Leslie Armande Norman (25 February 1911 – 18 February 1993) was an English post-war film director, producer and editor who also worked extensively on 1960s television series later in his career.Brian McFarlane, ''An Autobiography of British Cinema'', Metheun 1997

Early life

Norman was born on 25 February 1911 at

Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, i ...

West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: North London ...

, to Jewish chiropodist Jacob Norman and Evelyn Maria (née Wootton), of

Cockney Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or b ...

origin. Leaving school at 14, Norman worked in the film industry from the age of 16, working his way up from sweeper of the cutting-room floors at

Ealing Studios Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever s ...

to become an editor at 19.

Editor

Norman's early credits as editor were for British International. They included ''

The Man from Chicago ''The Man from Chicago'' is a 1930 British crime film directed by Walter Summers and starring Bernard Nedell, Dodo Watts, Joyce Kennedy and Austin Trevor. It was produced at Elstree Studios by British International Pictures. Synopsis The screen ...

'' (1930), ''

Compromising Daphne Compromising Daphne is a 1930 British comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Jean Colin, Phyllis Konstam, C. M. Hallard and Viola Compton. It was also released under the alternative title ''Compromised!'' and was based on a play by ...

'' (1930), ''

Fascination Fascination may refer to: Music *"Fascination", a stride piano composition by James P. Johnson recorded in 1917 (as a piano roll) and 1939 (acoustic) *''Fascination!'', a 1983 album by The Human League **"(Keep Feeling) Fascination", a 1983 song ...

'' (1931) for director Miles Mander, ''

Potiphar's Wife Potiphar's wife is a figure in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran. She was the wife of Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard in the time of Jacob and his twelve sons. According to the Book of Genesis, she falsely accused Joseph of attempted r ...

'' (1931) with

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

for director

Maurice Elvey Maurice Elvey (11 November 1887 – 28 August 1967) was one of the most prolific film directors in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He a ...

, and ''

Men Like These ''Men Like These'' is a 1932 British drama film directed by Walter Summers and starring John Batten, Sydney Seaward, Syd Crossley, James Enstone and Lesley Wareing. Plot summary A number of men are trapped underwater in the L56 submarine ...

'' (1932) which he also co wrote. Norman went on to edit ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'' (1932), '' Why Saps Leave Home'' (1932), '' Lucky Girl'' (1932), ''

The Maid of the Mountains ''The Maid of the Mountains'', called in its original score a musical play, is an operetta or "Edwardian" musical comedy in three acts. The music was by Harold Fraser-Simson, with additional music by James W. Tate, lyrics by Harry Graham an ...

'' (1932), and the comedy ''

Timbuctoo ''Timbuctoo'' is a series of 25 children's books, written and illustrated by Roger Hargreaves, better known for his ''Mr. Men'' and ''Little Miss'' series. It was published from 1978 to 1979, with selected reprints in 1993 and 1999. The books t ...

'' (1933). He did '' Red Wagon'' (1933) for director

Paul L. Stein Paul Ludwig Stein (4 February 1892 – 2 May 1951) was an Austrian-born film director with 67 films to his credit. Stein began his career in Berlin in 1918 and worked exclusively in the German silent film industry until 1926, when he first w ...

, '' Facing the Music'' (1933), and ''

Over the Garden Wall ''Over the Garden Wall'' is an American animated television miniseries created by Patrick McHale for Cartoon Network. The series centers on two half-brothers who travel across a mysterious forest to find their way home, encountering a variet ...

'' (1934), then another with Stein, '' April Blossoms'' (1934) with

Richard Tauber Richard Tauber (16 May 1891 – 8 January 1948) was an Austrian tenor and film actor. Early life Richard Tauber was born in Linz, Austria, to Elisabeth Seifferth (née Denemy), a widow and an actress who played soubrette roles at the local theat ...

. Norman edited ''

I Spy I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...

'' (1934) for director

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan, was ...

, then ''

The Old Curiosity Shop ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' is one of two novels (the other being ''Barnaby Rudge'') which Charles Dickens published along with short stories in his weekly serial ''Master Humphrey's Clock'', from 1840 to 1841. It was so popular that New York r ...

'' (1934). He did several with Stein: '' Mimi'' (1935) for with

Gertrude Lawrence Gertrude Lawrence (4 July 1898 – 6 September 1952) was an English actress, singer, dancer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York. Early life Lawrence was born Gertr ...

, '' Heart's Desire'' (1935) with Tauber and Stein, and '' Viennese Love Song'' (1936) aka ''Faithful''. There was also ''

Regal Cavalcade ''Royal Cavalcade'', also known as ''Regal Cavalcade'', is a 1935 British, black-and-white, drama film directed by six separate directors: Thomas Bentley (Supervising Director), Herbert Brenon, Norman Lee, Walter Summers, W. P. Kellino and Marc ...

'' (1935), '' The Perfect Crime'' (1937), ''

Who Killed John Savage? ''Who Killed John Savage?'' is a 1937 British mystery film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Nicholas Hannen, Barry MacKay, Kathleen Kelly, Henry Oscar and Edward Chapman. The film is based on a novel by Philip MacDonald and is a remake ...

'' (1937) with Elvey, and ''

Glamour Girl Glamour photography is a genre of photography in which the subjects are portrayed in erotic poses ranging from fully clothed to nude. The term may be a euphemism for erotic photography. For glamour models, body shape and size are directly relat ...

'' (1938). Norman edited an early movie for TV, ''The Case of the Frightened Lady'' (1938). Then he returned to features: '' They Drive by Night'' (1938), '' Everything Happens to Me'' (1938) for director

Roy William Neill Roy William Neill (4 September 1887 – 14 December 1946) was an Irish-born American film director best known for directing the last eleven of the fourteen Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, made between 1943 and 19 ...

, and ''

The Nursemaid Who Disappeared ''The Nursemaid Who Disappeared'' is a 1939 British, black-and-white, crime film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Ronald Shiner as Detective Smith (uncredited), Ian Fleming, Arthur Margetson, Peter Coke and Edward Chapman. Based on ...

'' (1938) for Arthur Woods. In 1939, prior to joining the British Army, Norman co-directed with Anthony Hankey the thriller ''

Too Dangerous to Live Too or TOO may refer to: * Threshold of originality, a concept in copyright law * ''Too'' (Fantastic Plastic Machine album), the fourth studio album by Fantastic Plastic Machine * ''Too'' (FIDLAR album), the second studio album by American skate ...

'' starring Sebastian Shaw and

Anna Konstam Anna Konstam (22 February 1914 – 21 November 1982) was a British theatre actor, theatre and film actress. She appeared in the comedy ''Love in a Mist (play), Love in a Mist'' at St Martin's Theatre in 1941. She also played roles at Royal Shake ...

. He returned to editing with ''

Hoots Mon "Hoots Mon" is a song written by Harry Robinson, and performed by Lord Rockingham's XI. It was a number-one hit single for three weeks in 1958 on the UK Singles Chart. It is based on the old Scottish folk song " A Hundred Pipers". It was also o ...

'' (1940) for Roy William Neil, and '' The Frightened Lady'' (1940). Norman's last editing credits before entering the services were '' The Prime Minister'' (1941) for

Thorold Dickinson Thorold Barron Dickinson (16 November 1903 – 14 April 1984) was a British film director, screenwriter, film editor, film producer, and Britain's first university professor of film. Dickinson's work received much praise, with fellow directo ...

and ''

This Was Paris ''This Was Paris'' is a 1942 British Second World War spy film directed by John Harlow and starring Ann Dvorak, Ben Lyon and Griffith Jones. It was shot at Teddington Studios. Plot British Captain Bill Hamilton meets and is attracted to Ame ...

'' (1942).

Second World War

In 1942 Norman was enlisted in the British Army rising to the rank of Major. In August 1945 he was deployed to Burma as part of a secret mission to test sonic warfare in the fight against the Japanese. This involved Norman and his platoon broadcasting the sound of troop movements in the Burmese jungle as a decoy to allow Allied troop movements to take place in what would otherwise have been fortified Japanese positions.

Ealing

Return to editing

After the war Norman returned to editor on '' The Overlanders'' (1946) for Ealing. According to Norman director

Harry Watt Harry Watt (18 October 19062 April 1987) was a Scottish documentary and feature film director, who began his career working for John Grierson and Robert Flaherty. His 1959 film ''The Siege of Pinchgut'' was entered into the 9th Berlin Inter ...

was not satisfied with the editing job done by Inman Hunter "so they asked me to take it over. I actually ripped it all apart and started over again. But I thought this could ruin Ted Hunter's career so I suggested they credit him as editor and I would take the title of supervising editor." Ealing kept him on to edit ''

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'' or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' (or also ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of the ...

'' (1947) and '' Frieda'' (1947) for Basil Dearden.

Producer

Director Harry Watt had been impressed by the work Norman did on ''The Overlanders'', so he took Norman with him to Australia to help with ''

Eureka Stockade The Eureka Rebellion was a series of events involving gold miners who revolted against the British administration of the colony of Victoria, Australia during the Victorian gold rush. It culminated in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, which ...

'' (1949). Norman was producer and editor. Ealing promoted Norman to producer, on which he worked ''

A Run for Your Money ''A Run for Your Money'' is a 1949 Ealing Studios comedy film starring Donald Houston and Meredith Edwards as two Welshmen visiting London for the first time. The supporting cast includes Alec Guinness, Moira Lister and Hugh Griffith. Plot Tw ...

'' (1949) which he also co wrote. Norman went back to Australia to produce '' Bitter Springs'' (1950), written and directed by Ralph Smart. Like ''Eureka Stockade'' it was a box office disappointment. Norman then went with director Henry Watt to Kenya where they made ''

Where No Vultures Fly ''Where No Vultures Fly'' is a 1951 British adventure film directed by Harry Watt and starring Anthony Steel and Dinah Sheridan. It was released under the title ''Ivory Hunter'' in the United States. The film was inspired by the work of the con ...

'' (1951); Norman was credited as producer and writer. It was a huge success. So too were the next two films Norman produced, both starring Jack Hawkins: ''

Mandy Mandy or Mandie may refer to: People * Mandy (name), a female given name and nickname * Iván Mándy (1918-1995), Hungarian writer * Mark Mandy (born 1972), Irish retired high jumper * Philip Mandie (born 1942), a former judge on the Supreme Cou ...

'' (1952) and '' The Cruel Sea'' (1953). Norman and Watt reunited with '' West of Zanzibar'' (1954) a sequel to ''Where No Vultures Fly'', which was less popular.

Director

Norman returned to directing with the thriller ''

The Night My Number Came Up ''The Night My Number Came Up'' is a 1955 British supernatural drama film directed by Leslie Norman with the screenplay written by R. C. Sherriff. The plot is based on a real incident in the life of British Air Marshal Sir Victor Goddard; his j ...

'' (1955), made for Ealing. He moved over to Hammer Film for who he made the sci-fi/horror movie ''

X the Unknown ''X the Unknown'' is a 1956 British science fiction horror film directed by Leslie Norman and starring Dean Jagger and Edward Chapman. It was made by the Hammer Film Productions company and written by Jimmy Sangster. The film is significant i ...

'' (1956), replacing

Joseph Losey Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American theatre and film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Blackliste ...

at the last minute. In 1952 Norman said he wanted to make ''A Town Like Alice'', ''Robbery Under Arms'' and ''Come in Spinner'' in Australia. The first two movies were made without him but Norman went to Australia for Ealing again to make '' The Shiralee'' (1957) starring Peter Finch The movie was a success. Norman had another hit with the war movie ''

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Summer of the Seventeenth Doll ''Summer of the Seventeenth Doll'' is an Australian play written by Ray Lawler and first performed at the Union Theatre in Melbourne on 28 November 1955. The play is considered to be the most significant in Australian theatre history, and a " ...

'' (1959), for Hecht Hill Lancaster. The movie was not a success, critically or commercially. Norman directed an adaptation of '' The Long and the Short and the Tall'' (1961) for Michael Balcon's new company; it was commercially successful in England. Less well received were '' Spare the Rod'' (1961) with

Max Bygraves Walter William Bygraves (16 October 1922 – 31 August 2012), best known by the stage name Max Bygraves (adopted in honour of Max Miller), was an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own television shows, s ...

and ''

Mix Me a Person ''Mix Me a Person'' is a 1962 British crime drama film directed by Leslie Norman, starring Anne Baxter, Donald Sinden, Adam Faith, Walter Brown and Carole Ann Ford. The screenplay concerns a young London criminal who is faced with being hange ...

'' (1962) with

Donald Sinden Sir Donald Alfred Sinden (9 October 1923 – 12 September 2014) was a British actor. Sinden featured in the film ''Mogambo'' (1953), and achieved early fame as a Rank Organisation film star in the 1950s in films including ''The Cruel Sea (195 ...

and

Adam Faith Terence Nelhams Wright (23 June 1940 – 8 March 2003), known as Adam Faith, was an English singer, actor, and financial journalist. A teen idol, he scored consecutive No. 1 hits on the UK Singles Chart with "What Do You Want?" (1959) and "Poo ...

Television career

In the 1960s, he worked as director on several notable British TV series including ''

Gideon's Way ''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. J. Marric'). The series was made at Elstree Studios in twin production with '' ...

'' (7 episodes), '' The Baron'' (3 episodes), ''

The Champions ''The Champions'' is a British espionage thriller/science fiction/occult detective fiction adventure television series. It was produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company, and consists of 30 episodes broadcast in the UK on ITV ...

'', ''

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

'' (21 episodes), ''

The Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes ** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes o ...

'' (2 episodes), '' My Partner the Ghost'', ''

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) ''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' is a British private detective television series, starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope respectively as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk. The series was created by Dennis Spooner and pro ...

'' (3 episodes), '' Department S'' (3 episodes), ''

Shirley's World ''Shirley's World'' is a television series aired first by ABC during the 1971–72 television season. The sitcom was co-produced by the British ITC Entertainment and American producer Sheldon Leonard, with English producer-director Ray Aust ...

'', ''

The Persuaders! ''The Persuaders!'' is an action-comedy series starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore, produced by ITC Entertainment, and initially broadcast on ITV and ABC in 1971. The show has been called 'the last major entry in the cycle of adventure serie ...

'' (6 episodes), ''

The Pathfinders ''Pathfinders'' (1972–1973) is an ITV drama set in the Second World War, telling the story of the fictitious Royal Air Force 192 Pathfinder squadron. The Pathfinders were specialised RAF squadrons that marked targets for the RAF's heavy bom ...

'' and ''

Return of the Saint ''Return of the Saint'' is a British action-adventure television series that aired for one series in 1978 and 1979 in Britain on ITV, and was also broadcast on CBS in the United States. It was co-produced by ITC Entertainment and the Italian bro ...

''. He started directing Hammer's '' The Lost Continent'' (1969) but was replaced during the shoot by

Michael Carreras Michael Henry Carreras (21 December 1927 – 19 April 1994) was a British film producer and director. He was known for his association with Hammer Film Productions, Hammer Films, being the son of founder James Carreras, and taking an execu ...

Retirement and death

Norman was forced into retirement after a

laryngectomy Laryngectomy is the removal of the larynx and separation of the airway from the mouth, nose and esophagus. In a total laryngectomy, the entire larynx is removed (including the vocal folds, hyoid bone, epiglottis, Thyroid cartilage, thyroid and cr ...

for cancer in 1978. He died in

Knebworth Knebworth is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire, England, immediately south of Stevenage. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of Datchworth, Woolmer Green, Codicote, Kimpton, Hert ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

on 18 February 1993 at the age of 81 after suffering a seizure whilst driving near his home.

Family

Norman's son,

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

, was a prominent UK film critic and broadcaster, whilst his daughter,

Valerie Valerie may refer to: People *Saint Valerie (disambiguation), a number of saints went by the name Valerie *Valerie (given name), a feminine given name Songs *"Valerie", a 1981 song by Quarterflash, from ''Quarterflash'' *"Valerie", a 1982 son ...

, is a script editor and director.

Selected filmography

Editor

* ''

'' (1931) * '' Lucky Girl'' (1932) * ''

The Innocents of Chicago ''The Innocents of Chicago'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Lupino Lane and starring Henry Kendall, Binnie Barnes and Margot Grahame. Production The film was made by British International Pictures at Elstree Studios.Wood p.72 It was ...

'' (1932) * '' Red Wagon'' (1933) * '' Facing the Music'' (1933) * ''

'' (1934) * ''

'' (1934) * '' Heart's Desire'' (1935) * '' Mimi'' (1935) * '' Faithful'' (1936) * '' Hoots Mon!'' (1940) * '' The Prime Minister'' (1941) * '' Frieda'' (1947) * ''

'' (1949)

Producer

* ''The Crash of Silence'' 'Mandy'' in the UK(1952) * '' The Cruel Sea'' (1953) * '' West of Zanzibar'' (1954)

Executive Producer

* ''

The Ivory Hunters ''The Ivory Hunters'' (subtitled ''Double Barrelled Piano'') is an album by jazz pianists Bill Evans and Bob Brookmeyer, originally released on the United Artists label, featuring Evans and Brookmeyer with Percy Heath, and Connie Kay, recorded in ...

'' 'Where No Vultures Fly'' in the UK(1951)

Director

* ''

'' (1939) * ''

'' (1955) * ''

'' (1956) * ''The Shiralee'' (1957) * ''

'' (1959) * '' Spare the Rod'' (1961) * '' The Long and the Short and the Tall'' (1961) * ''

'' (1962) * '' A Sentimental Journey (Randall and Hopkirk)'' (1968) * '' It's Supposed to be Thicker than Water'' (1968)

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Leslie 1911 births 1993 deaths People from Fulham English film directors English film producers British Army personnel of World War II Royal Army Ordnance Corps officers 20th-century English businesspeople