Noel Langley was a renowned South African novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and film director who later became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1961.
Born on December 25, 1911, in Durban, South Africa, Langley was the son of Aubrey Samuel Langley, the headmaster of Durban High School, and Dora Agnes Allison. His parents' strained relationship with him was largely due to Aubrey's strict disciplinarian nature and his own interest in the arts, which his father considered a disappointment.
Langley attended Durban High School, graduating in 1930, and later the University of Natal, graduating in 1934. During his college years, he started writing theatrical plays, and his first success was the play "Queer Cargo" (1932),which was produced by the Durban Repertory Theatre in 1932.
In 1934, Langley migrated to the United Kingdom, where he managed to have "Queer Cargo" produced at Wyndham's Theatre in London, running for 7 months. He soon started writing plays for the West End theaters and publishing novels, including the historical satire "Cage Me a Peacock" (1935),set in ancient Rome, and the children's novel "The Tale of the Land of Green Ginger" (1937) about the son of Aladdin.
Langley's work as a screenwriter for British films included the screenplay for the spy thriller "Secret of Stamboul" (1936),concerning plots for a coup in then modern Istanbul (Constantinople). In 1937, he signed a 7-year contract with the American film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and moved to Hollywood.
Langley's first American film was the musical "Mayday" (1937),an adaptation of an operetta by Sigmund Romberg. He was chosen as a screenwriter for the fantasy film "The Wizard of Oz" (1939),an adaptation of a children's novel by Lyman Frank Baum. Langley reportedly disliked the final version of the film, though he conceded that it was not a bad film.
Langley's film career was interrupted by World War II, during which he joined the Royal Canadian Navy. Following his war service, he mainly worked on British films, directing three films during the 1950s. His last screenwriting credit was for the fantasy comedy "Snow White and the Three Stooges" (1961),featuring the comedy trio of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita.
From the 1950s onward, Langley contributed scripts for television series and continued to write novels and plays. He also wrote a number of short stories, which were published by the magazine "The Saturday Evening Post". In his old age, he worked part-time in drug-rehabilitation.
Langley died in November 1980, at the age of 68, leaving behind a legacy of work that continues to enjoy popularity, with his screenplay for "The Wizard of Oz" having received its own adaptations.
