Donald Chaffey (5 August 1917 – 13 November 1990) was a British

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

, writer, producer, and

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

. Chaffey's film career began as an art director in 1947, and his directorial debut was in 1953. He remained active in the industry until his death in 1990 from

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

. His film '' Charley One-Eye'' (1973) was entered into the

24th Berlin International Film Festival The 24th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 21 June – 2 July 1974. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Canadian film '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' directed by Ted Kotcheff. Jury The following people were announc ...

. He is chiefly remembered for his

fantasy films Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction ...

, which include '' Jason and the Argonauts'' (1963), '' The Three Lives of Thomasina'' (1963), '' One Million Years B.C.'' (1966), '' The Viking Queen'' (1967), ''

Creatures the World Forgot ''Creatures the World Forgot'' is a 1971 adventure film directed by Don Chaffey and produced and written for Hammer Films by Michael Carreras. The film concentrates on the daily struggle to survive of a tribe of Stone Age men. Very little dialogu ...

'' (1971), '' Pete's Dragon'' (1977), and ''

C.H.O.M.P.S. ''C.H.O.M.P.S.'' is a 1979 American comic science fiction family film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and directed by Don Chaffey. Plot Brian Foster ( Wesley Eure), a young inventor, creates a robotic dog for use as part of a home protect ...

'' (1979), his final

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

. Concurrent with his theatrically released films, Chaffey directed episodes of numerous British

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

, including multiple installments of ''

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 ...

'', ''

The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a 1967 British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptl ...

'', and '' The Avengers''. From the 1980s until his death, all of his work was in American

made-for-TV movies A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

, and in such TV series as ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tatto ...

'', ''

Stingray Stingrays are a group of sea rays, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae ...

'', ''

MacGyver Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot. In both p ...

'', '' Vega$'', '' T. J. Hooker'', ''

Matt Houston ''Matt Houston'' was an American crime drama television series starring Lee Horsley as the title character, a wealthy oilman who decides to hold a side job as a private investigator. Created by Lawrence Gordon and produced by Aaron Spelling, ...

,'' and ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by ...

''.

Career

Chaffey began his career in the art department of

Gainsborough Productions Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...

where he worked as a draftsman on ''

Madonna of the Seven Moons ''Madonna of the Seven Moons'' is a 1945 British drama film directed by Arthur Crabtree for Gainsborough Pictures and starring Phyllis Calvert, Stewart Granger and Patricia Roc. The film was produced by Rubeigh James Minney, with cinematography ...

'' (1945), ''

The Rake's Progress ''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings '' A Rake's Prog ...

'' (1945), and ''

Caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...

'' (1946). He was art director of '' The Adventures of Dusty Bates'' (1947) and ''

The Little Ballerina ''The Little Ballerina'' is a 1947 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert. Cast * Yvonne Marsh as Joan * Marian Chapman as Sally * Kay Henderson as Pamela * Doreen Richards as Lydia * Anita Holland as Carol * Beatrice Varley as Mr ...

'' (1948). He directed the documentary shorts ''Thames Tideway'' (1948) and ''Cape Cargoes'' (1948). Chaffey directed the short features '' The Mysterious Poacher'' (1950) and '' The Case of the Missing Scene'' (1950). He returned to the art department for '' King of the Underworld'' (1950), '' The Stolen Plans'' (1952), '' Murder at the Grange'' (1952), ''

Murder at Scotland Yard ''Murder at Scotland Yard'' is 1953 British crime film directed by Victor M. Gover and starring Tod Slaughter, Patrick Barr and Tucker McGuire. It is a sequel to the 1952 film '' King of the Underworld''Richards p.158 and depicts the continu ...

'' (1952), and ''

Black 13 ''Black 13'' is a 1953 British crime drama film directed by Ken Hughes and starring Peter Reynolds, Rona Anderson, Patrick Barr and John Le Mesurier. The film is a remake of the 1948 Italian film '' Gioventù perduta'' (also known as ''Lost Y ...

'' (1953).

Director

Chaffey resumed his directing career with the family film '' Skid Kids'' (1953). He made the short ''Watch Out'' (1953), then did '' Strange Stories'' (1953), ''Bouncer Breaks Up'' (1953, a short), ''The Mask'' (1952), and ''A Good Pull Up'' (1953). Chaffey directed ''

Time Is My Enemy ''Time Is My Enemy'' is a 1954 British crime film directed by Don Chaffey and starring Dennis Price, Renée Asherson and Patrick Barr. Plot Small-time crook Radley (Dennis Price) returns after a long absence to discover his wife Barbara (Renee ...

'' (1954). After the short ''Dead on Time'' (1955) he made ''

The Secret Tent ''The Secret Tent'' is a 1956 crime film directed by Don Chaffey. It stars Donald Gray and Andrée Melly and was made at Shepperton Studios. Plot Respectable wife Ruth attempts to conceal her secret past as a criminal from neighbours and from h ...

'' (1956), '' The Flesh Is Weak'' (1957) and '' The Girl in the Picture'' (1957). He also directed "The Man Upstairs" (1958) starring Richard Attenborough. He directed episodes of TV series like '' Theatre Royal'', ''

The Adventures of the Big Man ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', ''

Chevron Hall of Stars ''Chevron Hall of Stars'' is an American television anthology series which aired in 1956 in first-run syndication. It was produced by Four Star Productions, and was a half-hour series. Gene Roddenberry’s script ''The Secret Weapon of 117'' ...

'', ''

The Errol Flynn Theatre ''The Errol Flynn Theatre'' is an anthology series presented by Errol Flynn, who would also play the lead in every fourth show. His wife Patrice Wymore and son Sean also made appearances. Production Filming started 1 March 1956 and was done by Int ...

'', ''

Assignment Foreign Legion ''Assignment Foreign Legion'' is an American TV series made in Britain that ran for 26 episodes from 1956 to 1957. It was hosted by Merle Oberon and financed by CBS. Directors included Don Chaffey, Michael McCarthy and Lance Comfort. Premise A fe ...

'', ''

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 d ...

'', ''Dial 999'', and '' The New Adventures of Charlie Chan''. He interspersed these with features like '' A Question of Adultery'' (1958), '' The Man Upstairs'' (1958), '' Danger Within'' (1959), ''

Dentist in the Chair ''Dentist in the Chair'' is a 1960 British comedy film, directed by Don Chaffey and starring Bob Monkhouse, Ronnie Stevens, Eric Barker and Vincent Ball. The screenplay was written by Val Guest, and based on a novel by Matthew Finch. Additiona ...

'' (1960), '' Lies My Father Told Me'' (1960), and '' Nearly a Nasty Accident'' (1961).

Disney and Fantasy

He did '' Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog'' (1961) then ''

A Matter of WHO ''A Matter of WHO'' is a 1961 British comedy thriller film directed by Don Chaffey and starring Terry-Thomas as a World Health Organization employee trying to trail the source of a deadly virus. It also featured Julie Alexander, Sonja Ziemann, ...

'' (1961), a version of ''

The Prince and the Pauper ''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547 ...

'' (1962) for Disney, and ''

The Webster Boy ''The Webster Boy'' is a 1962 Irish film directed by Don Chaffey and written by Ted Allan and Leo Marks. Cast *Richard O'Sullivan as Jimmy Webster *John Cassavetes as Vance Miller *Elizabeth Sellars as Margaret Webster * David Farrar as Paul Webs ...

'' (1962). He had a big hit with '' Jason and the Argonauts'' (1963) with

Ray Harryhausen Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British animator and special effects creator who created a form of stop motion model animation known as "Dynamation". His works include the animation for '' Mi ...

. Then it was back to Disney for '' The Three Lives of Thomasina'' (1963). Chaffey directed ''

They All Died Laughing ''A Jolly Bad Fellow'' (US: ''They all Died Laughing'') is a 1964 British black comedy film directed by Don Chaffey. It stars Leo McKern and Janet Munro.The Crooked Road ''The Crooked Road'' is a 1965 British film directed and co-written by Don Chaffey. It stars Stewart Granger, Robert Ryan, and Janet Munro. The film is based on the 1957 novel ''The Big Story'' by Morris West. An American journalist ( Robert ...

'' (1965), and '' One Million Years B.C.'' (1966) for Hammer. He returned to television to do episodes of ''

'', '' The Baron'', ''

'', ''

Man in a Suitcase ''Man in a Suitcase'' is a British television private eye thriller series produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It originally aired in the United Kingdom on ITV from 27 September 1967 to 17 April 1968. ABC broadcast episodes of ''Man in ...

'', '' Journey to the Unknown'', '' The Avengers'', ''The Pathfinders'', and '' The Protectors''. Chaffey did '' The Viking Queen'' (1967) for Hammer, ''

A Twist of Sand ''A Twist of Sand'' is a 1968 British adventure film directed by Don Chaffey and starring Richard Johnson, Jeremy Kemp, Honor Blackman and Peter Vaughan based on the novel by Geoffrey Jenkins. Plot A former British naval officer now makes his ...

'' (1968), ''

'' (1971) for Hammer, ''

Clinic Exclusive ''Clinic Exclusive'' (UK theatrical title: ''Clinic Xclusive''; working title ''With These Hands''; re-released as ''Sex Clinic'') is a 1971 British erotic film directed by Don Chaffey and starring Georgina Ward (actress), Georgina Ward, Alexande ...

'' (1973), '' Charley-One-Eye'' (1973), and ''

Persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these ter ...

'' (1974).

Australia and US TV

Chaffey went to Australia where he directed '' Ben Hall'' (1975), ''

Ride a Wild Pony ''Ride a Wild Pony'' (also known as ''Born to Run'') is a 1975 American-Australian family adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, directed by Don Chaffey and based on the novel ''A Sporting Proposition'' by James Aldridge. Plot Set i ...

'' (1975), ''

The Fourth Wish ''The Fourth Wish'' is a 1976 Australian family film directed by Don Chaffey based on a three-part 1974 TV drama from the ABC. Plot Casey learns that his 12-year-old son Sean has leukaemia and will die in a few months. Casey leaves his job to dev ...

'' (1976), and ''

Shimmering Light ''Shimmering Light'' is a 1978 Australian television film about an American surfer who travels to Australia in search of the perfect wave. It was one of six TV movies made in Australia by Transatlantic Enterprises.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on ...

'' (1978). He worked in America too making '' CHiPs'', '' Pete's Dragon'' (1977) for Disney, ''

The Magic of Lassie ''The Magic of Lassie'' is a 1978 American musical drama film directed by Don Chaffey, and starring Lassie, James Stewart (in his final appearance in a domestically-released live action feature film), Stephanie Zimbalist, Pernell Roberts and Mich ...

'' (1978), '' Lassie: A New Beginning'' (1978), ''The Gift of Love'' (1978), ''

'' (1979), and ''

Casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live enterta ...

'' (1980). He eventually focused almost exclusively on episodic TV: '' Vega$'', ''

'', '' Strike Force'', ''

'', '' Gavilan'', '' The Renegade'', ''

Lottery! ''Lottery!'' is an American anthologic drama that premiered on ABC on September 9, 1983. The series aired for one season of 17 episodes and starred Ben Murphy as Patrick Sean Flaherty, and Marshall Colt as Eric Rush. ''Lottery!'' centered on o ...

'', ''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

'', ''

'', '' Finder of Lost Loves'', ''

International Airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer r ...

'' (1985, a pilot), '' Spenser: For Hire'', '' Hollywood Beat'', ''

Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series that centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code-named ''Airwolf'', and its crew. The show follows them as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving e ...

'', ''

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

'', ''

Outlaws An outlaw is a person living outside the law. Outlaws or The Outlaws may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''The Outlaws'' (1950 film), an Italian crime film * ''Outlaws'' (1985 film), a French film * ''The Outlaws'' (2017 film), a Sou ...

'', ''

'' and '' Mission: Impossible''.

Personal life

Chaffey married American actress Paula Kelly in 1985 and they had one child together. Chaffey died of a heart attack in 1990.

Filmography

Film

*1953: '' Strange Stories'' ("Strange Journey" segment) *1953: '' Skid Kids'' *1954: ''

'' *1956: ''

'' *1957: '' The Girl in the Picture'' *1957: '' The Flesh Is Weak'' *1958: '' A Question of Adultery'' *1958: '' The Man Upstairs'' *1959: '' Danger Within'' *1960: '' Lies My Father Told Me'' *1960: ''

'' *1961: '' Nearly a Nasty Accident'' *1961: '' Greyfriars Bobby'' *1961: ''

'' *1962: ''

'' *1963: '' Jason and the Argonauts'' *1963: '' The Three Lives of Thomasina'' *1964: ''

A Jolly Bad Fellow ''A Jolly Bad Fellow'' (US: ''They all Died Laughing'') is a 1964 British black comedy film directed by Don Chaffey. It stars Leo McKern and Janet Munro.The Crooked Road ''The Crooked Road'' is a 1965 British film directed and co-written by Don Chaffey. It stars Stewart Granger, Robert Ryan, and Janet Munro. The film is based on the 1957 novel ''The Big Story'' by Morris West. An American journalist ( Robert ...

'' *1966: '' One Million Years B.C.'' *1967: '' The Viking Queen'' *1968: ''

'' *1971: ''

'' *1973: '' Charley One-Eye'' *1974: ''

'' *1975: ''

'' *1976: ''

'' *1977: '' Pete's Dragon'' *1978: ''

'' *1979: ''

'' (final theatrical film)

Television

*1955–56: '' Theatre Royal'' (TV series; 16 episodes) *1956: ''The Adventures of the Big Man'' (TV series; 2 episodes) *1956: ''

'' (TV series; 1 episode) *1956–57: ''Assignment Foreign Legion'' (TV series; 7 episodes) *1957: ''

'' (TV series; 2 episodes) *1957–58: '' The New Adventures of Charlie Chan'' (TV series; 13 episodes) *1957–58: ''

'' (TV series; 7 episodes) *1959–60: '' The Four Just Men'' (TV series; 13 episodes) *1959: ''Dial 999'' (TV series; 1 episode) *1962–65: '' Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color'' (TV series; 10 episodes) *1964–66: ''

'' (TV series; 15 episodes) *1966–67: '' The Baron'' (TV series; 2 episodes) *1967: ''

'' (TV series; 4 episodes) *1968: ''

'' (TV series; 1 episode) *1968–69: '' Journey to the Unknown'' (TV series; 2 episodes) *1968–69: '' The Avengers'' (TV series; 5 episodes) *1970: '' Journey to the Unknown'' (TV movie; "The Last Visitor" segment) *1972: ''The Pathfinders'' (TV series; 2 episodes) *1972–73: '' The Protectors'' (TV series; 9 episodes) *1975: '' Ben Hall'' (TV series; 1 episode) *1977: ''Born to Run'' (TV movie) *1977: '' CHiPs'' (TV series; 1 episode) *1978–81: '' Vega$'' (TV series; 17 episodes) *1978–81: ''

'' (TV series; 10 episodes) *1978: ''Lassie: A New Beginning'' (TV movie) *1978: ''The Gift of Love'' (TV movie) *1978: ''

'' (TV movie) *1979: ''

The Wonderful World of Disney The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The pr ...

'' (TV series; 4 episodes) *1980: ''

'' (TV movie) *1980: ''Riding for the Pony Express'' (TV pilot episode) *1981–82: ''

'' (TV series; 7 episodes) *1982: '' Strike Force'' (TV series; 4 episodes) *1982: '' Gavilan'' (TV series; 1 episode) *1982–83: '' T. J. Hooker'' (TV series; 6 episodes) *1982–84: ''

'' (TV series; 12 episodes) *1983: ''

The Renegades Renegades or The Renegades may refer to: Books * ''The Renegades'' by T. Jefferson Parker * Renegades (novel), a 2017 novel by Marissa Meyer Film and television * ''Renegades'' (1930 film), starring Myrna Loy * ''Renegades'' (1946 film), ...

'' (TV series; 1 episode) *1983: ''

'' (TV series; 2 episodes) *1984–85: '' Finder of Lost Loves'' (TV series; 6 episodes) *1985: '' Hollywood Beat'' (TV series; 4 episodes) *1985: ''

'' (TV movie) *1985: '' Spenser: For Hire'' (TV series; 1 episode) *1986: ''

'' (TV series; 1 episode) *1986: ''

'' (TV series; 1 episode) *1986–87: ''

'' (TV series; 2 episodes) *1987: ''

'' (TV series; 1 episode) *1987: ''

'' (TV series; 2 episodes) *1989: '' Mission: Impossible'' (TV series; 4 episodes)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chaffey, Don 1917 births 1990 deaths People from Hastings English art directors English film directors English film producers English male screenwriters English television directors Fantasy film directors 20th-century English screenwriters 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English businesspeople