Francis Baker (22 May 1908 – 1982) was a British writer of novels and short stories, mainly on fantastic or supernatural themes. He was also an actor, musician and television scriptwriter. His best-known works are his novels, ''The Birds'' (1936) and ''Miss Hargreaves'' (1940), and his memoir, ''I Follow But Myself'' (1968).
Biography
Francis Baker was born at
Hornsey
Hornsey is a district of north London, England in the London Borough of Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey (pronounced , same as Harringay) is a London borough in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner Lo ...
in London in 1908, the son of a marine insurance salesman (who had been a chorister at
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...
) and grandson of an organist at
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...
. During World War I he was a weekly boarder at schools in Crouch End and Stafford; and from 1919 to 1924 he was a chorister at
Winchester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...
and was educated at the cathedral choir school (
The Pilgrims' School
The Pilgrims' School is a leading boys' preparatory school and cathedral school in the cathedral city of Winchester, Hampshire, England.
The school is renowned for sending their students to the nearby Winchester College, Eton College and other ...
), when William
Holden Hutton
William Holden Hutton (24 May 1860 – 24 October 1930) was a British historian and a priest of the Church of England. He was Dean of Winchester from 1919 to 1930.
Biography
William Holden Hutton was born in England on 24 May 1860, in Lin ...
was dean of the cathedral.
Baker left school at the age of sixteen, and for the next five years (1924 to 1929) worked at the London Assurance Company, before leaving to work for one year at the new
Royal School of Church Music
The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is a Christian music education organisation dedicated to the promotion of music in Christian worship, in particular the repertoire and traditions of Anglican church music, largely through publications, tr ...
.
He then moved to
St Just in Penwith
St Just ( kw, Lan(n)ust), known as St Just in Penwith, is a town and civil parish in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies along the B3306 road which connects St Ives to the A30 road. The parish encompasses the ...
, Cornwall, where he had a position of church organist and let holiday rooms in a cottage he shared with Marcus Tippett. One of their guests was the writer and editor
Edward Garnett
Edward William Garnett (5 January 1868 – 19 February 1937) was an English writer, critic and literary editor, who was instrumental in the publication of D. H. Lawrence's ''Sons and Lovers''.
Early life and family
Edward Garnett was born i ...
. At this time, Baker wrote his first novel, ''The Twisted Tree'', which was afterwards published in 1935 by
Peter Davies.
On the death of Marcus Tippett, Baker moved to the New Forest, but soon returned to Cornwall to work as an organist for
Bernard Walke
Bernard Walke, born Nicolo Bernard Walke, was an English Anglican priest. Most of his ministry was in three Cornish parishes; he was parish priest of St Hilary from 1913 to 1936.
Personal life
Bernard Walke was the eldest of three sons of a ...
at
the church of St Hilary in Penwith, where he helped Walke in his productions of the first religious plays broadcast live on BBC radio.
Baker's second novel, ''The Birds'', was published by
Peter Davies in 1936. In his autobiography ''I Follow but Myself'' Baker stated that it bore some resemblance to ''The Terror'' by
Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen (; 3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was the pen-name of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. Hi ...
(first published 1917).
When
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's ''
The Birds'' was released in 1963, ostensibly based on a short story "
The Birds" (1952) by
Daphne du Maurier
Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...
, Baker considered pursuing litigation against
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
but eventually decided against doing so because legal counsel considered that the works were substantially different. The opinion states: "The treatment of the general idea of attacks by birds in the two works is as different as it could be."
Du Maurier denied that she had taken the idea of Baker's novel for her own short story or that she had ever read the book. Any subsequent doubt on this point arose from the fact that Du Maurier was Davies's cousin. He was said to have been very excited about Baker's novel, and it is reasonable to suppose he might have mentioned it to Du Maurier. Some sources state that Du Maurier was working as a reader for Davies in 1936. This is not true – she was already a successful author by then – and spent almost all of 1936 in Alexandria with her soldier husband and young daughter. Some elements of Baker's story appear to have parallels in Hitchcock's film but it is not clear that the film's scriptwriter, Evan Hunter, was aware of Baker's work. By the time the film script was written, the novel was 26 years old. It had not been remotely successful – selling no more than 350 copies in total.
Baker's ''Miss Hargreaves'' (1940) was his most successful novel. It is a
comic fantasy
Fantasy comedy or comic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. Typically set in imaginary worlds, fantasy comedy often involves puns on and parodies of other works of fantasy.
Literature
The subgenre rose ...
in which a fictional
character comes to life. He later adapted it as a stage play, which was produced in London at the
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...
Club with
Dame Margaret Rutherford in the starring role. There have been two broadcast adaptations – one by Baker in 1950 (BBC TV) and one by
Brian Sibley
Brian David Sibley (born 14 July 1949) is an English writer. He is author of over 100 hours of radio drama and has written and presented hundreds of radio documentaries, features and weekly programmes. He is widely known as the author of many fi ...
in 1989 (for radio). A
television opera based on the novel, ''The Spur of the Moment'', was composed by Guy Halahan with a libretto by Joe Mendoza and broadcast by the BBC in 1959.
''Radio Times'', 14 June, 1959, p. 13
/ref>
Baker became a professional actor and during World War II he toured Britain with Dame Sybil Thorndike
Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969.
Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her ...
, Lewis Casson
Sir Lewis Thomas Casson MC (26 October 187516 May 1969) was an English actor and theatre director, and the husband of actress Dame Sybil Thorndike.Devlin, DianaCasson, Sir Lewis Thomas (1875–1969) ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biograph ...
(whom he understudied) and Paul Scofield
David Paul Scofield (21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008) was a British actor. During a six-decade career, Scofield achieved the US Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Awards, Academy Award, Emmy Award, Emmy, and Tony Award, Tony for his ...
.
In 1943, he married Kathleen Lloyd, with whom he had three children: Jonathan, Llewellyn, and Josephine. For 18 months, he was the pianist for the Players' Theatre
The Players' Theatre was a London theatre which opened at 43 King Street, Covent Garden, on 18 October 1936. The club originally mounted period-style musical comedies, introducing Victorian-style music hall in December 1937. The threat of World ...
, accompanying performers such as Leonard Sachs
Leonard Meyer Sachs (26 September 1909 – 15 June 1990) was a South African-born British actor.
Life and career
Sachs was born in the town of Roodepoort, in the then Transvaal Colony, present day South Africa. He was Jewish. He emigrated to ...
and Hattie Jacques
Hattie Jacques (; born Josephine Edwina Jaques; 7 February 1922 – 6 October 1980) was an English comedy actress of stage, radio and screen. She is best known as a regular of the ''Carry On'' films, where she typically played strict, no-non ...
.
In 1954, Baker wrote ''Lease of Life'' – which was made into a film by Ealing Studios (also 1954) starring Robert Donat
Friedrich Robert Donat (18 March 1905 – 9 June 1958) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his roles in Alfred Hitchcock's '' The 39 Steps'' (1935) and ''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' (1939), winning for the latter the Academy Award for ...
.
Baker wrote further novels and short stories, and articles in publications such as ''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 ...
'', ''Radio Times
''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...
'' and ''Life and Letters
''Life and Letters'' was an English literary journal first published between June 1928 and April 1935.
The magazine was edited from first publication by Desmond MacCarthy after he lost interest in the ''New Statesman''. It had financial backin ...
''. He worked as a script editor and wrote plays for BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
. In 1968, his memoir ''I follow but Myself'' was published, in which he recalled the friends who had most affected him throughout his life.
In 1969–1970, he spent time in the United States as Artist-in-Residence at the University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
.
During their marriage, Baker and his wife moved several times – from Hampstead to Mevagissey, to Surrey, to Perran Downs (Cornwall), to Cardiff, and to Kidderminster. They settled finally in Cornwall at Porthleven
Porthleven () is a town, civil parish and fishing port near Helston, Cornwall, England. The most southerly port in Great Britain, it was a harbour of refuge when this part of the Cornish coastline was infamous for wrecks in the days of sail. The ...
. In 1982, Baker died in Porthleven
Porthleven () is a town, civil parish and fishing port near Helston, Cornwall, England. The most southerly port in Great Britain, it was a harbour of refuge when this part of the Cornish coastline was infamous for wrecks in the days of sail. The ...
, of cancer.
Bibliography
Novels
*''The Twisted Tree'' (1935)
*''The Birds'' (1936) reissued in 2013 by Valancourt Books
Valancourt Books is an independent American publishing house founded by James Jenkins and Ryan Cagle in 2005. The company specializes in "the rediscovery of rare, neglected, and out-of-print fiction," in particular gay titles and Gothic and horr ...
with an introduction by Ken Mogg.
*''Miss Hargreaves'' (1940)
*''Allanayr'' (1941)
*''Sweet Chariot'' (1942)
*''Playing With Punch'' (1944)
*''Mr Allenby Loses the Way'' (1945)
*''Before I Go Hence'' (1946)
*''Embers'' (1946)
*''The Downs So Free'' (1948)
*''My Friend the Enemy'' (1948)
*''Blessed Are They'' (1951)
*''Lease of Life'' (1954)
*''Talk of the Devil'' (1956)
*''Teresa: A Journey Out of Time'' (1961)
Collections
*''Stories of the Strange and Sinister'' (1983)
Non fiction / Autobiographical
*''The Road Was Free'' (1948)
*''I Follow But Myself'' (1968)
*''Call of Cornwall'' (1976)
Further reading
* F. Baker, ''I Follow but Myself'' (1968) [includes accounts of B. Carless, W. Holden Hutton
William Holden Hutton (24 May 1860 – 24 October 1930) was a British historian and a priest of the Church of England. He was Dean of Winchester from 1919 to 1930.
Biography
William Holden Hutton was born in England on 24 May 1860, in Lin ...
, A. Rose, A. Carr, Edward Garnett
Edward William Garnett (5 January 1868 – 19 February 1937) was an English writer, critic and literary editor, who was instrumental in the publication of D. H. Lawrence's ''Sons and Lovers''.
Early life and family
Edward Garnett was born i ...
, Mary Butts, Filson Young, R. Walmsley, Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen (; 3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was the pen-name of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. Hi ...
]
* B. Walke, ''Twenty Years at St Hilary'' (1935)
* P. Newman, ''The Man who unleashed The Birds'' (2010)
References
External links
Official website
*
*
The Day of the Claw: A Synoptic Account of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Frank
1908 births
1982 deaths
20th-century English novelists
People from Hornsey
Writers from London
Deaths from cancer in England
English male short story writers
English short story writers
English male novelists
20th-century British short story writers
20th-century English male writers