Phyllis McDonagh | |
|---|---|
 Phyllis McDonagh in 1928 | |
| Born | Phyllis Glory McDonagh (1900-01-07)7 January 1900 |
| Died | 17 October 1978 |
| Relatives | Marie Lorraine (sister),Paulette McDonagh (sister) |
Phyllis Glory McDonagh (7 January 1900 – 17 October 1978) was an Australian film producer, production designer and journalist, who often worked in collaboration with her sistersPaulette andIsabella.
McDongah was born on Macquaire Street in Sydney, Australia, on 7 January 1900[1] and was the second child of seven born to John Michael McDonagh, and Annie Jane (Anita) McDonagh (née Amora).
She attended school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Elizabeth Bay, as a boarder alongside her two sistersIsabella andPaulette.
Phyllis McDonagh began her career in film alongside her two sisters Isabella and Paulette with the filmThose Who Love in 1926. Phyllis worked as the production manager, and collaborated closely with her younger sisterPaulette who would direct and write their majority of their films. Their older sister Isabel, known by her stage nameMarie Lorraine, starred as the actress in many of their productions.
Made on small budgets, these films were entertaining society melodramas of romance, sacrifice and parental opposition, set against an urban background: a contrast to the bush emphasis in contemporary Australian films. The sisters used the family's colonial home, Drummoyne House, and its antique and elaborate furnishings, to give their films great style at little expense.
The first two of the sisters feature films,Those Who Love andThe Far Paradise, were both met with critical acclaim, while their thirdThe Cheaters earned much lower reviews from both the public and critics due to its poor sound effects.
During the depression the sisters made several short sporting documentaries, includingAustralia in the Swim with'Boy' Charlton and the Olympic swimming team,(Sir) Donald Bradman inHow I Play Cricket andPhar Lap inThe Mighty Conqueror.
After leaving the film industry in the late 1930s, Phyllis became a journalist and moved to New Zealand, where she worked as editor ofNew Zealand Truth.[2] She later returned to Sydney with her husband and worked as a freelance journalist and short-story writer, before becoming social editor for theNorth Shore Times in 1960.[2]
On 15 October 1941, Phyllis married salesman Leo Francis Joseph O'Brien. Phyllis McDongah died on 17 October 1978.
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