Phyllis Glory McDonagh (7 January 1900 – 17 October 1978) was an Australian film producer, production designer and journalist, who often worked in collaboration with her sisters

Paulette Paulette may refer to: *Paulette (name), French feminine given name *Paulette (tax) * Paulette Caveat - a caveat filed in 1973 by a group of Dene chiefs at the land titles office in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to gain a legal interest in 40 ...

and

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...

Early life

McDongah was born on Macquaire Street in Sydney, Australia, on 7 January 1900 and was the second child of seven born to John Michael McDonagh, and Annie Jane (Anita) McDonagh (née Amora). She attended school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Elizabeth Bay, as a boarder alongside her two sisters

and

Career

Film

Phyllis McDonagh began her career in film alongside her two sisters Isabella and Paulette with the film '' Those Who Love'' in 1926. Phyllis worked as the production manager, and collaborated closely with her younger sister

who would direct and write their majority of their films. Their older sister Isabel, known by her stage name

Marie Lorraine Isabella Mercia McDonagh (3 January 1899 – 5 March 1982), also known as Marie Lorraine, was an Australian actress who often worked in collaboration with her sisters Paulette and Phyllis. Isabella, alongside her two sisters made history by ...

, starred as the actress in many of their productions. Made on small budgets, these films were entertaining society melodramas of romance, sacrifice and parental opposition, set against an urban background: a contrast to the bush emphasis in contemporary Australian films. The sisters used the family's colonial home, Drummoyne House, and its antique and elaborate furnishings, to give their films great style at little expense. The first two of the sisters feature films, ''Those Who Love'' and ''The Far Paradise'', were both met with critical acclaim, while their third ''The Cheaters'' earned much lower reviews from both the public and critics due to its poor sound effects. During the depression the sisters made several short sporting documentaries, including ''Australia in the Swim'' with 'Boy' Charlton and the Olympic swimming team, (Sir) Donald Bradman in ''How I Play Cricket'' and

Phar Lap Phar Lap (4 October 1926 – 5 April 1932) was a champion New Zealand–bred Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as New Zealand's greatest racehorse ever. Achieving incredible success during his distinguished career, his initial u ...

in ''The Mighty Conqueror''.

Journalism

After leaving the film industry in the late 1930s, Phyllis became a journalist and moved to New Zealand, where she worked as editor of ''

New Zealand Truth ''New Zealand Truth'' was a tabloid newspaper published weekly in New Zealand from 1905 to 2013. History ''New Zealand Truth'' was founded in 1905 by Australian John Norton in Wellington, as a New Zealand edition of his Sydney ''Truth'', aim ...

''. She later returned to Sydney with her husband and worked as a freelance journalist and short-story writer, before becoming social editor for the ''North Shore Times'' in 1960.

Personal life

On 15 October 1941, Phyllis married salesman Leo Francis Joseph O'Brien. Phyllis McDongah died on 17 October 1978.

Awards

* In 1978, Phyllis received the Raymond Longford award ( Australian Film Institute), alongside her sisters Isabel and Paulette. * In 2001, Phyllis McDonagh was inducted onto the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the Australian state of Victoria. The Honour Roll was established as part of the celebrations of Victoria's Centenary of Federation. Public no ...

Select filmography

* '' Those Who Love'' (1926) * '' The Far Paradise'' (1928) * '' The Cheaters'' (1930) * '' Two Minutes Silence'' (1933)

References

External links

*
Cuttings on Phyllis McDonagh
at

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

Phyllis McDonagh
at Australian Dictionary of Biography *
Victorian Honour Roll of Women
1900 births 1978 deaths Australian production designers Australian film producers Women production designers 20th-century Australian women {{Australia-film-bio-stub