Name George Goodchild Role Writer | Books Colorado Jim | |
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George Goodchild (1888–1969) aka Alan Dare, Wallace Q. Reid, and Jesse Templeton, was a prolific and successful British writer of popular books, short stories, plays, and movies (e.g. 1921 Colorado Jim filmed as Colorado Jack), who published over 200 works in his 60-year career, and beyond his lifetime. Books are still re-issued, mostly in large print for older readers. Featured characters include Inspector McLean, spy catcher Q33 Trelawney, Nigel Rix, and Trooper O'Neill (1932 film). He wrote and directed films based on books and stories, including Colorado Jack (1921), Bucking the Barrier (1923), The Public Defender (1931), Condemned to Death (1932), Trooper O'Neill (1932), and No Escape (1936).
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Personal life
Born in Kingston upon Thames in 1888, he married Dora Mary Hill, had one son and two daughters while living at The Great Quarry, Guildford. Before full-time writing, he worked in journalism and publishing. He died at Aldershot in 1969, aged 80.
Oeuvre: all works
His complete works include novels, plays, novelizations, short stories, non-fiction, anthologies, collections, films, editing, even an early 1921 Children's News sci-fi submission.
Featured characters include Inspector McLean (inspired Inspector McLean Library from D. C. Thomson*19, like Agatha Christie Mystery Collection republished by Bantam Dell*20), spy catcher Q33 Trelawney, Nigel Rix, and Trooper O'Neill. McLean stories in The Weekly News appeared anonymously until 6 October 1979, ten years after Goodchild's death.*18
Series (includes collections)
- The Man from the West (George Newnes London 1935)
- (Mister) Q 33 (Trelawney) (Newnes 1935, Odhams London 1935)
- This Woman is Wanted (Newnes 1935)
- Danger Below (Hodder 1937)
- Having No Hearts (Hodder 1937)
- Q-33 Spy Catcher (T) (Newnes 1937)
- Dear Conspirator (M?)(Ward Lock London Melbourne 1948)
- Companion to Sirius (M?)(Rich & Cowan London 1949)
- Tiger, Tiger (M?) (Jarrolds 1959)
- Savage Encounter (M?) (Jarrolds 1962)
- The Barton Mystery, from Walter Hackett play (Jarrolds London 1916)
- Tiger's Cub, Alaskan romance from George Potter (Jarrolds 1917)
- Fifty Famous Detectives of Fiction (1983)
- Death in the Dance
- The Siamese Cat
- The Last Cruise of the Majestic from the log-book of J.G. Cowie (Simpkin 1917)
- Pinches of Salt from the Seven Seas (Jarrolds, 1918)
- They All Do It and two other plays with Roberts (Jerrolds 1935)
Films
He wrote and directed films based on books and stories.
Awards
Several awards were named after him.
- George Goodchild Memorial Trophy 2010