Peter-Spotting
      Card #45

 
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1963

THE CRACKSMAN

ABPC - Associated British
directed by Peter Graham Scott
starring Charlie Drake, George Sanders,
Dennis Price, Nyree Dawn Porter
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They seek him here, there
and everywhere!

The Cracksman is a star vehicle
for comedy clown Charlie Drake.
Charlie plays Ernest Wright, a
befuddled locksmith who bumbles
his way into prison - twice. After
his second release he's lured into
bigger, badder things by a beautiful
woman, and two rival gangs of
thieves come to blows over
his services...

Dennis Price plays small-time
hood Domino, and George Sanders
fills the shoes of his cunning rival,
the Guv'nor.

Our Peter spent a busy two
weeks on the film, commencing
11th February 1963...
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Peter doesn't get an on-screen
credit, but we have his contract
which identifies him as DOMINO'S
GANG MEMBER NUMBER ONE,
and he's on camera for much
of this fun film's final act...

Peter's one of the gangsters marching
into the Guv'nor's HQ at the 90mins
mark, and he spends some time
hanging around that office, smoking
and drinking, whilst the gang leaders
discuss terms.



Naturally, Peter's in the thick of things
as the gangs break into the Prince
Edward Museum and make their way
to the vault in search of the Stamford
Collection of jewellry and gems.

Ernest gets to work on the safe as
the gangsters look on. They find the
rythmn of his listening device to be
quite hypnotic, and as they hum
along, the Guv'nor bursts into
spontaneous song!

A minutr later, and fisticuffs break
out when the gangsters turn on
each other. Peter's there in the
heart of the fight as it rages
around the museum.



At one point, Ernest mounts an
exhibit. He starts chucking giant
eggs everywhichway at the various
dueling ruffiians, and poor Peter gets
"cracked" in the face!

If you follow the battle closely, you'll
spy Peter in the background of many
shots.

In the end, Ernest scrawls a cry for help
upon a cannonball, with a plan to fire
it out of the museum, but he winds
up stuck, head-first in the barrel
as the fuse burns down. Fortunately,
our Peter hauls him out of the
thing, just in time.

The blast brings down the house,
and as the dust clears, so we get to
see Peter with he other gangsters,
all charred and blackened. They
watch the cannonball roll lazily
down the museum steps and out
of the building. It nestles up
to the feet of a passing
policeman, who brings the
shenanigans to a close with
a blast of his whistle!