Basil Wrangell (born Basilio Petrovich von Wrangell) was an Italian film and television editor and director who worked in Hollywood from the 1920s through the 1970s.

Biography

Basil was born at the Russian embassy in

Ponte a Moriano Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

, Italy, to Peter von Wrangell and Marussia Sasso-Ruffo. On his father's side, his family line had reportedly served as court attaches of old Russia since 1200 A.D. Basil's brother, George Wrangell, was a society columnist in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Basil attended the elite

Grosvenor School The Grosvenor School of Modern Art was a private British art school and, in its shortened form ("Grosvenor School"), the name of a brief British-Australian art movement. It was founded in 1925 by the Scottish wood engraver Iain Macnab in his h ...

in Nottingham, England, as a young man, until his family lost their wealth during the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

. A chance opportunity to serve as an interpreter for Fred Niblo on ''Ben-Hur'' led to Basil traveling to America to take an entry-level job in a cutting room at a studio. He ended up becoming a proficient editor, eventually earning the chance to direct shorts and features. For television, he edited many episodes of ''

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 ...

'', '' Peyton Place'', ''

Combat! ''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American sol ...

'', and '' Adventures in Paradise''.

Selected filmography

As editor: *'' The Only Way to Spy'' (1978) *''

Tobor the Great ''Tobor the Great'' (a.k.a. ''Tobor'') is a 1954 independently made American black-and-white science fiction film, produced by Richard Goldstone, directed by Lee Sholem, and starring Charles Drake, Karin Booth, and Billy Chapin. The film wa ...

'' (1954) *''

Love Happy ''Love Happy'' is a 1949 American musical comedy film, released by United Artists, directed by David Miller and starring the Marx Brothers (Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx and Chico Marx) in their 13th and final feature film, as well as a memorable wa ...

'' (1949) *''

The Good Earth ''The Good Earth'' is a historical fiction novel by Pearl S. Buck published in 1931 that dramatizes family life in a Chinese village in the early 20th century. It is the first book in her ''House of Earth'' trilogy, continued in ''Sons'' (1932) ...

'' (1937) *''

Whipsaw A whipsaw or pitsaw was originally a type of saw used in a saw pit, and consisted of a narrow blade held rigid by a frame and called a frame saw or sash saw (see illustrations). This evolved into a straight, stiff blade without a frame, up to 1 ...

'' (1935) *'' Shadow of Doubt'' (1935) *''

Hide-Out ''Hide-Out'' is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy, crime, drama, romance film directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starring Robert Montgomery and Maureen O'Sullivan. It also features a young Mickey Rooney. The film was nominated for an Academy Award f ...

'' (1934) *''

Hips, Hips, Hooray! ''Hips, Hips, Hooray!'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code slapstick comedy starring Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Ruth Etting, Thelma Todd, and Dorothy Lee. During its initial theatrical run, it was preceded by the two-color Technicolor short ''Not ...

'' (1934) *''

Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men ''Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Mark Sandrich and written by Humphrey Pearson and Edward Kaufman. The film stars Charles Farrell, Wynne Gibson, William Gargan, ZaSu Pitts, Betty Furness and Bla ...

'' (1933) *''

Midshipman Jack ''Midshipman Jack'' is a 1933 American pre-Code action film directed by Christy Cabanne and written by Frank Wead and F. McGrew Willis. The film stars Bruce Cabot, Betty Furness, Frank Albertson, Arthur Lake, and Florence Lake. The film was re ...

'' (1933) *''

Bed of Roses A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax. Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many b ...

'' (1933) *''

Gabriel Over the White House ''Gabriel Over the White House'' is a 1933 American pre-Code political fantasy film starring Walter Huston as a genial but politically corrupt U.S. President who has a near-fatal automobile accident and comes under divine influence—specifica ...

'' (1933) *''

Ladies They Talk About ''Ladies They Talk About'' is a 1933 pre-Code American crime drama directed by Howard Bretherton and William Keighley, and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Preston Foster, and Lyle Talbot. The film is about an attractive woman who is a member of a ba ...

'' (1933) *''

Freaks Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc. Freak, freaks or The Freak may also refer to: Fictional characters * Freak (Ima ...

'' (1932) * ''Sidewalks of New York'' (1931) *''

Min and Bill ''Min and Bill'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code comedy-drama film, directed by George W. Hill and starring Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery. Adapted by Frances Marion and Marion Jackson from Lorna Moon's 1929 novel, ''Dark Star'', the film tells ...

'' (1930) *'' Love in the Rough'' (1930) *''

Let Us Be Gay ''Let Us Be Gay'' is a 1930 American pre-Code romantic comedy-drama film produced and distributed by MGM. It was directed by Robert Z. Leonard and stars Norma Shearer. It was filmed concurrently with and based upon the 1929 play by Rachel Croth ...

'' (1930) *''

The Woman Racket ''The Woman Racket'' is an extant 1930 Pre-Code talking film produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Tom Moore and Blanche Sweet. It is based on a 1928 Broadway play, ''Night Hostess'' by Philip Dunning. In January 2012 the fil ...

'' (1930) *''

Marianne Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. Marianne is displayed i ...

'' (1929) *'' The Voice of the City'' (1929) *'' All at Sea'' (1929) *''

The Cameraman ''The Cameraman'' is a 1928 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and an uncredited Buster Keaton. The picture stars Keaton and Marceline Day. ''The Cameraman'' was Keaton's first film with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It ...

'' (1928) *''

The Cardboard Lover ''The Cardboard Lover'' is a 1928 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring Marion Davies, Nils Asther and Jetta Goudal. It was produced by Cosmopolitan Productions and distributed by Metro Goldwyn Mayer. ...

'' (1928) *''

A Certain Young Man ''A Certain Young Man'' is a 1928 comedy film directed by Hobart Henley. The film stars Ramon Novarro, Marceline Day, Renée Adorée, Carmel Myers and Bert Roach. The film is considered lost. A trailer for the film is preserved at the Library of ...

'' (1928) *''

The Latest from Paris ''The Latest from Paris'' is a 1928 American silent romantic drama film directed by Sam Wood and written by Joseph Farnham and A. P. Younger. The film stars Norma Shearer, George Sidney, Ralph Forbes, Tenen Holtz, and William Bakewell. The fi ...

'' (1928) *'' In Old Kentucky'' (1927) *''

Twelve Miles Out ''Twelve Miles Out'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Jack Conway and starring John Gilbert and Joan Crawford. It is based on the 1925 Broadway play ''Twelve Miles Out'' by William Anthony McGuire. Synopsis Jerry Fay (Gilber ...

'' (1927) *''

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

'' (1927) As director: *''South Seas Adventure'' (1958) *''Heartaches'' (1947) *''

Philo Vance's Gamble ''Philo Vance's Gamble'' is a 1947 American mystery film directed by Basil Wrangell and starring Alan Curtis, Vivian Austin and Tala Birell. It was the first of three films featuring the detective Philo Vance made by the Producers Releasing Corpo ...

'' (1947)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wrangell, Basil Italian film editors Italian film directors 1906 births 1977 deaths Italian emigrants to the United States