James Bridie (3 January 1888 in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

– 29 January 1951 in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

) was the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

of a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and physician whose real name was Osborne Henry Mavor.Daniel Leary (1982) ''Dictionary of Literary Biography: Modern British Dramatists 1900-1945'', Stanley Weintraub Ed., Gale, Detroit Ronald Mavor (1988) ''Dr. Mavor and Mr. Bridie: Memories of James Bridie'', Canongate and The National Library of Scotland He took his pen-name from his paternal grandfather's first name and his grandmother's maiden name.

Life

He was the son of Henry Alexander Mavor (1858–1915), an electrical engineer and industrialist, and his wife Janet Osborne. He went to school at

Glasgow Academy The Glasgow Academy is a coeducational private day school for pupils aged 3–18 in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2016, it had the third-best Higher level exam results in Scotland. Founded in 1845, it is the oldest continuously fully private school in ...

and then studied medicine at the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

graduating in 1913, later becoming a general practitioner, then consultant physician and professor after serving as a military physician during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, seeing service in France and

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

. He came to prominence with his comic play ''The Anatomist'' (1931), about the grave robbers

Burke and Hare The Burke and Hare murders were a series of sixteen murders committed over a period of about ten months in 1828 in Edinburgh, Scotland. They were undertaken by William Burke and William Hare, who sold the corpses to Robert Knox for dissection ...

. This and other comedic plays saw success in London, and he became a full-time writer in 1938. He returned to the army during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, again serving as a physician. In 1923, he married Rona Locke Bremner (1897–1985). Their son was killed in

. His other son Ronald (1925–2007) was also both a physician and playwright. Ronald became drama critic of ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...

'' after retiring from medicine, Director of the Scottish Arts Council and Deputy Chairman of the Edinburgh Festival. He was Professor of Drama and Head of the Drama Department at the

University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...

and was appointed

C.B.E. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

Bridie died in

of a stroke and is buried in Glasgow

Western Necropolis Western Necropolis is a cemetery complex in Glasgow, Scotland located to the north of the city centre. As well as the actual Western Necropolis cemetery established in 1882, it is bordered by Lambhill Cemetery which opened in 1881, St Kentigern's ...

. The Bridie Library at the

Glasgow University Union Glasgow University Union (GUU) is one of the largest and oldest students' unions in the UK, serving students and alumni of the University of Glasgow since 1885. The GUU organises social affairs for its members, provides catering and entertainm ...

is named after him, as is the annual Bridie Dinner that takes place in the Union each December.

Contribution to drama and the arts

Bridie was the founder of the

Citizens Theatre The Citizens Theatre, in what was the Royal Princess's Theatre, is the creation of James Bridie and playwright in residence Paul Vincent Carroll is based in Glasgow, Scotland, as a principal producing theatre. The theatre includes a 500-seat ...

, in association with joint founders art director Dr

Tom Honeyman Thomas John Honeyman (10 June 1891 – 5 July 1971) was an art dealer and gallery director, becoming the most acclaimed director of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow. Born near Queen's Park, Glasgow, the son of a life insurance man ...

and cinema magnate George Singleton, who also created the Cosmo, predecessor of today's

Glasgow Film Theatre The Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) is an independent cinema in the city centre of Glasgow. It occupies a purpose-built cinema building, first opened in 1939, and now protected as a category B listed building. History and architecture Predecesso ...

. Many of his plays were staged at the Citizens Theatre between 1943 and 1960. Tony Paterson has argued that Bridie's output set the tone for Scottish Theatre until the early Nineteen-Sixties and gave encouragement to other Scottish dramatists such as Robert Kemp, Alexander Reid and George Munro.

Alan Riach Alan Scott Riach (born 1 August 1957)Smith, Anna'Riach, Alan (Scott)' ''Encyclopedia.com''. Retrieved 16 April 2022. is a Scottish poet and academic. He was born in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, and was educated at Gravesend Grammar School for Boys, C ...

described (in 2021) Bridie's plays as both serious and offering 'high spirited fun'; both contemporarily 'commercially successful' and yet 'perennially provocative'; raising open questions that Riach considers as Brechtian. He admires the quality of writing in Bridie's 1939 autobiography ''One Way of Living'', calling it a 'modern classic'. In 1946, Bridie proposed a Scottish Theatre Festival in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, with Scottish theatres coming together to make the town a Scottish Salsburg. He was the first chairman of the

Arts Council An arts council is a government or private non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts; mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing arts events. They often operate at arms-length from the government to prevent pol ...

in Scotland and was also instrumental in the establishment of the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

. In 1950 he founded the Glasgow College of Dramatic Art, part of the Royal Conservatoire today. Bridie worked with the director

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

in the late 1940s. They worked together on: * ''

The Paradine Case ''The Paradine Case'' is a 1947 American courtroom drama film with elements of film noir set in England, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by David O. Selznick. Selznick and an uncredited Ben Hecht wrote the screenplay from an adaptatio ...

'' (1947). Bridie originally wrote the screenplay, and

Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplays and play ...

contributed some additional dialogue. But due to casting, the characters had to be changed. So

David O. Selznick David O. Selznick (born David Selznick; May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca (1940 film), Rebecca'' (1 ...

had to write another script. * '' Under Capricorn'' (1949) * ''

Stage Fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia that may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...

'' (1950)

Bibliography

*''Some Talk of Alexander'' (1926), book, his experiences as an army doctor *''The Sunlight Sonata'' or ''To Meet the Seven Deadly Sins'' (1928), assisted by John Brandane and published under the pseudonym Mary Henderson, directed by

Tyrone Guthrie Sir William Tyrone Guthrie (2 July 1900 – 15 May 1971) was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at ...

*''The Switchback'' (1929), with James Brandane *''What It Is to Be Young'' (1929) *''The Girl Who Did Not Want to Go to Kuala Lumpur'' (1930) *''The Pardoner's Tale'' (1930) *''Tobias and the Angel'' (1930) *''The Amazed Evangelist'' (1931) *''The Anatomist'' (1931) (dramatisation of the historical

murders) *''The Dancing Bear'' (1931) *''Jonah and the Whale'' (1932) *'' A Sleeping Clergyman'' (1933) *''Marriage Is No Joke'' (1934) *''Colonel Witherspoon'' or ''The Fourth Way of Greatness'' (1934) *''

Mary Read Mary Read (died April 1721), was a pirate who served under John Rackham. She and Anne Bonny were among the few female pirates during the "Golden Age of Piracy". Much of Read's background is unknown. The first biography of Read comes from C ...

'' (with Claude Gurney) (1934) *''The Tragic Muse'' (1934) *''The Black Eye'' (1935) *''Storm in a Teacup'' (Adaptation) (1936) Based on

Bruno Frank Bruno Frank (June 13, 1887 – June 20, 1945) was a German author, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and humanist. Biography Frank was born in Stuttgart. He studied law and philosophy in Munich, where he later worked as a dramatist and novelist ...

's ''Sturm im Wasserglas'' *''Susannah and the Elders'' (1937) *''The King of Nowhere'' (1938) *''Babes in the Wood'' (1938) *''The Last Trump'' (1938) *''The Kitchen Comedy'' Radio play, (1938) *''The Letter Box Rattles'' (1938) *''One Way of Living'' (1939) – Autobiography *''What Say They?'' (1939) *''The Sign of the Prophet Jonah'' Radio play (1942) Adaption of Jonah and the Whale *''The Dragon and the Dove'' or ''How the Hermit Abraham Fought the Devil for His Niece'' (1943) *''Jonah 3'' (1942) Revised version of ''Jonah and the Whale'' *''Holy Isle'' (1942) *''A Change for the Worse'' 1943 *''Mr. Bolfry'' 1943 *''Tedious and Brief'' (1944) *''Lancelot'' 1945 *''Paradise Enow'' 1945 *''The Pyrate's Den'' (1946) unpublished, written under the pseudonym Archibald P. Kellock *''Gog and Magog'' 1948 *''It Depends What You Mean'' 1949 *''The Forrigan Reel'' Ballad opera 1949 *''Dr. Angelus'' 1949 *''John Knox'' 1949 *''

Daphne Laureola ''Daphne Laureola'' is a comic play by James Bridie about a young Polish refugee's infatuation with a middle-aged English woman. 'Egalitarianism is at the heart of this vision, but idealism may be just a liability.' Productions The play was fir ...

'' 1949 *''The Golden Legend of Shults'' 1949 - (adapted to There Was a Crooked Man (film) by

Norman Wisdom Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010), was an English actor, comedian, musician, and singer, best known for his series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966, in which he portrayed the endearingly inept charact ...

*''Mr. Gillie'' 1950 *''The Queen's Comedy'' 1950 *''Folly to be Wise'' 1952 *''The Baikie Charivari or The Seven Prophets'' 1953 *''Meeting at Night (With Archibald Batty)'' 1954 *(Adaptation) ''

The Wild Duck ''The Wild Duck'' (original Norwegian title: ''Vildanden'') is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It explores the complexities of truth and illusion through the story of a family torn apart by secrets and the intrusion of a ...

''. Based on Vildanden by

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

*(Adaptation) ''

Liliom ''Liliom'' is a 1909 play by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár. It was well known in its own right during the early to mid-20th century, but is best known today as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1945 musical ''Carousel''. P ...

'' Based on

Ferenc Molnár Ferenc Molnár ( , ; born Ferenc Neumann; January 12, 1878April 1, 1952), often anglicized as Franz Molnar, was a Hungarians, Hungarian-born author, stage director, dramatist, and poet. He is widely regarded as Hungary's most celebrated and c ...

's play of the same name *(Adaptation) ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage.Meyer, Michael Lever ...

'' by Henrik Ibsen *(Adaptation) ''

The Misanthrope ''The Misanthrope, or the Cantankerous Lover'' (; ) is a 17th-century comedy of manners in verse written by Molière. It was first performed on 4 June 1666 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal (rue Saint-Honoré), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, Paris by ...

'' Based on ''Le Misanthrope'' by

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

References

External links

*
Play performances listed in Theatre Archive university of Bristol
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bridie, James 1888 births 1951 deaths Writers from Glasgow Theatre in Scotland 20th-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights Scottish Renaissance Scottish opera librettists Alumni of the University of Glasgow British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II Festival founders 20th-century Scottish screenwriters 20th-century Scottish surgeons 20th-century pseudonymous writers Medical doctors from Glasgow

Life

Contribution to drama and the arts

Bibliography

References

Further reading

External links