Jack Popplewell

Jack Popplewell (22 March 1911 – 16 November 1996) was an English writer and playwright.

Life

Popplewell was born and grew up in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire. He published his first song in 1940, and his first play, Blind Alley was staged in London in 1953. Blind Alley opened to positive reviews, and was later adapted to the cinema in Tread Softly, Stranger, released in 1958, and starring Diana Dors and George Baker. Popplewell owned Manor Farm, Churwell, Leeds, where he farmed rhubarb, later moving with his wife, Betty, and two daughters (Juliet and Vanessa) to Vaynol Gate, Morley, West Yorkshire. He died in Bath.

Plays

Many were premiered in London's West End.

Unpublished plays include Boomerang (Premiered Sheffield, England 1964), How do you spell Mississippi? and The Queen's Favourites (1975). Popplewell also adapted Harold Brighouse's Hobson's Choice into a musical.

Music

Popplewell published over 40 songs, recorded by, amongst others, Vera Lynn, Gracie Fields, Bing Crosby, Geraldo, Anne Shelton with Ambrose (bandleader) and his Orchestra, and Beniamino Gigli. He collaborated frequently with Michael Carr, also from Leeds. His first published song, If I Should Fall in Love Again was winner of the News Chronicle song contest in 1940. Other titles include My Girl's an Irish Girl recorded by Bing Crosby, and Tonight Beloved recorded by Gigli.

Published songs:

Film and Television

Vera Lynn featured Popplewell's songs in her wartime movies; We'll Meet Again (1942) (After the Rain), Rhythm Serenade (1943) (With All My Heart), and One Exciting Night (1944) (One Love). The film Tread Softly Stranger (UK, 1958) was based on Blind Alley.

Busybody has been translated onto the big screen in Denmark (1969), Norway (1970) and Austria (1980). In Germany, it was brought to stage under the titles Frau Pieper lebt gefährlich and Keine Leiche ohne Lily. It has also been translated into Low German for Hamburg's Ohnsorg Theater, where Popplewell's play How Do You Spell Mississippi? was also brought to stage in Low German

Dead on Nine was adapted for television as an episode of the Kraft Mystery Theater (USA, 1959), and Popplewell wrote the screenplay, Born Every Minute, for an episode of Comedy Playhouse (UK, 1972). Television versions of other stage plays by Popplewell have been broadcast in Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, Hungary and Russia.

External links

Barraclough, R., Reekie, D. (2003). Morley Entertainers. Zodiac Publishing, London, U.K., 2003.

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