Charles Crichton Movies

Created by Richard Carpenter, the British adventure series Smuggler took place in 1802 during the early stages of the Napoleonic wars. The central character was former British naval officer Jack Vincent (Oliver Tobias), who elected to enrich himself by becoming a smuggler. Avoiding violence whenever possible, Vincent enjoyed outwitting British revenue officers and tweaking the nose of the French higher-ups by indulging in various espionage activities. Others within Vincent's orbit were petty thief Honesty Evans (Hywel Williams Ellis), to whom Jack owed his life, and the gorgeous, kidnap-prone Sarah Morton (Lesley Dunlop). Telecast by HTV in 13 half-hour installments from April 5 to July 19, 1981, Smuggler proved popular enough to warrant a sequel, titled The Adventurer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title refers to a special course for secret agents, designed to determine how much brutal interrogation the candidates are able to withstand. Tara King is summoned to undergo the course, willing if not eager to subject herself to its exacting rigors. What Tara doesn't know is that every agent who successfully completes the course ends up murdered a few days later. Christopher Lee guest-stars in "The Interrogators," which was written by Richard Harris and Brian Clemens; the episode debuted in England on New Year's Day 1969, and in America on January 20. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Steed is accused of masterminding the murders of several enemy agents. Calling a truce with the "other side," Steed tries to unmask the actual culprit (who is a member of an organization appropriately called The Third Party), with the assistant of statuesque Russian agent Olga (the always delightful Anna Quayle). The trail of evidence leads to a training school for gentlemen, appropriately named "SNOB". A reworking of the "Cathy Gale" episode "The Charmers," "The Correct Way to Kill" was written by Brian Clemens; it was originally telecast in England on March 11, 1967, and was first seen in America 13 days later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Why are a group of otherwise reserved middle-aged military officers suddenly behaving like teenaged delinquents and performing dangerous stunts which invariably result in death? Steed wants to find out, and to do so, he rejoins his regiment. Ultimately, Steed is himself targeted for death, forcing Emma to undergo a bizarre and deadly ritual to rescue her partner. Written by Roger Marshall and directed by the versatile Charles Crichton, "The Danger Makers" first aired in England on February 12, 1966; perhaps significantly, it was seen in America on July 4 of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

TV commentator Stephen Boyd doesn't believe the official verdict of suicide in the death of a famed London psychiatrist. Boyd tries to get to the truth by studying a list of the shrink's patients. While interviewing three of these worthies (Jack Hawkins, Diane Cilento and Richard Attenborough), Boyd discover that each has a deep dark secret that the psychiatrist was privy to. The best-kept secret concerns the schizophrenia of the dead man's teenaged daughter (Pamela Franklin)--a fact that provides the key to mystery. The Third Secret originally featured Patricia Neal as one of the suspects, but her scenes were cut from the final release print. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this 1959 comedy, Robert MacPherson (Robert Morley) inherits his family's textile business in Edinburgh, Scotland, then hires American efficiency expert Angela Barrows (Constance Cummings) to bring the business into the modern age. The House of MacPherson has long been known as a manufacturer of fine Scottish tweed, and the company's mild-mannered head clerk, Mr. Martin (Peter Sellers), worries that the no-nonsense Barrows will ruin everything with her new-fangled ideas and eventually replace him and his co-workers with automatons. So after she installs the latest labor-saving devices, including intercoms and noisy adding machines, he sabotages them in a gradually unfolding scheme to persuade MacPherson that the old Scottish ways are still the best, that true craftsmanship requires a human touch. By this time, however, MacPherson has taken a fancy to Barrows romantically, and she can do no wrong. Then, horror of horrors, Barrows proposes that the company make synthetic tweed -- mass-produced synthetic tweed -- in an all-out effort to Americanize the Scottish firm. That's the last straw for Martin, and he thinks there is only one option left for him: to murder Barrows. Of course, meek Mr. Martin isn't exactly a natural-born killer, and he botches one attempt after another in a sequence of scenes that keep the action moving briskly along. But Martin has pluck and plenty of persistence, and he eventually hatches another plot to undo the meddlesome Barrows. The film, loosely based on a James Thurber story entitled The Catbird Seat, was directed by Charles Crichton, the same man who directed the highly successful Lavender Hill Mob. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide

A father discovers that being a good role model for your son isn't always easy -- especially when you're a criminal -- in this bright British comedy. Percy Brand (Michael Redgrave) is an all-purpose con artist and small-time crook who makes a good living on the wrong side of the law but often finds himself behind bars as a result. Not wanting to present too bad an example to his son and needing an explanation for his frequent time away, he tells young Colin (Jeremy Burnham) that he's a missionary working with a religious group, and his good deeds take him all over the world on sudden missions of mercy. Colin accepts his father's word to the letter, and he grows up to be a law-abiding citizen who works as a barrister for Judge Crichton (Robert Morley), who has had to deal with Percy a number of times over the years. By this time, Percy has retired to a village by the ocean and is living nicely off his ill-gotten gains, but he gets roped into a scheme smuggling brandy and soon finds himself in trouble with the law again. Rather than go back to the pokey (and embarrass Colin), Percy and his mates concoct a bizarre plan by which they'll implicate Judge Crichton in the smuggling and send him to jail in their place. Director Charles Crichton directed a number of fine British comedies, right up to his final picture, A Fish Called Wanda, which he completed at the age of 78. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, The Divided Heart is an effective, high-gloss British soap opera. Cornell Borchers stars as Inga, a young German woman who disappears and is presumed killed during WW2. Inga's infant son is placed in an orphanage; years later, the boy is adopted by childless couple Sonja (Yvonne Mitchell) and Franz (Armin Dahmen). The adoptive parents' future happiness is shattered when Inga returns, insisting that the child be returned to her. The film is scrupulously fair to both Inga and Sonja, giving generous screen time to the wartime horrors experienced by the former and the eminent parental suitability of the latter. Of the supporting cast, Alexander Knox stands out as the judge presiding over the climactic custody battle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first Ealing Studios comedy shot in color, Titfield Thunderbolt takes place in a tiny British village serviced by a branch railway line. When the government plans to close the line down, the locals are in a panic--except for a group intending to set up an expensive bus service. The local vicar (George Relph) concocts a scheme with the town's wealthiest man (Stanley Holloway) for the villagers to run the rail line themselves; in this way they hope to prove to the railway inspectors that their branch is still worth keeping. When the bus interests attempt to sabotage this undertaking, the villagers respond by stealing a stray locomotive--and when this proves cumbersome, they reactivate a 19th century train engine from the local museum. The Titfield Thunderbolt is uniquely British in humor and approach, but not so "inside" as to alienate American filmgoers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Charles Crichton directed this Ealing caper comedy, with a witty script by T.E.B. Clarke that won an Academy Award. Alec Guinness is Henry Holland, an unassuming transporter of gold bullion who, after working for twenty years with no rewards in sight for his faithful service to his company, decides to reward himself by stealing one million pounds worth of gold. Calling on his old friend Pendlebury (Stanley Holloway), a manufacturer of paperweights and an amateur sculptor, and a couple of Cockney crooks, Lackery (Sidney James) and Shorty (Alfie Bass), they conspire to lift a gold shipment. After absconding with the gold, Henry melts the gold into a collection of souvenir Eiffel Towers, which he then ships off to Paris. But chaos reigns when a group of English schoolgirls purchase the gold towers, and the gang now become embroiled in a wild goose chase to recover their stolen gold. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide