Robert Westerby (born 3 July 1909 in England, died 16 November 1968 in California, United States),[1] was an author of novels (published by Arthur Barker of London) and screenwriter for films and television.
Westerby's 1937 novel Wide Boys Never Work was a story of the criminal underworld before the Second World War and was made into a 1956 film Soho Incident (UK title) or Spin a Dark Web (US title), and was the earliest published use of the word "wide boy".[2] His account of his early life was entitled A Magnum for my Mother (1946). To the British public, a magnum just meant a large bottle of champagne. However, in the USA it could suggest a type of handgun, so it was retitled Champagne for Mother (1947). In 2008 London Books republished Wide Boys Never Work as part of their London Books classics series.
- Wide Boys Never Work (1937)
- Only Pain is Real (1937)
- In These Quiet Streets (1938)
- French for Funny, and Other Stories (1938)
- Polish Gold (1940)
- The Small Voice (1940)
- Tomorrow Started Yesterday (1940)
- Hunger Allows No Choice (1941)
- Mad in Pursuit (1945)
- A Magnum for my Mother (1946)
- Champagne for Mother (1947)
- An Awful Lot of Coffee (1950)
- Five-Day Crossing (1952)
- In the Money (1952)
[edit] Television
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Westerby, Robert |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
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| Date of birth |
3 July 1909 |
| Place of birth |
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| Date of death |
16 November 1968 |
| Place of death |
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