Ewart Adamson, born in Dundee, Scotland in 1881, began his journey at sea at the tender age of 14. However, his life took a dramatic turn when he enlisted in the Canadian army during World War I, rising through the ranks from private to major during his tour of duty in France and Belgium.
Prior to his arrival in Hollywood in 1930, Adamson spent five years managing a tin mine in Perak, Malaya, where the seeds of inspiration for the 1944 Republic serial "Haunted Harbor" were sown. During his downtime, he and his associates engaged in a casual discussion about ways to sabotage a mine, a conversation that would later become the basis for his 1943 novel of the same name.
Upon settling in Hollywood, Adamson became a prolific screenwriter, penning over 145 shorts and contributing stories and screenplays to feature films for Warner Bros., RKO, Chesterfield, and Grand National, among others. In the 1940s, he wrote four features for Republic Pictures and films for PRC and Monogram.
In addition to his work in the film industry, Adamson also ventured into literary pursuits, publishing a novel under the pseudonym Dayle Douglas on June 12, 1943. The novel, titled "Haunted Harbor," was subsequently sold to Republic Pictures on December 6, 1943, and was adapted into a serial, shot between April 14 and May 18, 1944.