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Harold MacGrath | |
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| Born | September 4, 1871 Syracuse, New York,United States |
| Died | October 30, 1932(1932-10-30) (aged 61) Syracuse, New York,United States |
| Occupation | |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction,short story,screenwriting,journalism |
Harold MacGrath (September 4, 1871 – October 30, 1932) was a bestselling and prolific Americannovelist,short story writer, andscreenwriter.[1] He sometimes completed more than one novel per year for the mass market, covering romance, spies, mystery, and adventure.
He was the first nationally known writer to be commissioned to write original screenplays for the new film industry. In addition, he had eighteen novels and three short stories adapted as films, in some cases more than once. Three of these novels were also adapted as plays that were produced on Broadway in New York City. MacGrath traveled extensively but was always based inSyracuse, New York, where he was born and raised.
Born Harold McGrath inSyracuse, New York, he was the son of Thomas H. and Lillian Jane McGrath.[2] As a young man, he worked as a reporter and columnist for theSyracuse Herald newspaper until the late 1890s, when he published his first novel, a romance titledArms and the Woman. According to theNew York Times, his next book,The Puppet Crown, was theNo.7 bestselling book in the United States for all of 1901.[citation needed]
MacGrath (as he spelled his name then) continued to write novels for the mass market about love, adventure, mystery, spies, and the like at an average rate of more than one a year. He had three more books that were among the top ten bestselling books of the year. At the same time, he published a number ofshort stories in such major American magazines asThe Saturday Evening Post,Ladies Home Journal, andRed Book magazine. Several of MacGrath's novels were also serialized in these magazines. He continued to have short stories published in such venues until his death in 1932.
In 1912, Harold MacGrath became one of the first nationally known authors to write directly for the movies when he was hired by theAmerican Film Company to create an original screenplay for ashort film in theWestern genre, titledThe Vengeance That Failed.
MacGrath's work was so popular that eighteen of his forty novels and three of his short stories were adapted as films. Some of the novels received more than one film adaptation. He also wrote the original screenplays for another four movies. Hisserial filmThe Adventures of Kathlyn (1903) featuredKathlyn Williams. While writing the screenplays for the thirteen episodes of the serial, he also wrote the related novel. It was published immediately after the December 29, 1913, premiere of the first episode of the serial. The book was available for sale in book stores during the screening of the entire thirteen episodes, capitalizing on the publicity.
Three of his books adapted for film were also adapted asBroadway plays.
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TheDouglas Fairbanks Production Company made a feature-lengthadventure film,The Mollycoddle (1920), based on MacGrath's short story of the same title. It had been published in 1913 byThe Saturday Evening Post. Directed byVictor Fleming, the film featured Douglas Fairbanks,Ruth Renick, andWallace Beery; it was distributed by the newly created companyUnited Artists.
The youngBoris Karloff, who had a few uncredited movie roles, was said to have chosen thatstage name in 1920 for his firstscreen credit from MacGrath's novelThe Drums of Jeopardy. Published byThe Saturday Evening Post in January 1920, it had featured a Russianmad scientist character named Boris Karlov. MacGrath's book was adapted as a Broadway play, titledBoris Karlov (1922). Because by 1923 actor Boris Karloff was using a similar name, when the film adaptation ofThe Drum of Jeopardy was released, the scientist character was named Gregor Karlov.[citation needed]
Harold MacGrath became a wealthy man because of his success as a writer. He traveled extensively internationally, but was based in Syracuse, New York. There he commissioned design and construction in 1912 of an English country-style mansion and associated landscaped gardens. These were highly regarded.
In "The Short Autobiography of a Deaf Man", an essay published inThe Saturday Evening Post (23 April 1932), MacGrath wrote about having struggled early in life as a result of ahearing impairment. At a time when deaf people were often considered as lacking intellectual acuity because of difficulty in communications, MacGrath had concealed this condition from his employer and others. Harold MacGrath died at his home in Syracuse a few months after publishing this article.
MacGrath died in 1932. His coffin was held for viewing in St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Syracuse, before a 2 p.m. funeral service on November 5, 1932. Hundreds of people came to pass by the bier. Rev. Dr. Henry H. Hadley, rector of St. Paul's, officiated at the church service.[3]
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