Kathleen Hite

Mary Kathleen Hite (June 17, 1917 – February 18, 1989) was an American writer for radio and television, including writing for the popular Western series Gunsmoke. Hite was the first female staff writer for CBS.

Kathleen Hite
Born
Mary Kathleen Hite

June 17, 1917
Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
DiedFebruary 18, 1989, aged 71
Carefree, Arizona, U.S.
Alma materWichita State University
OccupationWriter

Early life and education

Hite was born in Wichita, Kansas,[1] and attended high school in Hutchinson, Kansas. Her father was a cattleman, as was her brother. Her brother operated their family ranch in New Mexico. All of her grandparents had moved to Kansas during the days of the American frontier, and she noted that all were "great storytellers" about their lives, which she absorbed as a child. Hite attended Wichita State University[2] where she majored in journalism and history.[3]

Career

Hite wrote for both radio and television. After graduating from Wichita State University, her first job was at a Wichita radio station.[2] She moved to California in 1943 and got a job working for CBS as a secretary. She recalled, "CBS had a policy against hiring women writers so I hired on as a secretary. I figured once I got inside the building I could destroy them from within...I badgered the head of the writing department until he gave me a chance to write."[1] Hite was successful in her efforts, becoming the first woman staff writer for CBS within a year.[1] World War II-related labor shortages also helped her get hired, she noted, saying, "a producer needed a radio scriptwriter—ANY radio scriptwriter. And there I was."[4] She contributed writing for several television series, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Mystery Playhouse, Thriller, Gunsmoke, and The Waltons.[2][4] Hite was promoted to script editor of The Whistler and The Adventures of Philip Marlowe in 1950. She quit CBS in late 1950/early 1951, because freelance writers were paid 350% more per script.[5]

Hite's contributions to TV series about the American West were particularly substantive, as she wrote over 100 scripts in total for shows like Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, The Monroes, and Empire.[6] She was one of the only women writers for television Westerns and was considered "one of the top Cowboy-and-Indian scribes of all time".[7]

Awards and honors

In 1964, Hite received the Headliner Award from the National Professional Journalism Society. In 1965, she was elected as a charter member of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Also in 1965, she was made an honorary member of the Choctaw Native American tribe.[6] In 1970, she was given the Achievement Award from Wichita State University alumni association, which is its highest honor.[8]

Death

Hite died on February 18, 1989, in Carefree, Arizona, at the age of 71.[9]

References
  1. Wright, Stewart (2014). "Kathleen Hite: Radio Writer Pioneer". Metropolitan Washington Old Time Radio Club. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  2. Bacon, James (22 May 1962). "'Gunsmoke' Writer Is Proud Of Her Deep Kansas Roots". The Emporia Gazette. Emporia, Kansas.
  3. "Writes Tough Dramas". The Boston Globe. 1 April 1962.
  4. Wilson, Maggie (11 January 1976). "Waltons' writer finds TV chancier than Old West". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona.
  5. Wright, Stewart (24 December 1972). "Kathleen Hite: Radio Writer Pioneer" (PDF). Metro Washington Old Time Radio Club, Radio Recall. Walkersville, MD.
  6. "Kathleen Hite Writes TV Series". The News Leader. Staunton, Virginia. 31 January 1969.
  7. Horan, Nelle (2 May 1965). "Western Scriptwriter to Speak at Dinner". The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
  8. "Past Award Recipients". Shocker Alumni Association. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  9. "Kathleen Hite obituaries". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. 23 February 1989. p. 34. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
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