The Cracksman (1963)

A shorty, kind, very innocent and efficient locksmith is cheated by a burglar in order to rob a car and to open a safe strongbox. The police catches him and is sent to jail. Once there some... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Graham Scott

Writers:

Lew Schwarz (screenplay), Charlie Drake (screenplay),

Stars:

Charlie Drake, Nyree Dawn Porter, George Sanders

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlie Drake	...	Ernest Wright
Nyree Dawn Porter	...	Muriel
George Sanders	...	Guv'nor
Dennis Price	...	Grantley
Percy Herbert	...	Nosher
Eddie Byrne	...	Domino
Finlay Currie	...	Feathers
Geoffrey Keen	...	Magistrate
George A. Cooper	...	Fred
Patrick Cargill	...	Museum Guide
Norman Bird	...	Policeman
Neil McCarthy	...	Van Gogh
Christopher Rhodes	...	Mr. King
Ronnie Barker	...	Yossle
Wanda Ventham	...	Sandra

Storyline

A shorty, kind, very innocent and efficient locksmith is cheated by a burglar in order to rob a car and to open a safe strongbox. The police catches him and is sent to jail. Once there some gangsters gain his friendship to cheat him again and help then to escape.

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Plot Keywords:

thief

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 1965 (East Germany)

Also Known As:

Kein Schloß ist vor ihm sicher

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Wright, after throwing a boomerang which returns to him, says "It came back that time!", a reference to Charlie Drake's novelty hit 'My Boomerang Won't Come Back'.

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Goofs

During the fight at the end of the film George Sanders can be seen wrapped in the model snake BEFORE it is shown happening during the fight.

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Connections

Featured in Arena: Drake's Progress (2001)

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Soundtracks

"In a Monastery Garden"
(uncredited)
Music by Albert W. Ketèlbey

User Reviews

The George & Charlie Show

British comedian Charlie Drake is an acquired taste, and at his best as the hapless "cracksman" of the title in this modest little spoof of crime pictures. The script is sharper than one might expect from this kind of film, and little Charlie is up to his ears in trouble. His endearing innocence (if not talent) suggests a contemporary version of Chaplin; while his physical appearance suggests the love child of Ned Beatty and Mickey Rooney, making him wholly appropriate for comedy,--and nothing else. He plays so well with bad guy George Sanders, who really comes to life here, that I can almost imagine them as a comedy team, which sounds ludicrous I know, as they would have seemed so incongruous together, but then again comedy teams generally do,