Charters and Caldicott Collectors’ Guide

by Brent Reid
Brent Reid
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  • Iconic comedy duo who débuted in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes
  • Quintessentially English, eccentric and cricket-obsessed pair were a big hit
  • Audiences demanded more and got it, even after split from their creators
  • Carved out their own niche in much-loved series of films and radio shows
  • Complete guide to all of their films on home video – and bootlegs to avoid

Alfred Hitchcock Collectors’ Guide: The Lady Vanishes

Night Train to Munich (1940) Australian daybill poster

Australian daybill poster

Contents

A most fortuitous pairing

The origin story of Charters and Caldicott, as embodied by Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne, is a simple one: the characters were entirely the invention of screenwriters Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat. They were conjured up in the process of moulding Ethel Lina White’s 1936 novel The Wheel Spins into an altogether more filmable beast, one with broader appeal and a heightened sense of topical urgency. The resulting film, Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes, was the most successful of his British years and is still a bona fide classic that continues to spawn remakes and homages in just about every medium imaginable. Of course, the cricket-obsessed pair’s memorable appearance received an extremely favourable response from audiences so the studio, screenwriters and actors were happy to deliver more.

Although their characters were consistently written as heterosexual where necessary, Charters and Caldicott clearly enjoyed the same boundary-pushing but non-threatening, sexually ambivalent relationship as other comedic pairings such as Laurel and Hardy. All lived perpetually in each others’ pockets, often sharing the same bed (and pair of pyjamas!), while women – even the ones they were occasionally married to – were just a reductive, bothersome distraction getting in the way of their boys’ own fun.

Gay Coding in Hitchcock Films – Scott Badman and Connie Russell Hosier

Following Vanishes, C&C had another supporting role before toplining a film of their own but frustratingly, though it was a modest success, they were again relegated to support slots in two more. When faced with the same situation in a third, I See a Dark Stranger, they rightly demanded larger roles in it. Remember: by now they were well established stars of radio, stage and screen, both individually and collectively. However, Launder and Gilliat refused their request for Stranger and so the actors parted company with the production and their Launder and Gilliat-owned monikers. But Radford and Wayne continued to work together, albeit billed under various different names, and made seven more great films, including another starrer, and recorded various BBC Radio plays. All are with essentially the same C&C personae and well worthy of investigation.

Peter Storey, who runs the duo’s jolly good fansite, penned C&C: As War Begins (2015), an affectionate tribute to the pair detailing their four screen outings under the auspices of Launder and Gilliat.

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Stiff upper lip: (L-R) Linden Travers, Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford shoot it out with the surrogate Hun in The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Stiff upper lip: (L-R) Linden “cheekbones to die for” Travers, Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford shoot it out with the surrogate Hun

This iconic, genre-straddling film is covered in (much) more detail here:

Alfred Hitchcock Collectors’ Guide: The Lady Vanishes

Night Train to Munich (1940)

Night Train to Munich aka Train de nuit pour Munich (1940) Belgian poster

Belgian poster

Their second film together is an equally worthy quasi-follow-up to The Lady Vanishes and essential viewing for Hitch fans. Scripted by the same team of Launder and Gilliat, it has a similar setting and like its predecessor also stars Margaret Lockwood, while the prodigiously talented Carol Reed directs with his typical verve. As with the Hitches, avoid the bootlegs comprised of fuzzy off-air recordings; they’ve been kicking around for years via numerous budget VHS tapes from supposed public domain companies, several of whom are also responsible for more recent DVD boots. These include the UK (Firecake/coll), US (Artiflix, Madacy/Hollywood Mystery Classics [sic] tin, Nostalgia Family, Timeless), Australia (Bounty Films), Korea (Starvision), etc. So far, the only legitimate releases are:

Criterion essays:

Clips

Crook’s Tour (1940)

Crook's Tour (1940) UK poster

UK poster

Crook’s Tour originated as a 1940 radio serial scripted by Launder and Gilliat, and its enthusiastic reception saw it put into swift turnaround as a film. This time C&C are promoted from supporting roles to playing front and centre, as they’re reluctantly drawn into a spy caper and much déjà vu ensues. 1942 saw both pairs of men reunited for another BBC radio serial, the sequel Secret Mission 609. The film’s transferred in excellent condition as an extra on Criterion’s The Lady Vanishes discs, which are its only legit release to date.

Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne in Crook's Tour (1940)

The Next of Kin (1942)

The Next of Kin (1942) US poster

US poster

C&C’s next support spot was in this effective propaganda effort, which is also notable for starring Nova Pilbeam, veteran of The Man Who Knew Too Much and Young and Innocent. Which is why I’ve already dealt with it here:

Nova Pilbeam Collectors’ Guide: The Next of Kin

However, for C&C their brief, unnamed appearance in the final scene as a pair of Careless Talkers on a train is a relative blip but their next one is a real masterpiece…

Millions Like Us (1943)

Anne Crawford and Patricia Roc in Millions Like Us (1943)

Anne Crawford and Patricia Roc in Millions Like Us. “Let’s have a sing-song!” “Ok. There may be trouble ahead…“

Get your hankies at the ready if you plan to catch C&C’s cameo in Millions Like Us, another jewel written and directed by Launder and Gilliat, their last with the cricket-mad pair. It’s a major British film of the period depicting life on the home front and one of my absolute faves, transcending its propaganda-driven roots with ease. Do watch it. DVDs have been issued several times in the UK and once in Australia which are all identical in content, containing only the film and no subs. The US Reel Vault DVD and any others are just shoddy bootlegs.

The Halfway House (1944)

The Halfway House (1944) UK poster

UK quad poster with artwork by Matvyn Wright who, among his many other accomplishments, was the original illustrator of Andy Pandy!

I confess, this film has no direct connection to C&C but having featured Dead of Night below, I’d be seriously remiss in not mentioning its immediate thematic progenitor. Likewise made by Ealing Studios, with many of the same cast and crew, and even the same poster artist, it’s based on Denis Ogden’s 1940 play The Peaceful Inn, also broadcast by the BBC as a 1945 radio play and 1957 TV movie. Among many other familiar faces, Ealing regular Mervyn Johns takes the lead, this time playing the father of his real-life daughter Glynis Johns. Though the play had no wartime references, here it’s been given a gently propagandist heart yet overall this is a ghost story for the ages and absolutely unmissable. For years, the only legit release was Optimum’s DVD with its decent, albeit ageing, transfer but the film was recently restored to pristine condition and is now best seen on a trio of UK releases:

Ealing Studios: Introducing, At War, The Ealing Comedies (1970), Omnibus: Made in Ealing (1986)

Dead of Night (1945)

Dead of Night (1945) UK quad poster

This UK quad poster by Matvyn Wright sold at Bonhams in 2021 for £11,475.

US pressbook | Melodrama Research Group | John Oliver | Brian Keiper

One of the most chillingly suspenseful films of all time
Spine-tingling suspense from this classic omnibus of the supernatural, featuring dreams, premonitions, hallucinations and some well-timed comic breathers! Sir Michael Redgrave stars as the host of a chilling gathering in a remote country house. His guests are strangers, people of whom he has dreamed, people whose lives are intricately bound by forces none can understand. It’s an unusual and wonderfully frightening tale that cleverly intertwines logical tricks of magic with inexplicable acts from unseen powers. Ominously set and paced for terror, Dead of Night is notable for its stylish production and its taut drama—all centered on the irresistible drawing-power of a great ghost story brilliantly told! – US Thorn EMI VHS (1982)
“Ingenious… Redgrave is feverishly convincing in the role of the ventriloquist who achieves the ultimate in schizophrenia.” – The New Yorker
“Spine-cooling thrill… smoothly acted, cleverly directed.” – Time
“Phantasmagoric climax and brilliant trick ending.” – The Filmgoer’s Companion

NYT Critics’ Picks | TCM | History and Analysis

There’s no denying this is a stone cold classic, both of Ealing Studios and cinema in general. Ealing stalwart Mervyn Johns pops up again, joined by a host of faces familiar to fans of British films of the period. By now, Radford and Wayne had split with Launder and Gilliat, henceforth were C&C no more. Here, they’re billed as George Parratt and Larry Potter. The film’s most celebrated segment, “The Ventriloquist’s Dummy”, is a classic piece of psychological horror and should be seen in tandem with “The Glass Eye”, an equally creepy third season episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In other media, the cover story of the June 4, 1938 issue of Love Tales Weekly appears to be in a similar vein but copies are now scarce.

Preserved transfer

There are several home video transfers to choose from and while none are perfect in terms of light scratches and so on, the differences are quite striking. The oldest SD transfer is adequate but expectedly showing its age, while the HD remaster provides perfectly fine viewing on most releases but is quite flat and somewhat hazy, consisting of a wash of greys with relatively few discernible blacks or contrasting highlights. Thankfully, it’s much improved on the regraded French discs with optional subtitles. However, the latest transfer, from a 4k restoration and so far only available from Kino Lorber in the US, is another matter entirely. It’s highly detailed with better resolved grain and really pops in a natural, organic way, while on a decent system the audio is discernibly clearer and fuller sounding. Their discs also feature an exclusive audio commentary by film historian Tim Lucas, in addition to the Remembering Dead of Night documentary (2014, 75:36) included on all newer releases bar the Brazilian set.

Remastered transfer

4k restoration

  • US: Kino BD and DVD (2019)

Bootlegs: Italy (Sinister Film/reissue), Spain (ClassicMedia, Mon Inter Comerz/BD-R, Regia, Resen/Suevia).

BD screenshots: US/UK, US/UK, US/UK, US/UK, US/UK, US/UK, US/UK, US/UK, US/UK | UK/French BDs/DVD

This 1999-recorded suite of composer Georges Auric’s themes is included in a CD of his film music, detailed under Passport to Pimlico.

I See a Dark Stranger (1946)

Trevor Howard and Deborah Kerr in I See a Dark Stranger (1946)

Trevor Howard and Deborah Kerr

The last film Wayne and Radford were due to appear in as Charters and Caldicott before their contractual fall-out was I See a Dark Stranger, retitled The Adventuress in the US. In the event, their intended roles were played by other actors using different names. A pity, but it’s still written, produced and directed by prime-era Launder and Gilliat so is well worth checking out.

Clip

I See a Dark Stranger aka The Adventuress (1946) US lobby card

US lobby card

A Girl in a Million (1946)

Unavailable; BFI Archive holdings.

Quartet (1948)

Quartet (1948) Argentinian poster

Argentinian poster

Following Dead of Night (and The Halfway House), our now revolvingly renamed duo make an appearance in “The Facts of Life”, the first section of another anthology film, Quartet, this time based on the work of master storyteller W. Somerset Maugham. It spawned two sequels, the first of which, Trio, with a solo Wayne, features a final segment based on Maugham’s 1927 collection Ashenden: Or the British Agent, also the inspiration for Hitch’s Secret Agent. The second sequel, Encore, was the final film made by Gainsborough Pictures before the studio was merged into the Rank Organisation and a fitting end to a first class legacy. All three are available on, ahem, a quartet of releases:

The first two films were also released on 2on1 DVDs given away with a Greek newspaper:

It’s Not Cricket (1949)

Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford in It's Not Cricket (1949)

Apparently it is.

After Crook’s Tour, Radford and Wayne’s second and final co-starrer sees them occasionally upstaged, not to mention seriously discombobulated, by consistently underrated Diana Dors, in an early role for the soon-to-be-billed “British Marilyn Monroe”.

  • UK: Strawberry Media DVD (2014)

Passport to Pimlico (1949)

Passport to Pimlico (1949)

L-R: Barbara Murray, Sydney Tafler, Betty Warren, Raymond Huntley, Stanley Holloway, the ineffectually long arm of the law… and I can’t quite place those two officious-looking chaps.

Another of Ealing’s finest, it has an uproarious and multifaceted plot concerning… well, if you don’t know going in, it hardly matters; the important thing is that you miss it at your peril! Novelist and scriptwriter T. E. B. “Tibby” Clarke’s original story has been adapted for BBC radio twice, in 1952 and 1996, and an uncredited touring play starring Dad’s Army’s Ian Lavender. Most recently, for the finale of 2013’s SouthWestFest, it was even transformed into an outdoor musical set in the streets of Pimlico itself (review, #2; videos). No full restoration for this one as yet but a nicely remastered transfer graces all the latest releases.

Original

Remastered

Original trailer | Clips: #1, #2, #3 | restoration comparison | Locations/#2/vintage | PtP at 70: In Search of the Locations | 2011 remake

Portions of renowned French composer Georges Auric’s fine score have seen a couple of excellent digital stereo re-recordings, both based on the same reconstructions by composer-musicologist Philip Lane. They foreground subtleties and dynamics not always present in the original mono soundtrack recording, especially when overlaid with dialogue and effects.

Stop Press Girl (1949)

Unavailable, apart from a poor bootleg; BFI Archive holdings, published script.

Helter Skelter (1949)

Carol Marsh and David Tomlinson in Helter Skelter (1949) Picture Show magazine, 30 July 1949

Carol Marsh and David Tomlinson in Helter Skelter, from the cover of Picture Show magazine, 30 July 1949

There’s a lot to recommend this romantic comedy, if you can overlook the wafer thin characterisations and questionable sexual politics, where poor men must ceaselessly suffer nagging women. But it’s all in the name of enjoyable, madcap fun, so naturally everyone is redeemed and all works out happily in the end. Mervyn Johns pops up again and look out for a rare cameo by Scottish composer-conductor Muir Mathieson leading the London Symphony Orchestra. He was perhaps the most prolific and renowned musical directors in British cinema with as many as a thousand-plus films to his credit. Among his many stellar achievements was conducting the London and Vienna sessions for Vertigo. It was only director Ralph Thomas’s second turn at the helm; he would, of course, go on to work on all seven films in the Doctor series and the 1959 remake of The 39 Steps.

Charters and Caldicott (1985)

Almost four decades on from their last official big screen outing, The Lady Vanishes 1979 remake saw the revival of C&C played by Arthur Lowe, of Dad’s Army fame, and screen comedy stalwart Ian Carmichael. Six years later, the characters appeared for the last time in an updated six-part BBC TV series, very ably played by Robin Bailey and Michael Aldridge. It was also simultaneously novelised by Stella Bingham and has so far seen just one release:

  • UK: Simply Media 2-DVD (2016)

I started Brenton Film because I love film – quelle surprise! The silent era, 1930s and 1940s especially get my literary juices flowing, so you'll see a lot about those. For more, see the About page and read this before emailing.

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Fr. Matthew Hardesty
Fr. Matthew Hardesty
24th April 2023 03:37

Hey Brent, I didn’t find anything about Next of Kin at the Nova Pilbeam link you provided above.

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Fr. Matthew Hardesty
Fr. Matthew Hardesty
25th July 2023 05:03

I just watched Night Train to Munich for the first time… loved it! It takes 52min for the film to get to the train, but boy is the wait worth it!

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