Michael Crawford Movies
Emerging onto the British show-business scene as a boy soprano, Michael Crawford sang in the choir of St. Paul's Cathedral. Though he made a fleeting film appearance in 1950, Crawford would not become a full-fledged professional until dropping out of high school at age 15. His first important film assignment was the 1958 kiddie-matinee programmer Soap Box Derby. He enjoyed a flurry of film activity in the mid- to late '60s, playing such singing roles as Hero in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) and Cornelius Hackel in Hello, Dolly! (1969). The best of his non-musical film appearances during this period was as the fatally ineffectual Goodman in How I Won the War (1967). His British TV-series assignments have included Sir Francis Drake (1962), Some Mothers Do Have 'Em (1974-1979), and Chalk and Cheese (1979). A familiar presence in West End theatrical productions from 1965, Crawford made his musical comedy bow as star of the London production of Barnum!. In 1988, he won a Tony award for his portrayal of the title character in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. Michael Crawford has since performed the score of Phantom, along with selections from other Lloyd Webber hits, as a solo concert artist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1958
It isn't hard to deduce that the British Blow Your Own Trumpet has something to do with the musical world. The film concentrates on two individuals: out-of-work conductor Peter Butterworth, and adolescent cornet player Michael Crawford (the same Michael Crawford who later starred on Broadway in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera). Not allowing himself to wallow in self-pity, Butterworth endeavors to help Crawford win a music competition. The greater part of this 56-minute programmer is devoted to concert footage; it's not brilliantly photographed or directed, but the music is pleasant. Prominently featured in the closing sequences of Blow Your Own Trumpet is the Arley Welfare Band. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
In this youthful drama set in London, two rival gangs, the Battersea Bats and the Victoria Victors, feverishly prepare for the big soapbox derby. The former group has come up with an exceptional design that is rumored to be unbeatable and so the Vics set out to steal it. They engineer the heist so that it looks as if the car's designer swiped it from his own group. Fortunately, the Bats learn the truth, get their car back, and win the race. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
