Denis Cannan (14 May 1919 – 25 September 2011Denis Cannan(obituary)
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 17 October 2011)) was a British dramatist, playwright and script writer. Born Denis Pullein-Thompson, the son of Captain Harold J. Pullein-Thompson and novelist

Joanna Cannan Joanna Maxwell Cannan (27 May 1896 – 22 April 1961) was an English writer of pony books and detective novels, the former aimed mainly at children. She belonged to a family of prolific writers. Life Herself the youngest daughter of Charles Can ...

, he changed his name by deed poll in 1964. His younger sisters were

Josephine Pullein-Thompson Josephine Mary Wedderburn Pullein-Thompson MBE (3 April 1924 – 19 June 2014), sometimes known as Josephine Mann, was a British writer known for her pony books. She was a leading member of the Pony Club and PEN International. Her mother and two s ...

Diana Pullein-Thompson Diana Pullein-Thompson, later Diana Farr (1 October 1925 – 21 September 2015) was a British horsewoman and writer known for her pony books. Her mother and two sisters also wrote and together they created a large number of children's books - and ...

and

Christine Pullein-Thompson Christine Pullein-Thompson, later Christine Popescu and a nom de plume of Christine Keir (1 October 1925 – 2 December 2005) was a British horsewoman and writer known for her pony books. Her mother, her two sisters and her daughter also wrote p ...

Life

Pullein-Thompson was born in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, he was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

.''Who's Who 2007'' After attending Eton he worked as an actor, before joining the Queen's Royal Regiment of West Surrey when the Second World War broke out, rising to the rank of captain and being mentioned in dispatches. He was married to Joan Ross in 1946; the couple had two sons and a daughter. The marriage was dissolved, and he later remarried, to Rose Evansky in 1965.Denis Cannan(obituary)
''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'', 2 November 2011 Denis Cannan became a successful playwright and screenwriter known for his comedies. Apart from the plays listed below, he has written several screenplays for television and radio, also adaptions for television series. With

Christopher Fry Christopher Fry (18 December 1907 – 30 June 2005) was an English poet and playwright. He is best known for his verse dramas, especially ''The Lady's Not for Burning'', which made him a major force in theatre in the 1940s and 1950s. Biograph ...

he adapted ''

The Beggar's Opera ''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satiri ...

'' for the

1953 film The year 1953 in film involved some significant events. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1953 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events * January 16 – A new Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. is incorporated ...

starring

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

. He also wrote the screenplay for the 1963 fim,

Tamahine ''Tamahine'' is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Nancy Kwan, Dennis Price and John Fraser. It is a film about a Polynesian woman who believes she can change the culture of Hallow School, a British boys' boardin ...

, which should be compared in theme to

The French Mistress ''The French Mistress'' is a comedy play by the British entertainer Sonnie Hale under the pen name Robert Munro about the arrival of a new young French teacher at a traditional public school. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre in June 1955. Fo ...

, from 1960, (itself adapted from the 1955 play).

Selected plays

* ''

Captain Carvallo ''Captain Carvallo'' is a traditional comedy play in three acts by Denis Cannan, telling the story of a philandering young army officer, Captain Carvallo. The comedy was an immediate success when it opened at the St. James Theatre on 9 August 1 ...

'' (1950) * ''Misery Me!'' (1955) * ''The Power and the Glory'' (adaptation) (1956) * '' US'' (1966) * ''Colombe'' * ''

Dear Daddy ''Dear Daddy'' is a 1976 play written by English playwright Denis Cannan, first staged at the Ambassadors Theatre in London's West End. Plot summary Productions ; Opening night cast * Nigel Patrick as Bernard * Isabel Dean as Mary * Jennifer ...

'' * ''Ibsen's Ghosts'' (adaptation) * ''Max'' * ''One At Night'' * ''

The Ik ''The Ik'' is a 1975 play by Colin Higgins and Denis Cannan adapted from the 1972 book by Colin Turnbull about the Ik people titled ''The Mountain People''. It was devised with director Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 � ...

'' (adaptation) * ''You and Your Wife'' * ''Who's Your Father?''

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cannan, Denis 1919 births 2011 deaths British Army personnel of World War II People educated at Eton College People from Oxford Place of death missing British male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century British dramatists and playwrights 20th-century British male writers Queen's Royal Regiment officers