---
name: "Dorothy Kingsley"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/dorothy-kingsley"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "14 October 1909"
died: "26 September 1997"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-20T02:51:32.081436+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Dorothy Kingsley

Writer. Born 14 October 1909 in New York City, New York, USA. Died 26 September 1997.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 14 October 1909, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 26 September 1997
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Kingsley, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q518025, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455510/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/31069

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*Seven Brides for Seven Brothers*](https://film.one/film/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers.md) (76)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Dorothy Kingsley (1909–1997) was an American screenwriter who worked extensively in film, radio and television. Born in New York City, she was the daughter of silent-film actress Alma Hanlon and press agent Walter J. Kingsley. She began her career as a gag writer for radio shows including those of Bob Hope and Edgar Bergen before moving into screenwriting.

Under contract to MGM, Kingsley contributed to numerous musicals and comedies. Her credits include the screenplays for *Kiss Me Kate* (1953), *Seven Brides for Seven Brothers* (1954), *Pal Joey* (1957) and *Valley of the Dolls* (1967). She also wrote or co-wrote several films starring Esther Williams and received an Academy Award nomination for *Seven Brides for Seven Brothers*.

After leaving Hollywood, Kingsley and her husband William Durney established Durney Vineyards in Carmel, California. She returned briefly to co-write the screenplay for the 1994 remake of *Angels in the Outfield*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Seven Brides for Seven Brothers* (1954), Fi1m 76, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers.md)

## Complete filmography (28)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *I Can't Believe It's Not Valley of the Dolls!* (2025), Original Film Writer
- *Angels in the Outfield* (1994), Screenplay
- *Debbie Reynolds and the Sound of Children* (1969), Writer
- *Bracken's World* (1969), series, Creator
- *Valley of the Dolls* (1967), Screenplay
- *Pepe* (1960), Writer
- *Can-Can* (1960), Screenplay
- *Green Mansions* (1959), Screenplay
- *Don't Go Near the Water* (1957), Writer
- *Pal Joey* (1957), Screenplay
- *Jupiter's Darling* (1955), Screenplay
- *Seven Brides for Seven Brothers* (1954), Screenplay — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers.md)
- *Kiss Me Kate* (1953), Screenplay
- *Dangerous When Wet* (1953), Writer
- *Small Town Girl* (1953), Writer
- *When in Rome* (1952), Writer
- *It's a Big Country* (1951), Writer
- *Angels in the Outfield* (1951), Screenplay
- *Texas Carnival* (1951), Screenplay, Story
- *Two Weeks with Love* (1950), Screenplay
- *The Skipper Surprised His Wife* (1950), Writer
- *Neptune's Daughter* (1949), Screenplay
- *A Date with Judy* (1948), Screenplay
- *On an Island with You* (1948), Screenplay
- *Easy to Wed* (1946), Screenplay
- *Bathing Beauty* (1944), Screenplay
- *Broadway Rhythm* (1944), Screenplay
- *Look Who's Laughing* (1941), as Other

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1955: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *Seven Brides for Seven Brothers*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/dorothy-kingsley