There Was a Crooked Man (film)
| There Was a Crooked Man | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Stuart Burge |
| Produced by |
John Bryan Albert Fennell |
| Written by |
James Bridie (play) Reuben Ship (script) |
| Starring |
Norman Wisdom Alfred Marks Andrew Cruickshank |
| Music by | Kenneth V. Jones |
| Cinematography | Arthur Ibbetson |
| Edited by | Peter R. Hunt |
Production company |
Knightsbridge Films |
| Distributed by | United Artists Corporation |
Release dates | 1960 |
Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
There Was a Crooked Man is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Stuart Burge. It starred Norman Wisdom, Alfred Marks, Andrew Cruickshank, Reginald Beckwith, and Susannah York.[1] It is based on the James Bridie play "The Odd Legend of Schultz"; and was one of two films Wisdom made independently to extend his range, though (according to the BFI Screenonline), "the cinema public craved only the Gump". [2] The film was generally released in 1960 on the Rank circuit (supported by the documentary 'Jungle Hell') to less than spectacular business before being withdrawn, allegedly by US interference who were offended by Norman masquerading as an arrogant US general requisitioning British land for the US Air Force. The subject of US forces on British soil was deemed too sensitive even for comic treatment.
This is the only Norman Wisdom film that has not had a video or DVD release. It had one TV showing on ITV on Boxing Day in 1965. It was shown publicly for the first time in over 40 years in Darwen, Lancashire, where it was filmed, in 2008.[3]
Synopsis
A naive explosives expert is tricked into working for a criminal gang. The title is taken from the poem "There Was a Crooked Man".
Cast
- Norman Wisdom as Davy Cooper
- Alfred Marks as Adolf Carter
- Andrew Cruickshank as McKillup
- Reginald Beckwith as Station Master
- Susannah York as Ellen
- Jean Clarke as Freda
- Timothy Bateson as Flash Dan
- Paul Whitsun-Jones as Restaurant Gentleman
- Fred Griffiths as Taxi Driver
- Ann Hefferman as Hospital Sister
- Rosalind Knight as Nurse
- Reed De Rouen as Dutchman
- Brian Oulton as Ashton
- Glyn Houston as Smoking Machinist
- Percy Herbert as Prison Warden
- Edna Petrie as Woman at Assembly Hall
- Jack May as Police Sergeant
- Ronald Fraser as General Cummins
- Ed Devereaux as American Colonel
- Sam Kydd as Foreman
- Redmond Phillips as Padre
External links
References
- ↑ "There Was a Crooked Man (1960) | BFI". Explore.bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
- ↑ "BFI Screenonline: Wisdom, Norman (1915-2010) Biography". Screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
- ↑ 'Lost' Norman Wisdom film to be shown again Lancashire Telegraph, 20 January 2008. Retrieved 27 September 2014.