James Curtis
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James Curtis (July 4, 1907 - 1977) was a British author who was best known for his novels, They Drive By Night and There Ain't No Justice, both of which were made in to feature films.
James Curtis was born Geoffrey Basil Maiden, in Sturry, Kent. Curtis' parents were hoteliers in India, and later in England where Curtis attended The King's School, Canterbury. In 1934, Curtis appeared in two films, Manhattan Melodrama and Fugitive Lady, in uncredited roles. Geoffrey Basil Maiden soon adopted the pseudonym of James Curtis and began a career as an author. He wrote the novels The Gilt Kid, What Immortal Hand, Look Long Upon a Monkey, They Drive By Night and There Ain't No Justice. Curtis used his plots to highlight the unfairness of society and dearth of opportunity that often led people to break the law in straitened times. In 1938, They Drive By Night was released as a feature film starring Emlyn Williams and Ernest Thesiger. The following year, another novel, There Ain't No Justice, was also made into a film. Curtis was forced to stop writing when World War II broke out. He would go on to tour France and Burma and rose to the rank of Major. After the war, his marriage had failed and his literary momentum never recovered.
In 1977, James Curtis died in North London after suffering a heart attack in a chemist shop.
In 2007, London Books republished his 1936 novel, The Gilt Kid.
