Ronald Kirkbride

Ronald Kirkbride
Born Ronald de Levington Kirkbride
February 1, 1912[1][2]
Died March 1973[2][3](aged 61)
Occupation Novelist
Notable works A Girl Named Tamiko

Ronald de Levington Kirkbride (February 1, 1912–March 1973)[2] was a writer of escapist romances, Westerns, and mystery novels. He was probably best known for his novel A Girl Named Tamiko, first published in 1959;[4] it sold one million copies worldwide and a screenplay based on that novel become a 1962 film of the same name,[5] directed by John Sturges.

Kirkbride wrote over two dozen other novels,[1] including The Private Life of Guy de Maupassant, Still the Heart Sings, Winds Blow Gently, David Jordan (1972, ISBN 0-85468-161-2), and Some Darling Sin (1973, ISBN 0-491-00934-8). His spy novel The Short Night was optioned by Alfred Hitchcock to be adapted for a film that was to follow Family Plot, but Hitchcock decided during pre-production that his poor health would prevent him from making the film.[6]


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Library of Congress Online Catalog entry for Kirkbridge from the Library of Congress Online Catalog
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Individual Record: Ronald Kirkbride". Social Security Death Index. FamilySearch. Retrieved 2008-11-16.
  3. ↑ Crime Fiction IV: A Comprehensive Bibliography, 1749-2000 from the Locus magazine website
  4. ↑ Online Catalog entry for A Girl Named Tamiko from the Library of Congress Online Catalog
  5. ↑ A Girl Named Tamiko at the Internet Movie Database
  6. ↑ Plotting "Family Plot" at the Internet Movie Database; Hilton Green tells the story about the circumstances that led to Hitchock's retirement beginning at approximately 44 minutes and 12 seconds into the documentary.