[Commlist] CFP ReFocus: Penny Marshall

*Reminder: Call for Papers*

*ReFocus: Penny Marshall*

**

2023 marks 35 years since Penny Marshall became the first woman director 
to make over $100 million at the American domestic box office with hit 
comedy /Big/, widely recognised as Tom Hanks’ breakthrough movie. 
Marshall started out as an actor, most famously appearing as Laverne in 
the TV series /Laverne and Shirley/. This was followed by an impressive 
career as a director, starting out with the little known /Jumpin’ Jack 
Flash/ in 1986, before overseeing the massive success of /Big/ (1988), 
then directing the Oscar-nominated /Awakenings/ (1990) and the 
much-loved /A League of Their Own/ (1992). In later life Marshall 
continued to direct, as well produce for film and television. Marshall’s 
death in 2019 was followed by an outpouring of grief from her 
contemporaries, evident in social media and obituaries that noted her 
significance and influence as a trailblazer for women in Hollywood. 
Despite Marshall’s achievements and influence in the film industry, 
there is no academic work focused on her or her films, and she is rarely 
discussed in histories of Hollywood.

Following on from the University of Leicester’s recent one-day symposium 
on the 35^th anniversary of /Big/, this new collection aims to redress 
the relative paucity of work on Penny Marshall and her films. We welcome 
proposals focused on any aspect of Marshall’s work and influence in 
Hollywood’s creative output and industrial structures. The collection 
will aim to re-evaluate Marshall’s work, her life and her place in 
Hollywood’s history. It will also aim to understand how Marshall opened 
a space for those women directors who followed in her footsteps to break 
further boundaries in Hollywood.

*Topics for proposals may include, but are not limited to:*

  * Explorations of Marshall’s films (for example, regarding stars,
    genre, authorship, recurring themes, social politics etc.)
  * Analysis of Marshall’s lesser-known films such as /Jumpin’ Jack
    Flash/, /The Preacher’s Wife/ and /Riding in Cars with Boys/
  * Marshall’s career and her status as a director for hire
  * Marshall’s early work as an actress and her role in /Laverne and
    Shirley/
  * Marshall’s films within a wider historical/film studies context
  * Marshall’s role as a producer, director of television and/or actress
  * Marshall’s importance and influence within Hollywood and beyond

Abstracts for chapter suggestions should be approximately 400 words, and 
accompanied by a short biography.

Please send proposals and any informal enquires to Dr Claire Jenkins 
(University of Leicester) and Dr James Russell (De Montfort University) 
on (cmj23 /at/ leicester.ac.uk) <mailto:(cmj23 /at/ leicester.ac.uk)> and 
(jrussell /at/ dmu.ac.uk) <mailto:(jrussell /at/ dmu.ac.uk)>.

The deadline for proposals is Monday 18 December 2023.


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