Cracksman, The (1963)

This endearing comedy attempted to transfer comedian Charlie Drake’s style of humour to the big screen.

Despite being co-writer Drake’s finest screen appearance, The Cracksman mixes slapstick and pathos and is merely funny in parts. One bonus is the film’s collection of popular character actors, including George Sanders, Dennis Price and Finlay Currie.

Ernest Wright (Charlie Drake), an honest East End locksmith who cannot resist the challenge of a lock, is tricked by debonair confidence man Grantley (Dennis Price) into opening a locked car and a safe. Later he gets tricked again by a damsel in distress and, this time gets three years at Her Majesty’s Pleasure.

In prison, he picks locks easily to get seed for a fellow prisoner’s budgerigars – there’s an amusing pop at The Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) as Drake nearly provokes a mass breakout in his search for birdseed – and as a result of his exploits, two rival gangs, the Guv’nor (George Sanders) and American crook Domino (Eddie Byrne), seek his services and finally agree to employ him jointly.

The two rival gangs plan to steal the Stamford Collection of Fine Gems from the Prince Edward Museum, but Drake and an undercover policewoman trip up the crooks and bring them to justice.

This is far and away Drake’s finest hour on the big screen.

Ernest Wright
Charlie Drake
The Guv’nor
George Sanders
Grantley
Dennis Price
Muriel
Nyree Dawn Porter
Domino
Eddie Byrne
Feathers
Finlay Currie
Fred
George A Cooper
Yossle
Ronnie Barker
Sandra
Wanda Ventham
Nosher
Percy Herbert
Moke
Robert Shaw

Director
Peter Graham Scott

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