Roger MacDougall (2 August 1910, in Glasgow – 27 May 1993) was a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

Biography

MacDougall began writing the occasional screenplay in the late 30s, working both alone and in collaboration with others. Most of his plays were produced during the 50s. As a screenwriter, his best-known films are ''

The Man in the White Suit ''The Man in the White Suit'' is a 1951 British satirical science fiction comedy film made by Ealing Studios. It stars Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood and Cecil Parker and was directed by Alexander Mackendrick. The film was nominated for an A ...

'' (for which he received a 1952

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination) and ''

The Mouse That Roared ''The Mouse That Roared'' is a 1955 satirical novel by Irish-American writer Leonard Wibberley, which launched a series of satirical books about an imaginary country in Europe called the Duchy of Grand Fenwick. Wibberley used the premise to m ...

''. He was a

cousin Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...

Alexander Mackendrick Alexander Mackendrick (September 8, 1912 – December 22, 1993) was an American-born director and professor, long based in Scotland. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and later moved to Scotland. He began making television commercials befor ...

. His 1952 play '' Escapade'' enjoyed a lengthy run in the West End and was subsequently adapted into a film of the same title.

The Roger MacDougall diet

In 1953, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis which eventually resulted in significant disability. Through disillusionment with orthodox medical treatments at the time, he developed a diet, loosely based on a

paleolithic diet The Paleolithic diet, Paleo diet, caveman diet, or stone-age diet is a modern fad diet consisting of foods thought by its proponents to mirror those eaten by humans during the Paleolithic era. The diet avoids processed food and typically incl ...

, that apparently returned him to good health and sustained remission. Following this experience, he published a pamphlet describing his diet intended to help other patients to achieve similar results.

Selected filmography

* '' Midnight at Madame Tussaud's'' (1936) * '' Midnight Menace'' (1937) * '' Cheer Boys Cheer'' (1939) * '' Let's Be Famous'' (1939) * '' Law and Disorder'' (1940)

Selected plays

* ''

The Gentle Gunman ''The Gentle Gunman'' is a 1952 British drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring John Mills, Dirk Bogarde and Elizabeth Sellars. The film is based on a 1950 play of the same title by Roger MacDougall that was televised by the BBC in S ...

'' (1950) * ''

To Dorothy, a Son ''To Dorothy, a Son'' is a 1950 comedy play by the British writer Roger MacDougall. The plot revolves around a complex inheritance in which the American ex-wife of a man tries to prevent his current pregnant wife giving birth before a certain day ...

'' (1950) * ''

Macadam and Eve ''Macadam and Eve'' is a comedy play by the British writer Roger MacDougall. Adam arrives in modern Scotland still looking for his Eve. It premiered at the Q Theatre near Kew Bridge in London before transferring to the Aldwych Theatre in Lond ...

'' (1950) * '' Escapade'' (1952)

References

External links

*
My Fight Against Multiple Sclerosis By Roger MacDougall
1910 births 1993 deaths Scottish dramatists and playwrights Scottish screenwriters Scottish film directors People with multiple sclerosis 20th-century British dramatists and playwrights Writers from Glasgow 20th-century British screenwriters {{UK-writer-stub