F. R. Buckley (1896–1976) was an English writer. He wrote more than 200 short stories for

pulp magazines Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 until around 1955. The term "pulp" derives from the wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed, due to their cheap nature. ...

between 1918 and 1953.

Early and personal life

He was born Frederick Robert Buckley on 20 December 1896 in Colton,

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and died in 1976.* He was the son of R. J. Buckley (1847–1938) and Mary Wakelin. His father was music critic for the ''

Birmingham Gazette The ''Birmingham Gazette'', known for much of its existence as ''Aris's Birmingham Gazette'', was a newspaper that was published and circulated in Birmingham, England, from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries. Founded as a weekly publicatio ...

'' from 1886 to 1926. Frederick attended King Edward's School,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

and

Birmingham University The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

, studying

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

. While at King Edward's School, at age 14, he performed in

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

' ''

Peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

'' in the role of Theoria. Also in the cast was schoolmate

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

playing

Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...

. In 1916, Buckley married American actress

Helen Curry Helen Curry (October 22, 1896 – November 15, 1931) was an American stage actress. Biography Early life and family Helen Curry was born October 22, 1896, in Chester, Pennsylvania The American Academy of Dramatic Arts Curry studied at The A ...

, sister of fellow pulp fiction author Tom Curry. He returned to England in 1932 after his first wife's suicide. His second marriage to Ruth Tennant ended in divorce. He remarried once again in 1959, to Marie Victoria Lindsay.

Silent film era

In 1915, Buckley went to the United States on the SS ''St Louis'' and worked as Chief reviewer and later Editor for the ''Motion Picture Mail'', a Saturday magazine supplement of the ''

New York Evening Mail The ''New York Evening Mail'' (1867–1924) was an American daily newspaper published in New York City. For a time the paper was the only evening newspaper to have a franchise in the Associated Press. History Names The paper was founded as the ' ...

''. Buckley then moved to become New York Managing Editor of the '' Exhibitors Herald''. Starting in 1917, he worked in

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

for the

Vitagraph Studios Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907 ...

where he was primarily a screenwriter and occasionally an actor. Between 1917 and 1918 he wrote, co-wrote or adapted the scenarios for ''

The Cambric Mask ''The Cambric Mask'' is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by Tom Terriss and starring Alice Joyce and Maurice Costello. It was produced and distributed by the Vitagraph Company of America. Cast Preservation With no prints of ''The Ca ...

'', ''

By the World Forgot ''By the World Forgot'' is a lost 1918 American silent film directed by David Smith produced and distributed by the Vitagraph Company of America. It is based on the 1917 novel of the same name by Cyrus Townsend Brady Cyrus Townsend Brady ( ...

'', ''

A Gentleman's Agreement ''A Gentleman's Agreement'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by David Smith and starring Gayne Whitman, Nell Shipman, Juan de la Cruz, Jacob Abrams, and Hattie Buskirk. The film was released by Vitagraph Company of America on July ...

'', ''

The Purple Dress ''The Purple Dress'' is a 1918 two reel silent short film, directed by Martin Justice. Cast * Agnes Ayres as Maida * Adele DeGarde as Grace * Edward Earle Edward Earle (16 July 1882 – 15 December 1972) was a Canadian-American stage, ...

'', ''

Lost on Dress Parade Lost or LOST may refer to getting lost, or to: Arts, entertainment, and media Television * ''Lost'' (TV series), a 2004 American drama series about people who become stranded on a mysterious island * ''Lost'' (2001 TV series), a short-lived Ameri ...

'', '' The Song of the Soul'', ''The Other Man'', '' The Hiding of Black Bill'', ''

A Night in New Arabia ''A Night in New Arabia'' is a lost 1917 four-reel silent film, directed by Thomas Mills. It is based on the short story "A Night in New Arabia" from ''Strictly Business'', a collection of 23 short stories by O. Henry published in 1910. The m ...

'', ''The Last of the Troubadours'' and ''The Lovers' Knot''. He appeared in principal roles in '' The Undercurrent'' and '' The Unknown Quantity''.

Writer

Buckley left Vitagraph after selling ''Getting It'', his first short story to '' The Black Cat'', an American magazine specializing in original short stories of an unusual nature for $20.00.

O. Henry Award

In 1922, Buckley won the O. Henry Award for his short story ''Gold-Mounted Guns'' published in '' Red Book Magazine'', March 1922. His story ''Habit'', honorably mentioned in the O'Henry Memorial Volume for 1923. and published in the 30 April 1923 issue of ''

Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

'' was adapted for the 18 July 1948 episode of the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

radio program ''

Escape Escape or Escaping may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Escape'' (1928 film), a German silent drama film * ''Escape!'' (film), a 1930 British crime film starring Austin Trevor and Edna Best * ''Escape'' (1940 film), starring Robert Taylor and ...

''.

Pulps, Slicks and Novels

Buckley's fiction also appeared in ''

Collier's } ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter F. Collier, Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened i ...

'', ''

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

'', ''

McClure's ''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism (investigative journ ...

'', ''

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fic ...

'', and ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

''. He was also extensively published in many

including ''

'', Hutchinson's ''Adventure-story Magazine'', '' Argosy'', ''

The Blue Book Magazine ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

'', ''

Short Stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

'' , ''

The Story-Teller ''The Story-Teller'' was a monthly British pulp magazine, pulp Literary magazine, fiction magazine from 1907 to 1937. ''The Story-Teller'' is notable for having published some of the works of prominent authors, including G. K. Chesterton, Will ...

'' and ''

Western Story Magazine ''Western Story Magazine'' was a pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 until around 1955. The term "pulp" derives from the Pulp (paper), wood pulp paper ...

''. For ''Adventure'', Buckley wrote a series of stories set in the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

, revolving around the

swashbuckling A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, and guile, and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, ...

exploits of ''

condottieri Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...

'' Captain Luigi Caradosso.Frank D. McSherry, Jr., "Captain of Adventure: Luigi Caradosso" in ''Pulp Vault'' magazine, #6, November 1989. Tattered Pages Press, (pp .9-16) The Luigi Caradosso stories were enormously popular with ''Adventure's'' readers. When ''Adventure'' published a new Caradosso story in the May 1940 issue (after a six-year hiatus), the editor Howard Bloomfield noted that many readers had written in to request that the magazine "Bring back Captain Caradosso." Buckley also wrote a novel, ''The Way of Sinners'', set in sixteenth-century Italy, in which Caradosso is mentioned. Buckley also published

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' *Mystery, a seahorse that SpongeBob SquarePants adopts in the episode " My Pre ...

and

sea stories Nautical fiction, frequently also naval fiction, sea fiction, naval adventure fiction or maritime fiction, is a genre of literature with a setting on or near the sea, that focuses on the human relationship to the sea and sea voyages and highligh ...

as well as

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

. Later, some of Buckley's short stories would be adapted for film or radio by others. ''

The Bearcat ''The Bearcat'' is a 1922 American silent Western film, now considered lost. It was directed by Edward Sedgwick and featured Hoot Gibson in the lead role. Plot As described in a film magazine, The Singin' Kid rides into town after a brief so ...

'', a 1922

Universal Film Manufacturing Company Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American film production and distribution company headquartered at the Universal Studios complex in Universal City, ...

picture, ''Peg Leg and the Kidnapper'', originally published in

was used for the 1926

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox (producer), William Fox. It was the corporate successor to ...

film '' The Gentle Cyclone'' and

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

'' Stung'' 1931.

Return to journalism

In the 1930s, Buckley returned to England and wrote

film criticism Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: Academic criticism by film studies, film scholars, who study the composition of film theory and publish ...

again, now for the ''Birmingham Evening Despatch''.

Broadcaster

London Langham Place geograph-3044406-by-Ben-Brooksbank

Back in England, Buckley was a writer and on-air radio presenter on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

from 1934 to 1970. Sometime between 1947 and 1951, Buckley is credited with bringing actor and comedian Stanley Unwin to the attention of BBC producers Peter Cairns and David Martin, who premiered Unwin's first broadcast on the radio programme

Pat Dixon Patrick "Pat" Kenneth Macneile Dixon (15 June 1904 – 8 October 1958) was an English radio producer for BBC Radio. Biography Dixon was born on 15 June 1904; his parents were Professor William Macneile Dixon (1891–1946) and Edith (n� ...

's ''Mirror of the Month'' In the mid 1950s, Buckley worked as a portrait painter in Paris. From 1959 to 1962, Buckley was heard as a regular panellist on the weekly

radio programme ''The Guilty Party'', wherein a crime play was dramatised, after which the panellists would cross-examine the characters in an effort to figure out who was guilty of the crime.

Historic Homes

Connecticut State Register

Buckley's former home (1920-1932) in

Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...

is listed in both the Norwalk Historic Resource Inventory and with the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office on the Connecticut State Register of Historic Places.

National Heritage List for England

From the 1960s to the time of his death in 1976, Buckley lived in a reportedly haunted (though not very enthusiastically, according to Buckley)

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

on the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, which is known as The Exorcist's house.

References

External links

*F. R. Buckle
"Motion Picture Studio Director and Trade Annual 1920"
*
"F. R. Buckley"
BBC Genome - Radio Times 1923 - 2009
''A Celebration of Midsummer''
1966 – East Anglian Film Archives
''On Camera: The Stansfield Horror''
1972 – East Anglian Film Archives *F. R. Buckley
''The Author and the Draft: Is Writing Useful?''
''The Authors League Bulletin'', January 1918, Vol. V, No. 10 p. 8 *F. R. Buckley works at th
Internet Archive
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckley, F. R. 1896 births 1976 deaths 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English short story writers Alumni of the University of Birmingham BBC radio presenters British historical fiction writers English crime fiction writers English film critics English historical novelists English male journalists English male screenwriters English male short story writers English male silent film actors English mystery writers English radio presenters English radio writers Mass media people from Staffordshire People educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham People from Colton, Staffordshire Pulp fiction writers Silent film screenwriters Western (genre) writers Writers from King's Lynn Writers from Staffordshire Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period