James Bridie

For the Wales rugby international, see James Bridie (rugby player).
James Bridie in 1913

James Bridie (3 January 1888 in Glasgow – 29 January 1951 in Edinburgh) was the pseudonym of a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and surgeon whose real name was Osborne Henry Mavor.[1][2][3][4][5] He took his pen-name from his paternal grandfather's first name and his grandmother's maiden name.[5]

Mavor studied medicine at the University of Glasgow graduating in 1913, then served as a military doctor during World War I, seeing service in France and Mesopotamia.[6] His comedic plays saw success in London, and he became a full-time writer in 1938. Despite this, he returned to the army during World War II, again serving as a doctor.[1]

He was the main founder of the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow, with his cousin, the author Guy McCrone[7] and was also instrumental in the establishment of the Edinburgh Festival.[5]

Bridie worked with the director Alfred Hitchcock in the late 1940s. They worked together on:

In 1923, he married Rona Locke Bremner (1897–1985). Their son was killed in World War II.[1] His other son Ronald (1925–2007) was also both a physician and playwright.[8] Ronald became drama critic of The Scotsman after retiring from medicine, Director of the Scottish Arts Council and Deputy Chairman of the Edinburgh Festival.[5] He was Professor of Drama and Head of the Drama Department at the University of Saskatchewan and was appointed C.B.E. in 1971.[5]

James Bridie died in Edinburgh of a stroke and is buried in Glasgow Western Necropolis.[5] The Bridie Library at the Glasgow University Union is named after him, as is the annual Bridie Dinner that takes place in the Union each December.

Bibliography

Quotations

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Daniel Leary (1982) Dictionary of Literary Biography: Modern British Dramatists 1900-1945, Stanley Weintraub Ed., Gale, Detroit ISBN 0-8103-0937-8
  2. ↑ Terence Tobin (1980) James Bridie (Osborne Henry Mavor), Twayne Publishers, Boston ISBN 978-0805767865
  3. ↑ Winifred Bannister (1955) James Bridie and His Theatre: a study of James Bridie's personality, his stage plays, and his work for the foundation of a Scottish national theatre, Rockliff
  4. ↑ Helen L. Luyben (1965) James Bridie: Clown and Philosopher, University of Pennsylvania Press
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ronald Mavor (1988) Dr. Mavor and Mr. Bridie: Memories of James Bridie, Canongate and The National Library of Scotland ISBN 978-0862411985
  6. ↑ "Captain Osborne Henry Mavor". Glasgow University. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Burgess, Moira. "McCrone, Guy Fulton (1898–1977)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  8. ↑ Helensburgh Heroes
  9. ↑ Kenneth Hardacre (1960) James Bridie's "Tobias and the Angel" (Chosen Eng. Texts Notes), Andrew Brodie Publications, London – Study Guide for students of the play
  10. ↑ Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. (1940) Library of Congress
  11. ↑ Billboard Vol.62, No.39 (Sep 30, 1950)

External links

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