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Derek Twist

British screenwriter, film editor and director

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 19, 2026
Entity authorityQ5262418
Source-derived summary

Derek Norman Twist (26 May 1905 – 15 August 1979) was a British screenwriter, film editor and director. He was sometimes credited as Derek N. Twist. During the 1930s he worked at British Gaumont.

Early life

Twist was born in Paddington area of London on 26 May 1905 to Cecil and Catherine Twist; his father was a solicitor.

He was married to actress and stage director Vida Hope until her death in a road accident in December 1963.

Selected filmography

Editor

Sunshine Susie (1931)

After the Ball (1932)

Waltz Time (1933)

The Fire Raisers (1934)

Princess Charming (1934)

Orders Is Orders (1934)

Chu Chin Chow (1934)

Aunt Sally (1934)

The 39 Steps (1935)

The Phantom Light (1935)

The Passing of the Third Floor Back (1935)

Rhodes of Africa (1936)

The Edge of the World (1937)

Kicking the Moon Around (1938)

The Lion Has Wings (1939)

Writer

They Drive by Night (1938)

Murder Will Out (1940)

Confidential Lady (1940)

Dr. O'Dowd (1940)

Old Bill and Son (1941)

The End of the River (1947)

All Over the Town (1949)

Green Grow the Rushes (1951)

Angels One Five (1952)

Police Dog (1955)

"Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Presents" (1955)

Overseas Press Club – Exclusive! (1957)

Rx for Murder (1958)

"International Detective" (1960)

Director

The End of the River (1947)

All Over the Town (1949)

Green Grow the Rushes (1951)

Police Dog (1955)

"Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Presents" (1954–1957)

Rx Murder (1958)

Producer

Angels One Five (1952)

Production Manager

Calamity the Cow (1967)

Actor

Journey Together (1945) .... Wing Commander on Aircrew Interview Board

Rx Murder (1958)

Bibliography

Chibnall, Steve & McFarlane, Brian. The British B' Film.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Derek Twist” as british screenwriter, film editor and director. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Derek, Twist and British.

Editorial reviewStrongest as a route into the people, institutions and dated events that shaped the subject’s public record. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1905, 1979, 1963, 1931—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1905-05-26. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Derek, Twist and British providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Derek Twist”, the useful work is to connect “british screenwriter, film editor and director” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5262418. VIAF identifies the subject as 120254459. The Library of Congress control number is no2010085508. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1905, 1979, 1963 and 1931.

Critical limits

A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Derek Twist”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Derek Twist primary sources, Derek Twist archive and Derek research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Derek Twist”?
  2. How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
  3. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Derek Twist” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.