John Hastings Turner (16 December 1892 - 29 February 1956), frequently referred to as Hastings Turner or J. Hastings Turner, was an English

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

. His works were filmed and performed on stage and in film in Britain and the United States from the 1920s to the 1940s.

Biography

Turner married the Scottish silent film actress,

Laura Cowie Laura Cowie (7 April 1892 – 11 February 1969) was a Scottish silent film actress. Early life Cowie was born on 7 April 1892 in Milltown of Rothiemay, Banffshire, Scotland. She was the daughter of farmer Alexander Cowie and his wife Anna Hutch ...

, on 20 June 1918. They later settled in Blue Tiles Farm near Fakenham, Norfolk. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Turner wrote three plays: ''Nothing New,'' ''Peace Time Prophecies or Stories Gone Wrong'' and ''Tails Up.'' An early published novel of his from 1919, ''

Simple Souls ''Simple Souls'' is a 1920 American silent drama film produced by Jesse Hampton and distributed through Pathé Exchange. It is based on a 1919 novel of the same name by John Hastings Turner and stars Blanche Sweet. Robert Thornby directed. It ...

'', was made into a movie in 1920 with a scenario by

Fred Myton Fred Myton (November 15, 1885 – June 6, 1955) was an American screenwriter. He wrote 168 films between 1916 and 1952, mostly low-budget "B" pictures for Poverty Row studios and independent producers. He wrote many films for Producers Rele ...

, directed by the American

Robert Thornby Robert Thornby (March 27, 1888 – March 6, 1953) was an American director and actor of the silent era. He directed 75 films between 1913 and 1927. He also appeared in 48 films between 1911 and 1930. He was born in New York, New York, and d ...

. In 1926, Turner's play ''The Scarlet Lady'', a comedy, opened at the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began development ...

in London, starring

Marie Tempest Dame Mary Susan Etherington, (15 July 1864 – 15 October 1942), known professionally as Marie Tempest, was an English singer and actress. Tempest became a famous soprano in late Victorian light opera and Edwardian musical comedies. Later, sh ...

, a friend and the driving force behind the establishment of the actors' union

Equity Equity may refer to: Finance, accounting and ownership * Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them ** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business ** Home equity, the dif ...

. Supporting Tempest was an ''

ingénue The ''ingénue'' (, , ) is a stock character in literature, film and a role type in the theater, generally a girl or a young woman, who is endearingly innocent. ''Ingénue'' may also refer to a new young actress or one typecast in such roles ...

'',

Fabia Drake Fabia Drake OBE (born Ethel McGlinchy; 20 January 1904 – 28 February 1990) was a British actress whose professional career spanned almost 73 years during the 20th century. Drake was born in Herne Bay, Kent. Her first professional role in ...

, who became Tempest's firm confidante and then Turner's sister-in-law through marriage to his barrister brother,

Maxwell Turner Maxwell Joseph Hall Turner (1907–1960) was a Queen's Counsel and judge of the Mayor's and City of London Court, specifically a Commissioner on the Bench of the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, the "Old Bailey". Biography Turner wa ...

. His comedy, ''The Spot on the Sun'', played in Australia in 1931. Thereafter, in addition to his solo work, Turner collaborated with other writers, notably

Roland Pertwee Roland Pertwee (15 May 1885 – 26 April 1963) was an English playwright, film and television screenwriter, director and actor. He was the father of ''Doctor Who'' actor Jon Pertwee and playwright and screenwriter Michael Pertwee. He was al ...

, with whom he wrote plays, scenarios or dialogues for a number of productions in the early 1930s, including a series of movies directed by

John Daumery Jean Daumery (1898-1934) was a Belgian-born film director. Jean (John) Daumery is the pseudonym of Jean Nicolas Pierre Ysaÿe. He was born in Brussels (Belgium) on 17 May 1898. He was the son of the pianist and composer Théo Ysaÿe and the actress ...

and

William C. McGann William C. McGannHe listed himself as "William M. Mcgann" in the World War I draft (April 15, 1893 – November 15, 1977) was an American film director. He directed more than 50 films between 1930 and 1942. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl ...

, and

Irving Asher Irving Asher (September 1903 – March 1985) was an American film producer. Born in San Francisco in September 1903, he began his film production career in Hollywood in 1919. After joining the staff of Warner Brothers he was sent over to England a ...

's now-lost 1935 U.K. production ''

Murder at Monte Carlo ''Murder at Monte Carlo'' is a British 1934 mystery crime thriller film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Errol Flynn, Eve Gray, Paul Graetz and Molly Lamont, the production was Flynn's debut film in a lead role in England. The film is curre ...

'' directed by Michael Barringer and starring

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

in his first major role. Turner's work was performed by other leading actors including

Margot Grahame Margot Grahame (born Margaret Clark; 20 February 1911 – 1 January 1982) was an English actress most noted for starring in '' The Informer'' (1935) and ''The Three Musketeers'' (1935). She started acting in 1930 and made her last screen app ...

(''A Letter of Warning'', 1932),

Nora Swinburne Leonora Mary Johnson (24 July 1902 – 1 May 2000), known professionally as Nora Swinburne, was an English people, English actress who appeared in many Cinema of the United Kingdom, British films. Early years Swinburne was born in Bath, Somer ...

(''

A Voice Said Goodnight ''A Voice Said Goodnight'' is a 1932 British crime film directed by William C. McGann and starring Nora Swinburne, Jack Trevor and D. A. Clarke-Smith. It was made at Teddington Studios by Warner Brothers. A scene was also shot at nearby Teddingto ...

'', 1932,

Cedric Hardwicke Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and ...

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...

and

Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...

('' The Ghoul'', 1933), and

Jane Baxter Jane Baxter (9 September 1909 – 13 September 1996) was a British actress. Her stage career spanned half a century, and she appeared in a number of films and in television. Early life Baxter was born as Feodora Kathleen Alice Forde in Bremen, ...

(''

The Night of the Party ''The Night of the Party'' is a 1934 British mystery thriller film directed by Michael Powell and starring Leslie Banks, Ian Hunter, Jane Baxter, Ernest Thesiger and Malcolm Keen. In the United States it was released as ''The Murder Party''. ...

'', 1935, directed by

Michael Powell Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company The Archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a serie ...

. From the late 1930s, Turner did some writing - and Cowie occasional acting - for productions by

The Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribut ...

, which had bought film studios like

Gaumont-British The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of the Gaumont Film Company of France. Film production Gaumont-British was founded in 18 ...

that Turner had previously worked for. Turner died at home in Norfolk in 1956, at the age of 63.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, John Hastings 1892 births 1956 deaths 20th-century British dramatists and playwrights English male novelists 20th-century British novelists English film directors 20th-century English male writers