Forgotten Women of Genre

The iconic trope of the scream queen has changed greatly over the past century of film, moving away from the token damsel-in-distress type to a more empowered figure who subverts the expectations of her audience. However, to truly understand the scream queen and what she represents, we must return to the beginning and to one of the women who helped to pioneer the concept. She may have been sadly forgotten by history, but h...

June Tyson was the first female member of Sun Ra’s Arkestra, but there is precious little information available about her. Despite her long tenure with the band, she’s often short-changed when it comes to discussing the Arkestra. But she was far more than just a moon in Sun Ra’s orbit. This is the story of June Tyson.

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Script written by: Clare McBride

Script read by: Cher Martinetti

You can find the script of this episode a...

The role of James Bond has changed a lot of hands over the years, and so has the role of Moneypenny, but out of a total of 25 films under the Eon Productions banner, only one woman has brought Moneypenny to life a record number of times. Her name was Lois Maxwell, and on today's episode of Forgotten Women of Genre, we're going to tell you all about the actress whose presence in the Bond movies wasn't just memorable, but do...

Magazine illustrations, fantastical yet grotesque creatures, and the smiling faces of a massively popular cherub-like doll. And behind it all, an immensely talented woman who lived life to the fullest and always strived to make the world better for everyone around her. This is the story of Rose O’Neill.

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Script written by: Riley Silverman

Script read by: Alyssa Fikse

You can find the script of this episode and so much m...

She was a cinematic innovator who pioneered feminist film and theater in Britain during the 1960s. Her radical approach to storytelling helped to pave the way for generations of female directors and writers. She made waves on television, forced audiences to confront the reality of mental illness, and became one of the first women to direct a science-fiction film. Sadly, you've probably never heard of her until today. This ...

She paved the way with all of the contributions she made to art through her lengthy and storied career, and it’s because of every role she inhabited so memorably that she will never truly be forgotten. Today we’re talking about the late, great Julie Harris, often referred to as “the first lady of the American theater.”

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Script written by: Carly Lane

Script read by: Courtney Enlow

You can find the script of this episode and...

Time travel, dystopian visions of enduring fascism, and grasping for a world without the constraints of gender roles. Meanwhile, through it all, an alter ego, the mystery of which would remain unsolved for 50 years.A true pioneer in her field, we once knew her under the pseudonym of Murray Constantine. But today we remember her as who she actually was, Katharine Burdekin.

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Script written by: Riley Silverman

Script read by:...

If you’ve ever dared to enter Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion, you’ve been a guest at the seance table of the mysterious Madame Leota. Despite only existing as a floating head in a crystal ball, there would be no ride without her. It's Madame Leota who calls forth the happy haunts of the house, allowing us to join in the spooky fun. Every visitor to the Haunted Mansion knows Leota’s face. She’s become a cult figure, with devo...

Today’s subject is a writer, an academic, an activist, and a pioneer who wrote political ghost stories, queer supernatural romance, and anti-war dramas featuring Death as the ultimate choreographer. History may have tried to erase her efforts but we’re here to bring her back under the spotlight where she belongs. This is the story of Vernon Lee.

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Script written by: Kayleigh Donaldson

Script read by: Courtney Enlow

You can f...

When we talk about genre, we’re not just talking about science fiction and fantasy. There are other realms the term “genre” represents. Genre also includes horror — and women have had a presence in that world since its inception. Today, we’re going to take you down a lesser-known path of horror history to tell you about Paula Maxa, once referred to as The Most Assassinated Woman in the World.

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Script written by: Carly...

Outside of the vitally important Ink and Paint Department—the artistic equivalent of Ginger Rogers having to do everything Fred Astaire does, but backwards and in heels—women were barred from every other department at the Studio. According to a 1946 interview with the Associated Press, Disney believed women lacked the talent and sense of humor to be animators. Two women—Disney’s first female animator, Retta Scott, and Disn...

Frances Harper was an innovator of utopian fiction, a strident campaigner for civil rights and women’s suffrage, and a near-legendary figure in the fight for black women’s rights during and after the American Civil War.

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Script written by: Kayleigh Donaldson

Script read by: Stephanie Williams

You can find the script of this episode and so much more at SYFYFANGRRLS.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at SYFYFANGRRLS.

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From the very beginning, women have been creating and shaping some of the most well-known characters in science fiction history. DC Fontana contributed to many of the most iconic genre shows airing in the ‘70s. But perhaps her greatest legacy is her influence on early Star Trek, where she is credited with further fleshing out the character of the Vulcan science officer known simply as Spock.

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Script written by: Carly Lane

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In the summer of 2017, in a special clip created to air during the Wimbledon tournament, Jodie Whittaker was announced as the newest actor, and the first woman, to take over the iconic role of The Doctor on the long-running British science fiction series, Doctor Who. But while debates raged across the internet about whether or not a woman should play the Doctor, and whether or not women’s voices were important to the long-...

Orson Welles once called her the “world’s greatest living radio actress.” The director William Friedkin once said that The Exorcist would not work without the contribution of the woman who gave voice to the demon Pazuzu. But Mercedes McCambridge, award-winning actress of radio, stage, and screen, initially went uncredited for what should have been her most famous role. An actress who specialized in playing tough women and ...

Wendy Froud grew up creating her very own fairy gardens. Little could she have known then that she would be building fairy gardens for the rest of her life, and like her literary namesake, would sculpt the imaginations of generations of children, young and old, with her extravagant, whimsical creations.

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Few books have had as seismic an impact on literature and pop culture at large as Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. But some of Stoker’s key inspirations for Dracula came from notable, misunderstood, and overlooked women. From the infamous countess smeared by history to the social reformer fighting a devastating epidemic to the traveler who documented Transylvanian folklore: Bram Stoker's Dracula owes a substantial unpaid ...

Once upon a time, there lived a badass lady in 17th-century France. Her name was Marie-Catherine, Countess d’Aulnoy, and she’s the one we have to thank for telling the stories that led to the fairy tales we all know and love today. She also led a life full of intrigue, betrayal, and deception. In some ways, the Countess d’Aulnoy was a fairy tale all her own, the source of just as much myth as true fact, and if you ask us, ...