Margaret Turnbull (screenwriter)

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Margaret Turnbull
Black and white photograph of Margaret Turnbull, standing in a door way.
Margaret Turnbull in 1915
Born(1872-11-17)17 November 1872
Glasgow, Scotland
Died12 June 1942(1942-06-12) (aged 69)
Yarmouthport, Massachusetts, USA
OccupationWriter
Years active1914-1939

Margaret Turnbull (17 November 1872 – 12 June 1942) was a Scottish novelist, playwright and screenwriter in silent films.[1]

Early life[edit]

Turnbull was born in Glasgow, Scotland.[2] She was the older sister of producer Hector Turnbull and sister to Jean, Mary, Alice, Donald,[3] and Isabel.[4] Her family moved to the United States during her childhood, and she attended school in New Jersey.[5]

Career[edit]

Turnbull wrote plays, including Genessee of the Hills (1905), A Society Policeman (1905), Classmates (1907, with William C. deMille), On the Square (1913, with her brother), The Deadlock (1913), and At the Mitre (1914). In 1912, a script she submitted anonymously was produced in New York by Henry Wilson Savage, as The Stronger Claim.[6]

Turnbull wrote for 51 films between 1914 and 1939. She worked for Paramount Pictures and the Famous Players–Lasky studios in Islington, and also spent some of her career in Hollywood.[7] In 1915, she wrote at least three films that starred Blanche Sweet; she also wrote films starring Edna Goodrich and Enrico Caruso. She was described as a "popular writer" and William C. deMille's assistant in a 1915 article about film dramas.[8]

Turnbull also wrote novels, including W. A. G.'s Tale (1913),[9] Looking After Sandy (1915),[10][11] The Close Up (1918),[12][13] Alabaster Lamps (1925)[14] Madame Judas (1926),[2] The Left Lady (1926),[15]The Handsome Man (1930),[16] and The Bride's Mirror (1934).[17] "I am sure," she told an interviewer in 1926, "that I get much more pleasure in writing a book or play than Mr. Ford has ever gotten from all the machines he has put on the market."[2]

Personal life[edit]

Turnbull lived in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.[2] She died in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts in 1942, aged 69 years.[1]

Selected filmography[edit]

Stolen Goods is a 1915 American drama silent film directed by George Melford and written by Margaret Turnbull. This is a newspaper advert for the film.
Newspaper advertisement for Stolen Goods (1915), starring Blanche Sweet, with Margaret Trumbull credited as writer.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Delahousse, Sarah (2013). "Margaret Turnbull". Women Film Pioneers Project. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "Margaret Turnbull at Home". The Daily News. 28 May 1926. p. 4. Retrieved 28 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Hector Turnbull Called by Death". The Morning Call. 9 April 1934. p. 5. Retrieved 28 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Obituary for William J. Cooley (Aged 55)". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 28 March 1933. p. 25. Retrieved 28 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Turnbull, Margaret (16 December 1926). "Alabaster Lamps". The Salem Post and The Democrat-Bulletin. p. 6. Retrieved 28 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Theatrical Notes". Hartford Courant. 2 September 1912. p. 7. Retrieved 28 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Movie Notes". The Times Herald. 6 June 1919. p. 3. Retrieved 28 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Kingsley, Grace (14 March 1915). "Day of the Photodrama". The Los Angeles Times. p. 45. Retrieved 28 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Turnbull, Margaret (1 February 2006). W. A. G.'s Tale.
  10. ^ "Wholesome, Helpful Girl". The Boston Globe. 10 October 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 28 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Turnbull, Margaret (1914). "Looking After Sandy: A Simple Romance". Internet Archive. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  12. ^ "The Close-up". The European Library. The European Library. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  13. ^ "The Book Corner". The San Bernardino County Sun. 24 December 1918. p. 6. Retrieved 28 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Alabaster Lamps". The European Library. The European Library. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  15. ^ Turnbull, Margaret (1926). "The Left Lady". Faded Page. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  16. ^ Turnbull, Margaret (11 December 1930). "The Handsome Man, part V". The Blocton Enterprise. p. 3. Retrieved 28 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "The Bride's Mirror". The European Library. The European Library. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  18. ^ "At the Regent". Harrisburg Telegraph. 11 January 1919. p. 10. Retrieved 28 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "La BATAILLE (1923)". BFI.org. BFI. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  20. ^ "Rogue's March is First Class" Spokane Chronicle (May 18, 1928): 4. via Newspapers.com.

External links[edit]

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