Michael Smedley-Aston

Edward Michael "Smed" Smedley-Aston (1912–2006), sometimes credited only as M. Smedley-Aston or E.M. Smedley-Aston, was a British film producer involved with over 40 feature films, and pioneering some of the earliest filmed TV series in the UK.

Early life

Smedley-Aston was born on 25 August 1912, in Edgbaston, Birmingham, as the son of William Smedley-Aston (1868 - 1941), a Birmingham photographer and pioneer in the field of photography.[1] He was educated at Marlborough College.[2]

Career

Smedley-Aston began his career at Elstree Studios, where he worked with Alfred Hitchcock and was assistant director on many films including Dance Band, Royal Cavalcade, Drake of England (all 1935) and Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939).

After World War II, he joined the Rank Organisation and worked on several films, notably David Lean's Great Expectations (1946).[2] As a close associate of director/producers Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, Smedley-Aston was involved with the 1955 takeover of the British Lion Film Corporation, where he acted as a trouble-shooter and budget supervisor. Also in the 1950s, he worked on several high-profile US financed films, including Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955), The Million Pound Note (1954) and Sam Spiegel's Melba (1953).[3]

As an independent producer he reunited the popular Crazy Gang for Life is a Circus (1957), and cast a young Sean Connery to join Lana Turner in Another Time, Another Place (1958). His two crime comedies, Two-Way Stretch (1960), and The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963) helped Peter Sellers on his way to Hollywood.[4][5]

Smed was also involved in the early days of filmed episode TV. Assignment Foreign Legion (1957) was created as a vehicle for Merle Oberon and filmed at Beaconsfield Studios. He brought several episodes of Navy Log (1958) from its Hollywood base to European locations, and produced The Third Man series (1959–61).

Personal life

During the Second World War Smedley-Aston served in the RAF. He retired to the Isle of Man in 1970, returning to London to produce two comedy films, Ooh... You Are Awful (1972) and The Wildcats of St. Trinian's (1980).

In 1935, he married Thora Quayle (b. 1913), who he met in the early days at Elstree Studios. They had one son, Brian, who followed also became a film editor and producer.

References
  1. "Michael Smedley Aston". The Times. 20 February 2006. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  2. Newley, Patrick (2 March 2006). "Michael Smedley-Aston | Obituaries". The Stage. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  3. Lentz III, Harris M. (24 April 2007). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2006: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. p. 347. ISBN 9780786452118.
  4. "Life with the stars in movie heyday; SHOWBIZ: Son reveals how his father became leading light of British film industry.(News)". 10 May 2006. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. Mulcahy, Frank (17 April 1961). "Sellers is Hilarious in "Two-Way Stretch"". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
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