David MacDonald

Scottish-born 'David MacDonald' (qv) got his training in the industry in the US under celebrated producer/director 'Cecil B. DeMille' (qv), who hired him in 1929 as a production assistant. MacDonald returned to Britain in 1936 after his apprenticeship with DeMille and secured a job as a director on what were called "quota quickies", films that were made quickly and cheaply to fulfill a British government requirement that a certain percentage of films shown in British theaters had to be made by British companies.He achieved some recognition when he made a series of comedies with 'Barry K. Barnes' (qv). During World War II MacDonald joined the Crown Film Unit and produced and directed a series of morale-building documentaries, including the critically acclaimed _Men of the Lightship (1941)_ (qv), and produced two award-winning documentaries by director 'Roy Boulting' (qv)--_Desert Victory (1943)_ (qv) and _Burma Victory (1946)_ (qv). His postwar career began well with the sharp thriller _Snowbound (1948)_ (qv). Unfortunately, his next film, _Christopher Columbus (1949)_ (qv), was a flop of monumental proportions, ridiculed by critics and audiences alike as leaden, talky and an "epic" that moved like molasses. The film was such a disaster that star 'Fredric March' (qv)'s career barely recovered from it, and MacDonald's didn't. He was reduced to "B" pictures for the rest of his career, turning out low-grade "thrillers" and limp comedies; his career low point was undoubtedly the notorious sci-fi stinker _Devil Girl from Mars (1954)_ (qv). He spent most of the latter part of his career in television.::[email protected]