Philip MacDonald (5 November 1900 – 10 December 1980) was a British-born writer of fiction and screenplays, best known for

thrillers Thriller is a genre of fiction, having numerous, often overlapping subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. Suc ...

Life and work

MacDonald was born in London, the son of author Ronald MacDonald and actress Constance Robertson, and grandson of the fiction writer and Christian minister

George MacDonald George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He was a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow writer Lewis Carroll. I ...

.Internet Book List :: Author Information: Philip MacDonald
/ref> During World War I he served with the British cavalry in

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

, later trained horses for the army, and was a show jumper. He also raised

Great Dane The Great Dane is a large sized dog breed originating from Germany. The Great Dane descends from hunting dogs from the Middle Ages used to hunt wild boar and deer, and as guardians of German nobility. It is one of the largest breeds in the worl ...

s. After marrying the writer F. Ruth Howard, he moved to Hollywood in 1931. He was one of the most popular

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

writers of the 1930s, and between 1931 and 1963 wrote many screenplays along with a few radio and television scripts. His

detective novel Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

s, particularly those featuring his series detective Anthony Gethryn, are primarily "

whodunit A ''whodunit'' or ''whodunnit'' (a colloquial elision of "Who asdone it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction in which the puzzle regarding who committed the crime is the main focus. The reader or viewer is provided with the c ...

s" with the occasional

locked room mystery The "locked-room" or "impossible crime" mystery is a type of crime seen in crime and detective fiction. The crime in question, typically murder ("locked-room murder"), is committed in circumstances under which it appeared impossible for the perpet ...

. His novel ''X v. Rex'' (1933), aka ''The Mystery of The Dead Police'', is an early example of what has become known as a

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

novel (before the term "serial killer" was coined), in which an insane murderer is killing police officers one after the other. Perhaps his best-known novel is ''The List of Adrian Messenger''. His work in screenwriting included not only screenplays based on his own works (such as ''

The Mystery of Mr. X ''The Mystery of Mr. X'' is a 1934 American pre-Code crime film starring Robert Montgomery as a jewel thief who gets mixed up in a series of murders in London. It is based on the 1933 novel ''X v. Rex'' by Philip MacDonald (under the pen name ...

'' in 1934, ''

Who Killed John Savage? ''Who Killed John Savage?'' is a 1937 British mystery film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Nicholas Hannen, Barry MacKay, Kathleen Kelly, Henry Oscar and Edward Chapman. The film is based on a novel by Philip MacDonald and is a remake ...

'' in 1937, based on ''The Rynox Mystery'', and many others) but also original stories and screenplays for series characters such as

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was conceived as an alter ...

(''

Charlie Chan in London ''Charlie Chan in London'' is a 1934 American mystery film directed by Eugene Forde. The film stars Warner Oland as Charlie Chan. This is the sixth film produced by Fox with Warner Oland as the detective, and the second not to be lost, after '' ...

'', 1934, and ''

Charlie Chan in Paris ''Charlie Chan in Paris'' is the seventh film produced by Fox with Warner Oland as Charlie Chan. Long thought lost, it is available on DVD as part of Twentieth Century Fox Home Video's ''Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 1''. Hamilton MacFadden di ...

'', 1935) and

Mr. Moto Mr. Moto is a fictional Japanese secret agent created by the American author John P. Marquand. He appeared in six novels by Marquand published between 1935 and 1957. Marquand initially created the character for the ''Saturday Evening Post'', whi ...

(''

Mysterious Mr. Moto ''Mysterious Mr. Moto'', produced in 1938 by Twentieth Century Fox, is the fifth in a series of eight films starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto. The film is based on the character of Mr. Moto created by John P. Marquand, from an original screenpl ...

'' in 1938, ''

Mr. Moto's Last Warning ''Mr. Moto's Last Warning'' is the sixth in a series of eight films starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto. The film is an original story featuring the character created by John P. Marquand. Plot The British Navy in Port Said is making plans for naval ...

'' and '' Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation'' in 1939). He did not receive any screen credit for his work in adapting ''

Bride of Frankenstein ''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring Boris Karlo ...

''. He adapted a story written by

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

for the movie '' Love From A Stranger'' (1947). MacDonald and Michael Hogan adapted the novel '' Rebecca'' 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 Geo ...

, from which

Robert E. Sherwood Robert Emmet Sherwood (April 4, 1896 – November 14, 1955) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He is the author of '' Waterloo Bridge, Idiot's Delight, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Rebecca, There Shall Be No Night, The Best Years of Our ...

and Joan Harrison created the screenplay for '' Rebecca'', the 1940 film. Sherwood and Harrison were nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. MacDonald's 1927 novel ''Patrol'' was issued as one of the first twenty

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

twice, in 1953 for the collection ''Something to Hide and Other Stories'' (published in the UK as ''Fingers of Fear and Other Stories'') and in 1956 for the individual short story "Dream No More". He also wrote television scripts for ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'' ("Malice Domestic", 1957) and ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'' ("The Case of the Terrified Typist", 1958). As "W.J. Stuart", MacDonald wrote the

novelisation A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...

of the 1956

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

film ''

Forbidden Planet ''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack, and directed by Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on an original film story by Allen Adler and Irvi ...

''. He also dabbled in science fiction under his own name, writing at least four SF short stories over a span of decades. Two of them are frequently issued in anthologies ("Our Feathered Friends", 1931, and "Private – Keep Out!", 1949). MacDonald died in

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Geography Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of Ca ...

. A critical essay on MacDonald's crime novels appears in S. T. Joshi's book ''Varieties of Crime Fiction'' (Wildside Press, 2019) .

Bibliography of works by Philip MacDonald

Some sources list ''The Singing Scorpion'' as a title by MacDonald; in fact, this novel was written by a different writer, Allan Colt MacDonald. *''

The Rasp ''The Rasp'' is a whodunit mystery novel by Philip MacDonald. It was published in 1924 and introduces his series character, detective Colonel Anthony Gethryn. It is set in a country house in rural England. Plot summary Anthony Gethryn, ex-sec ...

'' (1924). Serialised in American newspapers *''Queen's Mate'' (1926) *'' Patrol'' (a.k.a. ''The Lost Patrol'') (1927) *''The White Crow'' (1928) *''Likeness of Exe'' (1929) *''The Noose'' (1930). Serialised, ''Manchester Evening News'' (1930) *''The Link'' (1930) *''Rynox'' (1930) (a.k.a. ''The Rynox Murder Mystery'', ''The Rynox Mystery'', ''The Rynox Murder'') *''The Choice'' (a.k.a. ''The Polferry Mystery'' and ''The Polferry Riddle'') (1931) *''The Crime Conductor'' (1931) *''Murder Gone Mad'' (1931) *''The Wraith'' (1931) *''The Maze'' (a.k.a. ''Persons Unknown'') (1932) *''Rope to Spare'' (1932) *''Death on My Left'' (1933) *''R.I.P.'' (a.k.a. ''Menace'') (1933) *''Glitter'' (1934) *''The Nursemaid Who Disappeared'' (a.k.a. ''Warrant for X'') (1938) *''

The Dark Wheel ''Elite'' is a space trading video game. It was written and developed by David Braben and Ian Bell and originally published by Acornsoft for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron computers in September 1984. ''Elite''s open-ended game model, and r ...

'' (a.k.a. ''Sweet and Deadly'') with A. Boyd Correll (1948) *''Something to Hide'' (a.k.a. ''Fingers of Fear'') (1952) *'' The Man out of the Rain'' (1955) *''Guest in the House'' (a.k.a. ''No Time for Terror'') (1955) *''The List of Adrian Messenger'' (1959). Serialised in American newspapers as ''Murder Seed''. The novel has many points of similarity with Macdonald's screenplay for the film ''Circle of Danger'' *''Death & Chicanery'' (1962)

As Oliver Fleming

*''Ambrotox and Limping Dick'' (1920), with Ronald MacDonald *''The Spandau Quid'' (1923), with Ronald MacDonald

As Anthony Lawless

*''Harbour'' (1931) *''Moonfisher'' (1931)

As Martin Porlock

*''Mystery at Friar's Pardon'' (1931) *''Mystery in Kensington Gore'' (1932) (a.k.a. ''Escape'') *''X v. Rex'' (1933) (a.k.a. ''The Mystery of Mr. X'' and '' Mystery of the Dead Police''). Serialised in American newspapers as ‘Who Killed C*ck Robin Hoode?’. (Later republished as ''Mystery of the Dead Police'' by Philip MacDonald as

Pocket Books Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books. History Pocket Books produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in the United States in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing ...

#70, 1940)

As W. J. Stuart

*''Forbidden Planet'' (1956, novelization of film)

As Warren Stuart

*''The Sword and the Net'' (1941)

Film scripts by Macdonald

*1934 - ''

'' *19?? - ''

'' *1932 - '' Hotel Splendide''. Written with Ralph Smart *1933 - '' Star Reporter'' *1934 - '' The Mystery of Mr X'' *1935 - '' The Last Outpost'' *1936 - ''

Yours for the Asking ''Yours for the Asking'' is a 1936 American comedy film film starring George Raft as a casino owner and Dolores Costello as the socialite he hires as hostess. The movie also features Ida Lupino and was directed by Alexander Hall. Plot Johnny L ...

''. Written with Eve Green and Harlan Ware, directed by Alexander Hall *1938 - ''

Mysterious Mr Moto Mysterious may refer to: * ''Mysterious'' (album), a 1988 album by Shizuka Kudō * "Mysterious" (song), a 2005 song by Jentina * "Mysterious", a song by Scorpions from the 1999 album '' Eye II Eye'' * Mysterious Walker Frederick Mitchell Walk ...

'', directed by Norman Foster *1939 - '' Mr Moto's Last Warning'', directed by Norman Foster *1939 - ''

Blind Alley "Blind Alley" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the March 1945 issue of ''Astounding Science Fiction'', and later included in the collection ''The Early Asimov'' (1972). Although the sto ...

'', directed by Charles Vidor *1939 - '' Mr Moto Takes a Vacation'', written with Norman Foster, directed by Norman Foster *1942 - '' Nightmare'' *1945 - ''

The Body Snatcher "The Body Snatcher" is a short story by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894). First published in ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' in December 1884, its characters were based on criminals in the employ of real-life surgeon Robert K ...

'', written with Val Lewton (as Carlos Keith), directed by Robert Wise *1947 - '' Love from a Stranger'', directed by Richard Whorf *1948 - ''

The Dark Past ''The Dark Past'' is a 1948 American film noir psychological thriller film starring William Holden, Nina Foch, and Lee J. Cobb. Directed by Rudolph Maté, the Columbia Pictures release is a remake of '' Blind Alley'' (1939), also released by Co ...

'', written with Michael Blankfort and Albert Duffy, directed by Rudolph Mate *1948 - ''

Kiss the Blood Off My Hands ''Kiss the Blood Off My Hands'' is a 1948 American noir-thriller film directed by Norman Foster. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Gerald Butler, it stars Joan Fontaine, Burt Lancaster and Robert Newton. The film faced minor ...

'', uncredited, adapted from a

Gerald Butler His Honour Gerald Norman Butler, QC (15 September 1930 – 28 February 2010) was an English judge, who was the senior judge at Southwark Crown Court. He was born in Hackney, London. Family Butler was the son of Joshua Butler and Esthe ...

novel, screenplay with

Leonardo Bercovici Leonardo Bercovici (January 4, 1908, Brooklyn, New York, USA – November 22, 1995, Los Angeles, California, USA) was an American screenwriter, film director and producer. Blacklisting and aftermath Bercovici was called to testify before the Ho ...

"Norman Foster to Direct", ''Boxoffice'', January 24 1948, p54
/ref> *1951 - ''

Circle of Danger ''Circle of Danger'' is a 1951 British thriller film directed by Jacques Tourneur which stars Ray Milland, Patricia Roc, Marius Goring, Hugh Sinclair and Naunton Wayne. An American travels to England to discover the truth behind his brother's d ...

'', directed by

Jacques Tourneur Jacques Tourneur (; November 12, 1904 – December 19, 1977) was a French film director known for the classic film noir ''Out of the Past'' and a series of low-budget horror films he made for RKO Studios, including ''Cat People (1942 film), Cat ...

Films based on works by MacDonald

*1929 - '' Lost Patrol'' (the novel ''Patrol''), directed by Walter Summers *1932 - ''

'', 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 seri ...

*1932 - ''

Rynox ''Rynox'' is a 1932 British crime film directed by Michael Powell and starring Stewart Rome, John Longden and Dorothy Boyd. ''Rynox'' was adapted from a 1930 novel by popular thriller writer of the day Philip MacDonald. It was made at Walton S ...

'', directed by

*1934 - ''

The Lost Patrol The Lost Patrol is an American rock band whose music falls into the categories of experimental, gothic, post-punk, dark wave, ethereal wave, folk, alternative country, shoegazing, Spaghetti Western and " surf-a-billy". The band uses electric gu ...

'' (the novel ''Patrol''), directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

*1934 - ''

'' (the novel ''X v. Rex''), directed by Edgar Selwyn *1934 - '' Menace'', originally to be titled ''

Deep Night "Deep Night" is a song and jazz standard with a melody composed in 1929 by Charles E. Henderson and lyrics written by Rudy Vallee. The tune is written in a minor key. History The song was first recorded in 1929 by Vallee with The Connecticut Yan ...

'' (the novel of the same name), directed by Ralph Murphy *1936 - ''

The Princess Comes Across ''The Princess Comes Across'' is a 1936 mystery/comedy film directed by William K. Howard and starring Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray, the second of the four times they were paired together. Lombard, playing an actress from Brooklyn preten ...

'', directed by William K Howard *1937 - ''

'' (the novel ''Rynox''), directed by

Maurice Elvey Maurice Elvey (11 November 1887 – 28 August 1967) was one of the most prolific film directors in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He a ...

*1939 - ''

A Gentleman's Gentleman ''A Gentleman's Gentleman'' is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Eric Blore, Marie Lohr and Peter Coke. It was made at Teddington Studios and was based on a play by Philip MacDonald. Cast * Eric Blore as He ...

'' (the play), directed by Roy William Neill *1939 - ''

The Nursemaid Who Disappeared ''The Nursemaid Who Disappeared'' is a 1939 British, black-and-white, crime film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Ronald Shiner as Detective Smith (uncredited), Ian Fleming, Arthur Margetson, Peter Coke and Edward Chapman. Based on ...

'' (the novel ''Warrant for X''), directed by Arthur B. Woods *1940 - ''

Hangman's Noose The hangman's knot or hangman's noose (also known as a collar during the Elizabethan era) is a knot most often associated with its use in hanging a person. For a hanging, the knot of the rope is typically placed under or just behind the left ...

'' (the novel ''Rope to Spare''), directed by

Léon Mathot Léon Mathot (5 March 1886, Roubaix, Nord-Pas-de-Calais - 6 March 1968, in Paris) was a French film actor and film director best known perhaps for playing Edmond Dantes in '' The Count of Monte Cristo'' film serial in 1918. He appeared in the ...

*1942 - '' Nightmare'', directed by

Tim Whelan Tim Whelan (November 2, 1893 – August 12, 1957) was an American film director, writer, producer and actor best remembered for his writing credits on ''Harold Lloyd'' and ''Harry Langdon'' comedies, and his directing of mostly British films (e.g ...

*1942 - ''

Whispering Ghosts ''Whispering Ghosts'' is a 1942 American mystery film directed by Alfred L. Werker and starring Milton Berle, Brenda Joyce and John Shelton. The film concerns a group of people who try to solve a murder. Premise An unusual group of people ...

'', directed by Alfred Werker *1943 - '' Sahara'', directed by Zoltan Korda *1944 - ''

Action in Arabia ''Action in Arabia'' (also known as ''Danger in Damascus'' and ''International Zone'') is a 1944 drama film directed by Leonide Moguy and starring George Sanders and Virginia Bruce. The film was based on the novel ''The Fanatic of Fez'' by M. V. ...

'', directed by Leonard Mingus *1945 - '' Dangerous Intruder'', directed by Vernon Keays *1952 - ''

The Hour of 13 ''The Hour of 13'' is a 1952 British historical mystery film directed by Harold French and starring Peter Lawford, Dawn Addams and Roland Culver. It was made at Elstree Studios by the British subsidiary of MGM. The film's sets were designed ...

'' (the novel ''X v. Rex''), directed by

Harold French Harold French (23 April 1897 – 19 October 1997) was an English film director, screenwriter and actor. Biography After training at the Italia Conti School, he made his acting debut age 12, in a production of ''The Winter's Tale''. As an ...

*1956 - '' 23 Paces to Baker Street'' (the novel ''Warrant for X''), directed by

Henry Hathaway Henry Hathaway (March 13, 1898 – February 11, 1985) was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring Randolph Scott and John Wayne. He directed Gary Cooper in seven films. Backgrou ...

*1963 - ''

The List of Adrian Messenger ''The List of Adrian Messenger'' is a 1963 American mystery film directed by John Huston starring Kirk Douglas, George C. Scott, Dana Wynter, Clive Brook, Gladys Cooper and Herbert Marshall. It is based on a 1959 novel of the same name written by ...

'', directed by

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Philip 1900 births 1980 deaths English crime fiction writers English thriller writers English people of Scottish descent Edgar Award winners 20th-century English novelists British military personnel of World War I