Dodie Smith

Dorothy Gladys "Dodie" Smith (3 May 1896 – 24 November 1990) was an English novelist and playwright. She wrote many beloved stories for both adults and children. Two of her most famous books are I Capture the Castle and The Hundred and One Dalmatians.

I Capture the Castle was chosen as one of Britain’s favorite novels by readers of the BBC’s The Big Read in 2003. The Hundred and One Dalmatians, published in 1956, became very popular with children and was turned into two films by Disney in 1961 and 1996.

Smith also wrote other novels, including Dear Octopus in 1938 and The Starlight Barking in 1967. Her stories continue to be enjoyed by readers around the world.

Biography

Dodie Smith was born on May 3, 1896, in a house called Stoneycroft in Whitefield, near Bury in Lancashire, England. After her father passed away, she and her mother moved to live with her grandparents in Old Trafford. Her love for stories began early, thanks to her grandfather who loved theater and her uncle who introduced her to plays.

In 1910, Dodie moved to London with her mother and started acting. She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed in many plays. Later, she decided to write plays herself. Her first successful play, Autumn Crocus, was written under a different name. She went on to write many more plays, including Call It a Day and Dear Octopus.

Dodie also wrote novels. Her first novel, I Capture the Castle, was inspired by her time in America. She later wrote the famous children’s book The Hundred and One Dalmatians. Dodie spent her life writing and lived in various places before passing away in 1990 in Uttlesford, Essex, England.

The Hundred and One Dalmatians

Dodie Smith and her partner loved dogs and had Dalmatians as pets. At one time, they had nine of these dogs. The first one was named Pongo, and this name was used for the main dog in her novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians. The idea for the book came when a friend saw her dogs and said they would make a nice fur coat.

The story was turned into movies by Disney. The first was an animated film in 1961 called One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and a live-action film in 1996 called 101 Dalmatians. Both of these movies had sequels, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure and 102 Dalmatians, but these sequels are not connected to Smith’s own follow-up book, The Starlight Barking. There have also been two animated series based on the original Disney film: 101 Dalmatians: The Series from 1997-1998 and 101 Dalmatian Street from 2019-2020.

Works

Film adaptations

Several films were made based on Dodie Smith's books. Some of these include:

• Looking Forward (1933) based on Service
• Autumn Crocus (1934)
• Call It a Day (1937)
• Dear Octopus (1943)
• The First Day of Spring (1956), based on Call It a Day
• One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
• 101 Dalmatians (1996)
• I Capture the Castle (2003)

There are also film sequels not connected to her book The Starlight Barking, such as:

• 102 Dalmatians (2000)
• 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2003)
• Cruella (2021)