Director Charles Crichton's film career began as an editor in 1935 with
Alexander Korda's London Films,
and in that capacity he worked on such productions as
Bosambo (1935),
Was kommen wird (1936) and
Der Elefantenjunge (1937) (which
introduced Sabu to movie audiences). He
soon left London Films for Ealing Studios, and rose quickly through the
ranks, making his directorial debut with
For Those in Peril (1944).
Meticulous to the point of being referred to as a "perfectionist",
Crichton came into his own at Ealing, a studio noted for its comedies,
and among his best known are the quirky but charming
Der Titfield-Express (1953)
and the wildly popular
Einmal Millionär sein (1951).
He tried his hand at drama--outside of Ealing--with
Ein Kind war Zeuge (1952), starring
Dirk Bogarde. When Ealing closed its doors
in 1959, Crichton's film work petered off, and he turned more and more
to television, becoming a prolific director of crime and adventure
series. His occasional forays back into feature films were not
particularly productive, and for the most part he remained in
television, directing episodes of such popular shows as
Geheimauftrag für John Drake (1964),
Mit Schirm, Charme und Melone (1961) and
Mondbasis Alpha 1 (1975).
At the request of star John Cleese, Crichton
agreed to direct Cleese,
Jamie Lee Curtis and
Kevin Kline in the offbeat comedy
Ein Fisch namens Wanda (1988),
which turned out to be a huge international hit. It was his biggest
success, and also his last film. He died in London at 1999, at age 89.
