E.M. Smedley-Aston

Birth : 1912-08-25, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK

Death : 2006-01-23

Movies

Ooh... You Are Awful
Producer
Charlie Tully and womanising Reggie Peek con two rich Italians out of £500,000 but during their flight out Charlie is arrested for coning an American and a dog. Reggie stores the money in a Swiss Bank and after Charlie is released is about to tell him which Bank when he is killed by Sid Sabbath's gang whose girlfriend Reggie had an affair with. The only lead is four tattoos that is on the girls Reggie had affairs with while Charlie was in jail. But Sabbath is on Charlie's trail to kill him and the Italians contract the mob - to find the money and then kill him.....
Arthur? Arthur!
Producer
The inventor of sure-fire failures leads such an abysmal life that he creates a second identity, that of a dashing, debonair womaniser.
Theatre of Death
Producer
The Theatre of Death in Paris specialises in horror presentations. A police surgeon finds himself becoming involved in the place through his attraction to one of the performers. When bloodless bodies start showing up all over town he realises there could be links with the theatre.
Two Letter Alibi
Producer
Charles Hilary is in love with Kathy Forrester, a beautiful television personality, but is married to Louise, an alcoholic with as many lovers as whisky bottles. His pleas for a divorce are met with threats and abuse. "You'll have to murder me first", Louise tells him and three hours later she is found dead, shot with her husband's pistol. When Charles is arrested, Kathy desperately sets to work to prove his innocence.
Offbeat
Producer
When Scotland Yard finds themselves up against a brick wall in tracking down a vicious gang of thieves and bank robbers, they call in Layton, a loner from MI5 to work his way into the gang and help bring them down.
Two Way Stretch
Producer
Three criminals plan to break out of prison the day before their release in order to carry out a daring jewel robbery, intending to establish the perfect alibi by returning to jail afterwards. First however they must get out, a task made more difficult by a new, stricter prison officer.
Life Is a Circus
Producer
Encompassing three hugely popular double acts, The Crazy Gang were one of Britain's best-loved, most enduring variety troupes – their antics delighting audiences for over three decades from the early 1930s and their career taking in numerous Royal Command performances. Their efforts to save a struggling circus provide the laughs in this uproarious comedy, also starring Goldfinger icon Shirley Eaton and featuring Flanagan and Allen's rendition of their greatest hit, Underneath the Arches. The Crazy Gang have been jacks-of-all-trades with Joe Winter's Monster Circus for almost as long as Joe has been on the road, and they're still hoping for a big break. But Joe has hit hard times: his equipment is mortgaged, most of his acts have deserted him and even the elephants have walked out. So the Gang set about finding a way to save the circus... and come up with a typically novel solution!
Another Time, Another Place
Producer
In England during WWII, an American news correspondent’s affair with a married British correspondent ends tragically when he is killed in action. Fearing a nervous breakdown as a result of his death, she travels to Cornwall to mourn with his family without any intention of revealing her relationship with him.
Strangers' Meeting
Producer
A fateful Stranger's Meeting leads to a maelstrom of crime, deception and murder in this 64-minute British programmer. The beautiful Delphi Lawrence heads a stellar cast, including such reliables as Victor Maddern, Norman Rossington, Conrad Phillips and Reginald Hearne. The plot centers around acrobat Peter Arne, falsely accused of murder. Escaping from the authorities, Arne hides out in a rustic inn, allowing first-time director (and former cinematographer) Robert Day ample opportunity for dark, menacing shadows and sinister underlighting. The genuine murderer is revealed just seconds before the culprit's death. Stranger's Meeting was held back from release until Robert Day's "official" directorial debut, The Green Man, had made the rounds.
The Constant Husband
Associate Producer
Charles Hathaway wakes up in West Wales with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. With the help of a Cardiff specialist he traces his life back to his gorgeous wife and their large London house, so all seems well with the world. But more detective work starts to uncover an alarming chain of further stunning wives and a way of going on that the new Charles finds pretty unacceptable.
The Million Pound Note
Associate Producer
An impoverished American sailor is fortunate enough to be passing the house of two rich gentlemen who have conceived the crazy idea of distributing a note worth one million pounds. The sailor finds that whenever he tries to use the note to buy something, people treat him like a king and let him have whatever he likes for free. Ultimately, the money proves to be more troublesome than it is worth when it almost costs him his dignity and the woman he loves.
So Little Time
Production Supervisor
During World War II, German soldiers occupy the home of a beautiful Belgian girl and her mother.
The Galloping Major
Production Supervisor
A syndicate is set up to buy a racehorse, but they end up buying the wrong one by mistake. Unfortunately the horse is useless on the flat, so they try entering him as a jumper.
The Happiest Days of Your Life
Associate Producer
Nutbourne College, an old established, all-boys, boarding school is told that another school is to be billeted with due to wartime restrictions. The shock is that it's an all-girls school that has been sent. The two head teachers are soon battling for the upper hand with each other and the Ministry. But a crisis (or two) forces them to work together.
The Spider and the Fly
Production Manager
"The Spider and the Fly is set in Paris during the cloud-cuckoo days before WW I. The storyline intertwines the destinies of three people. Guy Rolfe plays Phillipe de Ledocq, a resourceful safecracker who always manages to elude arrest. Eric Portman is cast as police-chief Maubert, who will not rest until Ledocq is behind bars. And Nadia Gray is Madeleine, the woman beloved by both Ledocq and Maubert. Just as Maubert has managed to capture his man, Ledocq is released at the behest of the government, who wants him to steal secrets from the German embassy revealing the whereabouts of the Kaiser's secret agents. And just how does Madeleine figure into all of this? Spider and the Fly is a diverting precursor to the 1960s TV series It Takes a Thief." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Captain Boycott
Production Manager
Based on real events, this historical drama is set in 19th-century Ireland, when poverty-stricken tenants dispossessed by greedy landowner Capt. Boycott (Cecil Parker) band together to assert their rights. Patriotic farmer Hugh Davin (Stewart Granger) leads the rebels. Choosing nonviolent resistance, the villagers ostracize their nemesis, who squanders his fortune to repair his ruined reputation and wagers what's left on a horse race.
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Assistant Director
A shy British teacher looks back nostalgically at his long career, taking note of the people who touched his life.
John Halifax
Production Manager
Adapted from the novel by Elizabeth Craik it tells the story of John Halifax who, despite humble beginnings, becomes a highly respected local businessman. As partner in a mill he weathers the turbulent economic times of the early 1800s.
Under a Cloud
Production Manager
Jimmy Forbes returns to England after being on the run in Australia for 20 years. He finds that his wife has gone up in the world and become wealthy. Their children know little about him but as he observes them he realises they have problems and his cunning might come to their aid.
Double Exposures
Assistant Director
A industrialist has a row with his son, who leaves home. Meanwhile, both his assistant and solicitor conspire to embezzle a fortune in bonds. A plucky young newspaper reporter pursues the rich man's daughter.