Alan Melville (writer)
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Alan Melville (9 April 1910 – 24 December 1983) was an English broadcaster, writer, actor, raconteur, producer, playwright and wit.


Biography

Born William Melville Caverhill in
Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...
, Northumberland, England, he was educated in his home town and then a boarder at the
Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...
. Leaving school at 17, he started work in the family timber merchants as an apprentice joiner. At the age of 22, he entered an essay competition in ''John O'Leary's Weekly'' with an essay entitled ''My Perfect Holiday'' and won the first prize; a return trip to Canada (1934). Soon afterwards he sent the
BBC North BBC North (Group) is an operational business division of the BBC. It is also a brand that has been used by the BBC to mean: *The large ''BBC North'' region, centred on Manchester, that was active from the late 1920s until 1968 and was based u ...
Region six short stories called ''The Adventures of the Pink Knight'' (1934), which were accepted and used on ''
Children's Hour ''Children's Hour'', initially ''The Children's Hour'', was the BBC's principal recreational service for children (as distinct from "Broadcasts to Schools") which began during the period when radio was the only medium of broadcasting. ''Childre ...
''. He was required to read the stories himself, his first professional engagement. He continued to write from the timber yard, his short stories, poems, manuscripts sometimes being accepted by various publishers. He wrote his first novel, a whodunit called '' Weekend at Thrackley'', which was accepted and published and later made into a film called ''
Hot Ice Sodium acetate, CH3COONa, also abbreviated Na O Ac, is the sodium salt of acetic acid. This colorless deliquescent salt has a wide range of uses. Applications Biotechnological Sodium acetate is used as the carbon source for culturing bacteria ...
''. Melville left the timber yard and struggled on his own for a while until he met a composer called George McNeill. Together they turned out number after number, Melville writing the lyrics. In 1936 the BBC offered him a job as a scriptwriter in the variety department in London under
Eric Maschwitz Albert Eric Maschwitz OBE (10 June 1901 – 27 October 1969), sometimes credited as Holt Marvell, was an English entertainer, writer, editor, broadcaster and broadcasting executive. Life and work Born in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, and desc ...
at £250 per year. After a three-month training course, he was sent to the
Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
radio station as features and drama producer. In the early part of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he compiled daily instalments of the ''Robinson Family'' serial about an ordinary family in London on the BBC's North American Service. In 1941 he enlisted in the
RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
where he reached the rank of
Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...
. He worked as a war correspondent sending regular dispatches to the BBC. His experience enabled him to write ''First Tide''. He was with the
Allied Invasion force An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
of 1944 and took part in the
Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
, sending back reports to the BBC; then onto Brussels and in Germany for the surrender. He was sent back to London on embarkation leave, after which he should have gone to the Far East but was kept for an RAF pageant in the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
, which he scripted and
Ralph Reader William Henry Ralph Reader (25 May 1903 – 18 May 1982), known as Ralph Reader, was a British actor, theatrical producer and songwriter, known for staging the original Gang Show, a variety entertainment presented by members of the Scouti ...
directed with 1,500 RAF personnel. During the war years he wrote revues, ''Sweet and Low'', ''Sweeter and Lower'' and ''Sweetest and Lowest'', which ran in all for five years at the Ambassadors Theatre. After its success, he was signed up on a five-year contract for
London Films London Films Productions is a British film and television production company founded in 1932 by Alexander Korda and from 1936 based at Denham Film Studios in Buckinghamshire, near London. The company's productions included ''The Private Life o ...
by
Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)Charles Zwar Charles Zwar (10 April 1911 – 2 December 1989) was an Australian songwriter, composer, lyricist, pianist and music director who was largely associated with the British revue and musical comedy industries between the late-1930s and 1960s. Life a ...
began in 1942 when they wrote ''Which Witch?'' for ''Sky High''; they continued to work together for some of the numbers in ''Sweeter and Lower'' and for all of ''Sweetest and Lowest''. After the war he wrote plays including '' Castle in the Air'' (1949; filmed in 1952), '' Full Circle'' (1952, previously ''Dear Charles'' and adapted from ''Les Enfants d'Edouard'' by
Marc-Gilbert Sauvajon Marc-Gilbert Sauvajon (25 September 1909, Valence, Drôme – 15 April 1985, Montpellier) was a French film director, script-writer, playwright and author. After studying law, he was made chief editor of the daily newspaper ''Sud-Est''. He fo ...
and
Frederick J. Jackson Frederick J. Jackson, also known professionally as Fred Jackson and Frederick Jackson and under the pseudonym Victor Thorne, (September 21, 1886 – May 22, 1953) was an American author, playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and producer fo ...
), ''
Simon and Laura ''Simon and Laura'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Peter Finch and Kay Kendall. Play Satirising the early days of BBC Television, ''Simon and Laura'' focuses on an argumentative theatrical couple called Simon a ...
'' 1954, which was later made into a film in 1955, and the book and lyrics for the musical '' Gay's the Word'' (1950, music by Ivor Novello). The musical premiered at the Palace Theatre, Manchester in 1950 and transferred to the
Saville Theatre ODEON Covent Garden is a four-screen cinema in the heart of London's West End. Formerly known as The Saville Theatre, a former West End theatre at 135 Shaftesbury Avenue in the London Borough of Camden. The theatre opened in 1931, and became a ...
in London in 1951, where it ran for 504 performances and starred
Cicely Courtneidge Dame Esmerelda Cicely Courtneidge, (1 April 1893 – 26 April 1980) was an Australian-born British actress, comedian and singer. The daughter of the producer and playwright Robert Courtneidge, she was appearing in his productions in the West En ...
,
Lizbeth Webb Betty Ethel Holton (30 January 1926 – 17 January 2013), better known by her stage name, Lizbeth Webb, was an English soprano and stage actress. Known as "the champagne soprano", she is remembered partly for originating the song "This Is My L ...
and
Thorley Walters Thorley Swinstead Walters (12 May 1913 – 6 July 1991) was an English character actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedy film roles such as in ''Two-Way Stretch'' and '' Carlton-Browne of the FO''. Early life Walters was born in Tei ...
. In 1951, Melville wrote the musical ''Bet Your Life'', with music by Kenneth Leslie Smith and Charles Zwar and starring
Arthur Askey Arthur Bowden Askey, (6 June 1900 – 16 November 1982) was an English comedian and actor. Askey was known for his short stature (5' 2", 1.58 m) and distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, and his playful humour incorporating improvisation ...
and
Julie Wilson Julie May Wilson (October 21, 1924 – April 5, 2015) was an American singer and actress widely regarded as "the queen of cabaret". She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 1989 for her performance in '' Le ...
. A few years later he wrote the musical ''Marigold'' based on the play by
Francis R. Pryor Francis Robert "Frank" Pryor (30 March 1862 – 4 December 1937) was an English playwright. Pryor was the youngest son of Robert Pryor of High Elms, Hertfordshire and his wife Elizabeth Caroline née Wyrley-Birch.Burke's Peerage. Pryor of Westo ...
and L Allen Harker; the score was composed by Charles Zwar and it starred
Jean Kent Jean Kent (born Joan Mildred Field; 29 June 1921 − 30 November 2013) was an English film and television actress. Biography Born Joan Mildred Field (sometimes incorrectly cited as Summerfield) in Brixton, London in 1921, the only child of va ...
, Sally Smith,
Sophie Stewart Sophie Stewart (5 March 1908 – 6 June 1977) was a British actress of stage and screen. Biography She was born as Sophia Lyal Drummond Stewart in Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland in March 1908 and died in June 1977 at the age of 69, in Cupa ...
and Jeremy Brett. Alan Melville became one of Britain's first television stars. He became chairman of ''
The Brains Trust ''The Brains Trust'' was an informational BBC radio and later television programme popular in the United Kingdom during the 1940s and 1950s, on which a panel of experts tried to answer questions sent in by the audience. History The series was ...
'' and a panelist in ''
What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...
'' He wrote and appeared in many television programmes, among them ''A to Z'', which ran for two years (1957–58) and played host to more than 400 guests including
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...
,
Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly sixty years. Silvers achieved major popu ...
,
John Dankworth Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE (20 September 1927 – 6 February 2010), also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and writer of film scores. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he ...
and Dame Edith Evans. ''Merely Melville'', one of his television programmes, he used as a title for his autobiography. He took the leading role from
Ian Carmichael Ian Gillett Carmichael, OBE (18 June 1920 – 5 February 2010) was an English actor who worked prolifically on stage, screen and radio in a career spanning 70 years. He found prominence in the films of the Boulting brothers, including ' ...
in the play ''Gazebo'' at the
Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy Pala ...
.
Moira Lister Moira Lister Gachassin-Lafite, Viscountess of Orthez (6 August 192327 October 2007) was a South African-British film, stage and television actress and writer. Early life Born in Cape Town to Major James Lister and Margaret (née Hogan), List ...
was his co-star. He moved to
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
in 1951 and died at the age of 73 in December 1983 at the
Royal Sussex County Hospital The Royal Sussex County Hospital is an acute teaching hospital in Brighton, England. Together with the Princess Royal Hospital, it is administered by the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. The services provided at the hospital inc ...
, Brighton, where he had been a patient since November. He was cremated in the Downs Crematorium, Brighton, on 12 January 1984.The Times obituary, 27 December 1983


Works


Plays

*'' Castle in the Air'' *''
Dear Charles ''Full Circle'' (previously ''Dear Charles'') is a play by Alan Melville adapted from "Les Enfants d'Edouard" by Marc-Gilbert Sauvajon and Frederick J. Jackson. It also was produced in 1944 with the title ''Slightly Scandalous'', lasting only one ...
'' *''
Simon and Laura ''Simon and Laura'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Peter Finch and Kay Kendall. Play Satirising the early days of BBC Television, ''Simon and Laura'' focuses on an argumentative theatrical couple called Simon a ...
'' *''Jonathan'' *''Devil May Care'' *''Mrs. Willie'' *''
Top Secret Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to know, ...
'' *''Change of Tune'' *''The Bargain (in America)'' *''Everything Happens on a Friday'' *''Top Priority'' *''Grande Dame'' *''Demandez Vicky'' (European production) *''Finder Bitte Melden'' (European production) *''Content to Whisper'' *''Here is the News (Paradise Island)''


Fiction

*'' Weekend at Thrackley'' (London, Skeffington & Son, 1934, Re-published British Library Publishing Division, 2018, ) *''
Quick Curtain ''Quick Curtain'' is a 1934 detective novel by the British writer Alan Melville (writer), Alan Melville.Hopkins p.19 It was his second novel following his breakout success with the country house mystery ''Weekend at Thrackley'' earlier the same y ...
'' (London, Skeffington & Son, 1934. Re-published British Library Publishing Division, 2015, ) *''The Vicar in Hell'' (London, Skeffington & Son, 1935) *''Eleven Twenty-Seven'' s Neil Carruthers(London, Rich & Cowan, 1935) *'' Death of Anton'' (London, Skeffington & Son, 1936. Re-published British Library Crime Series, 2015, ) *''Warning to Critics: A Murder'' aka ''The Critic on the Hearth'' (London, Skeffington & Son, 1936)


Non-fiction

*''Myself When Young'' (London, Max Parish, 1955, ASIN:B0000CJALP) *''First Tide'' (London, Skeffington & Son, 1944, ASIN:B00MJ94BJQ) *''Gnomes & Gardens'' (London, Heinemann/Quixote Press, 1983,)


Revues and musicals

*''Sky High'', 1942 *''Sweet and Low'', 1943 *''Sweeter and Lower'', 1944 *''Sweetest and Lowest'', 1946 *''Between Ourselves'', 1946 *''A la Carte'', 1948 *''Bet Your Life'', 1952 *''At the Lyric'', 1953 *''Going to Town'', 1956 *''All Square'', 1963 *'' Gay's the Word'' (with Ivor Novello), 1950 *''Marigold'', 1959


TV series

*''Melville Mixture'', 1953 *''
The Brains Trust ''The Brains Trust'' was an informational BBC radio and later television programme popular in the United Kingdom during the 1940s and 1950s, on which a panel of experts tried to answer questions sent in by the audience. History The series was ...
'', 1955–57 *''
What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...
'' 1956-61 *''A to Z'', 1957–58 *''Merely Melville'', 1958 *'' Points of View'', 1962 *''
Call My Bluff ''Call My Bluff'' is a British panel game show based on the short-lived US version of the same name. It was originally hosted by Robin Ray and later, most notably, by Robert Robinson. Its most prominent panellist was Frank Muir. Format The g ...
'' 1966 *''Melvillainy'', 1962 *''Raise your Glasses'', 1962 *''
The Whitehall Worrier ''The Whitehall Worrier'' is a British comedy television series which first aired on BBC One in 1967. Revolving around the career of one of the minister's in Harold Wilson's Labour government, the series was gentle in style and closer to a tradit ...
'', 1967 *''The Very Merry Widow'', 1967–69 *''Misleading Cases'', 1967–68 *''
Before the Fringe ''Before the Fringe'' was a 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 ...
'', 1967–68 *''Brighton Belle'', 1972


Bibliography

*Merely Melville, an autobiography (London,
Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint (trade name), imprint of Hachette (publisher), Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs ...
1970, )


References


External links


Selected plays by Alan Melville in University of Bristol Theatre Archive

Desert Island Discs

Internet Movie Database

Internet Broadway Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melville, Alan 1910 births 1983 deaths English broadcasters English male television actors English television personalities People educated at Edinburgh Academy People from Berwick-upon-Tweed 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English male actors English male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English male writers Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force wing commanders