= Harold_MacGrath =

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= Harold_MacGrath =
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Introduction
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Harold MacGrath (September 4, 1871 - October 30, 1932) was a
bestselling and prolific American novelist, short story writer, and
screenwriter. 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 in Syracuse, New York, where he was
born and raised.

Biography
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Born Harold McGrath in Syracuse, New York, he was the son of Thomas H.
and Lillian Jane McGrath. As a young man, he worked as a reporter and
columnist for the 'Syracuse Herald' newspaper until the late 1890s,
when he published his first novel, a romance titled 'Arms and the
Woman'. According to the 'New York Times', his next book, 'The Puppet
Crown', was the No.7 bestselling book in the United States for all of
1901.

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 of short stories in such major American
magazines as 'The Saturday Evening Post', 'Ladies Home Journal', and
'Red 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.

Writing for films
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In 1912, Harold MacGrath became one of the first nationally known
authors to write directly for the movies when he was hired by the
American Film Company to create an original screenplay for a short
film in the Western genre, titled 'The 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. His serial film 'The Adventures
of Kathlyn' (1903) featured Kathlyn 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 as Broadway
plays.
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The Douglas Fairbanks Production Company made a feature-length
adventure film, 'The Mollycoddle' (1920), based on MacGrath's short
story of the same title. It had been published in 1913 by 'The
Saturday Evening Post'. Directed by Victor Fleming, the film featured
Douglas Fairbanks, Ruth Renick, and Wallace Beery; it was distributed
by the newly created company United Artists.

The young Boris Karloff, who had a few uncredited movie roles, was
said to have chosen that stage name in 1920 for his first screen
credit from MacGrath's novel 'The Drums of Jeopardy'. Published by
'The Saturday Evening Post' in January 1920, it had featured a Russian
mad scientist character named Boris Karlov. MacGrath's book was
adapted as a Broadway play, titled 'Boris Karlov' (1922). Because by
1923 actor Boris Karloff was using a similar name, when the film
adaptation of 'The Drum of Jeopardy' was released, the scientist
character was named Gregor Karlov.

Success
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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 in 'The
Saturday Evening Post' (23 April 1932), MacGrath wrote about having
struggled early in life as a result of a hearing 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.

Funeral
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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.

Bibliography
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;Novels (and year made into film)
*'Arms and the Woman' (1899)
*'The Puppet Crown' (1901) - (1915 film of same name)
*'The Grey Cloak' (1903)
*'The Man on the Box' (1904) - (1906 Broadway play, 1914 film &
1925 film)
*'Hearts and Masks' (1905) - (1914 short film, 1921 film & 1915
Broadway play titled 'Three of Hearts')
*'The Princess Elopes' (1905)
*'Enchantment' (1905)
*'Half a Rogue' (1906) - (1916 film)
*'The Best Man' (1907)
*'The Lure of the Mask' (1908) - (1915 film)
*'The Enchanted Hat' (1908)
*'The Goose Girl' (1909) - (1915 film)
*'A Splendid Hazard' (1910) - (1920 film)
*'The Carpet from Bagdad' (1911) - (1915 film)
*'The Place of Honeymoons' (1912) - (1920 film)
*'Deuces Wild' (1913)
*'Parrot and Company' (1913) - (1921 film titled 'Not Guilty')
*'Pidgin Island' (1914) - (1916 film)
*'The Adventures of Kathlyn' (1914) - (1913 film serial & 1916
feature-length film)
*'The Million Dollar Mystery' (1915) - (1914 film serial & 1927
film)
*'The Voice in the Fog' (1915) - (1916 film)
*'The Luck of the Irish' (1917) - (1920 film)
*'The Girl in His House' (1918) - (1918 film)
*'The Private Wire to Washington' (1919)
*'The Yellow Typhoon' (1919) - (1920 film)
*'The Drums of Jeopardy' (1920) - (1922 Broadway play, 1923 film &
1931 film)
*'The Man with Three Names' (1920)
*'The Pagan Madonna' (1921)
*'The Ragged Edge' (1922) - (1923 film)
*'Captain Wardlaw's Kitbags' (1923)
*'The World Outside' (1923)
*'The Green Stone' (1924)
*'The Cellini Plaque' (1925)
*'The Retreat From Utopia' (1926)
*'The Sporting Spinster' (1926)
*'We All Live Through It' (1927)
*'The Changing Road' (1928)
*'The Wolves of Chaos' (1929)
*'The Blue Rajah Murder' (1930)
*'The Green Complex' (1930)
*'The Other Passport' (1931)

;Other film writings
*'The Vengeance That Failed' (1912)
*'Madam Who' (1918) (story)
*'The Mollycoddle' (1920) (story)
*'Pleasures of the Rich' (1926) (based on his story "The Wrong Coat")
*'Womanpower' (1926) (based on his story "You Can't Always Tell")
*'Bitter Apples' (1927) (story)
*'Danger Street' (1928) (based on his story "The Beautiful Bullet")

;Short stories (not including those made into films)
*"A Night's Enchantment" (1904)
*"No Cinderella" (1904)
*"Two Candidates" (1904)
*"The Mollycoddle" (1913)
*"Madame Who" (1916)
*"The Millionaire Burglar" (1917)
*"The Bach Chaconne" (1932)

;Serialized stories (not including those made into films)
*'The Changing Road' (1927)
*'Impromptu' (1929)

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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_MacGrath