Leslie McFarlane facts for kids

Leslie McFarlane (born October 25, 1902 – died September 6, 1977) was a Canadian writer, filmmaker, and journalist. He is best known for secretly writing many of the first Hardy Boys books. He used the pen name Franklin W. Dixon for these popular mystery stories.

About Leslie McFarlane

Growing Up

Leslie McFarlane grew up in Haileybury, Ontario. His dad was a school principal. After high school, Leslie started working as a writer on his own. Later, in 1936, he and his family moved to Whitby, Ontario. He wrote about his childhood in a book called A Kid in Haileybury.

Starting as a Journalist

When he was young, Leslie worked as a newspaper reporter in Sudbury, Ontario. He then worked for a weekly paper in Toronto. After that, he got a job at a newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts, in the United States.

Working with the Stratemeyer Syndicate

While in the U.S., Leslie saw an advertisement from the Stratemeyer Syndicate. This company published famous book series like Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, and the Bobbsey Twins.

Because of this ad, Leslie started working for them in 1926 and 1927. He was one of the writers who used the pen name Roy Rockwood. Under this name, he wrote seven mystery novels in the Dave Fearless series.

Writing the Hardy Boys Books

This led to his most famous work: writing for the Hardy Boys series. Leslie wrote 19 of the first 25 books between 1927 and 1946. He wrote 21 Hardy Boys books in total.

He also wrote books for other series and stories for magazines. At one point, he wrote six novels in just one year! During the Great Depression, he earned about $85 for each book. Even though it wasn't much, he kept writing because he had a growing family to support.

Leslie's son said that his father sometimes saw the Hardy Boys books as a chore. He would write in his diary about having to write "another of those cursed books" to earn money for things like coal. He didn't even read them after he finished. It was only much later that he felt proud of his work.

His daughter, Norah McFarlane Perez, said that the company would give him a basic idea for a story. But Leslie would make it much better by adding new characters and humor. After finishing a book, he would often say he'd never write another kids' book. But then, when bills piled up, he would start a new one.

However, Leslie wasn't upset that he didn't earn more money from the huge success of his books. His daughter explained that he was "very philosophical" about it. He felt he had agreed to the deal and was happy to get the work. There was no anger.

Other Series: Nancy Drew and The Dana Girls

Leslie McFarlane also wrote the first four books in The Dana Girls series for the Stratemeyer Syndicate. For these books, he used the pen name Carolyn Keene. This was the same name the Syndicate used for the popular Nancy Drew mystery books.

Who Wrote The Phantom Freighter?

Some people thought that Leslie's last Hardy Boys book, The Phantom Freighter, was actually written by his wife, Amy. But his biographer, Marilyn Greenwald, found that this was probably not true.

In his 1976 autobiography, Ghost of the Hardy Boys, Leslie McFarlane said he wrote The Phantom Freighter in 1946. He wrote it "in motel rooms at night on a location in Nova Scotia when I was directing a film."

Film and Television Work

While still writing books for the Stratemeyer Syndicate, Leslie McFarlane went back to Canada. He started working for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) in Montreal.

At the NFB, he wrote and directed many documentaries and short films. These included Royal Journey in 1951, which was a documentary about a royal visit. He also made Here's Hockey in 1953, a film about ice hockey that featured Montreal Canadiens star Jean Béliveau. Another documentary he wrote, Herring Hunt, was even nominated for an Academy Award.

Later, he moved to Toronto and wrote for CBC television. He did this after his friend Lorne Greene suggested it.

Leslie McFarlane's Legacy

A school in Whitby, Ontario, was named the Leslie McFarlane Public School in his honor. However, it was torn down in 2010 because it was too expensive to fix.

His son, Brian McFarlane, became a well-known sports commentator. He used to commentate on Hockey Night in Canada.

Leslie McFarlane was also the subject of a book published in 2004. It was called The Secret of the Hardy Boys: Leslie McFarlane and the Stratemeyer Syndicate by Marilyn Greenwald.

In 2006, McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, received many of Leslie McFarlane's personal items. These included his diaries, letters, and early writings. The university also got first editions of his books The Secret of the Caves and The Tower Treasure. The university plans to collect first editions of all his books. The collection given to McMaster is valued at about $150,000.