Noel Langley was a South African novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1961.

Langley was born on December 25, 1911 in Durban, South Africa. His parents were Aubrey Samuel Langley and Dora Agnes Allison. Aubrey served as the headmaster of Durban High School, and had a reputation as a strict disciplinarian and rugby football enthusiast. Noel was a sickly child with an interest in the in the arts. He had a strained relationship with Aubrey, who considered him a disappointment.

Noel attended Durban High School, and graduated in 1930. He next attended the University of Natal, and graduated in 1934. During his college years Langley started writing theatrical plays. His first success was the play "Queer Cargo" (1932), which was produced by the Durban Repertory Theatre in 1932. He migrated to the United Kingdom in 1934, and soon managed to have "Queer Cargo" produced there by Charles Wyndham (1837-1919), the proprietor of Wyndham's Theatre in London. The play run there for 7 months.

Noel started writing plays for the West End theaters. Meanwhile he also started publishing novels. His first novel was the historical satire "Cage Me a Peacock" (1935), set in ancient Rome. It was followed by the novel "There's a Porpoise Close Behind Us", and the children's novel "The Tale of the Land of Green Ginger" (1937) about the son of Aladdin.

Langley found work as a screenwriter for British films. One of his first works being the screenplay of the spy thriller "Secret of Stamboul" (1936), concerning plots for a coup in then modern Istanbul (Constantinople). In 1937, Langley signed a 7-years-long 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 (1887-1951). Having some experience as a children's writer, Langley was chosen as a screenwriter for the fantasy film "The Wizard of Oz" (1939). It was an adaptation of a children's novel by Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919). Langley was credited with attempting to correct the "cutesy and oozy" ideas of his fellow screenwriters. He reportedly disliked the final version of the film, though he conceded that it was not a bad film.

His film career was interrupted by World War II, as Langley joined the Royal Canadian Navy. Following his war service, Langley mainly worked on British films. He directed 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 (1897-1975), Larry Fine (1902-1975), and Joe DeRita (1909-1993).

From the 1950s onward, Langley contributed scripts for television series. He 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. Several of his films continue to enjoy popularity, and his screenplay for "The Wizard of Oz" has received its own adaptations.

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Noel Langley

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