John Gervase DightonCollections
"John Dighton"
''British Film Institute''. Retrieved 30 August 2020. (8 December 1909 – 16 April 1989) was a British

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

. Dighton was born in London to Basil Lewis Dighton, of West Kensington, an antiques dealer, author and poet, and his wife Beatrice Mary (née Franks).Who's Who in the Theatre, ed. Ian Herbert, Pitman, 1977, p. 552 He was educated at

Charterhouse School Charterhouse is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Godalming, Surrey, England. Founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charter ...

and

Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges an ...

. His output during the 1940s included the last starring features of comedian Will Hay, and several

George Formby George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961), was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he ...

films as well as the 1947 adaptation of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

' '' Nicholas Nickleby'', and the 1943 war movie ''

Undercover A cover in foreign, military or police human intelligence or counterintelligence is the ostensible identity and role or position in an infiltrated organization assumed by a covert agent during a covert operation. Official cover In espionage, a ...

'' starring John Clements and Michael Wilding. In 1947, Dighton wrote his first play for the theatre, '' The Happiest Days of Your Life'', which ran in the West End for more than 600 performances in 1948 and 1949.Gaye, pp. 542 and 1532 For

Ealing Studios Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in west London, England. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on th ...

, he collaborated on the screenplays of such comedies as ''

Kind Hearts and Coronets ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' is a 1949 British crime film, crime black comedy film directed by Robert Hamer. It features Dennis Price, Joan Greenwood, Valerie Hobson and Alec Guinness; Guinness plays eight characters. The plot is loosely based ...

'' (1949) and ''

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 ...

'' (1952), sharing an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination for the latter. He gained a second nomination for the American-financed '' Roman Holiday'' (1953). Two of his stage plays, ''The Happiest Days of Your Life'' and '' Who Goes There!'' (known as ''The Passionate Sentry'' in the USA), were successfully adapted for the screen by Dighton himself, the former in collaboration with

Frank Launder Frank Launder (28 January 1906 – 23 February 1997) was a British writer, film director and producer, who made more than 40 films, many of them in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. Early life and career He was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, ...

. He also wrote the 1955 comedy play '' Man Alive!'' that transferred to the West End the following year with Robertson Hare in the lead. He adapted the play '' Summer of the Seventeenth Doll''. His final screen credit was his adaptation of Shaw's '' The Devil's Disciple'', written in collaboration with

Roland Kibbee Roland Kibbee (15 February 1914 in Monongahela, Pennsylvania – 5 August 1984 in Encino, California) was an American screenwriter and producer. He was a frequent collaborator and friend of actor-producer Burt Lancaster. Career Kibbee began ...

. Dighton married Kathleen Marie Philipps in 1934.

Partial filmography as screenwriter

* '' Hail and Farewell'' (1936) * '' The Vulture'' (1937) * '' Ship's Concert'' (1937) * '' Thank Evans'' (1938) * '' It's in the Blood'' (1938) * '' The Viper'' (1938) * '' Many Tanks Mr. Atkins'' (1938) * '' Everything Happens to Me'' (1938) * '' The Good Old Days'' (lost, 1939) * '' Sailors Three'' (1940) * ''

Let George Do It! ''Let George Do It!'' (US: ''To Hell With Hitler'') is a 1940 British black-and-white comedy musical war film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring George Formby. It was produced by Michael Balcon for Associated Talking Pictures and its success ...

'' (1940) * '' Saloon Bar'' (1940) * '' Hoots Mon!'' (1940) * '' That's the Ticket'' (1940) * '' The Ghost of St. Michael's'' (1941) * '' Turned Out Nice Again'' (1941) * ''

The Black Sheep of Whitehall ''The Black Sheep of Whitehall'' (the opening credits read ''Black Sheep of Whitehall'') is a 1942 British black-and-white comedy film, comedy war film, film director, directed by Will Hay and Basil Dearden, starring Will Hay, John Mills, Basil ...

'' (1942) * '' Went the Day Well?'' (1942) * '' The Goose Steps Out'' (1942) * '' The Foreman Went to France'' (1942) * '' The Next of Kin'' (1942) * ''

'' (1943) * '' My Learned Friend'' (1943) * '' Champagne Charlie'' (1944) * '' Nicholas Nickleby'' (1947) * '' Saraband for Dead Lovers'' (1948) * ''

'' (1949) * '' The Happiest Days of Your Life'' (based on his play, 1950) * ''

'' (1951) * '' Who Goes There!'' (based on his play ''The Passionate Sentry'', 1952) * '' Brandy for the Parson'' (1952) * ''

Folly to Be Wise ''Folly to Be Wise'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder and starring Alastair Sim, Elizabeth Allan, Roland Culver, Colin Gordon, Martita Hunt and Edward Chapman. It was written by James Bridie, John Dighton and Launder ...

'' (1953) * '' Roman Holiday'' (1953) * '' The Story of William Tell'' (unfinished, 1953) * '' The Swan'' (1956) * '' The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' (1957) * '' Summer of the Seventeenth Doll'' (1959) * '' The Devil's Disciple'' (1959)

Selected plays

* '' Who Goes There!'' (1950) * '' Man Alive!'' (1955)

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dighton, John 1909 births 1989 deaths English male screenwriters Writers from London People educated at Charterhouse School Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights English male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English male writers 20th-century British screenwriters