John Paddy Carstairs

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

John Paddy Carstairs

John Paddy Carstairs (born John Keys; 11 May 1910, in London – 12 December 1970, in London) was a British film director (1933–62) and television director (1962–64), usually of light-hearted subject matter.[1] He was also a comic novelist and painter.[2]

Biography[edit]

The son of actor Nelson Keys, Carstairs changed his name in order to avoid the appearance of nepotism.[3] He directed 37 films in total. He had a long association with the character of Simon Templar (the character's creator, Leslie Charteris, dedicated the 1963 book, The Saint in the Sun to Carstairs). Aside from directing the 1939 Saint film, The Saint in London, he also directed two episodes of The Saint in the 1960s, making him the only individual (other than Charteris himself) to be connected to both the Hollywood film and British series of The Saint. Carstairs directed many British comedies including many of Norman Wisdom's films.[4]

Death[edit]

Carstairs died of a heart attack on 12 December 1970, aged 60.

Select bibliography[edit]

  • Honest Injun (1942)
  • Gremlins in the Cabbage Patch (1944)
  • Hadn't We the Gaiety (1945)
  • Kaleidoscope and a Jaundiced Eye (1946)
  • Solid! Said the Earl (1948)

Selected filmography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "John Paddy Carstairs". BFI. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016.
  2. ^ "Austria Develops its Own School of Painting". The Times. 4 May 1960. p. 16. At the same gallery that prolific writer and painter, Mr. John Paddy Carstairs, fills a large room with his gay Mediterranean scenes...
  3. ^ "Obituary - John Paddy Carstairs". The Herald. Glasgow. 14 December 1970. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  4. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Carstairs, John Paddy (1910-1970) Biography". screenonline.org.uk.

External links[edit]