Ralph Philip Thomas MC (10 August 1915 – 17 March 2001) was an English film director. He is perhaps best remembered for directing the ''

Doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

'' series of films. His brother, Gerald Thomas, was also a film director, probably best remembered for the '' Carry On...'' film series, and his son is the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning film producer,

Jeremy Thomas Jeremy Jack Thomas, CBE (born 26 July 1949) is a British film producer, founder and chairman of Recorded Picture Company. He produced Bernardo Bertolucci's ''The Last Emperor'', which won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Picture. In 2006 he rece ...

. He cast the actor James Robertson Justice in many of his films. Thomas often worked with the producer Betty E. Box, who was married to ''Carry On'' producer Peter Rogers. Thomas was a nephew of producer Victor Saville.

Early career

Born in

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

, East Riding of Yorkshire, Thomas studied law at Middlesex University College. He entered the film business as a

clapper boy Clapper or Clappers may refer to: Miscellaneous *Clapper, part of a bell *Clapper (musical instrument), consisting of two pieces of wood struck together *Clapper bridge, an ancient form of bridge * Clapper Post, urban postal service of Vienna (XV ...

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused ...

in 1932 during his summer vacation while at college. Following graduation, instead of becoming a lawyer he decided to enter the film industry, and became an apprentice at Shepperton Studios, working as a clapper boy and then in the editing room, the sound department and art department. From 1932 to 1934, Thomas worked predominantly on "

quota quickies Quota may refer to: Economics * Import quota, a trade restriction on the quantity of goods imported into a country * Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture * Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe * Indi ...

". He discovered he loved editing the most and worked predominantly as an editor for the next few years, including a period working alongside

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...

. When his employer, Premiere Stafford, went broke he worked for a while as a journalist at the '' Bristol Evening Post'' for over a year. He returned to editing before joining the army in 1939. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Thomas served with the

9th Lancers The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, but w ...

rising to the rank of Major and being awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

. He took part in the Battle of El Alamein.

Post-war career

Thomas left the army in 1945 and re-entered the film industry, although he could only gain work as an assistant editor. He assisted editing '' Odd Man Out'' (1946) then began making film trailers 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 ...

. He worked his way up to becoming head of Rank's trailer department as well as writing films. Thomas later said making trailers was "enormously useful" because he "learned a lot of the technique of how the varying directors whose pictures I had worked on operated. Also, it teaches one a great deal of discipline about brevity in story telling".

Early films as director

Sydney Box had enjoyed Thomas's trailer for '' Miranda'' (1948) and when a position of director came up due to an unexpected illness, Thomas made his directoral debut in '' Once Upon a Dream'' (1949). He made a two more comedies for Sydney Box: '' Helter Skelter'' then '' Traveller's Joy'' (both also 1949). Thomas later recalled this time as:

Enormously exciting and invigorating. We knew that we were not always doing very creative work, but that there was a chance to gain experience and that this wasn't going to last... You were quite likely to finish shooting on Friday, plan to go into the cutting rooms on Monday to look over your stuff and get your cut ready, then go for a drink, and you'd be given another script and be told, 'The sets are standing and you start on Monday – this is the cast!' It wasn't necessarily good and we didn't get a lot of money, but it was regular.

While assembling trailers, Thomas met Sydney Box's sister Betty, and the two of them struck up a rapport. In 1949 it was announced Betty Box, Muriel Box and Thomas had formed Feature Film Facilities, to make six or seven films, starting with an adaptation of several

Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form, as well as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives, destin ...

stories. This never happened. However, when Thomas left Sydney Box to go under contract with the Rank Organisation to make '' The Clouded Yellow'' (1950), he brought Betty with him as a producer. They ended up making over twenty films together. Box defined their relationship in a 1973 interview:

I'm a natural pessimist and he's a natural optimist. I'm always in the depths of despair and he is always full of joy. Good teams are often made of opposites... We (she and Ralph Thomas) do have awful, boring fights. Directing a film is not an easy job. For any man to stay sweet and gentle through eight weeks of purgatory is impossible.

Their second film together was '' Appointment with Venus'' (1951), a war comedy with

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...

. This was followed by '' Venetian Bird'' (1952), a thriller shot partly on location in Venice. Thomas then made several comedies, ''

A Day to Remember A Day to Remember (often abbreviated ADTR, and previously known as End of an Era) is an American rock band from Ocala, Florida, founded in 2003 by guitarist Tom Denney and drummer Bobby Scruggs. They are known for their amalgamation of meta ...

'' (1953), '' The Dog and the Diamonds'' (also 1953) and ''

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). It was a film released between the last two, however, which established his career.

''Doctor in the House''

They had a massive box office hit with ''Doctor in the House'' (1954). The film made a star of

Dirk Bogarde Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as '' Doctor in the House'' (1954) for the Rank Org ...

and led to a number of sequels, all of which would be directed by Thomas. Thomas later reflected, "In a way it doesn't really do your career any good to have such a big success early on... you can easily get thrown off course because you get offered all sorts of things which you don't really want to do and shouldn't do. You become easily flattered because you like this first taste of fame." However, the films gave Thomas and Box a great deal of control. Thomas says whenever they made a "doctor" film, Rank would finance another movie they wanted "as long as the thing we wanted to make had a reasonable budget and was not too idiotic." Thomas made a war film, ''

Above Us the Waves ''Above Us the Waves'' is a 1955 British war film about human torpedo and midget submarine attacks in Norwegian fjords against the German battleship ''Tirpitz''. Directed by Ralph Thomas, it is based on two true-life attacks by British commando ...

'' (1955), before doing a second "Doctor", '' Doctor at Sea'' (also 1955). Both these movies would be among the most successful films at the British box office in 1955. He followed them with the less popular '' Checkpoint'' (1956), a '' noir''

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...

thriller concerning car racing starring Anthony Steel and featuring location filming in Europe. The success of ''Doctor in the House'' saw Thomas offered to direct the Cold War comedy, '' The Iron Petticoat'' with

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...

and

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

. The film was a financial success but production was an unhappy experience for Thomas. It was the only time he worked with major Hollywood stars. He returned to "Doctor" series with '' Doctor at Large'' (1957), the second most popular movie at the British box office in its year of release. This success encouraged Rank to finance Thomas and Box for a series of expensive adventure films starring Dirk Bogarde shot on location, aimed at the international market: '' Campbell's Kingdom'' (1957), ''

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) and ''

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 ...

'' (also 1958). None of these achieved the financial success of the "Doctor" movies, although the last two in particular are regarded among Thomas' finest works. Also on a large scale was '' The 39 Steps'' (1959), starring

Kenneth More Kenneth Gilbert More, CBE (20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982) was an English film and stage actor. Initially achieving fame in the comedy '' Genevieve'' (1953), he appeared in many roles as a carefree, happy-go-lucky gent. Films from this per ...

in a remake of the

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

classic, which was a box-office success. Thomas returned to comedy with the smaller budgeted '' Upstairs and Downstairs'' (also 1959), starring Michael Craig.

1960s

Thomas and Box wanted to make two riskier films, a story about nuns, ''

Conspiracy of Hearts ''Conspiracy of Hearts'' is a 1960 British Second World War film, directed by Ralph Thomas, about nuns in Italy smuggling Jewish children out of an internment camp near their convent to save them from The Holocaust. It stars Lilli Palmer, Sylvia ...

'' (1960), and a political story ''

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 disillu ...

'' (1961). Rank agreed to finance provided they made a fourth doctor film: ''

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) was the result; despite Dirk Bogarde refusing to take part (Michael Craig took over the lead), it was still a big hit. ''Conspiracy of Hearts'' was also highly successful. ''No Love for Johnnie'' was a flop, but was highly acclaimed critically – perhaps the most admired of all Thomas' movies. Thomas and Box then made two low-budget comedies. '' No My Darling Daughter'' (1961) and '' A Pair of Briefs'' (1962). Thomas did some uncredited work on ''

Carry On Cruising ''Carry On Cruising'' is a 1962 British comedy film, the sixth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It was based on an original story by Eric Barker. P&O – Orient Lines were thanked in the credits. Regulars Sid James, Kenn ...

'' (1962), before making a university drama with Box, '' The Wild and the Willing'' (1962), an " angry young man"-style melodrama which was the first film for

Ian McShane Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor, producer and director. He is known for his television performances, particularly as the title role in the BBC series ''Lovejoy'' (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in '' Deadwood'' (20 ...

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...

and

Samantha Eggar Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar (born 5 March 1939) is a retired British-American actress. After beginning her career in Shakespearean theatre she rose to fame for her performance in William Wyler's thriller '' The Collec ...

. None of these were particularly popular at the box office so Thomas returned to "doctor" films with '' Doctor in Distress'' (1963). This starred Dirk Bogarde, who had been encouraged to reprise his role as Simon Sparrow one more time. In return, Rank agreed to finance Thomas and Bogarde in two more expensive films: the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

spoof '' Hot Enough for June'' (1964) and a serious look at the Cyprus Emergency, '' The High Bright Sun'' (1964). Neither of the latter two were particularly popular. Thomas returned to more sure-fire material with a sixth "Doctor", '' Doctor in Clover'' (1966). He then made two

Bulldog Drummond Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who, ...

films, both starring Richard Johnson, '' Deadlier Than the Male'' (1967) and ''

Some Girls Do ''Some Girls Do'' is a 1969 British comedy spy film directed by Ralph Thomas. It was the second of the revamped Bulldog Drummond films (following 1967's ''Deadlier Than the Male'') starring Richard Johnson as Drummond, made following the succes ...

'' (1969). In between he directed

Rod Taylor Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He appeared in more than 50 feature films, including '' The Time Machine'' (1960), '' One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961), '' The Birds'' (1963), and '' ...

in a poorly-received thriller, ''

Nobody Runs Forever ''Nobody Runs Forever'', also called ''The High Commissioner'', is a 1968 British political neo noir spy thriller action film directed by Ralph Thomas and based on Jon Cleary's 1966 novel '' The High Commissioner''. It stars Rod Taylor as Au ...

'' (also known as ''The High Commissioner'', 1968).

1970s

Thomas shot the last "doctor" film, '' Doctor in Trouble'' in 1970. It made money but Thomas and Box were getting sick of the series and sold the franchise to television. They had a big hit '' Percy'' (1971) which led to a sequel, '' Percy's Progress'' (1974). However, other films Thomas made around this time – '' Quest for Love'' (1971), an unusual sci-fi love story starring

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primeti ...

, and ''

The Love Ban ''The Love Ban'' is a 1973 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Hywel Bennett, Nanette Newman and Milo O'Shea. It was based on a play by Kevin Laffan. It is also known under the alternative titles of ''It's a 2'6" Above t ...

'' (1973) – were less successful. The downturn in production in the British film industry of the 1970s affected Thomas' ability to raise finance for his films and he began to work increasingly in television. His last feature was '' A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square'' (1979). He is commemorated with a green plaque on The Avenues, Kingston upon Hull.

Legacy

Thomas later described himself as:

A sort of journeyman picture maker and I was generally happy to make anything I felt to be halfway respectable. So my volume of work was enormous; I had a lot of energy and made all kinds of pictures. If you make all kinds, you score a hit sometimes. I made thrillers, comedies, love stories, war stories, one or two adventure things. Some filmmakers have a lot of talent and genius for it; others simply have a lot of energy and I'm afraid I belong in the latter category!

Filmography

* '' Second Bureau'' (1936) – editor * '' Return of a Stranger'' (1937) – editor * '' Once Upon a Dream'' (1949) – director * '' Traveller's Joy'' (1949) – director * '' Helter Skelter'' (1949) – director * '' The Clouded Yellow'' (1951) – director * '' Appointment with Venus'' (1951) – director * '' Venetian Bird'' (1952) – director * ''

'' (1953) – director * '' The Dog and the Diamonds'' (1953) – director * ''

'' (1954) – director * '' Doctor in the House'' (1954) – director * ''

'' (1955) – director * '' Doctor at Sea'' (1955) – director * '' Checkpoint'' (1956) – director * '' The Iron Petticoat'' (1956) – director * '' Doctor at Large'' (1957) – director * '' Campbell's Kingdom'' (1957) – director * ''

'' (1958) – director * ''

'' (1958) – director * '' The 39 Steps'' (1959) – director * '' Upstairs and Downstairs'' (1959) – director * ''

'' (1960) – director * ''

'' (1961) – director * '' No My Darling Daughter'' (1961) – director * '' A Pair of Briefs'' (1962) – director * '' The Wild and the Willing'' (1962) – director * '' Doctor in Distress'' (1963) – director * '' Hot Enough for June'' (1964) – director * '' The High Bright Sun'' (1964) (US: ''McGuire, Go Home'') – director * '' Doctor in Clover'' (1966) – director * '' Deadlier Than the Male'' (1967) – director * ''

'' (1968) – director * ''

'' (1969) – director * '' Doctor in Trouble'' (1970) – director * '' Percy'' (1971) – director * '' Quest for Love'' (1971) – director * ''

'' (1973) – director *'' Percy's Progress'' (1974) – director *'' The Insurance Man from Ingersoll'' (1975) (TV movie) – producer * '' A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square'' (1979) – director *'' Doctor's Daughters'' (1981) (TV series) – writer * ''

Pop Pirates ''Pop Pirates'' is a 1984 British adventure film from the Children's Film Foundation starring Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the rock ...

'' (1984) – producer

Unfinished films

*Untitled film about British policewomen, a female version of '' The Blue Lamp'' *''The Red Hot Ferrari'' *''The Undertakers Man'' *''The Reckless Years'', the story of Byron and Shelley (1974)Box, p. 281.

Notes

External links

*
Ralph Thomas
in the ''

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Ralph 1915 births Thomas, Ralph English film directors Film producers from Kingston upon Hull Recipients of the Military Cross 9th Queen's Royal Lancers officers British Army personnel of World War II 20th-century English businesspeople