Jack House
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Jack House (1906 - 1991) (John House) was a prolific and popular Scottish writer, with a significant attachment to the City of Glasgow.
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[edit] Early life
[edit] East end
He was born in Tollcross , then technically outside of the Glasgow city boundaries. This, together with the fact that both his parents were English would come as a surprise to those who knew him as "Mr Glasgow", so thoroughly did he identify himself with the culture and people of that city. He felt that Glasgow was a fairly autonomous "city state". That his father, also John, was a prosperous Company Secretary and Jack himself trained as an accountant would only add to the surprise, given Glasgow’s "red Clydeside" reputation.
The family rapidly moved to Dennistoun where Jack attended Whitehill Secondary School. At his father's insistence he began training as an accountant. Accounting did not suit Jack’s temperament, nor did it challenge his abilities, which lay towards writing, spinning yarns and acting.
[edit] Journalism
In 1928, he got a job as a reporter on the Glasgow Evening Citizen , where he was involved in a number of sensational stories - including a terrific blaze at the Glen Cinema in which 80 children had perished. He also attended an early demonstration of the new-fangled television by John Logie Baird. Meanwhile, he continued to act - mostly light parts (in the Scottish National Players as well as for BBC Radio).
[edit] Army, acting, script writing and political activity
During the second world war he attained the rank of Lance-Corporal in the cinematographic unit, for which he wrote scripts (in the company of Peter Ustinov and David Niven ).
He was well connected with the media classes of both Glasgow and Edinburgh. He was also active politically, standing unsuccessfully in 1963 for Liberal Party in the Woodside constitutency (where he then lived). He also campaigned against motorway building and peripheral housing estates.
[edit] Writer and bon viveur
[edit] Author
It is, though, as a writer that he is best known. He published 54 books. Many of his books had been commissioned and some were obviously meant to be “fun” books. Several others had been commissioned by local authorities or tourist boards with a view to promoting their areas. Large local companies - especially builders and whisky distillers - commissioned histories of their success from him, as did the locally renowned “Western Baths”. All of these commissions are testimony to his engaging style, as well as an investigative prowess derived from his journalism.
He produced other substantial works closer to his personal interests, such as Heart of Glasgow. However, his biggest success was “Square Mile of Murder”. In this he described and analysed several notorious 19th century murders, and miscarriages of justice, in the middle class districts in the west of the city. Among these were the cases of Madeleine Smith , (played, like the rest of the cast, with a perfect English accent), by Ann Todd in David Lean's 1949 film Madeleine) and Oscar Slater.
He tried his hand as a novelist in House on a Hill, with limited success. However, his sparkling journalism never went out of fashion - despite the fact that he had always warned that he never let a concern for facts get in his way if there was a good story to be told. His "'Ask Jack" column in the Glasgow Evening Citizen gave lively answers (most of them true) to readers’ questions on all aspects of the City.
Pavement in the Sun is an attempt at autobiography.
[edit] Restaurant critic?
He regularly acted as restaurant critic for that paper, where, as usual, his partisanship for the city over-ruled any more nuanced judgements. The view from one restaurant table looked down along the Great Western Road. "Like the Champs Elysées - only better!", was Mr Glasgow’s considered verdict. He spent a great deal of time in the "Ubiquitous Chip" and there is a caricature of him - buck teeth and all- by Emilio Coia still hanging over his habitual table. The restaurant was close to Jack’s last home - a flat in a classic Glasgow tenement. His substantial Edwardian flat in Beaumont Gate, was in Dowanhill , where he had always aspired to stay. This, like his birth and childhood homes were of striking red sandstone - Glaswegian visual code for "extremely well-off".
[edit] Final years
He married Jessie Bennett (who died in 1974). They had no children.
Appropriately, he was awarded the St Mungo Medal, Glasgow’s top honour, in 1988 .
He died in Glasgow Western Infirmary on 11 April 1991.
[edit] Bibliography
- Baths: the story of the Western Baths, Hillhead from 1876 to 1990 by W.M. Mann; with additional material by Jack House. 1993
- Beatles quiz book compiled by Jack House. [With plates and illustrations, including portraits.] 1964
- Century of box-making. A history of Andrew Ritchie and Son Limited from 1850 to 1950. [With plates, including portraits.] 1955
- Cherchez La Femme. A simple sketch in Scots [in one act.] 1936
- Comics in kilts / illustrated by Bill Tait. 1945
- Down the Clyde. [With illustrations, including maps.] 1959
- Dumfries and Galloway. [With illustrations.] 1963
- Dunoon, 1868-1968 written by Jack House 1968
- Dunoon, on the Firth of Clyde. Official guide / written by Jack House. [With illustrations and maps.] (two editions - 1947 and 1953)
- Eight plays for Wolf Cubs / by Jack House and Theo Brown. (1928, reissued 1961)
- Family affair. The story of David Carlaw & Sons, Ltd. of Glasgow. [With illustrations, including portraits.] 1960
- Friendly adventure. The story of the City of Glasgow Friendly Society's first hundrend years / by Jack House. [Illustrated.] 1962
- Getting around the Clyde. [With illustrations and a map.] 1946 and 1948
- Glasgow old and new [compiled by] Jack House 1974,1983, 1988
- Glory of Scotland / (colour photographs by W.S. Thomson.). 1962
- Heart of Glasgow / Jack House. 1965, 1972, 1978, 1982, 1991, 2005
- House on the hill / Jack House
- How to clean an elephant, and other facts of life / by Jack House. 1948
- Kirkcaldy: the official guide / text by Jack House. Sketches by Joan Eardley. [With a map.] 1940
- Lang Toun / by Jack House. 1975
- Lochrin's hundred years. The story of William Bain & Company Ltd. of Coatbridge. [Illustrated.] 1959
- Macalaster & Alison : the insurance brokers, 1877-1977 / by Jack House. 1978
- Murder not proven? 1962, 1984, 1986, 1989
- Out from Oban. [With illustrations.] 1962
- Pavement in the sun. [An autobiography. Illustrated.] 1967
- Plumber in Glasgow : the history of the firm of Hugh Twaddle & Son, Ltd from 1848 to 1948 / by Jack House; with four drawings by Robert Eadie. 1948
- Portrait of the Clyde by Jack House 1969 , 1975
- Pride of Perth the story of Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd, Scotch whisky distillers Jack House 1976
- Robert Paterson builder, 1827-1977 by Jack House 1977
- Romance of Long John / by Jack House. 1982
- Sailing down the Clyde : Glasgow to Kyles of Bute / by Jack House. 1969
- Scotland for fun : a quiz book / Jack House 1962, 1983
- Scott country. Around the Borders. [With illustrations, including a map.] 1962
- Skye and the Western Isles. [With illustrations, including maps.] 1962
- Spirit of White Horse / by Jack House. 1971
- Square mile of murder / Jack House ; [An account of four famous Glasgow murder cases. With plates, including portraits.foreword by Robert Jeffrey ; introduction by Donald R. Findlay]. (1961, 1975, 1984, 1988) 2002
- Stewarton by Jack House 1971
- Tale of two houses / Jack House. 1980
