Guy Gilpatric
Encyclopedia
John Guy Gilpatric was an American
pilot, flight instructor, journalist
, short-story writer and novelist, best known for his Mr. Glencannon stories.
During World War I
he was a fighter pilot for the US Army. He stayed in Europe and worked as a war reporter. After the war, Gilpatric lived in Antibes
and worked as a publicity agent. It was there where he got the inspiration for his Mr. Glencannon stories, which were published in the Saturday Evening Post. In 1940, he and his wife Louise returned to the USA. In 1943, his book "Action in the North Atlantic" was made in to a film. Louise was hospitalized in 1950.
as Colin Glencannon was produced in 1959.
Other works include "Action in the North Atlantic
", which was made into a movie starring Humphrey Bogart
, and which was nominated for an Academy Award for best story in 1943. In Flying Stories Gilpatric describes the adventures of his early years as a pilot. His collection of short stories entitled Brownstone Front takes place in New York City during the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th. His novel French Summer is a humorous romance which revolves around vacationers at the French Riviera in the late 1920's.
His character Francis X. Olvaney, illustrated as a crooked Tammany Hall
politician responsible for dangerous slum areas, appears in stories contained in both Brownstone Front and Flying Stories, lending credence to the opinion that many of Gilpatric's short stories are autobiographical in nature.
In 1938, Gilpatric published The Compleat Goggler (the archaic title a jocose reference to Izaak Walton
's The Compleat Angler), considered the first comprehensive guide to spearfishing
. It outlines methods of constructing equipment, and techniques for spearing and cooking the fish. It was republished in 1957 as a free giveaway with an annual sbsscription to SkinDiver magazine. It is now out of print, and copies sell for up to 1,000 USA dollars.
In the late 1930s Gilpatric was living and spearfishing
in the French Riviera
where he
influenced diving pioneers like Jacques-Yves Cousteau
and Hans Hass
to begin spearfishing
.
. While waiting for the diagnosis to be confirmed, they explored the confusing array of treatment options with multiple experts
. By the time the diagnosis was confirmed, they were discouraged about the likelihood of successful treatment and had decided on murder–suicide as a response. He shot her in the back of the head, then shot himself. They left notes for friends and family, saying they chose "mercy bullets" over "magic bullets". Their bodies were found in their Santa Barbara
home by a neighbor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pilot, flight instructor, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, short-story writer and novelist, best known for his Mr. Glencannon stories.
Biography
Guy Gilpatric was born on January 21, 1896 in New York. He was the son of a Scottish immigrant. When he was seven years old he saw an airplane for the first time and decided he wanted to become a pilot. He succeeded at a very young age and in 1912 set the USA altitude record. He was a demonstration, stunt and test pilot and performed in various movies. For one movie it was planned he had to crash an airplane. Gilpatric did so and survived the crash. However, the recordings were not good so he had to do it again.During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he was a fighter pilot for the US Army. He stayed in Europe and worked as a war reporter. After the war, Gilpatric lived in Antibes
Antibes
Antibes is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It lies on the Mediterranean in the Côte d'Azur, located between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is within the commune of Antibes...
and worked as a publicity agent. It was there where he got the inspiration for his Mr. Glencannon stories, which were published in the Saturday Evening Post. In 1940, he and his wife Louise returned to the USA. In 1943, his book "Action in the North Atlantic" was made in to a film. Louise was hospitalized in 1950.
Works
Gilpatric is best known for his short stories about Scottish ship engineer Colin Glencannon, published in the Saturday Evening Post and bundled in numerous books. A 39 episode TV series starring Thomas MitchellThomas Mitchell (actor)
Thomas Mitchell was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter. Among his most famous roles in a long career are those of Gerald O'Hara, the father of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, the drunken Doc Boone in John Ford's Stagecoach, and Uncle Billy in It's a Wonderful Life...
as Colin Glencannon was produced in 1959.
Other works include "Action in the North Atlantic
Action in the North Atlantic
Action in the North Atlantic is a 1943 war film directed by Lloyd Bacon, featuring Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey as sailors in the U.S. Merchant Marine in World War II.-Plot:...
", which was made into a movie starring Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
, and which was nominated for an Academy Award for best story in 1943. In Flying Stories Gilpatric describes the adventures of his early years as a pilot. His collection of short stories entitled Brownstone Front takes place in New York City during the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th. His novel French Summer is a humorous romance which revolves around vacationers at the French Riviera in the late 1920's.
His character Francis X. Olvaney, illustrated as a crooked Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
politician responsible for dangerous slum areas, appears in stories contained in both Brownstone Front and Flying Stories, lending credence to the opinion that many of Gilpatric's short stories are autobiographical in nature.
In 1938, Gilpatric published The Compleat Goggler (the archaic title a jocose reference to Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton was an English writer. Best known as the author of The Compleat Angler, he also wrote a number of short biographies which have been collected under the title of Walton's Lives.-Biography:...
's The Compleat Angler), considered the first comprehensive guide to spearfishing
Spearfishing
Spearfishing is an ancient method of fishing that has been used throughout the world for millennia. Early civilizations were familiar with the custom of spearing fish from rivers and streams using sharpened sticks....
. It outlines methods of constructing equipment, and techniques for spearing and cooking the fish. It was republished in 1957 as a free giveaway with an annual sbsscription to SkinDiver magazine. It is now out of print, and copies sell for up to 1,000 USA dollars.
In the late 1930s Gilpatric was living and spearfishing
Spearfishing
Spearfishing is an ancient method of fishing that has been used throughout the world for millennia. Early civilizations were familiar with the custom of spearing fish from rivers and streams using sharpened sticks....
in the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
where he
influenced diving pioneers like Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water...
and Hans Hass
Hans Hass
Hans Hass is a diving pioneer known mainly for his documentaries about sharks, the energon theory, and his commitment, later in life, to the protection of the environment. He was born in Vienna, Austria.-Early years:...
to begin spearfishing
Spearfishing
Spearfishing is an ancient method of fishing that has been used throughout the world for millennia. Early civilizations were familiar with the custom of spearing fish from rivers and streams using sharpened sticks....
.
Murder-suicide pact
When his wife, Maude Louis Gilpatric, learned that she had breast cancer in July 1950, they decided to commit suicide togetherSuicide pact
A suicide pact is an agreed plan between two or more individuals to commit suicide. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. Suicide pacts are important concepts in the study of suicide, and have occurred throughout history, as well as in fiction.Suicide pacts are generally...
. While waiting for the diagnosis to be confirmed, they explored the confusing array of treatment options with multiple experts
Second opinion
A second opinion is a consultation with an additional physician for an alternative point of view.Second opinion may also refer to:* Second Opinion , an American medical program...
. By the time the diagnosis was confirmed, they were discouraged about the likelihood of successful treatment and had decided on murder–suicide as a response. He shot her in the back of the head, then shot himself. They left notes for friends and family, saying they chose "mercy bullets" over "magic bullets". Their bodies were found in their Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
home by a neighbor.
Sources
- Glencannon lapt de oorlog aan zijn laars (Dutch translation of Mr. Glencannon ignores the War - ISBN 90-70348-50-5 ; Smit & Wytzes 1992)
- Internet Movie Database
External links
- Three Mr. Glencannon stories at Gaslight etexts.
- Guy Gilpatric at IMDb
- Glencannon TV series at IMDb