Michael Crawford, great musical talent lost to the stage

[stuart.uk]

Michael Crawford had a good start to his film career, he did The Knack with Rita Tushingham and Ray Brooks. had the 2nd male lead in Hello Dolly and was one of three athletes, Ryan O'Neal another, trying to win the Olyimpic gold medal for the marathon in The Games, only for his chances to disappear after coach Stanley Baker orders him to run the race in a suicidal two hours

Michael gained great popularity in the UK for his role of camp Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do Have Em on television with Michelle Dotriche as his long suffering wife Betty. Frank may have been camp, but Michael was certainly matcho in doing his own stunts in the series like driving a car of a pear, hanging on to moving bus while on roller skates and dangling from a great height when employed as a widow washer.

However, it was on the musical stage he found his mark scoring hits with Billy Liar, Barnum (where he did his own stunts on the high wire and later helped Torvil And Dean to a World Championship Gold Medal after they did a spectacular routine as a tribute of the show.

his greatest triumph came on both the West-End and Broadway stage in Phantom Of The Opera with Serah Brightman

[Moraldo Rubini]

Michael gained great popularity in the UK for his role of camp Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do Have Em on television with Michelle Dotrich as his long suffering wife Betty.

This is a bit of a tangent, but I think you intended Michelle Dotrice as his long-suffering wife. Which made me wonder if she is related to Karen Dotrice, who played Jane Banks in Mary Poppins and Patrick McGoohan's cat-loving daughter Mary McDhui in The Three Lives of Thomasina? Do they look alike?

[stuart.uk]

their sisters. Karen was leading lady in The Thirty Nine Steps with Robert Powell

[Moraldo Rubini]

They're sisters. Karen was leading lady in The Thirty Nine Steps with Robert Powell.

Wow! I wasn't aware of a Hitchcock remake. Was it any good? I'll have to look at it, as I'd be interested to see Karen as an adult. I see that her godfather was Charles Laughton...

But I shouldn't be taking us so far away from Michael Crawford, your topic for this thread. Unfortunately, I cannot add much regarding Crawford. My most vivid memory of him is in Hello Dolly!, which I saw at San Francisco's Coronet Theatre when it first opened. For some reason, as a youngster I think I often confused him with the taller and lankier Tommy Tune. I've never had the pleasure of seeing him in person. I believe he was on Broadway, just a few years ago... a vampire musical or something; but I missed it.

[stuart.uk]

The Thirty Nine Steps is a classic movie. unlike Hitch version it's set in 1913 and John Mills plays the murdred secret agent of which Robert Powell's Richard Hanney gets the blame. the spys are German sleeper agents out to assisinate the Greek PM as he speaks at the house of commons.

unlike Hitch's studio shot film this movie for the most part is shot in the beautiful Scottish countryside.