Diana Morgan (screenwriter)
Encyclopedia
Mary Diana Morgan was a Welsh
playwright
and screenwriter
, mostly associated with her work for Ealing Studios
as Diana Morgan. She was married to fellow screenwriter Robert MacDermot.
, Wales
on 29 May, 1908. She studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama
. She began her career in show business as an actress and chorus girl and was on stage in 1931. On 8 September 1934, she married Robert MacDermot Barbour (b. 19 March 1910 in Poona, India), who would become Head of BBC TV Drama in 1948. They had a son Richard Morgan Derry MacDermot Barbour.
After their marriage, they began writing as a partnership. Their early work was for the London stage and include a full revue in 1938 at the London Hippodrome, Black and Blue, starring Frances Day
, Vic Oliver
and Max Wall
. Impressed with their witty and satirical scripts Morgan and MacDermot were later hired by stage director Norman Marshall
to write a stage show for Hermione Gingold
. Although slow to begin the show was a great success, selling out for its eight week run.
During World War Two, Dianne was instrumental in arranging for the up and coming actor Derek Bond
a film test with Ealing Studios. This was to launch his post career, in ‘The Captive Heart’ (1946) and ‘Nicholas Nickleby’ (1947).
Morgan and MacDermot would go on to write the stage shows, Lets Face It! (1939) and Swinging the Gate (1940) as well as many revues for the West End
and the outlying club theatres. In the 1940s Morgan wrote several plays including a House in the Square (1940) and Rain before Seven (1949). During the decade Morgan made significant script contributions to several Ealing screenplays, for which she is now best known. A contract writer, her film work included Went the Day Well?
(1942) and additional dialogue for A Run for Your Money
(1949). In 1960 she scripted Philip Leacock
's film Hand in Hand
about a Roman Catholic child and his Jewish friend, for which she won several international awards.
Her television work included Emergency - Ward 10 and its spin-off Call Oxbridge 2000, while she also made contributions to radio and wrote two novels.
MacDermot died in London
on 21 November 1964, while Morgan lived until 9 December 1996, and died in Northwood, Middlesex.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, mostly associated with her work for Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
as Diana Morgan. She was married to fellow screenwriter Robert MacDermot.
Career
Mary Diana Morgan was born in CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
on 29 May, 1908. She studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
. She began her career in show business as an actress and chorus girl and was on stage in 1931. On 8 September 1934, she married Robert MacDermot Barbour (b. 19 March 1910 in Poona, India), who would become Head of BBC TV Drama in 1948. They had a son Richard Morgan Derry MacDermot Barbour.
After their marriage, they began writing as a partnership. Their early work was for the London stage and include a full revue in 1938 at the London Hippodrome, Black and Blue, starring Frances Day
Frances Day
Frances Day was an American actress and singer who achieved great popularity in the UK in the 1930s.Day's career began as a nightclub cabaret singer in New York City and London...
, Vic Oliver
Vic Oliver
Vic Oliver was an actor and radio comedian.He was born in Vienna, Austria, the son of Viktor von Samek and came to England via America....
and Max Wall
Max Wall
Max Wall , was an English comedian and actor, whose performing career covered music hall, theatre, films and television.-Early years:...
. Impressed with their witty and satirical scripts Morgan and MacDermot were later hired by stage director Norman Marshall
Norman Marshall (theatre director)
Norman Marshall was an English theatrical director, producer and manager who began his theatrical career while still an undergraduate student at Oxford...
to write a stage show for Hermione Gingold
Hermione Gingold
Hermione Gingold was an English actress known for her sharp-tongued, eccentric persona, an image enhanced by her sharp nose and chin, as well as her deepening voice, a result of vocal nodes which her mother reportedly encouraged her not to remove. She starred on stage, on radio, in films, on...
. Although slow to begin the show was a great success, selling out for its eight week run.
During World War Two, Dianne was instrumental in arranging for the up and coming actor Derek Bond
Derek Bond
Derek William Douglas Bond MC was a British actor.-Life and career:Derek Bond was born 26 January 1920 in Glasgow, Scotland. He attended Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Hampstead, London. He saw active service with the Grenadier Guards in North Africa during the Second World War, for which he...
a film test with Ealing Studios. This was to launch his post career, in ‘The Captive Heart’ (1946) and ‘Nicholas Nickleby’ (1947).
Morgan and MacDermot would go on to write the stage shows, Lets Face It! (1939) and Swinging the Gate (1940) as well as many revues for the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
and the outlying club theatres. In the 1940s Morgan wrote several plays including a House in the Square (1940) and Rain before Seven (1949). During the decade Morgan made significant script contributions to several Ealing screenplays, for which she is now best known. A contract writer, her film work included Went the Day Well?
Went the Day Well?
"Went the Day Well?" is a British war film produced by Ealing Studios in 1942 as unofficial propaganda. It tells of how an English village is taken over by German paratroopers . Made during the war, it reflects the greatest potential nightmares of many Britons of the time, although the threat of...
(1942) and additional dialogue for A Run for Your Money
A Run for Your Money
A Run for Your Money is a 1949 Ealing Studios comedy film starring Donald Houston and Meredith Edwards as two Welshmen visiting London for the first time...
(1949). In 1960 she scripted Philip Leacock
Philip Leacock
Philip David Charles Leacock was an English television and film director and producer. His brother was documentary filmmaker Richard Leacock.-Career:...
's film Hand in Hand
Hand in Hand (film)
Hand in Hand is a 1960 British dramatic film about the friendship between two young children, one a Catholic boy about nine, the other a 7-year-old Jewish girl....
about a Roman Catholic child and his Jewish friend, for which she won several international awards.
Her television work included Emergency - Ward 10 and its spin-off Call Oxbridge 2000, while she also made contributions to radio and wrote two novels.
MacDermot died in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 21 November 1964, while Morgan lived until 9 December 1996, and died in Northwood, Middlesex.
Notable stage work
- Bats In The Belfry (1937)
- Transatlantic Lullaby (1939)
- Let's Face it! (1939)
- A House in the Square (1940)
- Three Waltzes (1945)
- My Sex Right or Wrong (1947)
- Swinging the Gate (1950)
- Everyman (1952)
- After my Fashion (1952)
- The Starcross Story (1953)
- I"ll Take the High Road... (1956)
- Your Obedient Servant (1960)
- Rain Before Seven (1960)
- Time to Kill (1961)
- Hand in Hand (1963)
- Little evenings (1971)
- My Cousin Rachel (1980) (based in the novel My Cousin RachelMy Cousin RachelMy Cousin Rachel is a novel by British author Daphne du Maurier, published in 1951. Like the earlier Rebecca, it is a mystery-romance, largely set on a large estate in Cornwall.-Plot overview:...
by Daphne Du MaurierDaphne du MaurierDame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning DBE was a British author and playwright.Many of her works have been adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca and Jamaica Inn and the short stories "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now". The first three were directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Her elder sister was...
)
Notable film work
- Went the Day Well?Went the Day Well?"Went the Day Well?" is a British war film produced by Ealing Studios in 1942 as unofficial propaganda. It tells of how an English village is taken over by German paratroopers . Made during the war, it reflects the greatest potential nightmares of many Britons of the time, although the threat of...
(1943) - Pink String and Sealing WaxPink String and Sealing WaxPink String and Sealing Wax is a 1945 British drama film directed by Robert Hamer and starring Mervyn Johns, Googie Withers and Gordon Jackson.-Cast:* Mervyn Johns as Edward Sutton* Googie Withers as Pearl Bond* Gordon Jackson as David Sutton...
(1945) - A Run for Your MoneyA Run for Your MoneyA Run for Your Money is a 1949 Ealing Studios comedy film starring Donald Houston and Meredith Edwards as two Welshmen visiting London for the first time...
(1949) - Dance HallDance Hall (film)Dance Hall is a 1950 British film directed by Charles Crichton. Appealing mainly to a female audience, the film was an unusual departure for the studio, known at the time primarily for its classic comedies starring Alec Guinness.-Plot:...
(1950) - Hand in HandHand in Hand (film)Hand in Hand is a 1960 British dramatic film about the friendship between two young children, one a Catholic boy about nine, the other a 7-year-old Jewish girl....
(1960)