Philip King (playwright) facts for kids

Philip King (born October 30, 1904 – died February 9, 1979) was an English writer of plays and an actor. He was born in Yorkshire, England. He is most famous for writing the funny play called See How They Run, which came out in 1944. Philip King lived in Brighton and many of his plays were first shown in nearby Worthing. Even though he became a successful writer, he kept acting in plays, often appearing in his own works.

Philip King's Life Story

Philip King started his acting career when he was just sixteen years old. He joined a small acting group that traveled around the North of England. Later, he moved to a bigger acting company called the Repertory Company at the Opera House in Harrogate. There, he also started directing plays.

His first comedy play, Without the Prince, was professionally produced there. Soon after, it was shown in London's famous West End at the Whitehall Theatre on April 8, 1940.

King acted in several plays in London. He performed with well-known stars like Sid Field and Frances Day. Even with his success as a writer, he always loved acting and continued to do it.

The Story Behind See How They Run

Philip King wrote about the opening night of his most famous play, See How They Run, in January 1945. At that time, he was serving in the Royal Air Force (RAF). Luckily, he was stationed close to London. Because there wasn't enough room at his base, he was allowed to live in civilian housing.

He wrote that the play was a huge success. Even though three "doodlebugs" (German V-1 flying bombs) fell during the performance, no one left the theater until the play finished. George Gee, who played the main character, even joked that all three bombs dropped when he was saying his funniest lines!

The morning after the first night, King went to buy all the newspapers. He sat in a cafe, drinking tea and eating a Spam sandwich, to read the reviews. He said they were "marvellous!" He remembered seeing pictures of famous writer Noel Coward reading his reviews while sitting in a fancy bed. Philip King thought it was funny that he was just in a cafe with tea and a sandwich. But he didn't care, because he had a successful play, and that was all that mattered.

Philip King was also an active member of the Swanwick writers' summer school. He served on its committee in 1973.

Philip King's Plays

Here are some of the plays Philip King wrote. The dates show when they were first published or first performed.

Plays Written Alone

• Without The Prince; 1939
• Moon Madness (This was the first name for See How They Run); 1944
• See How They Run; 1944
• On Monday Next; 1949 (This play was later made into a movie called Curtain Up in 1952)
• Serious Charge; 1956
• Milk And Honey; 1959
• Pools Paradise; 1961
• As Black As She's Painted; 1962
• How Are You, Johnnie; 1962
• So Far ... No Further; 1968
• I'll Get My Man; 1966
• Go Bang Your Tambourine; 1970

Plays Written with Others

With Falkland Cary

• Crystal Clear (1941)
• Sailor Beware! (1955)
• The Dream House (1957)
• An Air For Murder (1958)
• Watch it, Sailor! (1960)
• Rock-A-Bye, Sailor! (1962)
• Big Bad Mouse (1964)
• Wife Required (date unknown)
• Housekeeper Wanted (date unknown)

With John Boland

• Murder In Company (1973)
• Who Says Murder (1975)
• Elementary, My Dear (1975)

With Other Writers

• Here We Come Gathering (with Anthony Armstrong, 1951)
• The Lonesome Road (with Robin Maugham, 1959)
• Dark Lucy (with Parnell Bradbury, 1971)

Movies Based on His Plays

Several of Philip King's plays were turned into movies.

• Curtain Up, directed by Ralph Smart (1952, based on the play On Monday Next)
• See How They Run, directed by Leslie Arliss (1955, based on the play See How They Run)
• Sailor Beware!, directed by Gordon Parry (1956, based on the play Sailor Beware!)
• Serious Charge, directed by Terence Young (1959, based on the play Serious Charge)
• Watch it, Sailor!, directed by Wolf Rilla (1961, based on the play Watch it, Sailor!)
• Sømænd og svigermødre, directed by Bent Christensen (Denmark, 1962, based on the play Sailor Beware!)

See also

In Spanish: Philip King para niños