Browse all books

Other editions of book Tha man on the box

  • Tha man on the box

    Harold Mac Grath Harold Mac Grath

    eBook (, July 28, 2020)
    HaroldMacGrath(September4,1871-October30,1932)wasabestsellingAmerican novelist,shortstorywriter,andscreenwriter.AlsoknownoccasionallyasHaroldMcGrath, hewasborninSyracuse,NewYork.Asayoungman,heworkedasareporterandcolumnist ontheSyracuseHeraldnewspaperuntilthelate1890swhenhepublishedhisfirstnovel,a romancetitledArmsandtheWoman.AccordingtotheNewYorkTimes,hisnextbook,The PuppetCrown,wastheNo.7bestsellingbookintheUnitedStatesforallof1901.Fromthat pointon,MacGrathneverlookedback,writingnovelsforthemassmarketaboutlove, adventure,mystery,spies,andthelikeatanaveragerateofmorethanoneayear.Hewould havethreemoreofhisbooksthatwereamongthetoptenbestsellingbooksoftheyear.At thesametime,hepennedanumberofshortstoriesformajorAmericanmagazinessuchas TheSaturdayEveningPost,LadiesHomeJournal,andRedBookmagazine.Severalof MacGrath'snovelswereserializedinthesemagazinesandcontributingtothemwas somethinghewouldcontinuetodountilhisdeathin1932.In1912,HaroldMacGrath becameoneofthefirstnationally-knownauthorstowritedirectlyforthemovieswhenhe washiredbytheAmericanFilmCompanytodothescreenplayforashortfilminthe WesterngenretitledTheVengeanceThatFailed.MacGrathhadeighteenofhisfortynovels andthreeofhisshortstoriesmadeintofilmsplushewrotethestoryforanotherfour motionpictures.And,threeofhisbookswerealsomadeintoBroadwayplays.Oneofthe manyfilmsmadefromMacGrath'swritingswasthe1913serialTheAdventuresofKathlyn starringKathlynWilliams.Whilewritingthethirteenepisodeshesimultaneouslywrotethe bookthatwaspublishedimmediatelyaftertheDecember29,1913,premiereofthefirst episodeoftheserialsoastobeinbookstoresduringthescreeningoftheentirethirteen episodes.AmongMacGrath'sshortstoriesmadeintofilmwasthe1920DouglasFairbanks ProductionCompany'sfeature-lengthadventurefilmTheMollycoddlebasedonMacGrath's shortstorywiththesametitlethatappearedinTheSaturdayEveningPostin1913. DirectedbyVictorFleming,itstarredFairbanks,RuthRenick,andWallaceBeeryandwas distributedthroughthenewlycreatedUnitedArtists.Itissaidthatduringthissametime,a youngBorisKarloff,whopreviouslyhadafewuncreditedfilmroles,chosehisstagename forhisfirstscreencreditin1920fromtheMacGrathnovelTheDrumsofJeopardy,which hadalsobeenpublishedbyTheSaturdayEveningPostinJanuaryofthatyearandwhich featuredaRussianmadscientistcharacternamedBorisKarlov.ThenameBorisKarlovwas usedfromMacGrath'sbookforthe1922Broadwayplay,butby1923withactorBoris Karloffusingthesimilarsoundingvariation,thefilmversionrenamedthecharacterGregor Karlov.HaroldMacGrath'ssuccessmadehimawealthymanand,althoughhetraveledthe worldextensively,Syracuse,NewYork,washishome,anditwastherein1912thathebuilt anEnglishcountry-stylemansionrenownedforitslandscapedgardens.Inanarticleinthe April23,1932,issueofTheSaturdayEveningPostwrittenunderthetitle"TheShort AutobiographyofaDeafMan",MacGrathtoldthepublichowhehadstruggledearlyinlife asaresultofahearingimpairment.Atatimeinhistorywhendeafpeoplewerealmost automaticallyconsideredaslackingintellectualacuity,hehadhidthisfromhisemployer andothers.HaroldMacGrathdiedathishomeinSyracuseafewmonthsafterthearticle waspublished. AlsoavailableonFeedbooksMacGrath: