Crook’s Tour
Date: 1940
Director: John Baxter
Production Company: British National Films, John Baxter Productions
Stars: Basil Radford, Naunton Wayne, Greta Gynt
Location(s): Cairo, Hertfordshire, Istanbul, London, South Tyrol
Region(s): Italy, London C-D, Rest Of The World, South East A-D
Storyline:
Touring in the Middle East and Europe, two eccentric Englishmen are mistaken for enemy agents and handed a gramophone record which contains vital information.
Additional Information:
Screen captures by Phil Wilkinson
The film is available as a special feature on Criterion’s ‘The Lady Vanishes’ DVD.
Further to the occasion displayed in Capture 17 relative to Captures 6 to 8 Paul Welsh MBE, who was there at the time, tells us:
“At the time I was organising the celebration of 70 years of film production in Borehamwood. I had invited Doug Fairbanks to an event at Elstree Studios and mentioned it to the boss at the BBC Elstree Centre Keith Clement. He asked if I could bring Doug across before our event to do this photo opportunity. They had decided to name this 1930s building after him as he had his office in it during the early 1950s when he leased to the studio to produce about 160 TV programmes. Doug kindly agreed and during his visit we visited the Queen Vic set from EastEnders where we met the then cast. Of course he had never seen the programme as he lived in the States.
He was the epitome of old school charm and old Hollywood. When I visited New York in 1989 I visited him in his apartment overlooking Central Park. He had fond memories of those days at the then called National Studios in the 50s and giving breaks to newcomers like Christopher Lee and down on their luck veterans like Buster Keaton.
I seem to recall his 30 minute TV programmes went out in the USA and Britain under some generic title like ‘Douglas Fairbanks Presents’ or similar, and I think from memory they were sponsored by a beer company. He starred in some of the programmes . I suspect there is a list on IMDB. I cannot recall the series being being released on dvd except for a couple of examples.”
Paul is author of Elstree Confidential and MGM British Studios (Hollywood in Hertfordshire)
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We are aware that there are films on the site that were added when the criteria for the inclusion of locations was very different from today and, as a result, there may be scenes missing from some productions. Please do not forward additional screen captures to us but bring the detail to our attention, for we do, and are, 're-addressing' these older entries as time allows.
- Capture 1
- 'Now' required
Whilst touring the Saudi Arabian desert from Baghdad, the Spindle's Tour half-track bus breaks down before Hawtrey Charters and Sinclair Caldicott spot a line of Camel Riders on the horizon.
- Capture 2
- 'Now' required
Charters and Caldicott return to Baghdad after dinner with Sheikh Abdul Ramla. The view from their hotel window is exceptional as this is the Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan in Cairo, Egypt.
- Capture 3
- 05 Sep 2022
More views of the city are seen as the two intrepid tourists wait at the railway station. Unfortunately, again not the right city as this is Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque now. (PW)
- Capture 4
- 'Now' required
After mistakenly being handed a note by singer La Palermo at a night club, Charters and Caldicott depart by train on the first leg of their journey to Istanbul. Noting the year of release, the seemingly impressive location list is made up of a number of what appear to be inter-war stock shots. Indeed, Manuel Gurtner found that this archive footage from the 1930s is of the Italian State Railways (FS). The train, hauled by a 2-8-2 tank loco of FS Class 940, is pulling out of Toblach/Dobbiaco station on the Puster Valley Railway between Franzensfeste (Fortezza) and Innichen (San Candido), South Tyrol, Italy. In the background runs the wooded mountain side of the Haunold mountain range and behind in the distance the Main Carnic Ridge as border between Italy and Austria.
- Capture 5
- 05 Sep 2022
The pair reach Istanbul where a Spindle's Tour Guide directs them to the Hamilton Hotel, in reality a building owned by K7, the head of a spy ring. Süleymaniye Mosque on the Third Hill of Istanbul in the Fatih district of the city.
Taken from a distance as the light fails. (PW)
- Capture 6
- 'Now' required
After cheating death at the hand of foreign agents, Charters and Caldicott arrive at the airport to catch a plane to Budapest. Rock Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire which became British National Studios, then ATV Elstree before passing to Central Television and closing in July 1983.
- Capture 7
- 'Now' required
Not far behind, a car brings Klacken and the glamorous La Palermo to the airport. These original Rock Studios buildings still stand at the site which, after Central Television departed, was sold to the BBC in 1984 to become the BBC Elstree Centre.
- Capture 8
- 'Now' required
Rossenger (Gordon McLeod) runs out of the terminal to tell Klacken (Bernard Rebel) that the two Englishmen are heading to Budapest. Rock Studios off Clarendon Road in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.
- Capture 9
- 'Now' required
An aerial shot of Budapest . . . . with what appears to be an element or superimposition it's difficult to make out where this is.
- Capture 10
- 'Now' required
After being handed a record containing secret information, Charters and Caldicott visit St. Joseph's Baths as instructed on the note that they received earlier.
- Capture 11
- 'Now' required
Checking out of the Hotel Magyar after meeting up with Charters' sister Edith, the three leave Budapest on a train bound for the Hungarian border where they travel on to the castle Schwartz Hoff.
- Capture 12
- 'Now' required
Escaping from the castle with La Palermo (Greta Gynt), Charters and Caldicott are driven through the Hungarian countryside.
- Capture 13
- 'Now' required
The camera pans with the car to bring a distinctly British Hungarian house into view.
- Capture 14
- 'Now' required
Splashing through a ford, the journey to the Yugoslavian coast continues.
- Capture 15
- 'Now' required
Reaching a boat on the Adriatic Sea, a radio message is sent to London.
- Capture 16
- 14 Mar 2021
Vital information reaches The Admiralty in London and all ends well. Horseguards Parade in SW1.
Car-free. SJ
- Capture 17
- 'Now' required
Dave Buckley has brought to our attention this photograph of Douglas Fairbanks Jnr. when he was asked to name the building, correctly identified in Captures 6 to 8 as BBC Elstree Studios. In 1984 he was given the rapier to remove the cover from the sign over the door and as a result the building has since been known as 'Fairbanks'. This photograph is from the book 'Elstree Confidential' by Paul Welsh MBE who has not only generously allowed us to reproduce it but has given us his own memories of the occasion that can be read in the Header Section of this film. (RL)