biography

Born Daliah Levenbuch in Palestine on October 12, 1940 (some sources cite 1942 as her year of birth), actress Daliah Lavi's film career was almost entirely contained in the decade of the 1960s. As a child growing up in Israel, she was a promising ballet student. In 1952, she met Kirk Douglas, who was starring in a war film, The Juggler (1953; with John Banner) that was shot in her village. Douglas and other cast members were so impressed with Lavi they financed a trip for her to Sweden to further her dance studies. In 1956, she returned to Israel when her father passed away. By this time she had grown into a 5'9' beauty and dropped dance in favor of modeling and acting. After appearing in a few films in her native country, she went to Italy to model but soon became bored with the profession. Lavi left Italy for France and by 1960, she was in Germany acting in films including

Given that a gifted young comedian named Woody Allen stormed off the set and headed for the airport still wearing his make-up and costume, it's fairly clear that the filming of Casino Royale didn’t run too smoothly. The film suffered a major setback early on, with producers failing to agree terms with Eon – and, as a result, a satirical narrative was adopted. As production stumbled on. Roy Baird, Assistant Director: Casino Royale. Roy Baird was born on September 3, 1933 in Elstree, England. He was an assistant director and producer, known for Casino Royale (1967), Our Mother's House (1967) and Quadrophenia (1979). He was married to Brenda.

Blazing Sand (1960) and The Return of Dr. Mabuse (1961; with Gert Fröbe and Lex Barker).
Lavi had a great deal of success in 1960s cinema, acting in such films as Ten Little Indians (1966; with Hugh O'Brian, Shirley Eaton, and Fabian), The Silencers (1966; with Dean Martin and Stella Stevens), and Casino Royale (1967; with Peter Sellers and Woody Allen). However, by the end of the decade, Lavi walked away from her acting career.

the films of daliah lavi

Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)

The Whip and the Body (1963)

Lord Jim (1965)

The Silencers (1966)

The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966)

Casino Royale (1967)

Those Fantastic Flying Fools, aka Rocket to the Moon (1967)

The High Commissioner (1968)

Some Girls Do (1969)

Catlow (1971)

later years

By the late 1960s, Daliah Lavi grew discontented with her film career. Increasingly, she was asked to disrobe in films, which she refused to do. Abandoning her film career, she was encouraged by actor Topol to try a singing career. By the early 1970s, Lavi was one of the most popular singers in Germany and had some success on British charts as well. By 1975, she stepped out of the limelight completely to focus on her third marriage and motherhood in Miami, Florida. When her marriage collapsed, she quit performing entirely. She returned to singing in 2008 with a German album of songs which served as her swansong. Sadly, Daliah Lavi passed away at her Asheville, North Carolina home on May 3, 2017, at age 76. She is survived by her husband, Chuck, a daughter, three sons, a sister, and several grandchildren.

daliah lavi dvds available from amazon.com

daliah lavi downloads available

filmography

FILM
Catlow (1971) with Yul Brynner, Richard Crenna, Leonard Nimoy, Jo Ann Pflug, and Jeff Corey
Some Girls Do (1969) with Richard Johnson and Robert Morley
The High Commissioner (1968) with Rod Taylor, Christopher Plummer, Lilli Palmer, Camilla Sparv, and Franchot Tone
Operation Kid Brother (1967) with Neil Connery, Adolfo Celi, Daniela Bianchi, Bernard Lee, and Lois Maxwell
Casino Royale (1967) with Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven, Orson Welles, Joanna Pettet, Woody Allen, Deborah Kerr, and William Holden
Those Fantastic Flying Fools (1967) with Burl Ives, Troy Donahue, Gert Fröbe, Hermione Gingold, Lionel Jeffries, Dennis Price, and Terry-Thomas
The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966) with Laurence Harvey, Lionel Jeffries, Denholm Elliott, and June Whitfield
The Silencers (1966) with Dean Martin, Stella Stevens, Victor Buono, James Gregory, Nancy Kovack, Roger C. Carmel, and Cyd Charisse
Agatha Christie's 'Ten Little Indians' (1965) with Hugh O'Brian, Shirley Eaton, Fabian, and Dennis Price
Shots in 3/4 Time (1965) with Pierre Brice, Terence Hill, Anton Diffring, and Senta Berger
La Celestina P... R... (1965) with Franco Nero, Massimo Serato, and Marilù Tolo
Lord Jim (1965) with Peter O'Toole, James Mason, Curd Jurgens, and Eli Wallach
DM-Killer (1965) with Curd Jurgens
Cyrano et d'Artagnan (1965) with José Ferrer, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and Sylva Koscina
Apaches' Last Battle (1964) with Lex Barker, Pierre Brice, and Guy Madison
And So to Bed (1963) with Lilli Palmer, Hildegard Knef, and Peter van Eyck
The Whip and the Body (1963) with Christopher Lee and Tony Kendall; directed by Mario Bava
The Demon (1963)
Black-White-Red Four Poster (1962)
Two Weeks in Another Town (1962) with Kirk Douglas, Edward G. Robinson, Cyd Charisse, George Hamilton, Claire Trevor, and James Gregory
The Game of Truth (1961)
The Return of Dr. Mabuse (1961) with Gert Fröbe and Lex Barker
No Time for Ecstasy (1961) with Peter van Eyck
One Night at the Beach (1961)
Candide (1960) with Jean-Pierre Cassel
Blazing Sand (1960)
The People of Hemso (1955)

daliah lavi links

The Daliah Lavi Shrine

daliah lavi now showing

Watch Daliah Lavi's 1963 horror film The Whip and the Body

Born	Kenneth Graham Hughes 19 January 1922
Died	28 April 2001 (aged 79) Los Angeles, California, United States [1]

Kenneth Graham Hughes (19 January 1922 – 28 April 2001)^[2] was an English film director, writer and producer. He was the co-writer and director of the children's film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968).^[3] He has been called 'a filmmaker whose output was consistently interesting and entertaining, and deserved more critical attention than it has received.'^[4]

Early Life and Career[edit]

Hughes was born in Yates St, Toxteth, Liverpool.^[1] His family moved to London soon after. Hughes won an amateur film contest at age 14^[3] and worked as a projectionist. When he was sixteen he went to work for the BBC as a technician and became a sound engineer.^[5]

In 1941 he began making documentaries and short features;^[6] he also made training films for the Ministry of Defence. Hughes eventually returned to the BBC where he made documentaries.

Director[edit]

Hughes's first film as director was the 'B' movie Wide Boy (1952). He did a short feature, The Drayton Case (1953), which became the first of Anglo-Amalgamated's Scotland Yard film series (1953-61), and several of the later installments including The Dark Stairway (1953) and Murder Anonymous (1955). He did Black 13 (1954) then made The House Across the Lake (1954) for Hammer Films, based on Hughes' own novel.

He made The Brain Machine (1955), Little Red Monkey (1955), and Confession (1955). Timeslip (1955) was science fiction. He was one of several writers on The Flying Eye (1955) and Portrait of Alison (1955).^[5]

Hughes received notice for Joe MacBeth (1955) a modernised re-telling of Macbeth set among American gangsters of the 1930s, but shot at Shepperton Studios in Surrey.^[7] He shared an Emmy Award in 1959 for writing the television play Eddie (for Alcoa Theatre) which starred Mickey Rooney.^[1][8]

The later 1950s[edit]

Hughes made some films for Columbia: Wicked as They Come (1956), and The Long Haul (1957). He wrote High Flight (1957) made by Warwick Films, producers Albert Broccoli and Irving Allen, who released through Columbia. For British TV he wrote episodes of Solo for Canary (1958).

For Warwick Films, he directed two films with Anthony Newley, Jazz Boat (1960) and In the Nick (1960). Warwick liked his work and hired Hughes to direct The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960) with Peter Finch. It was well received, and was Hughes favourite among his films because he did not make any concessions in its production.^[3]

Career peak[edit]

Hughes wrote and directed The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963),^[3] based on Hughes' television play Sammy which had been broadcast by the BBC in 1958. Anthony Newley was the title lead in both playing a confidence trickster and gambler.^[3] He directed episodes of the TV series Espionage (1964).

He replaced Bryan Forbes, who in turn had replaced Henry Hathaway as director of Of Human Bondage (1964), starring Laurence Harvey and Kim Novak. It was financed by Seven Arts who used Hughes on the Tony Curtis comedy Drop Dead Darling (1965). Hughes also wrote episodes for the TV series An Enemy of the State (1965). He was subsequently one of several directors who worked on the James Bond spoof Casino Royale (1967).

He co-wrote and directed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) for producer Broccoli. Although it was a success at the box-office, it received a negative response from critics who objected to its sentimentality.^[9] It was a project he did not enjoy working on. 'The film made a lot of money, but that doesn't really make me feel any better about it. On the other hand, I've made pictures that got awards at Berlin and places, and didn't make any money, and that doesn't make me feel any better either'.^[7]

Irving Allen produced Cromwell (1970), a dream project of Hughes who called it the 'best thing I've ever done'.^[5] It starred Richard Harris in the title role and Alec Guinness as Charles I, but was not a financial success.^[7] It meant he was unable to raise funds for a proposed film of Ten Days That Shook the World.^[5]

In 1969 Hughes sold his company, Ken Hughes Productions, to Constellation Investments for the issue at par of 300,000 of 6 percent convertible unsecured loan stock. The stock was deposited by the vendors as security for warranties that profits of Ken Hughes Productions during the next ten years will exceed £500,000 after corporations tax and be available to Constellation.^[10][11]

Youtube Casino Royale 1967

Later career[edit]

Hughes directed The Internecine Project (1974) for British Lion and Alfie Darling (1975), a sequel to Alfie (1966); they both flopped.^[9] He wrote and directed episodes of Oil Strike North (1975).

Hughes sold his production company for £300,000 in 1969, but encountered financial difficulties in the 1970s.^[12] In July 1975 he declared bankruptcy. He told the London Bankruptcy Court he earned £44,177 in 1968 and £47,960 in 1969 but nothing in 1970. 'The film industry collapsed,' said Hughes. 'It has not recovered yet.' He had debts of £32,277 and had to sell his house to pay creditors. Hughes attributed his financial situation to paying maintenance to two wives and an inability to reduce expenses. He was also hit by a tax bill.^{[citation needed]}

He worked in the United States for the first time directing Mae West in her last film, Sextette (1978).^[1]

Casino Royale 1967 Director

His final film was the slasher movie Night School (1981), the film debut of Rachel Ward.

Personal life and death[edit]

Hughes had three marriages, to two women. From 1946 to 1957, he was married to Charlotte Epstein. From 1970 to 1976, he was married to Cherry Price, with whom he had a daughter Melinda, an opera singer. The marriage was dissolved in 1976, and Hughes remarried his first wife in 1982.^[3] They were married when Hughes died from complications from Alzheimer's Disease. He had been living in a nursing home in Panorama City in Los Angeles.^[3]

Critical appraisal[edit]

Filmink magazine did a profile on Hughes which argued 'he was a very “ups and downs” kind of guy with a solid overall average: the maker of a genuine classic (Trials of Oscar Wilde), a handful of terrific movies (Long Haul, Joe MacBeth, Wide Boy) and some films that have splendid things in them (Small World of Sammy Lee, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and yes, Casino Royale). He also made movies that were dull (Cromwell), dire (Alfie Darling), disappointing (Timeslip) and in one case, beyond belief (Sextette). He clearly worked best when attached to a feisty little production company with strong Hollywood links.'^[4]

Filmography[edit]

• Sammy (1952) - writer
• Wide Boy (1952) - director
• The Drayton Case (1953) - director, writer
• The Missing Man (1953) - writer, director
• The Candlelight Murder (1953) - writer, director
• Black 13 (1953) - director, writer
• The Dark Stairway (1953) aka The Greek Street Murder - director, writer
• The Blazing Caravan (1954) (short) - writer, director
• Passenger to Tokyo (1954) (short) - director
• The Strange Case of Blondie (1954) (short) - writer, director
• The House Across the Lake (1954) aka Heat Wave - director, writer
• The Brain Machine (1955) - director, writer
• Little Red Monkey (1955) aka Case of the Red Monkey - director, writer
• Night Plane to Amsterdam (1955) - director
• Confession (a.k.a., The Deadliest Sin, 1955) - director, writer
• Timeslip (a.k.a. The Atomic Man, 1955) - director
• The Flying Eye (1955) - writer
• Joe MacBeth (1955) - director, writer
• Postmark for Danger (1955) aka Portrait of Alisonr - writer
• Murder Anonymous (1955) (short) - director
• Wicked As They Come (1956) aka Portrait in Smoke - director, writer
• Town on Trial (1957) - writer
• The Long Haul (1957) - director, writer
• High Flight (1957) - writer
• Sammy (1958) - producer, writer, director
• Solo for Canary (1958) - writer
• Alcoa Theatre (1958) - writer episode 'Eddie'
• Jazz Boat (1960) - director, writer
• The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960) - director, writer
• In the Nick (1960) - director, writer
• The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963) - director, writer
• Espionage (1964) - writer, directo
• Of Human Bondage (1964) - director
• An Enemy of the State (1965) - writer
• Drop Dead Darling (1966) aka Arrivederci, Baby! - director, producer, writer
• Casino Royale (1967) - director, writer
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) - director, writer
• Shark! (1969) - writer
• Cromwell (1970) - director, writer
• Sammy (1972) - writer
• Menace (1973) - writer
• Colditz (1974) - writer
• The Internecine Project (1974) - director
• Fall of Eagles (1974) - writer
• Dial M for Murder (1974) - writer
• Alfie Darling (1975) - director, writer
• Oil Strike North: Deadline (1975) - episode 'Deadline' - writer
• Sextette (1978) - director
• Night School (1981) - director

Novels[edit]

• The Long Echo (1955)

Casino Royale 1967 Director Oscar

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcd'Ken Hughes — Film Director, 79'. The New York Times. Associated Press. 2 May 2001. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
2. ^BFI
3. ^ ^abcdefgThurber, Jon (30 April 2001). 'Ken Hughes; Screenwriter and Director of 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
4. ^ ^abVagg, Stephen (14 November 2020). 'Ken Hughes Forgotten Auteur'. Filmink.
5. ^ ^abcdCromwell knocked about a bitThe Guardian 16 July 1970: 8.
6. ^Obituary at Variety
7. ^ ^abcBergan, Ronald (1 May 2001). 'Ken Hughes'. The Guardian. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
8. ^'Alfred Brenner'. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
9. ^ ^ab'Ken Hughes'. The Daily Telegraph. 1 May 2001. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
10. ^Hattersley—Steel Radiators MergerDate: Saturday, Feb. 8, 1969Publication: Financial Times (London, England) Issue: 24,768 p 15
11. ^Constellation's £300,000 buyAuthor: Kenneth Fleet, City Editor Date: Saturday, Feb. 8, 1969Publication: The Daily Telegraph (London, England) Issue: 35391 p 3
12. ^Ken Hughes: [1F Edition]The Times; London (UK) [London (UK)]02 May 2001: 19.

Casino Royale 1954

External links[edit]

• Ken Hughes on IMDb