undeniably one of the most beloved and prolific of screenwriters, she was credited with 70 screenplays and was the sole screenwriter for 32 films. Sonya Levien died of cancer on 19 March 1960.

(This biography was compiled by Carolyn Powell, November 1994)

From the guide to the Sonya Levien Papers, 1908-1960, (The Huntington Library)