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

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and director.

Biography

MacDougall began writing the occasional

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

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'' (for which he received a 1952 Academy Award nomination) and '' The Mouse That Roared''. He was a cousin of Alexander Mackendrick. His 1952 play ''

Escapade Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE) is a planned spacecraft mission to Mars consisting of two spacecraft known as ''Blue'' and ''Gold''. The mission, expected to launch in August 2024, is part of NASA's SIMPLEx progr ...

'' enjoyed a lengthy run in the

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

and was subsequently adapted into a film of the same title.

The Roger MacDougall diet

In 1953, he was diagnosed with

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

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, 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 ''Midnight at Madame Tussaud's '' is a 1936 British thriller film directed by George Pearson and starring Lucille Lisle, James Carew and Charles Oliver. The screenplay concerns an explorer who bets his friends he can spend a night in Madame Tu ...

'' (1936) * '' Midnight Menace'' (1937) * ''

Cheer Boys Cheer ''Cheer Boys Cheer'' is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Nova Pilbeam, Edmund Gwenn, Jimmy O'Dea, Graham Moffatt, Moore Marriott and Peter Coke. Plot Edward Ironside (Edmund Gwenn), the head of Ironside Brewery ...

'' (1939) * ''

Let's Be Famous ''Let's Be Famous'' is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Jimmy O'Dea, Betty Driver and Sonnie Hale. It was made by Associated Talking Pictures, with shooting beginning in November 1938.Wood p. 98 The film's ar ...

'' (1939) * '' Law and Disorder'' (1940)

Selected plays

* '' The Gentle Gunman'' (1950) * '' To Dorothy, a Son'' (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 ...

'' (1950) * ''

'' (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