William Douglas-Home
Encyclopedia
William Douglas Home was court-martialled in World War II for his refusal to obey orders as a British army officer and later became a successful British dramatist.
and Lady Lilian Lambton, daughter of Frederick Lambton, 4th Earl of Durham
. His oldest brother was Sir Alec Douglas Home, Prime Minister
1963-64.
He was educated at Eton College
and New College, Oxford
where he read History. His first play, Murder in Pupil Room, was performed by his classmates at Eton in 1926 when he was only fourteen.
(who later inherited the barony of Dacre
), the daughter of Thomas Brand, 4th Viscount Hampden
& 26th Baron Dacre and Leila Emily Seely. They had four children.
, Douglas Home contested three parliamentary by-elections as an independent candidate opposed to Winston Churchill
's war aim of an unconditional surrender
by Germany. The political parties in the wartime Coalition Government
had agreed not to contest by-elections when a vacancy arose in a seat held by the other coalition parties. At the Glasgow Cathcart
by-election, April 1942, he won 21% of the votes, and at Windsor
in June 1942
, he won 42%. In April 1944, he came a poor third at the Clay Cross
by-election, losing his deposit
.
He had intended to contest the St Albans by-election in October 1943
, but communications difficulties with the Army Council
prevented him from receiving the necessary permission soon enough to meet the deadline for nominations.
Post-war, Douglas Home stood twice as the Liberal Party
candidate in Edinburgh South
. He told a story in The Observer
Magazine that he took a morning off from the election campaign to go shooting with his brother not long before he became Conservative Prime Minister. Alec uncharacteristically missed all the birds in the first drive. When William asked him what was wrong, Alec replied "I had to speak against some bloody Liberal last night!" He had been unaware that the "bloody Liberal" was his own younger brother. William's comment was, "I would have given him a lift if I'd known he was going." Previously William had briefly been the Conservative Party
prospective parliamentary candidate
for Kirkcaldy Burghs
before resigning over foreign policy differences.
The elections in South Edinburgh had done much to revive Liberal support in the city, following as they did on the first win by a Liberal candidate in Newington Ward in the constituency. Party members were dismayed when he abruptly resigned as a member, apparently because he was not called to speak on a motion on the United Nations during a Party Conference. This was the end of his active political career.
. At Sandhurst, he was critical of the war, which he said had been unnecessary. Douglas Home was commissioned in April 1941. While an officer he stood in the three parliamentary by-elections.
In 1944 Douglas Home was an officer in the 141st Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps
(The Buffs) in the Normandy campaign. This was the first regiment to be equipped with the Churchill Crocodile
flame-thrower tank.
Captain Douglas Home refused to participate in the Allied operation to capture
the port of Le Havre
in September 1944 because French civilians had not been permitted to evacuate. He wrote to the Maidenhead Advertiser and the publication of his letter in the newspaper prompted his court-martial.
Douglas Home was charged at a Field General Court Martial held on 4 October 1944 that, when on active service, he disobeyed a lawful command given by his superior officer (contrary to Section 9(2) of the Army Act 1881). He was convicted and sentenced to be cashiered and to serve one year's imprisonment with hard labour
. The whole proceedings lasted two hours.
One of the officers, Second Lieutenant James Wareing, described Douglas Home as follows:
Another officer described the incident in front of Le Havre as follows:
Wareing continued:
Captain Andrew Wilson, M.C. also served in 141 RAC. In his autobiography Flame Thrower, published in 1956, he recounts this incident and its consequences. Wilson wrote his story deliberately in the third person:
In 1988, Douglas Home, prompted by the Waldheim affair, applied for a pardon. His argument was that the attack on Le Havre was a war crime because of the failure to evacuate civilians, and that if Waldheim ought to have disobeyed orders to save civilian lives, he was justified in doing the same. The appeal was abandoned.
"In the space of a month or two after his release he wrote two plays which were successful in London in 1947. The first Now Barabbas was based on his experience in gaol and in the latter some of the characters were drawn from his family."
Although Douglas Home was a prolific playwright, his works have neither the depth nor the durability of such near contemporaries as Rattigan
or Coward
. However, his play The Reluctant Debutante has been adapted twice into film. The first movie
, made in 1958, retained the same title and featured Rex Harrison
and Sandra Dee
with a screenplay by the playwright himself. The second was released in 2003, under the title What a Girl Wants
, starring Amanda Bynes
, Colin Firth
, and Kelly Preston
. The remake features a hereditary peer
in the House of Lords
who disclaims his title in order to stand for election to the House of Commons
; Alec Douglas Home was one of the first to do that after the enacting of the Peerage Act 1963
.
As part of the 1975 centennial season of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
, a specially-written curtain raiser by Douglas Home, called Dramatic Licence, was played by Peter Pratt
as Richard D'Oyly Carte
, Kenneth Sandford
as W. S. Gilbert
and John Ayldon
as Arthur Sullivan
, in which Gilbert, Sullivan and Carte plan the birth of Trial by Jury
in 1875.
Early life
Douglas Home was the third son of the 13th Earl of HomeCharles Douglas-Home, 13th Earl of Home
Charles Cospatrick Archibald Douglas-Home, 13th Earl of Home KT was the father of British Prime Minister, Alec Douglas-Home.Charles was born in 1873, the son of Charles Douglas-Home, 12th Earl of Home...
and Lady Lilian Lambton, daughter of Frederick Lambton, 4th Earl of Durham
Frederick Lambton, 4th Earl of Durham
Frederick William Lambton, 4th Earl of Durham was a British peer, a Liberal politician, and the son of George Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham. He inherited the Earldom from his twin brother, John Lambton, 3rd Earl of Durham, when the latter died with no legitimate children.He married Beatrix Bulteel...
. His oldest brother was Sir Alec Douglas Home, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
1963-64.
He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
where he read History. His first play, Murder in Pupil Room, was performed by his classmates at Eton in 1926 when he was only fourteen.
Marriage
On 26 July 1951 he married the equally aristocratic The Hon. Rachel BrandRachel Douglas-Home, 27th Baroness Dacre
Rachel Leila Douglas-Home, 27th Baroness Dacre is a British peeress, daughter of Thomas Brand, 4th Viscount Hampden & 26th Baron Dacre and Leila Emily Seely, a granddaughter of Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet, and a great-great granddaughter of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford.She is a great...
(who later inherited the barony of Dacre
Baron Dacre
Baron Dacre is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England, every time by writ. The first creation came in 1321 when Ralph Dacre was summoned to Parliament as Lord Dacre. He married Margaret, 2nd Baroness Multon of Gilsland, heiress of a large estate in Cumbria centred on...
), the daughter of Thomas Brand, 4th Viscount Hampden
Viscount Hampden
Viscount Hampden is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1776 for the diplomat and politician Robert Hampden, 4th Baron Trevor...
& 26th Baron Dacre and Leila Emily Seely. They had four children.
Political career
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Douglas Home contested three parliamentary by-elections as an independent candidate opposed to Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's war aim of an unconditional surrender
Unconditional surrender
Unconditional surrender is a surrender without conditions, in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party. In modern times unconditional surrenders most often include guarantees provided by international law. Announcing that only unconditional surrender is acceptable puts psychological...
by Germany. The political parties in the wartime Coalition Government
Coalition Government 1940-1945
Members of the War Cabinet are in bold face.-Source:* D. Butler and G. Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000....
had agreed not to contest by-elections when a vacancy arose in a seat held by the other coalition parties. At the Glasgow Cathcart
Glasgow Cathcart (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Cathcart was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 2005, when it was replaced by the larger Glasgow South constituency....
by-election, April 1942, he won 21% of the votes, and at Windsor
Windsor (UK Parliament constituency)
Windsor is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In its modern form, it elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-Boundaries:...
in June 1942
Windsor by-election, 1942
The Windsor by-election, 1942 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Windsor in Berkshire on 30 June 1942. The by-election was won by the Conservative candidate Charles Mott-Radclyffe.- Vacancy :...
, he won 42%. In April 1944, he came a poor third at the Clay Cross
Clay Cross (UK Parliament constituency)
Clay Cross was a county constituency centred on the village of Clay Cross in north-east Derbyshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
by-election, losing his deposit
Deposit (politics)
A deposit is a sum of money that a candidate must pay in return for the right to stand for election to certain political offices, particularly seats in legislatures.-United Kingdom:...
.
He had intended to contest the St Albans by-election in October 1943
St Albans by-election, 1943
The St Albans by-election of 1943 was a parliamentary by-election held in England in October 1943 for the House of Commons constituency of St Albans in Hertfordshire....
, but communications difficulties with the Army Council
Army Council (1904)
The Army Council is a governing board for the British military organization. It was created in 1904 along with other institutional changes made in that year to the British Army....
prevented him from receiving the necessary permission soon enough to meet the deadline for nominations.
Post-war, Douglas Home stood twice as the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidate in Edinburgh South
Edinburgh South (UK Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh South is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, first used in the general election of 1885. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
. He told a story in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
Magazine that he took a morning off from the election campaign to go shooting with his brother not long before he became Conservative Prime Minister. Alec uncharacteristically missed all the birds in the first drive. When William asked him what was wrong, Alec replied "I had to speak against some bloody Liberal last night!" He had been unaware that the "bloody Liberal" was his own younger brother. William's comment was, "I would have given him a lift if I'd known he was going." Previously William had briefly been the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
prospective parliamentary candidate
Prospective parliamentary candidate
Prospective parliamentary candidate is a term used in British politics to refer to candidates selected by political parties to fight individual constituencies in advance of a general election. This terminology was motivated by the strict limits on the amount of expenses incurred by an actual...
for Kirkcaldy Burghs
Kirkcaldy Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Kirkcaldy Burghs was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1974. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system...
before resigning over foreign policy differences.
The elections in South Edinburgh had done much to revive Liberal support in the city, following as they did on the first win by a Liberal candidate in Newington Ward in the constituency. Party members were dismayed when he abruptly resigned as a member, apparently because he was not called to speak on a motion on the United Nations during a Party Conference. This was the end of his active political career.
Military service
Despite his opposition to the policy of requiring the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany he was conscripted into the army in July 1940 and joined the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment). He went to 161 Officer Cadet Training Unit (161 OCTU) in the buildings of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst where one of his colleagues was David FraserDavid William Fraser
General Sir David William Fraser, GCB, OBE is a retired British Army officer who became Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies.-Military career:...
. At Sandhurst, he was critical of the war, which he said had been unnecessary. Douglas Home was commissioned in April 1941. While an officer he stood in the three parliamentary by-elections.
In 1944 Douglas Home was an officer in the 141st Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army...
(The Buffs) in the Normandy campaign. This was the first regiment to be equipped with the Churchill Crocodile
Churchill Crocodile
The Churchill Crocodile was a British flame-throwing tank of late Second World War. It was a variant of the Tank, Infantry, Mk VI Churchill Mark VII, although the Churchill Mark IV was initially chosen to be the base vehicle....
flame-thrower tank.
Captain Douglas Home refused to participate in the Allied operation to capture
Operation Astonia
Operation Astonia was a World War II battle fought from 10 September 1944 to 12 September 1944.The Allied objective of the operation was the capture of the German-held Channel port of Le Havre,France,coveted by the Allies to improve their supply system.The Allies hoped to find the port intact and...
the port of Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
in September 1944 because French civilians had not been permitted to evacuate. He wrote to the Maidenhead Advertiser and the publication of his letter in the newspaper prompted his court-martial.
Douglas Home was charged at a Field General Court Martial held on 4 October 1944 that, when on active service, he disobeyed a lawful command given by his superior officer (contrary to Section 9(2) of the Army Act 1881). He was convicted and sentenced to be cashiered and to serve one year's imprisonment with hard labour
Penal labour
Penal labour is a form of unfree labour in which prisoners perform work, typically manual labour. The work may be light or hard, depending on the context. Forms of sentence which involve penal labour include penal servitude and imprisonment with hard labour...
. The whole proceedings lasted two hours.
One of the officers, Second Lieutenant James Wareing, described Douglas Home as follows:
- "He did not go into any action as far as I am aware and when we were not in action he did nothing. I really don’t know how he came to be there at all in such an elite regiment.
- "In the field he ate by himself and slept under a tank. He did not seem to be in charge of anyone. However he was put in charge of a group of tanks for the attack on Le Havre. This created something of a situation because he refused to go into action but at the same time was claiming that he could capture Le Havre without firing a single shot. The CO accordingly put him under close arrest under the supervision of another officer."
Another officer described the incident in front of Le Havre as follows:
- "I was a troop leader in C Squadron 141 RAC and was the escorting officer of William Douglas Home, for two or three days, following his arrest. If my memory serves me correctly he was arrested by order of Major Dan Duffy, our squadron commander and he so ordered the arrest because Captain Douglas Home refused to act as an LO. Home told me that the reason he refused this duty was that if the operation was carried out as planned a large number of French civilians would be killed. He told me that he had offered to negotiate a German surrender but had been refused and consequently declined to serve." "I did not know Home before his secondment to the squadron as an LO for the Le Havre operation as he spent most of his time at RHQ."
Wareing continued:
- "Whilst under arrest Home had written to the editor of the Maidenhead Advertiser who published an exclusive on how Le Havre was captured without firing a single shot. Unlike the letters from other ranks the letters from officers were not subject to 100% censorship but to random screening."
- "In any event when the War Office saw the newspaper article they immediately investigated the source of the information. The initial upshot was that our CO Lieutenant Colonel H. Waddell was relieved of command and demoted to Major although he continued in combat until we reached Brussels. Here he [Lt Col Waddell] faced a Court Martial and managed to win his case and be reinstated. It was suspected that Home had used his influence with his brother, a member of the Government, the future Lord Home and future Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas Home. This could have explained the demotion of our CO. Justice was finally seen to be done because William Home was sent to prison."
- "He served 8 months, initially in Wormwood ScrubsWormwood ScrubsWormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs, is an open space located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the Borough, at 80 ha , and one of the largest areas of common land in London...
, then completing his term in Wakefield Prison."
Captain Andrew Wilson, M.C. also served in 141 RAC. In his autobiography Flame Thrower, published in 1956, he recounts this incident and its consequences. Wilson wrote his story deliberately in the third person:
- "Even when he sailed with the regiment to Normandy, William had continued his private war-against-war. While headquarters were near BayeuxBayeuxBayeux is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France.Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England.-Administration:Bayeux is a sub-prefecture of Calvados...
, he had written to the newspapers about some German ambulances shot up by British fighters. And what he had written was true. Wilson had seen the ambulances, riddled with bullets on the Tilly road. Later Waddell had posted William to Duffy’s squadron to take part in the assault on Le Havre. There were thousands of civilians in the town, which was soon to be bombed with 50,000 tons of explosive. William’s moment of decision had at last arrived. On the morning of the battle he returned to regimental headquarters and, finding the C.O. in the act of shaving, told him that be refused to take part. Waddell called a witness. “Will you carry out my order, Home?” – “No. sir.”"
In 1988, Douglas Home, prompted by the Waldheim affair, applied for a pardon. His argument was that the attack on Le Havre was a war crime because of the failure to evacuate civilians, and that if Waldheim ought to have disobeyed orders to save civilian lives, he was justified in doing the same. The appeal was abandoned.
Playwright
William Douglas Home wrote some 50 plays, most of them comedies in an upper-class setting."In the space of a month or two after his release he wrote two plays which were successful in London in 1947. The first Now Barabbas was based on his experience in gaol and in the latter some of the characters were drawn from his family."
Although Douglas Home was a prolific playwright, his works have neither the depth nor the durability of such near contemporaries as Rattigan
Terence Rattigan
Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan CBE was one of England's most popular 20th-century dramatists. His plays are generally set in an upper-middle-class background...
or Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
. However, his play The Reluctant Debutante has been adapted twice into film. The first movie
The Reluctant Debutante
The Reluctant Debutante is a 1958 comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli and produced by Pandro S. Berman from a screenplay by Julius J. Epstein and William Douglas-Home based on Douglas-Home's play of the same name...
, made in 1958, retained the same title and featured Rex Harrison
Rex Harrison
Sir Reginald Carey “Rex” Harrison was an English actor of stage and screen. Harrison won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.-Youth and stage career:...
and Sandra Dee
Sandra Dee
Sandra Dee was an American actress. Dee began her career as a model and progressed to film. Best known for her portrayal of ingenues, Dee won a Golden Globe Award in 1959 as one of the year's most promising newcomers, and over several years her films were popular...
with a screenplay by the playwright himself. The second was released in 2003, under the title What a Girl Wants
What a Girl Wants (film)
What a Girl Wants is a 2003 film starring Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, Kelly Preston and Oliver James. Directed by Dennie Gordon, the film is a remake of the 1958 film, The Reluctant Debutante which had a screenplay by William Douglas-Home, based on his play of the same name.The title, "What a Girl...
, starring Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes
Amanda Laura Bynes is an American actress, comedian, singer, and fashion designer. Bynes appeared in several successful television series, such as All That and The Amanda Show, on Nickelodeon in the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s, and in 2002, she starred in the TV series, What I Like About You...
, Colin Firth
Colin Firth
SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
, and Kelly Preston
Kelly Preston
Kelly Preston is an American actress and former model.- Early years :Preston was born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Linda, was an administrator of a mental health center, and her father, who worked for an agricultural firm, drowned when Preston was three years old...
. The remake features a hereditary peer
Hereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
who disclaims his title in order to stand for election to the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
; Alec Douglas Home was one of the first to do that after the enacting of the Peerage Act 1963
Peerage Act 1963
The Peerage Act 1963 is the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permitted peeresses in their own right and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, and which allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be "disclaimed".-Background:The Act resulted largely from the...
.
As part of the 1975 centennial season of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
, a specially-written curtain raiser by Douglas Home, called Dramatic Licence, was played by Peter Pratt
Peter Pratt
Peter Pratt was an English actor and singer who is best remembered for his comic roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas....
as Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era...
, Kenneth Sandford
Kenneth Sandford
Kenneth Sandford was an English singer and actor, best known for his performances in baritone roles of the Savoy Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan....
as W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
and John Ayldon
John Ayldon
John Ayldon is an English opera singer, best known for his performances in bass-baritone roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.-Life and career:...
as Arthur Sullivan
Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
, in which Gilbert, Sullivan and Carte plan the birth of Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
in 1875.
Plays
- Great Possessions (1937)
- Passing By (1940)
- Now Barabbas (1947)
- The Chiltern HundredsThe Chiltern Hundreds (play)The Chiltern Hundreds is a 1947 stage comedy by William Douglas-Home. It was adapted as a film in 1949, under the same title. Revivals of the play have included a 1999 production at the Vaudeville Theatre starring Edward Fox.-Sources:...
(1947) - Ambassador Extraordinary (1948)
- The Thistle and the Rose (1948)
- Master of Arts (1949)
- The Bad Samaritan (1952)
- Caro William (1952)
- The Manor of Northstead (1954)
- The Reluctant DebutanteThe Reluctant Debutante (play)The Reluctant Debutante is a 1955 play by the British playwright William Douglas-Home.It was first performed at the Theatre Royal Brighton after William Douglas-Home spotted the untrained 17-year-old actress Anna Massey and brought her in to audition for the title role...
(1955) - The Iron Duchess (1957)
- Aunt Edwina (1959)
- Up a Gum Tree (1960)
- The Bad Soldier Smith (1961)
- The Cigarette Girl (1962)
- The Drawing Room Tragedy (1963)
- The Reluctant Peer (1964)
- The Bishop and the Actress (1964)
- Two Account Rendered (1964)
- Betzi (1965)
- A Friend Indeed (1965)
- The Secretary Bird (1967)
- The Queen's Highland Servant (1967)
- The Grouse Moor Image (1968)
- The Jockey Club Stakes (1970)
- Uncle Dick's Surprise (1970)
- The Douglas Cause (1971)
- Lloyd George Knew My FatherLloyd George Knew My Father (play)Lloyd George Knew My Father is a 1972 play by the British playwright William Douglas-Home. The black comedy features an elderly and eccentric aristocratic couple who learn that a bypass is to be built through their property...
(1972) - In the Red (1972)
- At the End of the Day (1973)
- The Dame of Sark (1974)
- The Lord's Lieutenant (1974)
- Dramatic Licence (1975)
- The Consulting Room (1977)
- The Perch (1977)
- Rolls Hyphen Royce (1977)
- The Kingfisher (1977)
- The Editor Regrets (1979)
- Four Hurts Double (1982)
- Her Mother Came Too (1982)
- The Golf Umbrella (1983)
- David and Jonathan (1984)
- After the Ball is Over (1985)
- Portraits (1987)
- A Christmas Truce (1989)
Films
Douglas Home's screenwriting credits include:- Sleeping Car to TriesteSleeping Car to TriesteSleeping Car to Trieste is a 1948 is a British film directed by John Paddy Carstairs. The film is a remake of the 1932 film Rome Express, with essentially the same characters and many of the same actors.-Plot:...
(1948) - The Colditz StoryThe Colditz StoryThe Colditz Story is a 1955 prisoner of war film starring John Mills and Eric Portman and directed by Guy Hamilton.It is based on the book written by P.R...
(1955) (dialogue) - The Reluctant DebutanteThe Reluctant DebutanteThe Reluctant Debutante is a 1958 comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli and produced by Pandro S. Berman from a screenplay by Julius J. Epstein and William Douglas-Home based on Douglas-Home's play of the same name...
(1958), remade as What a Girl WantsWhat a Girl Wants (film)What a Girl Wants is a 2003 film starring Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, Kelly Preston and Oliver James. Directed by Dennie Gordon, the film is a remake of the 1958 film, The Reluctant Debutante which had a screenplay by William Douglas-Home, based on his play of the same name.The title, "What a Girl...
(2003) - Follow That Horse!Follow That Horse!Follow That Horse! is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Alan Bromly from a screenplay by William Douglas-Home. It starred David Tomlinson, Cecil Parker, Richard Wattis, Mary Peach and Dora Bryan.-Cast:* David Tomlinson as Dick Lanchester...
(1960)