Neil Paterson (writer)
Encyclopedia
James Edmund Neil Paterson (31 December 1916 – 19 April 1995), known as Neil Paterson, was a Scottish
screenwriter
.
, Renfrewshire
(now part of Inverclyde
), Paterson graduated from the University of Edinburgh
and had a brief career in senior football
. He played as an inside left for Scottish League
teams Leith Athletic
and Dundee United
, becoming captain of the latter in the 1936-37 season
. Despite his success in football – he scored 9 goals from 26 league appearances for United, including a hat-trick – he remained an amateur player, spurning the opportunity to go professional. As an amateur he was automatically released at the end of the season, although he played one further game for the club in an emergency.
and after the Second World War as an author, penning a number of well received novels and short stories. In 1953, he adapted his own short story The Kidnappers for the cinema and subsequently wrote a number of screenplays, including the Academy Award-winning script
for Room at the Top in 1959, adapted from the novel by John Braine
. Paterson won the Atlantic Award for Literature in 1946. Later he served as a governor for the British Film Institute
, National Film School and the Arts Council of Great Britain
and as an executive for Grampian Television
. He died in 1995 at Crieff
, Tayside
(now part of Perth and Kinross
).
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
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:...
.
Early life and football career
Born in GreenockGreenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire (historic)
Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a registration county, the Lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, and one of the counties of Scotland used for local government until 1975. Renfrewshire is located in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland, south of the River Clyde,...
(now part of Inverclyde
Inverclyde
Inverclyde is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the historic county of Renfrewshire - which current exists as a registration county and lieutenancy area - located in the west...
), Paterson graduated from the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
and had a brief career in senior football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
. He played as an inside left for Scottish League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
teams Leith Athletic
Leith Athletic F.C.
Leith Athletic Football Club is a football club based in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a member of the East of Scotland Football League. It plays most of its home games at Leith Links. The club was originally formed in 1887 and played in the Scottish Football League in four different...
and Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
, becoming captain of the latter in the 1936-37 season
1936-37 in Scottish football
The 1936–37 season was the 47th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: RangersRelegated: Dunfermline Athletic, Albion Rovers-Scottish League Division Two:...
. Despite his success in football – he scored 9 goals from 26 league appearances for United, including a hat-trick – he remained an amateur player, spurning the opportunity to go professional. As an amateur he was automatically released at the end of the season, although he played one further game for the club in an emergency.
Writing career and later life
After his football career finished he became a writer, initially as a sports journalist for D.C. ThomsonD. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd
D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, is a publishing company based in Dundee, Scotland, best known for producing The Dundee Courier, The Evening Telegraph, The Sunday Post, Oor Wullie, The Broons, The Beano, The Dandy and Commando comics...
and after the Second World War as an author, penning a number of well received novels and short stories. In 1953, he adapted his own short story The Kidnappers for the cinema and subsequently wrote a number of screenplays, including the Academy Award-winning script
Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay
The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. It is awarded each year to the writer of a screenplay adapted from another source...
for Room at the Top in 1959, adapted from the novel by John Braine
John Braine
John Gerard Braine was an English novelist. Braine is usually associated with the Angry Young Men movement.-Biography:...
. Paterson won the Atlantic Award for Literature in 1946. Later he served as a governor for the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
, National Film School and the Arts Council of Great Britain
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
and as an executive for Grampian Television
Grampian Television
Grampian Television is the ITV franchisee for the North and North East of Scotland. Its coverage area includes the Scottish Highlands , Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee and parts of north Fife...
. He died in 1995 at Crieff
Crieff
Crieff is a market town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich and also lies on the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins onto the A823 which leads to Dunfermline....
, Tayside
Tayside
Tayside Region was a local government region of Scotland from 15 May 1975 to 31 March 1996. It was created by the 1973 Act following recommendations made by the 1969 Wheatley Report which attempted to replace the mishmash of counties, cities, burghs and districts, with a uniform two-tier system...
(now part of Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross is one of 32 council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, Argyll and Bute and Highland council areas. Perth is the administrative centre...
).
Selected bibliography
- On my Faithless Arm (1946) (Under pseudonym John Kovack)
- The China Run: Being the biography of a great-grandmother (1948)
- Behold Thy Daughter (1950)
- The China Run: A book of short stories (1951)
- Man on the Tightrope (1952)
- Man on a Tightrope: The Short Novel (1953)
- The Kidnappers and other Stories (1957)
- Something like a poem (1986)
Selected filmography
- The Kidnappers (1953)
- Man on a TightropeMan on a TightropeMan on a Tightrope is a 1953 American film directed by Elia Kazan, starring Fredric March, Terry Moore and Gloria Grahame. It was entered into the 3rd Berlin International Film Festival. The screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood was based on a 1952 novel of the same title by Neil Paterson...
(1953) - Devil on HorsebackDevil on HorsebackDevil on Horseback is a 1954 British drama film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Googie Withers, John McCallum and Jeremy Spenser. Its plot involves a boy who pursues his ambition to be a jockey...
(1954) - The Woman for JoeThe Woman for JoeThe Woman for Joe is a 1955 British drama film starring Diane Cilento, George Baker, Jimmy Karoubi and David Kossoff. The owner of a circus sideshow and his prize attraction become romantically involved with the same woman.-Cast:...
(1955) - High Tide at NoonHigh Tide at NoonHigh Tide at Noon is a 1957 British drama film directed by Philip Leacock. It was entered into the 1957 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Betta St...
(1957) - The Shiralee (1957)
- Innocent Sinners (1958)
- Room at the Top (1959)
- The Spiral RoadThe Spiral RoadThe Spiral Road is a 1962 American drama starring Rock Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Burl Ives, Reggie Nalder and Neva Patterson. It was directed by Robert Mulligan with a screenplay by John Lee Mahin and Neil Paterson adapted from the novel by Jan de Hartog. It also featured an early score by composer...
(1962) - The Little Kidnappers (1990)