Gerald Savory

Gerald Douglas Savory (17 November 1909 – 9 February 1996) was an English writer and television producer specialising in comedies.[1][2]

Gerald Savory
Born
Gerald Douglas Savory

(1909-11-17)17 November 1909
London, England
Died9 February 1996(1996-02-09) (aged 86)
England
OccupationWriter, television producer
Spouse(s)
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1938, divorced)​
      Althea Murphy
      ​
      ​
      (m. 1950; died 1952)​
        ​
        ​
        (m. 1953; died 1967)​
          Sheila Brennan
          ​
          (m. 1970)​

          Biography

          The son of Kenneth Douglas Savory and actress Grace Lane (1877–1956),[3][4] he was educated at Bradfield College and worked as a stockbroker's clerk before turning to the stage (Hull Repertory Theatre Company 1931–33), first as an actor then a writer.[2][5] His play George and Margaret, written while out of work as an actor, ran for two years at Wyndham's Theatre and a year at the Piccadilly.[6] It then transferred to Broadway, where it ran for 86 performances, and was later filmed.[7][8] His earliest work in the film industry was as a dialogue writer for director Alfred Hitchcock's Young and Innocent (1937).[1]

          He lived in the USA in the 1940s and 50s writing for film and television, and became an American citizen.[2] After returning to England in the mid 1950s he became a writer, producer and production manager for Granada Television, producing five episodes of ITV Play of the Week; adapting Saki, J.B. Priestley, Noël Coward and Tennessee Williams for television. He then joined BBC Television, first as Head of Serials, then Head of Plays.[4] He produced five episodes of the unsuccessful series Churchill's People (1975–76) and six of the eight episodes of Love in a Cold Climate (1980) for Thames Television.[9][10]

          Personal life

          Savory was married four times but had no children other than a stepson by his fourth wife. His first marriage, to writer Teo Dunbar,[3] ended in divorce. In 1950, he married American actress Althea Murphy (1916–1952), who died of leukemia in 1952.[11][12][13] In 1953, he married actress Annette Carell, who died by suicide in 1967.[14][15] He was survived by his fourth wife, actress Sheila Brennan, whom he married in 1970.[16][3]

          He died in England on 9 February 1996.[17]

          Plays
          • George and Margaret 1937[18] (377 performances in the West End, filmed in 1940)
          • Hand in Glove 1944 with Charles K. Freeman based on his own novel Hughie Roddis[19]
          • A Likely Tale 1957[20]
          • A Month of Sundays 1957
          • So Many Children 1959
          • Cup and Saucer 1961
          • Twinkling of an Eye 1965

          Novels
          • Hughie Roddis 1942
          • Behold This Dreamer 1943

          Television

          References
          1. "Gerald Savory".
          2. "Gerald Savory - Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos - AllMovie". AllMovie.
          3. Who's Who In The Theatre (15th ed.). Pitman. 1972. p. 1379.
          4. Shivas, Mark (7 March 1996). "Obituary: Gerald Savory". The Independent.
          5. "Gerald Savory - Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
          6. "Production of George & Margaret - Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
          7. League, The Broadway. "George and Margaret – Broadway Play – Original - IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
          8. "George and Margaret (1940)".
          9. "Churchill's People - 1970-1979 - Guardian Century". www.theguardian.com.
          10. "Love in a Cold Climate (1980) - Donald McWhinnie - Cast and Crew - AllMovie". AllMovie.
          11. "Marriages". Billboard. 30 December 1950. p. 28.
          12. "The Final Curtain". Billboard. 8 November 1952. p. 65.
          13. "Obituary: Althea Murphy Savory". Wilmette Life. Wilmette, Illinois. 6 November 1952. p. 63.
          14. Sullivan, Ed (31 August 1953). "Talk of the Town". The Evening Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
          15. "Annette Carell". The Stage and Television Today. No. 453. 26 October 1967. p. 9. (subscription required)
          16. "Obituaries: Gerald Savory". The Times. London. 13 February 1996. p. 17.
          17. Shorter, Eric (2 April 1996). "Gerald Savory: Dramatics of Live Television". The Guardian. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
          18. Stevens, Christopher (2010). Born Brilliant: The Life Of Kenneth Williams. John Murray. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-84854-195-5.
          19. League, The Broadway. "Gerald Savory – Broadway Cast & Staff - IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
          20. "A Likely Tale - Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
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