John Dighton

John Gervase Dighton^[1] (8 December 1909^[1] – 16 April 1989) was a British playwright and screenwriter.

Dighton was born in London to Basil Lewis Dighton, of West Kensington, an antiques dealer, author and poet, and his wife Beatrice Mary (née Franks).^[2]^[3] He was educated at Charterhouse School and Caius College, Cambridge.^[2]

His output during the 1940s included the last starring features of comedian Will Hay, and several George Formby films as well as the 1947 adaptation of Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby, and the 1943 war movie Undercover starring John Clements and Michael Wilding.

In 1947, Dighton wrote his first play for the theatre, The Happiest Days of Your Life, which ran in the West End for more than 600 performances in 1948 and 1949.^[4] For Ealing Studios, he collaborated on the screenplays of such comedies as Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) and The Man in the White Suit (1952), sharing an Academy Award nomination for the latter. He gained a second nomination for the American-financed Roman Holiday (1953).

Two of his stage plays, The Happiest Days of Your Life and Who Goes There! (known as The Passionate Sentry in the USA), were successfully adapted for the screen by Dighton himself, the former in collaboration with Frank Launder. He also wrote the 1955 comedy play Man Alive! that transferred to the West End the following year with Robertson Hare in the lead. He adapted the play Summer of the Seventeenth Doll.^[5]

His final screen credit was his adaptation of Shaw's The Devil's Disciple, written in collaboration with Roland Kibbee.

Dighton married Kathleen Marie Philipps in 1934.^[2]

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Paramount news brings you A special coverage Of princess ann's london visit, The first stop on her much-publicized goodwill tour Of european capitals. She gets a royal welcome from the british, As thousands cheer the gracious young member Of one of europe's oldest ruling families. After three days of continuous activity And a visit to buckingham palace, Ann flew to amsterdam, Where her royal highness dedicated The new international aid building And christened an ocean liner, Then went to paris, Where she attended many official functions Designed to cement trade relations Between her country And the western european nations. And so to rome, the eternal city, Where the princess's visit was marked By a spectacular military parade Highlighted by the band Of the crack bersagliere regiment. â™Ş [fast March] The smiling princess showed no sign of the strain Of the week's public appearances. And at her country's embassy that evening, A formal reception and ball in her honor Was given by her country's ambassador to Italy. [fanfare] La sua altezza reale-- Her royal highness.

Partial filmography as screenwriter

Hail and Farewell (1936)
The Vulture (1937)
Ship's Concert (1937)
Thank Evans (1938)
It's in the Blood (1938)
The Viper (1938)
Many Tanks Mr. Atkins (1938)
Everything Happens to Me (1938)
The Good Old Days (lost, 1939)
Sailors Three (1940)
Let George Do It! (1940)
Saloon Bar (1940)
Hoots Mon! (1940)
That's the Ticket (1940)
The Ghost of St. Michael's (1941)
Turned Out Nice Again (1941)
The Black Sheep of Whitehall (1942)
Went the Day Well? (1942)
The Goose Steps Out (1942)
The Foreman Went to France (1942)
The Next of Kin (1942)
Undercover (1943)
My Learned Friend (1943)
Champagne Charlie (1944)
Nicholas Nickleby (1947)
Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948)
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
The Happiest Days of Your Life (based on his play, 1950)
The Man in the White Suit (1951)
Who Goes There! (based on his play The Passionate Sentry, 1952)
Brandy for the Parson (1952)
Folly to Be Wise (1953)
Roman Holiday (1953)
The Story of William Tell (unfinished, 1953)
The Swan (1956)
The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957)
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1959)
The Devil's Disciple (1959)

Selected plays

Who Goes There! (1950)
Man Alive! (1955)

References

^ ^a ^b Collections: "John Dighton" British Film Institute. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c Who's Who in the Theatre, ed. Ian Herbert, Pitman, 1977, p. 552
^ Collections: "Basil Dighton" The British Museum. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
^ Gaye, pp. 542 and 1532
^ Vagg, Stephen (29 September 2019). "Ten Stories About Australian Screenwriters You Might Not Know". Filmink.

Sources

Gaye, Freda, ed. (1967). Who's Who in the Theatre (fourteenth ed.). London: Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons. OCLC 5997224.

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This page was last edited on 15 October 2023, at 05:12

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