Frank Launder (28 January 1906 – 23 February 1997) was a British writer, film director and producer, who made more than 40 films, many of them in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat.
Early life and career He was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England and worked briefly as a clerk before becoming an actor and then a playwright.
He began working as a screenwriter on British films in the 1930s, contributing the original story for the classic Will Hay comedy Oh, Mr Porter! (1937).
Sidney Gilliat Launder first collaborated with Gilliat in 1936 on the film Seven Sinners. After writing a number of screenplays with Gilliat, including The Lady Vanishes (1938) for Alfred Hitchcock, and Night Train to Munich for Carol Reed; the two men wrote and directed the wartime drama Millions Like Us (1943). He and Gilliat were championed by studio head Ted Black who influenced the team's later career.
After founding their own production company Individual Pictures, they produced a number of memorable dramas and thrillers including I See a Dark Stranger (1945) and Green for Danger (1946), but were best known for their comedies including The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950) and most famously, the St Trinian's series, based on Ronald Searle's cartoons set in an anarchic girls school.
After The Happiest Days of Your Life Launder focused entirely on comedy.
According to the British Film Institute 'over a hundred films feature either Launder or Gilliat in the credits, nearly forty feature both' but this large number was not 'at the expense of quality'.
Personal life He was married secondly to actress Bernadette O'Farrell from 1950 until his death in Monaco. The couple had two children. Launder also had two children from his first marriage.
Selected films Year Title Director Writer Producer 1929 Under the Greenwood Tree 1930 Children of Chance The W Plan 1931 Hobson's Choice Keepers of Youth The Woman Between Children of Fortune 1932 After Office Hours Josser in the Army For the Love of Mike 1933 Hawley's of High Street Facing the Music A Southern Maid 1934 Those Were the Days 1935 Get Off My Foot Rolling Home The Black Mask Emil and the Detectives 1936 Educated Evans Twelve Good Men Where's Sally? 1937 Don't Get Me Wrong Oh, Mr Porter! 1938 The Lady Vanishes 1940 Night Train to Munich They Came by Night 1942 The Young Mr. Pitt 1942Partners in Crime 1943 Millions Like Us 1944 Two Thousand Women 1945 I See a Dark Stranger 1946 Green for Danger 1947 Captain Boycott 1949 The Blue Lagoon 1950 The Happiest Days of Your Life 1952 Folly to Be Wise 1953 The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan 1954 The Belles of St. Trinian's 1955 The Constant Husband Geordie 1956 The Green Man 1957 Blue Murder at St Trinian's 1959 Left Right and Centre The Bridal Path 1960 The Pure Hell of St Trinian's 1965 Joey Boy 1966 The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery 1980 The Wildcats of St Trinian's
References
External links
BritMovie: Individual Pictures; The cinema of Launder and Gilliat George Sandulescu, ed., Film Director Frank Launder's Last Interview, Contemporary Literature Press, 2012