Scotland-born David MacDonald managed a rubber plantation before entering films in 1929 as a DeMille assistant. MacDonald returned to the British Isles in the 1930, where in 1937 he launched his directorial career. Best known for his wartime documentary work while serving with the British Film Army Unit--his Desert Victory and Burma Victory are still considered classics of their genre--he also has several above-average non-documentaries to his credit, notably the Thin Man-inspired This Man is News (1937) and the lavish costumer The Moonraker (1957). Ever the professional, MacDonald gamely tackled the challenge of 1949's Christopher Columbus. In the 1950s and 1960s, David MacDonald had settled into routine bread-and-butter assignments like 1954's Devil Girl From Mars.
by Hal Erickson
biography
