Lawrence Edward Watkin
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Edward Watkin was an American author and scriptwriter. He has become known especially as a scriptwriter for a series of Walt Disney
films of the 1950s.
in Lexington, Virginia. His first novel On Borrowed Time, written in 1937, was published and remains his best known work. The novel was dramatized in 1938 by Paul Osborn
for a successful run on Broadway. A Hollywood film version
, with Lionel Barrymore
and Sir Cedric Hardwicke
followed in 1939. Watkins' next novel, Geese in the Forum (1940), was an allegory about university structures.
In 1947 Walt Disney hired Watkin to adapt the stories of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh
featuring Darby O'Gill
. The project was finally realized in 1959 as Darby O'Gill and the Little People
. By that time, Watkin had written numerous other screenplays for Disney. The first of his Disney screenplays was Treasure Island
(1950), adapted from the Robert Louis Stevenson novel. Three screenplays followed, which were produced by Disney in Great Britain. The popular Disney television serials Spin and Marty
(1955–1957) were adapted by Jackson Gillis
from Watkin's 1942 book Marty Markham. Watkin was producer of Disney's 1956 Adventure film, The Great Locomotive Chase.
In the late 1960s Watkin was hired by the Disney Studio to do a biography of Walt Disney after the first effort by Richard G. Hubler
was judged unsatisfactory. Watkin's effort was also deemed unsuitable; he told friends the biography was "ill fated" because it was "too truthful". Disney historian Wade Sampson after reading the unpublished manuscript dubbed it "achingly boring, with only occasional insights into the life and genius of Walt Disney and merely listing the Disney productions rather than the stories behind those productions."
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
films of the 1950s.
Life
Lawrence Edward Watkin was at first an English professor at Washington and Lee UniversityWashington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
in Lexington, Virginia. His first novel On Borrowed Time, written in 1937, was published and remains his best known work. The novel was dramatized in 1938 by Paul Osborn
Paul Osborn
Paul Osborn was an American playwright and screenwriter best known for writing the screen adaptation of East of Eden as well as South Pacific, The Yearling, The World of Suzie Wong and Sayonara....
for a successful run on Broadway. A Hollywood film version
On Borrowed Time
On Borrowed Time is a 1939 film about the role death plays in life, and how humanity cannot live without it. It is adapted from Paul Osborn's 1938 Broadway hit play. The play, based on a novel by Lawrence Edward Watkin, has been revived twice on Broadway since its original run.Set in small-town...
, with Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore was an American actor of stage, screen and radio. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Free Soul...
and Sir Cedric Hardwicke
Cedric Hardwicke
Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke was a noted English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly fifty years...
followed in 1939. Watkins' next novel, Geese in the Forum (1940), was an allegory about university structures.
In 1947 Walt Disney hired Watkin to adapt the stories of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh
Herminie Templeton Kavanagh
Herminie Templeton Kavanagh was a British writer, most known for her short stories.She was born Herminie McGibney, the daughter of Major George McGibney of Longford, Ireland...
featuring Darby O'Gill
Darby O'Gill
Darby O'Gill is a fictional Irishman who appears in the writings of the Irish-American author Herminie Templeton Kavanagh, including her books Darby O'Gill and the Good People and Ashes of Old Wishes and Other Darby O'Gill Tales .-Film:...
. The project was finally realized in 1959 as Darby O'Gill and the Little People
Darby O'Gill and the Little People
Darby O'Gill and the Little People is a 1959 Walt Disney Productions feature film starring Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, Sean Connery and Jimmy O'Dea, in a tale about a wily Irishman and his battle of wits with leprechauns. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and its screenplay written by...
. By that time, Watkin had written numerous other screenplays for Disney. The first of his Disney screenplays was Treasure Island
Treasure Island (1950 film)
Treasure Island is a 1950 Disney adventure film, adapted from the Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island. It starred Bobby Driscoll as Jim Hawkins, and Robert Newton as Long John Silver...
(1950), adapted from the Robert Louis Stevenson novel. Three screenplays followed, which were produced by Disney in Great Britain. The popular Disney television serials Spin and Marty
Spin and Marty
Spin and Marty was a popular series of television shorts that aired as part of ABC's Mickey Mouse Club show of the mid-1950s produced by Walt Disney. There were three serials in all, set at the Triple R Ranch, a boys' western-style summer camp. The first series of 25 eleven-minute episodes,...
(1955–1957) were adapted by Jackson Gillis
Jackson Gillis
Jackson Clark Gillis was an American radio and television scriptwriter whose career spanned more than 40 years and encompassed a wide range of genres....
from Watkin's 1942 book Marty Markham. Watkin was producer of Disney's 1956 Adventure film, The Great Locomotive Chase.
In the late 1960s Watkin was hired by the Disney Studio to do a biography of Walt Disney after the first effort by Richard G. Hubler
Richard G. Hubler
Richard G. Hubler born Richard Gibson Hubler 20 August 1912 in Dunmore, Pennsylvania died 21 October 1981 of Parkinson's disease in Ojai, California was a prolific American author of biographies, fiction and non-fiction...
was judged unsatisfactory. Watkin's effort was also deemed unsuitable; he told friends the biography was "ill fated" because it was "too truthful". Disney historian Wade Sampson after reading the unpublished manuscript dubbed it "achingly boring, with only occasional insights into the life and genius of Walt Disney and merely listing the Disney productions rather than the stories behind those productions."
Novels
- On Borrowed Time, New York and London 1937
- Geese in the Forum, New York and London 1940
- Thomas Jones and His Nine Lives, New York 1941
- Gentleman from England, New York 1941
- Marty Markham, New York 1942
- Darby O’Gill and the Little People, New York 1959
Screenplays
- 1947 – Keeper of the Bees
- 1950 – Treasure Island – Originally by Robert Louis StevensonRobert Louis StevensonRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
- 1950 – Beaver Valley; aka In Beaver ValleyIn Beaver ValleyIn Beaver Valley is a 1950 short documentary film directed by James Algar. The film was produced by Walt Disney as part of the True-Life Adventures series of nature documentaries.-Awards:...
- 1952 – The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, aka The Story of Robin Hood
- 1953 – The Sword and the Rose; aka When Knighthood Was in Flower – based on the novel by Charles MajorCharles MajorCharles Major was an American lawyer and novelist.Born to an upper-middle class Indianapolis family, Major developed an interest in both law and English history at an early age and attended the University of Michigan from 1872 through 1875, being admitted to the Indiana bar association in 1877...
- 1954 – Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue
- 1956 – The Great Locomotive Chase ; Producer and Writer
- 1958 – The Light in the ForestThe Light in the Forest (film)The Light in the Forest is a 1958 film based on a novel of the same name first published in 1953 by U.S. author Conrad Richter. The film was produced by Walt Disney Productions and starred Fess Parker, Joanne Dru, James MacArthur and Wendell Corey. Though it is a work of fiction and primarily...
– Originally by Conrad RichterConrad RichterConrad Michael Richter was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist whose lyrical work focuses on life along the American frontier.-Biography:... - 1959 – Darby O'Gill and the Little People – Originally by Herminie Templeton KavanaghHerminie Templeton KavanaghHerminie Templeton Kavanagh was a British writer, most known for her short stories.She was born Herminie McGibney, the daughter of Major George McGibney of Longford, Ireland...
- 1960 – Ten Who Dared
- 1972 – The Biscuit Eater