Ralph Foster Smart (27 August 1908 – 12 February 2001) was a film and television producer, director, and writer, born in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n parents.

Biography

Smart found work in Britain with

Anthony Asquith Anthony William Landon Asquith (; 9 November 1902 – 20 February 1968) was an English film director. He collaborated successfully with playwright Terence Rattigan on ''The Winslow Boy'' (1948) and '' The Browning Version'' (1951), among oth ...

and later alongside the film director

Michael Powell Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company The Archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a serie ...

, whom he assisted with 'quota quickies': low-budget B-pictures to meet a legal commitment to the British film industry under the

Cinematograph Films Act 1927 The Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 ('' 17 & 18 Geo. V'') was an act of the United Kingdom Parliament designed to stimulate the declining British film industry. It received Royal Assent on 20 December 1927 and came into force on 1 April 1928. D ...

. During the Second World War, Smart joined the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

in 1942 and served until 1945. Afterward he worked for the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribu ...

and

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 ...

, returning to Australia to direct several films beginning with '' The Overlanders'' and including '' Bitter Springs'' (1950), addressing the mistreatment of young Aborigines. Back again in Britain, he became an influential figure in ITC television, producing, directing or writing a number of television series and films, including the 1950s series ''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de H ...

'' and ''

The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells. Originally serialized in ''Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a scientist who has devote ...

''. Later he created and produced the highly successful spy series ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...

'' (also known as ''Secret Agent'' in the United States). In 2000 he was awarded the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

Medal for "services to the development of the Australian film industry". He retired to Australia, and died on 12 February 2001, in

Bowen, Queensland Bowen is a coastal town and locality in the Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Bowen had a population of 10,377 people. The locality contains two other towns: * Heronvale () * Merinda (). The Abbot Point coal s ...

.David Anthony, 'Bowen boasts movie heritage', ''Townsville Bulletin'', 16 June 2007
/ref>

Selected filmography

* ''

A Cottage on Dartmoor ''A Cottage on Dartmoor'' (a.k.a. ''Escape from Dartmoor'') is a 1929 British silent film, directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Norah Baring, Uno Henning and Hans Adalbert Schlettow. The cameraman was Stanley Rodwell. It was the last of A ...

'' (1929) – uncredited writer * '' The Woodpigeon Patrol'' (short; 1930) – writer, director * ''

The Star Reporter ''The Star Reporter'' is a 1932 British crime drama, directed by Michael Powell and starring Harold French and Garry Marsh. The screenplay was adapted from a story by popular thriller writer Philip MacDonald. ''The Star Reporter'' is one of e ...

'' (1932) – writer * '' Hotel Splendide'' (1932) – writer * '' C.O.D.'' (1932) – writer * '' His Lordship'' (1932) – writer * ''

Born Lucky ''Born Lucky'' is an American television series in which contestants earned mall money and prizes. It was hosted by Bob Goen and announced by Jonathan Coleman. Four contestants competed in a stunt game show taped at various shopping malls for ...

'' (1933) – writer * '' The Murder Party'' (1935) – writer * '' The Phantom Light'' (1935) – writer * ''

Crime Unlimited ''Crime Unlimited'' is a 1935 British crime film that was made as a Quota quickie. It was directed by Ralph Ince. The film marked the English-language debut of Lilli Palmer. Plot The Merrick gang pull off a diamond robbery and murder a police o ...

'' (1935) – writer * ''Sweet Success'' (short; 1936) – director * ''

Convict 99 ''Convict 99'' is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Will Hay, Moore Marriott, Graham Moffatt and Googie Withers. Plot Incompetent Dr Benjamin Twist (Will Hay) is dismissed from his job as headmaster at St. Mich ...

'' (1938) – writer * ''

Alf's Button Afloat ''Alf's Button Afloat'' is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Bud Flanagan, Chesney Allen, Jimmy Nervo, Alastair Sim and Peter Gawthorne. In the film, the Crazy Gang go to sea, where one of them discovers a butto ...

'' (1938) – writer * '' The Good Old Days'' (1940) – story * ''

Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt ''Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt'' is a 1940 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde, starring Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch as Oxford 'scholars'. The film is one of many to be based on the 1892 Victorian farce ''Charley's Aunt'' by Brando ...

'' (1940) – writer * ''

South West Pacific Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million as of ...

'' (1943) – actor * '' Island Target'' (documentary; 1945) – director * '' The Overlanders'' (1946) – writer, associate producer * ''

Bush Christmas ''Bush Christmas'' (also known as ''Prince and the Great Race'') is a 1983 Australian Christmas drama film and a remake of a 1947 film of the same name, which was based on a novel by Ralph Smart and Mary Cathcart Borer. The film marked actress ...

'' (1947) – writer, director, producer * ''

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 ...

'' (1948) – writer (additional scenes) * ''

Quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

'' (1948; anthology film, segment ''The Facts of Life'') – director * ''

A Boy, a Girl and a Bike ''A Boy, a Girl and a Bike'' is a 1949 British romantic comedy film directed by Ralph Smart and starring John McCallum, Honor Blackman and Patrick Holt. The film's art direction was by George Provis. The film concerns the romantic escapades an ...

'' (1949) – director * '' Bitter Springs'' (1950) – story, director * ''

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 co ...

'' (1951) – writer * '' Never Take No For an Answer'' (1951) – writer, director * ''

Curtain Up ''Curtain Up'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Ralph Smart and starring Robert Morley, Margaret Rutherford and Kay Kendall. Written by Jack Davies and Michael Pertwee it is based on the play ''On Monday Next'' by Philip King. It w ...

'' (1952) – director * '' Always a Bride'' (1953) – writer, director * ''

'' (TV series; 1955–57) – writer, director * ''

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot ''The Adventures of Sir Lancelot'' is a British television series first broadcast in 1956, produced by Sapphire Films for ITC Entertainment and screened on the ITV network. The series starred William Russell as the eponymous Sir Lancelot, a Kn ...

'' (TV series; 1956) – director * '' The Buccaneers'' (TV series; 1956) – director, producer * '' The Flying Scot'' (1957) – co-writer * ''The Adventures of Mr. Pastry'' (TV short; 1958) – director * ''

William Tell William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...

'' (TV series; 1958–59) – writer, director, producer * ''

'' (TV series; 1960–61) – co-creator, writer, director, producer * ''

'' (TV series; 1964–66, US title: ''Secret Agent'') – co-creator, writer, script editor, executive producer * ''

Riptide A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal fl ...

'' (TV series; 1969) – writer, producer * '' My Partner the Ghost'' (TV series; 1969) – writer * ''

The Protectors ''The Protectors'' is a British television series, an action thriller created by Gerry Anderson. It was Anderson's second TV series to exclusively use live actors as opposed to marionettes (following ''UFO''), and his second to be firmly set in ...

'' (TV series; 1972) – writer * '' Elephant Boy'' (TV series; 1972) – writer

Writing credits

References

External links

*
Ralph Smart
at AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource
Article linking three seminal TV shows

Ralph Smart & Hannah Weinstein & British TV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smart, Ralph 1908 births 2001 deaths British emigrants to Australia English television producers English people of Australian descent English film directors Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Writers from London Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II