In 1945 Josephine Leslie under the name of R.A. Dick published her wonderful novel entitled “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir“… Determined to make a life for herself and her daughter, Lucy Muir, a young widow moves into Gull Cottage on a wild English coast. The cottage is haunted by its former owner, a crusty sea captain. The captain tries unsuccessfully to frighten off Lucy Muir in order to keep the cottage for retired seamen, but they fall in love with each other, and when Lucy is short of money, the Captain helps her write a book based on his sea adventures which becomes very popular. The book attracts the amorous attentions of a ‘perfumed parlour snake’ and Lucy Muir must then choose between the living and the dead…
Josephine Leslie’s novel was turned into a highly successful movie in 1947 by 20th Century Fox, and featured Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison in a superbly moving screenplay.
