Donald Lamont Jack (6 December 1924 – 2 June 2003) was an English and Canadian novelist and playwright.

Life

Jack was born in Radcliffe, Bury, England and grew up in Britain, attending the well regarded

Bury Grammar School (The key that opens sacred doors) , established = , type = Independent day schoolGrammar school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Headmaster , head ...

and

Marr College Marr College (Scottish Gaelic: ''Colaiste Mhàrr'') is a co-educational secondary school in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is owned by the Marr Trust and is operated by South Ayrshire Council which was transferred to then Strathclyde Region ...

and later serving 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) ...

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 opposing ...

(1943–47). After the war he emigrated to Canada in 1951, and became a Canadian citizen in 1964. From 1955 to 1957 he was a scriptwriter for

Crawley Films Crawley () is a large town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a population of 106,597 at the time of th ...

. After 1957 he became a full-time freelance writer. He wrote for the stage, radio, and for television programs such as '' General Motors Theatre'', '' The Unforeseen'', ''Playdate'', ''

Hatch's Mill ''Hatch's Mill'' was a short-lived Canadian comedy television show that aired on CBC Television in 1967. Premise This filmed comedy series was among CBC Television's first colour productions. It was set in the 1830s and portrayed the life of th ...

'', ''

The Forest Rangers The Forest Rangers may refer to: * ''The Forest Rangers'' (TV series), Canadian TV series * The Forest Rangers (band), band formed to create the soundtrack for TV series Sons of Anarchy * ''The Forest Rangers'' (film), 1942 film starring Fred MacMu ...

'', and '' On Camera'', but he is most famous for his novels, the ''Bandy Papers'', which recount the humorous adventures of Bartholomew Bandy, a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fight ...

fighter pilot. His play ''

The Canvas Barricade ''The Canvas Barricade'' is a two-act play by Donald Jack. It won a Canadian play-writing competition held jointly by ''The Globe and Mail'' and the Stratford Festival, and had a six-performance run at the Stratford Festival in 1961. It was the f ...

'' was the first Canadian play produced at the Stratford Festival of Canada. Other stage plays included ''Exit Muttering'', ''Crash'', and ''Minuet for Brass Band''. He had 39 TV plays produced, 22 radio plays, and numerous documentaries. Most of Jack's book-length works are being re-published, or published for the first time, by Sybertooth. Jack died of a stroke at his home in Warwickshire, England in June 2003.

The Bandy Papers series

*''Three Cheers for Me'' – 1962 (Winner of the 1963 Stephen Leacock Award) *''Three Cheers for Me'' (revised & expanded edition) – 1973 *''That's Me in the Middle'' – 1973 (Winner of the 1974 Stephen Leacock Award) *''It's Me Again'' - 1975 (Also published as two volumes, ''It's Me Again'' & ''Me Among the Ruins'') *''Me Bandy, You Cissie'' - 1979 (Winner of the 1980 Stephen Leacock Award) *''Me Too'' - 1983 *''This One's on Me'' - 1987 *''Me So Far'' – 1989 *''Hitler Versus Me: The Return of Bartholomew Bandy'' – 1996 *''Stalin Versus Me'' – 2005 *''Hitler Versus Me'' paperback combining H vs M with the author's novelette, "Where Did Rafe Madison Go?" – 2006 *''Me Bandy, You Cissie'' paperback combining the novel with the author's radio play ''Banner's Headline'' – 2009 *''Three Cheers for Me'' 50th anniversary edition of the original 1962 version, with a foreword by Paul Marlowe – 2011

Other published works

*'' Exit Muttering'' – 1972 *''Sinc, Betty and the Morning Man'' – 1977 (non-fiction) *''Rogues, Rebels, and Geniuses: The Story of Canadian Medicine'' – 1981 (non-fiction) *''

'' – 2007 (stage play)

Stageplays

* ''Humbly, for Fyodor'' (1953) * ''Minuet for Brass Band'' (1953) A 3-act play first performed at the Canadian Theatre School in Toronto, founded by Sterndale Bennett. * ''Flamacue Serenade'' * ''

'' (1961) A 2-act comedy about an artist defying materialism. Set on the Quebec-Ontario border, and in Toronto. Performed in 1961 at the

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival ...

, where it was the first original Canadian play performed. Music by

Harry Freedman Harry Freedman (''Henryk Frydmann''), (April 5, 1922 – September 16, 2005) was a Canadian composer, English hornist, and music educator of Polish birth. He wrote a significant amount of symphonic works, including the scores to films such as '' ...

* ''Exit Muttering'' (1962) A 2-act comedy first performed at the Grenville Street Playhouse, directed by Hugh Webster, with set design by Vincent Vaitiekunas. Published 1974. * ''Reckless'' (1969/1971) * ''Folly'' (1985) Alternate titles: Love in Business Hours; Pension Play. * ''Blast'' (1988) Comedy about espionage at an English country house. * ''Crash'' A 2-act comedy about a timpanist who inherits a funeral home. First performed at the Ontario Playwrights' Showcase.

Radio Plays

* Three Cheers for Me (CBC Theatre 10:30, 1972) * Your Tiny Head is Frozen (for CBC Stage) * Grave Tidings (for Sunday Theatre) * Banner's Headline * More Joy in Heaven (dramatization of Morley Callaghan's novel for Theatre 10:30)

Notes

External links

Web site about Donald Jack's books
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jack, Donald 1924 births 2003 deaths Canadian male novelists 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian novelists Canadian non-fiction writers English humorists British emigrants to Canada 20th-century English novelists English dramatists and playwrights English non-fiction writers Naturalized citizens of Canada People from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester People educated at Bury Grammar School Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Stephen Leacock Award winners Writers from Ontario People educated at Marr College Canadian male dramatists and playwrights English male novelists 20th-century Canadian male writers Canadian male non-fiction writers English male non-fiction writers 20th-century non-fiction writers 20th-century English male writers