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Daniel Mainwaring

Writer · Died January 31, 1977, aged 74 · Oakland, California, USA

Daniel Mainwaring (aka Geoffrey Homes) (July 22, 1902 – January 31, 1977) was an American novelist and screenwriter. A native of Oakland, California, he began his professional career as a journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle and enjoyed a successful career as a mystery novelist (under the name Geoffrey Homes). He worked as a film publicist and eventually abandoned fiction for a successful career as a screenwriter. His first novel (and the only one he ever published under his own name), One Against the Earth, was a proletarian novel about a young man born on a California ranch who becomes a drifter and is eventually unjustly accused of attacking a child, was published in 1932. He made his real mark, however, with a string of hard-boiled mystery novels (mostly with small-town California settings), the first of which was The Man Who Murdered Himself (1936). His final published novel, Build My Gallows High (William Morrow & Co., 1946), is generally regarded as his best—and its adaptation (by "Homes" himself) into the film noir classic Out of the Past assured his place in film history. Mainwaring explained to interviewer Pat McGilligan that he regarded the novel as a departure from his earlier literary efforts: With Build My Gallows High, I wanted to get away from straight mystery novels. Those detective stories are a bore to write. You've got to figure out "whodunit". I'd get to the end and have to say whodunit and be so mixed up I couldn't decide myself. (Wikipedia)

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 22, 1902
Died
January 31, 1977 (aged 74)
From
Oakland, California, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
28 on MovieCove · 47 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 34% in 30 days

What are Daniel Mainwaring's films like?

Across their 28 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Crime9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 37th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 25th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 32nd percentile
: browse their Action movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
27%
Bonds
25%
Self
14%
Survival
12%
Society
11%
Power
10%
Ideas
1%
Romantic love10 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption3 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 28 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 17 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 18 · Intense 7

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 11 · Shifting 17 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 22 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 22 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 13 · Engaged 13 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 12 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 6

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 26 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
22
Melancholic
13
Thrilling
10
Romantic
10
Dread
5
Other
15

How their films linger

Bittersweet11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet13
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Daniel Mainwaring's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 28 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Daniel Mainwaring's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

47 credits, 28 with a MovieCove page.

  • Against All Odds(1984)

    Novel · Writer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Catacombs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Screenplay

  • Convict Stage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Writer

  • East of Kilimanjaro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Story

  • Atlantis: The Lost Continent(1961)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The George Raft Story(1961)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Revolt of the Slaves(1960)

    Dialogue

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Walk Like a Dragon(1960)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete(1960)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • The Gun Runners(1958)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Space Master X-7(1958)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Cole Younger, Gunfighter(1958)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Baby Face Nelson(1957)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1956)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Phenix City Story(1955)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • A Bullet for Joey(1955)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • An Annapolis Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Screenplay

  • The Desperado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Screenplay

  • Black Horse Canyon(1954)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Southwest Passage(1954)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Alaska Seas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Writer

  • Those Redheads from Seattle(1953)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Powder River (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Writer

  • The Hitch-Hiker(1953)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Bugles in the Afternoon(1952)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • This Woman Is Dangerous(1952)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Roadblock(1951)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Tall Target(1951)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Last Outpost(1951)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Eagle and the Hawk(1950)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Lawless(1950)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Big Steal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Screenplay

  • Roughshod (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Screenplay

  • Big Town Scandal(1948)

    Radio Play · Writer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Big Town After Dark(1947)

    Radio Play · Writer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Out of the Past(1947)

    Novel · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Swamp Fire(1946)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Big Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Screenplay · Story

  • Hot Cargo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Writer

  • They Made Me a Killer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Screenplay

  • Tokyo Rose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Screenplay

  • Scared Stiff (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Screenplay

  • Dangerous Passage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Writer

  • Crime by Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Novel

  • Secrets of the Underground (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Screenplay · Story

  • Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Characters

  • No Hands on the Clock (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Novel

Career shape

A full career of 45 titles from 1941 to 1984.

Biggest box office

Against All Odds (1984)

$22M worldwide

Highest rated

Out of the Past (1947)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Against All Odds (1984)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing43 of 45: 43 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score39thOther crew2 of 45: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1940s16 · crew1950s22 · crew1960s6 · crew1980s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Daniel Mainwaring's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 37th percentile, the median of all 28; across their 28 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 42nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Approval · how many liked their films

34thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Reach · how many have seen their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Midcredits score across 28 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th12
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 28 titles are Broadly Agreed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed10
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · writer

Swamp Fire (1946)

57th percentile spread · 23% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Out of the Past (1947)

Midcredits 97th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 48/100 and the plot and story 49/100 in their films, across 28 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Daniel Mainwaring's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 37 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 5 · minimalMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 3 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 41 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 41 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Daniel Mainwaring work with?

People who share at least 2 of Daniel Mainwaring's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; William C. Thomas shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers