Jean Holloway, born Gratia Jean Casey, had a profound fascination with writing for radio, which sparked after she won a prestigious poetry contest upon graduating from San Jose State College. This auspicious beginning led her to work on several esteemed syndicated programs, including the renowned "The Kate Smith Show" and "The Hallmark Radio Hall of Fame". Her remarkable talent eventually caught the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and she was signed as a screenwriter in the mid-1940s.
Holloway's collaborations with MGM included the highly acclaimed musical biopic Till the Clouds Roll By (1946). Despite her success, she left MGM after what she described as "three miserable years" and pursued her ambition to write drama for the burgeoning medium of television.
While working on the groundbreaking daytime soap The First Hundred Years (1950),she met her future husband, the accomplished actor Dan Tobin. Later, she developed a TV version of the popular radio show Mayor of the Town (1954),starring the talented Thomas Mitchell and Kathleen Freeman. This sitcom, which ran for 39 episodes, unfortunately only lasted one season before being cancelled.
Holloway continued to write diverse episodes in various genres, including several episodes of the iconic Wagon Train (1957). She then created The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (1968),based on the novel by R.A. Dick and starring the captivating Hope Lange and Edward Mulhare. Holloway wrote the pilot and went on to script over 50 episodes of the series.
Although The Ghost & Mrs. Muir did not film in Maine, as the story suggested, but instead in Santa Barbara, California, the show developed a devoted cult following in the years following its initial run. Despite its popularity, the series was unfortunately cancelled after only two seasons due to stiff competition from other channels in the same time slot.
Holloway remained a prolific television writer until her retirement in 1983. She passed away six years later in Santa Monica, following a stroke.
