Earl St. John (14 June 1892 – 26 February 1968) was an American film producer in overall charge of production 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, distribut ...

at Pinewood Studios from 1950 to 1964, and was credited as executive producer on 131 films. He was known as the "Earl of Pinewood".

Early life

St. John was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His father wanted him to become a soldier but he ran away from a military academy aged 17 and began his career as a page boy for Sarah Bernhardt's company. St. John's uncle worked in the film business and he worked for him when he was 21. He worked as a poster boy then took two religious films around the US and Mexico. He worked during the Mexican Civil War and met

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (, Orozco rebelled in March 1912, both for Madero's continuing failure to enact land reform and because he felt insufficiently rewarded for his role in bringing the new president to power. At the request of Madero's c ...

. He fell out with his uncle and joined the

Mutual Film Company Mutual Film Company is an American film production company based in Hollywood, California. The company was initially founded by financer Gary Levinsohn in 1989 as Classico Entertainment, before combining with The Mark Gordon Company in 1995 to f ...

Move to England

St. John served in France with the Texas division during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He demobilised in Liverpool, England, and elected to stay on in the country. St. John ran a small picture theatre in Manchester and became successful. In 1924, he joined Paramount Theatres Limited, building up its circuit and opening the Plaza and Carlton cinemas. In 1930, they took over the Astoria Cinemas and St. John was responsible for them as well. Paramount was bought out by Odeon in 1938 and St. John joined

. In 1939 he became personal assistant to John Davis.

Rank Organisation

In 1946 St. John was appointed chief production adviser for the Rank Organisation.

Two Cities

In May 1947 he was appointed joint managing director of

Two Cities Films Two Cities Films was a British film production company. Formed in 1937, it was originally envisaged as a production company operating in the two cities of London and Rome which gave the company its name. The driving forces behind the company were ...

along with Josef Somlo. Their films included ''Hamlet'', ''Fame is the Spur'', ''Uncle Silas'', ''The October Man'', ''Vice Versa'', ''The Mark of Cain'' and ''One Night with You''.

Head of Rank

Early films

In 1948 he was appointed Executive Producer at the studios by Rank's Managing Director John Davis with a brief to rein in financial losses. "Some producers objected because he was a showman," said one producer of this time. Early films made under St. John at Rank included the musical ''

Trottie True ''Trottie True'' is a 1949 British musical comedy film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Jean Kent, James Donald and Hugh Sinclair. It was known as ''The Gay Lady'' in the US, and is an infrequent British Technicolor film of the per ...

'' (1949) with Jean Kent, and the fantasy ''

The Rocking Horse Winner "The Rocking-Horse Winner" is a short story by D. H. Lawrence. It was first published in July 1926, in ''Harper's Bazaar'' and subsequently appeared in the first volume of Lawrence's collected short stories. It was made into a full-length film di ...

'' (1949) with John Mills. ''

The Woman in Question ''The Woman in Question'' (released in the United States as ''Five Angles on Murder'') is a 1950 British Murder-mystery film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Jean Kent, Dirk Bogarde and John McCallum. After a woman is murdered, the comp ...

'' (1950) was a thriller with Kent and Dirk Bogarde, and ''

Highly Dangerous ''Highly Dangerous'' is a 1950 British spy film starring Margaret Lockwood. The screenplay was written by Eric Ambler. It was released in the US by Lippert Pictures as ''Time Running Out''. Plot Frances Gray is as a British entomologist trying t ...

'' (1950) was an unsuccessful attempt to restore

Margaret Lockwood Margaret Mary Day Lockwood, Order of the British Empire, CBE (15 September 1916 – 15 July 1990), was an English actress. One of Britain's most popular film stars of the 1930s and 1940s, her film appearances included ''The Lady Vanishes (1938 ...

to her mid 1940s popularity. Under his austere and autocratic control, location filming was cut back, and budgets slashed. '' The Reluctant Widow'' (1950) starred Kent and Guy Rolfe; Rolfe was in ''

Prelude to Fame ''Prelude to Fame'' is a 1950 British drama film set in Italy, directed by Fergus McDonell and starring Guy Rolfe, Kathleen Byron and Kathleen Ryan. It is based on the 1924 story "Young Archimides" by Aldous Huxley, about a mathematical prodi ...

'' (1950). More successful than these were a war movie, ''

They Were Not Divided ''They Were Not Divided'' is a 1950 British war film, which depicted the Guards Armoured Division in Second World War Europe. It was written and directed by Terence Young, a former Guards officer who served in the campaigns depicted in the fi ...

'' (1950) and the drama '' The Browning Version'' (1951). The latter was based on a play by

Terence Rattigan Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wan ...

and St. John would go on to green-light a number of films based on plays. "I started out as manager of a small out-of-town cinema, and I viewed films from the out-of-London angle," he explained in 1951. "This experience made me realise that the ordinary people in the remotest places in the country were entitled to see the works of the best modern British playwrights." The film was directed by Anthony Asquith, and St. John promptly agreed to finance another play adaptation from that director, ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'' (1952), which was popular. St. John would also finance a version of '' Romeo and Juliet'' (1954) shot in Italy. Also popular was ''

Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...

'' (1951) based on the stories of W. Somerset Maugham, '' Venetian Bird'' (1952), a thriller from the director-producer team of

Ralph Thomas Ralph Philip Thomas MC (10 August 1915 – 17 March 2001) was an English film director. He is perhaps best remembered for directing the ''Doctor'' series of films. His brother, Gerald Thomas, was also a film director, probably best remembere ...

and Betty E. Box who would become crucial to Rank, and ''

The Card ''The Card'' is a comic novel written by Arnold Bennett in 1911 (entitled ''Denry the Audacious'' in the American edition). It was later made into a 1952 movie, starring Alec Guinness and Petula Clark. Like much of Bennett's best work, it i ...

'' (1952) with Alec Guinness. Less popular were dramas like ''

It Started in Paradise ''It Started in Paradise'' is a 1952 British drama film directed by Compton Bennett and starring Jane Hylton, Martita Hunt and Muriel Pavlow. Set in the world of haute couture, the film was squarely aimed at female audiences. Its storyline ...

'' (1952), ''

Personal Affair ''Personal Affair'' is a 1953 British drama film directed by Anthony Pelissier and starring Gene Tierney, Leo Genn and Glynis Johns.''Monthly Film Bulletin'' review; 1953, page 160. It was made at Pinewood Studios by Two Cities Films. Plot s ...

'' (1953) and ''

The Final Test ''The Final Test'' is a 1953 British sports film written by Terence Rattigan, directed by Anthony Asquith, and starring Jack Warner, Robert Morley, George Relph and Ray Jackson. A number of leading cricketers also appear including Denis Compto ...

'' (1953).

Colonial and war movies

St. John decided to finance an action drama set during the Malayan Emergency, '' The Planter's Wife'' (1952), directed by Ken Annakin and starring Jack Hawkins and Anthony Steel. In an attempt to appeal to American audiences, St. John arranged for

Claudette Colbert Claudette Colbert ( ; born Émilie Claudette Chauchoin; September 13, 1903July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the late 1920s and progressed to films with the advent of talking pictures ...

to co-star. The movie was not successful in the US but was a big hit in Britain, and led to St. John making several movies with imperial settings. These included '' Malta Story'' (1952), a hugely popular World War Two story with Guinness, Hawkins and Steel; ''

The Seekers The Seekers were an Australian folk-influenced pop quartet, originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were ...

'' (1954), an adventure tale set in New Zealand with Hawkins and Glynis Johns; '' Above Us the Waves'' (1955), a war film with Mills and John Gregson; ''

Simba Simba is a fictional character and the protagonist of Disney's ''The Lion King'' franchise. Introduced in the 1994 film ''The Lion King'', Walt Disney Animation's 32nd animated feature, the character subsequently appears in '' The Lion King II: ...

'' (1955), set in the Mau Mau Uprising; and ''

The Black Tent ''The Black Tent'' is a 1956 British war film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Donald Sinden, Anthony Steel, Anna Maria Sandri, André Morell and Donald Pleasence. It is set in North Africa, during the Second World War and was filmed ...

'' (1956) set in Africa, all three with Donald Sinden.

Thrillers

St. John green-lit a number of thrillers at Rank including '' Hunted'' (1952) with Dirk Bogarde, ''

The Long Memory ''The Long Memory'' is a black-and-white 1953 British crime film directed by Robert Hamer and based on the 1951 novel of the same title by Howard Clewes. Filmed at locations such as London Waterloo railway station, the North Kent Marshes on ...

'' (1953) with John Mills, '' The Net'' (1953), ''

Desperate Moment ''Desperate Moment'' is a 1953 British thriller film directed by Compton Bennett and starring Dirk Bogarde, Mai Zetterling and Philip Friend. It is based on the 1951 novel of the same title by Martha Albrand. It was made at Pinewood Studio ...

'' (1953) with Bogarde, '' Turn the Key Softly'' (1953), ''

The Kidnappers ''The Kidnappers'' (US: ''The Little Kidnappers'') is a 1953 British film, directed by Philip Leacock and written by Neil Paterson. Plot In the early 1900s, two young orphaned brothers, eight-year-old Harry (Jon Whiteley) and five-year-old ...

'' (1953) and ''

Forbidden Cargo Forbidden Cargo may refer to: * Forbidden Cargo (1925 film), ''Forbidden Cargo'' (1925 film), an American film starring Boris Karloff: rum-running from Bahamas to United States * Forbidden Cargo (1954 film), ''Forbidden Cargo'' (1954 film), a Brit ...

'' (1954), ''

Passage Home ''Passage Home'' is a 1955 British drama film directed by Roy Ward Baker. Plot Captain "Lucky" Ryland ( Peter Finch) is about to retire. He has a flashback of several years to a voyage on a merchant ship which he was captaining from South Ameri ...

'' (1955), ''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

'' (1956), and '' House of Secrets'' (1956), Dramas tended to be less popular such as '' The Young Lovers'' (1954), '' The Woman for Joe'' (1955), ''

Jacqueline Jacqueline may refer to: People * Jacqueline (given name), including a list of people with the name * Jacqueline Moore (born 1964), ring name "Jacqueline", American professional wrestler Arts and entertainment * ''Jacqueline'' (1923 film), ...

'' (1956).

Comedies

In the early 1950s St. John moved Rank more into the comedy area with films such as ''

Made in Heaven ''Made in Heaven'' is the fifteenth studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 6 November 1995 by Parlophone Records in the United Kingdom and by Hollywood Records in the United States. It was the band's first and only release s ...

'' (1952), ''

Penny Princess ''Penny Princess'' is a 1952 British Technicolor comedy film written and directed by Val Guest and starring Yolande Donlan, Dirk Bogarde and A. E. Matthews. It was made by Guest for his own production company, Conquest Productions. The film star ...

'' (1953) with Bogarde, '' Always a Bride'' (1953), and '' A Day to Remember'' (1953). He was a big believer in making films in colour to compete with television. He also imported many actors from Europe to appear in Rank films. St. John championed the work of

Norman Wisdom Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian, musician and singer best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring a hapless onscreen character often called Norman ...

, signing him to a long-term contract and putting him in his own vehicle, ''

Trouble in Store ''Trouble in Store'' is a 1953 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Norman Wisdom as a department store clerk in his cinema debut. The film also featured Moira Lister, Margaret Rutherford, Jerry Desmonde and Lana ...

'' (1953) which was a huge success at the British box office. It led to a series of popular Wisdom movies such as '' Man of the Moment'' (1955), '' One Good Turn'' (1955) He had a huge success with ''

Genevieve Genevieve (french: link=no, Sainte Geneviève; la, Sancta Genovefa, Genoveva; 419/422 AD – 502/512 AD) is the patroness saint of Paris in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Her feast is on 3 January. Genevieve was born in Nanterre a ...

'', directed by Henry Cornelius, and starring John Gregson, Dinah Sheridan, Kenneth More and Kay Kendall. However his most profitable comedies were the "Doctor" series from Thomas and Box, starring Dirk Bogarde, starting with ''

Doctor in the House ''Doctor in the House'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and produced by Betty Box. The screenplay, by Nicholas Phipps, Richard Gordon and Ronald Wilkinson, is based on the 1952 novel by Gordon, and follows a group of s ...

'' (1954). This led to several sequels including '' Doctor at Sea'' (1955), St. John had less success with musicals such as ''

As Long as They're Happy ''As Long as They're Happy'' is a 1955 British musical comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Jack Buchanan, Susan Stephen and Diana Dors. It is based on the 1953 play of the same name by Vernon Sylvaine. It was shot at Pinewoo ...

'' (1955). Later comedies with Sinden included '' You Know What Sailors Are'' (1954), ''

Mad About Men ''Mad About Men'' is a 1954 British Technicolor comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Glynis Johns, Donald Sinden, Anne Crawford and Margaret Rutherford. It was written by Peter Blackmore, who also wrote the 1948 film '' Miranda'' w ...

'' (1954), '' The Beachcomber'' (1954) with Robert Newton, '' To Paris with Love'' (1955) with Guinness, '' All for Mary'' (1955), ''

Value for Money In economics, economic value is a measure of the benefit provided by a good or service to an economic agent. It is generally measured through units of currency, and the interpretation is therefore "what is the maximum amount of money a specif ...

'' (1955) with Gregson and Diana Dors, ''

Simon and Laura ''Simon and Laura'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Peter Finch and Kay Kendall. Play Satirising the early days of BBC Television, ''Simon and Laura'' focuses on an argumentative theatrical couple called Simon a ...

'' (1955) with Peter Finch and Kendall, ''

An Alligator Named Daisy ''An Alligator Named Daisy'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Donald Sinden, Jeannie Carson, James Robertson Justice, Diana Dors, Roland Culver and Stanley Holloway. Plot Returning from a cricket match in I ...

'' (1955) with Donald Sinden and Dors, '' Jumping for Joy'' (1956) with Frankie Howerd, According to a 1954 profile:

His highly-paid job gives him power to say what films will be made, how they will be made and who will make them. He works with 12 producer - director teams, 21 contract artists, a varying number of guest artists, a story department consisting of an editor, two assistants and three readers, and three contract scriptwriters. Pinewood Studios' quota of 15 films a year, for which St. John is responsible and which average £150,000 each, is the largest in Britain today. In his films, St. John has fostered such stars as
Petula Clark Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades. Clark's professional career began during the ...
,
Kay Kendall Kay Kendall (21 May 1927 – 6 September 1959) was an English actress and comedienne. She began her film career in the musical film '' London Town'' (1946), a financial failure. Kendall worked regularly until her appearance in the comedy film ...
, Anthony Steel,
Terence Morgan Terence Ivor Grant Morgan (8 December 1921 – 25 August 2005) was an English actor in theatre, cinema and television. He played many "villain" roles in British film but is probably best remembered for his starring role in the TV historical ...
, Dirk Bogarde and
John Gregson Harold Thomas Gregson (15 March 1919 – 8 January 1975), known professionally as John Gregson, was an English actor of stage, television and film, with 40 credited film roles. He was best known for his crime drama and comedy roles. He was cr ...
and he has helped to promote
Jack Hawkins John Edward Hawkins, CBE (14 September 1910 – 18 July 1973) was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s. One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s, he was known for his portrayal of mil ...
,
Glynis Johns Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (born 5 October 1923) is a South African-born British former actress, dancer, musician and singer. Recognised as a film and Broadway icon, Johns has a career spanning eight decades, in which she appeared in more than ...
and
Norman Wisdom Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian, musician and singer best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring a hapless onscreen character often called Norman ...
. In the past four years he has supervised the making of more than 50 films... St. John has earned a reputation for being a driving showman with a gift for succinct expression.

"He is like a ringmaster who is happy as long as his charges are performing correctly," said producer

Peter Rogers Peter Rogers (20 February 1914 – 14 April 2009) was an English film producer. He is best known for his involvement in the making of the ''Carry On'' series of films. Life and career Rogers began his career as a journalist for his loc ...

. "His approach is: do what you want, but you know what I want," said director

Robert Hamer Robert Hamer (31 March 1911 – 4 December 1963) was a British film director and screenwriter best known for the 1949 black comedy ''Kind Hearts and Coronets''. Biography Hamer was born at 24 Chester Road, Kidderminster, along with his twi ...

International films

Rank had ambitions to make films that appeared in America. St. John used Gregory Peck in ''

The Million Pound Note ''The Million Pound Note'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Gregory Peck, Ronald Squire, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Jane Griffiths. It is based on the 1893 Mark Twain short story '' The Million Pound Bank Note'' ...

'' (1954) and ''

The Purple Plain ''The Purple Plain'' is a 1954 British war film directed by Robert Parrish, with Gregory Peck playing a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot serving in the Royal Air Force in the Burma campaign in the closing months of the Second World War, who is b ...

'' (1954). In the late 1950s St. John financed a series of adventure films shot on location overseas in colour based on some best-selling novel. These included ''

Campbell's Kingdom ''Campbell's Kingdom'' is a 1957 British adventure film directed by Ralph Thomas, based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Hammond Innes. The film stars Dirk Bogarde and Stanley Baker, with Michael Craig, Barbara Murray, James Robertson Ju ...

'' (1957), set in Canada, with Bogarde; ''

Dangerous Exile ''Dangerous Exile'' is a 1957 British historical drama film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Louis Jourdan, Belinda Lee, Anne Heywood and Richard O'Sullivan. It concerns the fate of Louis XVII, who died in 1795 as a boy, yet was pop ...

'' (1957), a French Revolution tale with

Louis Jourdan Louis Jourdan (born Louis Robert Gendre; 19 June 1921 – 14 February 2015) was a French film and television actor. He was known for his suave roles in several Hollywood films, including Alfred Hitchcock's ''The Paradine Case'' (1947), '' Lett ...

; ''

Windom's Way ''Windom's Way'' is a 1957 British thriller film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Peter Finch and Mary Ure. Made in Eastman Color, it is set during the Malayan Emergency. Premise Dr Alec Windom is a British doctor who works in a village i ...

'' (1957), set in Malaya, with Peter Finch; ''

Robbery Under Arms ''Robbery Under Arms'' is a bushranger novel by Thomas Alexander Browne, published under his pen name Rolf Boldrewood. It was first published in serialised form by ''The Sydney Mail'' between July 1882 and August 1883, then in three volumes i ...

'' (1957), set in Australia, with Finch; '' Sea Fury'' (1958), made in Spain with Victor McLaglen; ''

The Wind Cannot Read ''The Wind Cannot Read'' is a 1958 British drama film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde, Yoko Tani, Ronald Lewis and John Fraser. It was based on the 1946 novel by Richard Mason, who also wrote the screenplay. Songwriter P ...

'' (1958), set in India, with Bogarde; ''

A Tale of Two Cities ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in ...

'' (1958), set in France, with Bogarde; ''

The Gypsy and the Gentleman ''The Gypsy and the Gentleman'' is a 1958 British costume drama film directed by Joseph Losey. It stars Melina Mercouri and Keith Michell Keith Joseph Michell (1 December 1926 – 20 November 2015) was an Australian actor who worked primaril ...

'' (1958) with Melinda Mercouri; '' A Night to Remember'' (1958) with Kenneth More; '' Nor the Moon by Night'' (1959), set in South Africa with Michael Craig; '' The 39 Steps'' (1959) and '' North West Frontier'' (1959) with More; and ''

Ferry to Hong Kong ''Ferry to Hong Kong'' is a 1959 British melodrama/adventure film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Curt Jürgens, Sylvia Syms, Orson Welles and Jeremy Spenser. Plot Mark Conrad, a debonair Anglo-Austrian former playboy and junk owner, n ...

'' (1960), made in Hong Kong with Orson Welles. Rank continued to make comedies such as ''

The Captain's Table ''The Captain's Table'' is a 1959 Cinema of the United Kingdom, British comedy film directed by Jack Lee (film director), Jack Lee based upon a novel by Richard Gordon (English author), Richard Gordon. It stars John Gregson, Donald Sinden, Pegg ...

'' (1959) with Gregson and Sinden and '' Too Many Crooks'' (1959). Producer Betty Box called St. John "a wonderful old drunk... a wonderful man. But he didn't quite fit into the British filmmaking tradition." Anthony Havelock-Allan said "he did what ank chairman JohnDavis told him to... nice man but not creative at all, not imaginative. He just did what he was told." Sir John Davis later said St. John "was jolly good. As executive producer his function was to produce films - to get together the units to make them. He was both a creative influence and a facilitator, with a grasp of the technical side of making films, and he understood the creative atmosphere." Michael Powell called him "John Davis' yes-men at Pinewood." Contemporary historical consensus is that St. John's influence was limited, and he mainly did what Davis told him to do. However, when

Bryan Forbes Bryan Forbes CBE (; born John Theobald Clarke; 22 July 1926 – 8 May 2013) was an English film director, screenwriter, film producer, actor and novelist described as a "Renaissance man"Falk Q. . BAFTA. 17 October 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2013 and ...

ran

EMI Films EMI Films was a British film studio and distributor. A subsidiary of the EMI conglomerate, the corporate name was not used throughout the entire period of EMI's involvement in the film industry, from 1969 to 1986, but the company's brief conne ...

he said he was influenced by Earl St. John and would find "myself thinking, 'How would Earl have handled this situation?'". Earl St. John had an at times difficult relationship with Dirk Bogarde but he cast Bogarde in ''

'', which made him a big star, and suggested him for the lead in ''Victim''.

Later years

St. John's slate of films became less successful in the 1960s. The British film industry turned to riskier subject matter. For instance St. John bought the film rights to the novel ''

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning ''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' is the first novel by British author Alan Sillitoe and won the Author's Club First Novel Award. It was adapted by Sillitoe into a 1960 film starring Albert Finney, directed by Karel Reisz, and in 1964 was ...

'' but the Rank board refused to let him make the film, which became a big success. He also refused to make a film of ''

Look Back in Anger ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) is a realist play written by John Osborne. It focuses on the life and marital struggles of an intelligent and educated but disaffected young man of working-class origin, Jimmy Porter, and his equally competent yet i ...

''. St. John retired in 1964, after '' The High Bright Sun'' (1964), the last collaboration between Ralph Thomas, Betty Box and Dirk Bogarde. He died while on vacation in Spain, survived by his wife whom he married in 1946."Earl St. John dies on holiday" ''The Irish Times'' 28 February 1968: 7

Select filmography

*''

Tottie True ''Trottie True'' is a 1949 British musical comedy film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Jean Kent, James Donald and Hugh Sinclair. It was known as ''The Gay Lady'' in the US, and is an infrequent British Technicolor film of the perio ...

'' (1948) *''

'' (1949) *''

'' (1950) *''

'' (1950) *'' The Reluctant Widow'' (1950) *''

'' (1950) *''

'' (1950) *'' The Browning Version'' (1951) *''

'' (1951) *''

'' (1952) *'' The Planter's Wife'' (1952) (a.k.a. ''Outpost in Malaya'') *''

The Venetian Bird ''Venetian Bird'' is a 1952 British thriller film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Richard Todd, Eva Bartok and John Gregson. The screenplay was adapted by Victor Canning from his own 1950 Venetian Bird (novel), novel of the same title. It ...

'' (1952) (a.k.a. ''The Assassin'') *''

'' (1952) *''

'' (1952) (a.k.a. ''The Promoter'') *'' Hunted'' (1952) *''

'' (1952) *''

'' (1953) *''

'' (1953) *'' The Net'' (1953) (a.k.a. ''Project M7'') *''

'' (1953) *'' The Malta Story'' (1953) *'' Always a Bride'' (1953) *''

'' (1953) *'' A Day to Remember'' (1953) *''

'' (1953) *'' You Know What Sailors Are!'' (1953) *'' Turn the Key Softly'' (1953) *''

'' (1953) (a.k.a. ''The Little Kidnappers'') *''

'' (1954) (a.k.a. ''Man with a Million'') *''

'' (1954) *'' Romeo and Juliet'' (1954) *'' The Beachcomber'' (1954) *''

'' (1954) (a.k.a. ''Land of Fury'') *''

'' (1954) *'' Man with a Million'' (1954) *''

'' (1954) *'' To Paris with Love'' (1954) *''

'' (1954) *'' The Young Lovers'' (1954) *''

As Long As They're Happy ''As Long as They're Happy'' is a 1955 British musical comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Jack Buchanan, Susan Stephen and Diana Dors. It is based on the 1953 play of the same name by Vernon Sylvaine. It was shot at Pinewoo ...

'' (1955) *'' Man of the Moment'' (1955) *'' Above Us the Waves'' (1955) *'' The Woman for Joe'' (1955) *'' All for Mary'' (1955) *''

'' (1955) *''

'' (1955) *'' One Good Turn'' (1955) *''

'' (1955) *'' Doctor at Sea'' (1955) *''

'' (1955) *'' Tears for Simon'' (1956) (a.k.a. ''Lost'') *'' House of Secrets'' (1956) *'' Jumping for Joy'' (1956) *''

'' (1956) *''

'' (1956) *'' Eyewitness'' (1956) *'' The Secret Place'' (1956) *''

A Town Like Alice ''A Town Like Alice'' (United States title: ''The Legacy'') is a romance novel by Nevil Shute, published in 1950 when Shute had newly settled in Australia. Jean Paget, a young Englishwoman, becomes romantically interested in a fellow prisoner ...

'' (1956) *'' Checkpoint'' (1956) *'' The Spanish Gardener'' (1956) *''

Up in the World ''Up in the World'' is a 1956 black and white comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Norman Wisdom, Maureen Swanson and Jerry Desmonde. It was produced by Rank. Plot Norman is given a job as a window cleaner at a stately hom ...

'' (1956) *'' The Battle of the River Plate'' (1956) *'' The One That Got Away'' (1957) *''

Ill Met by Moonlight ''Ill Met by Moonlight: The Abduction of General Kreipe'' is a non-fiction partly-autobiographical book written by W. Stanley Moss, a British soldier, writer and traveller. It describes an operation in Crete during the Second World War to captu ...

'' (1957) *''

Miracle in Soho ''Miracle in Soho'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by Julian Amyes and starring John Gregson, Belinda Lee and Cyril Cusack. The film depicts the lives of the inhabitants of a small street in Soho and the romance between a local road-b ...

'' (1957) *'' Hell Drivers'' (1957) *''

High Tide at Noon ''High Tide at Noon'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by Philip Leacock. It was entered into the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. ''High Tide at Noon'' was based on the first of a series of novels by Elisabeth Ogilvie, set in Maine. Location w ...

'' (1957) *''

True as a Turtle ''True as a Turtle'' is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Wendy Toye and starring John Gregson, Cecil Parker, June Thorburn and Keith Michell. In the film, a young couple embark on a voyage on a ketch named ''Turtle''. John Coates wrote t ...

'' (1957) *'' Doctor at Large'' (1957) *''

'' (1957) *'' Seven Thunders'' (1957) *''

'' (1957) *'' Just My Luck'' (1957) *''

'' (1957) *''

'' (1957) *'' Rockets Galore'' (1957) *'' Across the Bridge'' (1957) *''

The Square Peg ''The Square Peg'' is a 1959 British war comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Norman Wisdom. Norman Wisdom plays two different characters: a man who digs and repairs roads, and a Nazi general. Plot During the Second World W ...

'' (1958) *''

Innocent Sinners ''Innocent Sinners'' is a 1958 British black and white film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Flora Robson. It was based on the 1955 novel '' An Episode of Sparrows'' by Rumer Godden. Plot Olivia Chesney is too sick to leave home, som ...

'' (1958) *'' Sea Fury'' (1958) *'' The Violent Playground'' (1958) *''

'' (1958) *''

'' (1958) *'' A Night to Remember'' (1958) *'' Carve Her Name with Pride'' (1958) *'' Nor the Moon by Night'' (1958) (a.k.a. ''Elephant Gun'') *'' Floods of Fear'' (1958) *'' Storm Over Jamaica'' (1958) (a.k.a. ''Passionate Summer'') *''

'' (1958) *'' The 39 Steps'' (1958) *'' Northwest Frontier'' (1959) *''

Operation Amsterdam ''Operation Amsterdam'' is a 1959 black and white British action film, directed by Michael McCarthy, and featuring Peter Finch, Eva Bartok and Tony Britton. It is based on a true story as described in the book ''Adventure in Diamonds'', by Da ...

'' (1959) *'' Too Many Crooks'' (1959) *''

The Heart of a Man ''The Heart of a Man'' is a 1959 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Frankie Vaughan, Anne Heywood and Tony Britton. Its plot concerns a millionaire in disguise who gives a young man money to help him pursue his singing c ...

'' (1959) *''

Sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sa ...

'' (1959) *''

Upstairs and Downstairs ''Upstairs and Downstairs'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Michael Craig, Anne Heywood, Mylène Demongeot, Claudia Cardinale, James Robertson Justice, Joan Sims, Joan Hickson and Sid James. It feature ...

'' (1959) *''

Interpol Calling ''Interpol Calling'' was a 1959 Rank Organisation and Jack Wrather Productions British television crime drama series for ITC Entertainment. The programme, which ran for one series of 39 half-hour monochrome episodes, followed the adventures of ...

'' (1959) (TV series) *''

Follow a Star ''Follow a Star'' is a 1959 British black and white comedy musical film directed by Robert Asher and starring Norman Wisdom. Plot Norman Truscott works as a dry cleaner, but dreams of being a stage performer. To this end, he takes elocution and ...

'' (1959) *''

Make Mine Mink ''Make Mine Mink'' is a 1960 British comedy farce film directed by Robert Asher (director), Robert Asher and featuring Terry-Thomas, Athene Seyler, Hattie Jacques and Billie Whitelaw. The screenplay concerns a group of eccentric misfits who go o ...

'' (1960) *''

Doctor in Love ''Doctor in Love'' is a 1960 British comedy film, the fourth of the seven films in the ''Doctor'' series, starring James Robertson Justice as Sir Lancelot Spratt and Michael Craig as Dr Richard Hare. This was the first film in the series not t ...

'' (1960) *'' Conspiracy of Hearts'' (1960) *''

The Bulldog Breed ''The Bulldog Breed'' is a 1960 British comedy film starring Norman Wisdom and directed by Robert Asher. Plot Norman Puckle (Norman Wisdom), a well-meaning but clumsy grocer's assistant, cannot seem to do anything right. After being rejected b ...

'' (1960) *''

No Love for Johnnie ''No Love for Johnnie'' is a 1961 British drama film in CinemaScope directed by Ralph Thomas. It was based on the 1959 book of the same title by the Labour Member of Parliament Wilfred Fienburgh, and stars Peter Finch. It depicts the disill ...

'' (1960) *''

No, My Darling Daughter ''No My Darling Daughter'' is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and featuring Michael Redgrave, Michael Craig (actor), Michael Craig, Roger Livesey, James Westmoreland (credited as Rad Fulton), and Juliet Mills. It was based o ...

'' (1961) *''

The Singer Not the Song ''The Singer Not the Song'' is a 1961 British drama film based on the 1953 novel of the same title by Audrey Erskine Lindop that was directed by Roy Ward Baker and filmed in Spain. It stars Dirk Bogarde, John Mills, and Mylène Demongeot. Pl ...

'' (1961) *''

Flame in the Streets ''Flame in the Streets'' is a 1961 film directed by Roy Ward Baker and based on the 1958 play '' Hot Summer Night'' by Ted Willis. It opened at the Odeon Leicester Square in London's West End on 22 June 1961. The film depicts an interracial rom ...

'' (1961) *'' In the Doghouse'' (1962) *'' On the Beat'' (1962) *''

Tiara Tahiti ''Tiara Tahiti'' is a 1962 comedy-drama film directed by Ted Kotcheff and starring James Mason and John Mills. Kotcheff's directorial debut, it is based on the novel by Geoffrey Cotterell, who also adapted it for the screen with Ivan Foxwell. It ...

'' (1962) *''

The Wild and the Willing ''The Wild and the Willing'' is a 1962 British romantic drama film, directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Virginia Maskell, Paul Rogers, and Samantha Eggar. It is the film debuts of Ian McShane, John Hurt, and Samantha Eggar. It depicts a grou ...

'' (1962) *''

A Pair of Briefs ''A Pair of Briefs'' is a 1962 black and white British courtroom comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Michael Craig, Mary Peach, Brenda De Banzie and James Robertson Justice. The screenplay concerns a newly qualified female barri ...

'' (1962) *'' A Stitch in Time'' (1963) *''

80,000 Suspects ''80,000 Suspects'' is a 1963 British drama film directed by Val Guest and starring Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Yolande Donlan, and Cyril Cusack. It concerns an outbreak of smallpox in Bath, England. Plot Commencing on New Year's Eve in the ...

'' (1963) *''

The Informers ''The Informers'' is a collection of short stories, linked by the same continuity, written by American author Bret Easton Ellis. The collection was first published as a whole in 1994. Chapters 6 and 7, "Water from the Sun" and "Discovering Jap ...

'' (1963) *'' Doctor in Distress'' (1963) *''

Hot Enough for June ''Hot Enough for June'' is a 1964 British spy comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas, and starring Dirk Bogarde with Sylva Koscina in her English film debut, Robert Morley and Leo McKern. It is based on the 1960 novel '' The Night of Wenceslas'' b ...

'' (1964) *''

The Beauty Jungle ''The Beauty Jungle'' (also known as Contest Girl) is a 1964 British film directed by Val Guest. Plot Shirley lives in Bristol. While on a seaside holiday at Butlins holiday camp a young typist Shirley Freeman ( Janette Scott) is persuaded by ...

'' (1964) (a.k.a. ''Contest Girl'') *'' The High Bright Sun'' (1965)

References

External links

*
Earl St. John
at

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John, Earl 1892 births 1968 deaths People from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Film producers from Louisiana