Alan Samuel Lyle-Smythe

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

, M.C. (9 November 1914 – 1 October 2006), who wrote under the name Alan Caillou, was an English-born author, actor, screenwriter, soldier, policeman and

professional hunter A professional hunter (less frequently referred to as market or commercial hunter and regionally, especially in Britain and Ireland, as professional stalker or gamekeeper) is a person who hunts and/or manages game by profession. Some professional ...

Biography

Alan Lyle-Smythe was born in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, England. Prior to

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 served with the

Palestine Police The Palestine Police Force was a British colonial police service established in Mandatory Palestine on 1 July 1920,Sinclair, 2006. when High Commissioner Sir Herbert Samuel's civil administration took over responsibility for security from Gener ...

from 1936 to 1939 and learned the

Arabic language Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

. He was awarded an

in June 1938. He married Aliza Sverdova in 1939, then studied acting from 1939 to 1941. In January 1940, Lyle-Smythe was commissioned in the

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and dom ...

. Due to his linguistic skills, he transferred to the Intelligence Corps and served in the Western Desert, in which he used the surname "Caillou" (the French word for 'pebble') as an alias. He was captured in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, imprisoned and threatened with execution in Italy, then escaped to join the British forces at

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

. He was then posted to serve with the partisans in

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

. He wrote about his experiences in the book ''The World is Six Feet Square'' (1954). He was promoted to captain and awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

in 1944. Following the war, he returned to the Palestine Police from 1946 to 1947, then served as a Police Commissioner in British-occupied

Italian Somaliland Italian Somalia ( it, Somalia Italiana; ar, الصومال الإيطالي, Al-Sumal Al-Italiy; so, Dhulka Talyaaniga ee Soomaalida), was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th centur ...

from 1947 to 1952, where he was recommissioned a captain. He wrote about this experience in the book ''Sheba Slept Here''. After work as a District Officer in

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

and professional hunter, Lyle-Smythe travelled to Canada, where he worked as a hunter and then became an actor on Canadian television.

Writing career

He wrote his first novel, ''Rogue's Gambit'', in 1955, first using the name Caillou, one of his

alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the ...

es from the war. Moving from

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

to Hollywood, he made an appearance as a contestant o
the 23 January 1958 edition
of ''

You Bet Your Life ''You Bet Your Life'' is an American comedy quiz series that has aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show deb ...

''. He appeared as an actor and/or worked as a screenwriter in such shows as ''

Daktari ''Daktari'' ( Swahili for "doctor") is an American family drama series that aired on CBS between 1966 and 1969. The series is an Ivan Tors Films Production in association with MGM Television starring Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy, a veter ...

'', ''

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by MGM Television, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who wo ...

'' (including the screenwriting for "The Bow-Wow Affair" from 1965), '' Thriller'', ''

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

'', ''

Quark A quark () is a type of elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of atomic nuclei. All commonly o ...

'', ''

Centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at a ...

'', and '' How the West Was Won''. In 1966-67, he had a recurring role (as Jason Flood) in NBC's "Tarzan" TV series starring Ron Ely. Caillou appeared in such

television movies Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...

as '' Sole Survivor'' (1970), ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set i ...

'' (1972, as Inspector Lestrade), and ''

Goliath Awaits ''Goliath Awaits'' is a 1981 American made-for-television action adventure science fiction thriller film originally broadcast in two parts in November 1981 on various stations as a part of Operation Prime Time's syndicated programming. It is a ...

'' (1981). His cinema film credits included roles in ''

Five Weeks in a Balloon ''Five Weeks in a Balloon, or, A Journey of Discovery by Three Englishmen in Africa'' (french: Cinq semaines en ballon) is an adventure novel by Jules Verne, published in 1863. It is the first novel in which he perfected the "ingredients" of his ...

'' (1962), ''

Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion ''Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion'' is a 1965 light comedy-adventure film, produced by Ivan Tors, Leonard B. Kaufman, and Harry Redmond Jr., directed by Andrew Marton, and starring Marshall Thompson and Betsy Drake. The film was shot at Soledad Ca ...

'' (1965), ''

The Rare Breed ''The Rare Breed'' is a 1966 American Western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith in Panavision. Loosely based on the life of rancher Col. John William Burgess, the film follows Ma ...

'' (1966), '' The Devil's Brigade'' (1968), '' Hellfighters'' (1968), '' Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)'' (1972), ''

Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo ''Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo'' is a 1977 American comedy adventure film and the third installment of ''The Love Bug'' film series made by Walt Disney Productions starring Herbie—the white 1963 Volkswagen racing Beetle with a mind of its own. ...

'' (1977), ''

Beyond Evil ''Beyond Evil'' is a 1980 American supernatural horror film directed by Herb Freed and starring John Saxon and Lynda Day George. Its plot follows an architect who suspects his wife is possessed by a former resident of the historic colonial man ...

'' (1980), ''

The Sword and the Sorcerer ''The Sword and the Sorcerer'' is a 1982 American sword and sorcery fantasy film co-written and directed by Albert Pyun, and starring Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale, George Maharis, Richard Lynch, and Richard Moll. The plot ...

'' (1982) and ''

The Ice Pirates ''The Ice Pirates'' is a 1984 American comic science fiction film directed by Stewart Raffill, who co-wrote the screenplay with '' Krull'' writer Stanford Sherman. The film stars Robert Urich, Mary Crosby and Michael D. Roberts; other notable ...

'' (1984). Caillou wrote 52

paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...

thrillers under his own name and the nom de plume of Alex Webb, with such heroes as Cabot Cain, Colonel Matthew Tobin, Mike Benasque, Ian Quayle and Josh Dekker, as well as writing many magazine stories. He also wrote books under female names. Several of Caillou's novels were filmed, such as '' Rampage'' with

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

in 1963, based on his big game hunting knowledge; ''

Assault on Agathon ''Assault on Agathon'' is a 1975 drama film directed by László Benedek and starring Nico Minardos, Nina van Pallandt, Marianne Faithfull and John Woodvine. It is based on a novel by Alan Caillou. Premise Cabot Cain is a Western secret agent ...

'' (with

Nico Minardos Nico Minardos (February 15, 1930, Pangrati, Athens – August 27, 2011, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California) was a Greek-American actor. He died in 2011 in Woodland Hills, California at age 81, from natural causes. Work in Hollywood His fi ...

as Cabot Cain), for which Caillou did the screenplay as well; and '' The Cheetahs'', filmed in 1989.

Personal life

He was married to Aliza Sverdova from 1939 until his death. Their daughter Nadia Caillou (7 October 1952 – 5 February 2019) was the screenwriter for ''

Skeleton Coast The Skeleton Coast is the northern part of the Atlantic coast of Namibia and south of Angola from the Kunene River south to the Swakop River, although the name is sometimes used to describe the entire Namib Desert coast. The indigenous San p ...

'' (1987).

Death

Alan Caillou died in

Sedona, Arizona Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031. It is within the Coconino National Fo ...

in 2006.

Partial filmography

*''

Journey to the Center of the Earth ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (french: Voyage au centre de la Terre), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel ...

'' (1959) — Rector (uncredited) *''

Seven Thieves ''Seven Thieves'' is a 1960 American film noir heist crime drama film shot in CinemaScope. It stars Edward G. Robinson, Rod Steiger, Joan Collins and Eli Wallach. Directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Sydney Boehm, it was adapted for th ...

'' (1960) — Doctor Gerald Halsey (uncredited) *''

The Fiercest Heart ''The Fiercest Heart'' is a 1961 American adventure film in CinemaScope and Color by De Luxe starring Stuart Whitman and Juliet Prowse, also featuring 1960 Summer Olympics decathlon champion Rafer Johnson. It is set in 1830s South Africa and bas ...

'' (1961) — Major Adrian *''

Pirates of Tortuga ''Pirates of Tortuga'' is a 1961 DeLuxe Color American swashbuckler film which invented an alternate history for the actual Welsh privateer Henry Morgan. It was released in October 1961 in the United States in CinemaScope. Plot In the 17th centu ...

'' (1961) — Ringose (uncredited) *''

It Happened in Athens ''It Happened in Athens'' is a 1962 American-Greek romance comedy-drama film released by 20th Century-Fox. It is directed by Andrew Marton and features Jayne Mansfield, newcomer Trax Colton, Maria Xénia, Nico Minardos, Roger Browne in his debu ...

'' (1962) — Narrator (voice) *''

'' (1962) — Inspector *''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...

'' (TV series, 1962–1970) — Walter Craigsmuir / Jim Hare (2 episodes) *''

The List of Adrian Messenger ''The List of Adrian Messenger'' is a 1963 American mystery film directed by John Huston starring Kirk Douglas, George C. Scott, Dana Wynter, Clive Brook, Gladys Cooper and Herbert Marshall. It is based on a 1959 novel of the same name written by ...

'' (1963) — Insp. Seymour (uncredited) *''

Signpost to Murder ''Signpost to Murder'' is a 1965 American crime film directed by George Englund and written by Sally Benson based on the play by Monte Doyle. The film stars Joanne Woodward, Stuart Whitman, Edward Mulhare, Alan Napier, Joyce Worsley, and Lesl ...

'' (1964) — Dr. Upjohn (uncredited) *'' Strange Bedfellows'' (1965) — Magistrate (uncredited) *''

'' (1965) — Carter *''

'' (1966) — Taylor *'' Tarzan (1966 TV series)#Season 1: 1966–67 Season 1, Episode 1: ''Eyes of the lion'' (1966) — Jason Flood *'' The Devil's Brigade'' (1968) — Gen. Marlin *'' Hellfighters'' (1968) — Harry York *'' Sole Survivor'' (1970) — Albanian *''

'' (1972, TV Movie) — Inspector Lestrade *'' Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)'' (1972) — The Fool's Father *''

Dixie Dynamite ''Dixie Dynamite'' is a 1976 American film directed by Lee Frost that stars Warren Oates. Steve McQueen appears uncredited in a scene as a motorbike driver. Plot A man who makes liquor illegally from a still is in cahoots with the sheriff, who ...

'' (1976) — Englishman *''

'' (1977) — Emile *''

'' (1980) — Police Inspector *'' Gauguin the Savage'' (1980) — Inspector Aumont *''

'' (1982) — King Sancho *''

'' (1984) — Count Paisley (final film role)

Notes

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Caillou, Alan 1914 births 2006 deaths Recipients of the Military Cross British Army personnel of World War II British colonial police officers English television writers English male television actors English male film actors English memoirists English male screenwriters English spy fiction writers English thriller writers English travel writers English male short story writers English short story writers English male novelists Royal Army Service Corps officers Intelligence Corps officers Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine Male actors from Surrey Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English novelists 20th-century British short story writers 20th-century English male writers English male non-fiction writers British male television writers 20th-century English screenwriters