RADIUM GIRLS teleplay treatment

I unconsciously began writing this series when I was an undergrad writing a paper on Marie Curie and the effects of radium. Through that research, I came across the Radium Girls’ story and it remained seared into my memory for years to come.

More than anything, I felt the Radium Girls’ story deserved to be told. It’s a classic underdog tale but with a tragic ending because so few of these women survived to see victory. Historians know very little about the real Radium Girls, but in my invented portraits I try to capture how desperate these young women were to create a better world for future generations. Their trials and misfortunes are not unfamiliar to those of us with similar dreams today.

For this project, I considered American women’s role in the First World War. It was a time when they were pushing themselves into more prominent parts of society, stepping further into the workforce and demanding the right to vote. This was a period of change and there was tension between the way things used to be and the direction women like the Radium Girls were heading. This creates an exquisite backdrop and conflict for the series.

SERIES SUMMARY

Painting watch dials at a factory during WWI seems like the perfect job until a group of women learn they're being slowly poisoned by their employer. Radium Girls tells the story of a group of disparate watch dial painters who must learn to band together in order to fight the injustices inflicted on them by their employer, U.S. Radium. Unfortunately, setting a legal precedent for future generations comes at a cost: only a few workers stay alive long enough to see this victory. Their fight for justice happens against the backdrop of a nation at war, and we follow our characters through their unique personal struggles. Whether they’re part of the suffrage movement or helping a husband suffering from phantom limb pain, we come to know these characters so deeply that their collective battle keeps us engaged until the very end.

This series plays host to a plethora of colorful characters who each bring a different perspective to both the historical setting and themes explored. There’s Anna, our window into the U.S. Radium factory. She’s limited by her immaturity and can be high-strung, but she works hard because she wants a better life for herself. Her older sister, Eleanor, takes a different approach. Eleanor expects life to be difficult and isn’t idealistic about changing that. A secret lesbian, her lover introduces her to the Women’s Suffrage movement, which finally gives her something to believe in.

There’s also Ralph, a young executive at U.S. Radium who quickly falls in love with Anna. He tries to help her and the others when he learns about the poisonous paint, but it’s too late. Mr. Edwards also works in

management at the factory and hungers for a fulfilling life.

Other factory workers include Virginia, who cares for an invalid but dangerous husband; Frances, a student who plans to get a university education; and Maria, a street-smart daughter of Italian immigrants who always seems to have a new boyfriend. Each of these characters is unique and brings a new perspective to the themes explored in the series. What is the true cost of the American Dream? And what happens when victory isn't what you expected it to be?