Mario Zampi
Encyclopedia
Mario Zampi is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- 2 December 1963, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) was a film producer and director. A co-founder of Two Cities Films
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....
, he is most closely associated with British comedies of the 1950s.
Zampi started out as an actor in Italy at the age of 17. By 1930, he was working for Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
as a film editor in London. In 1937, he and fellow compatriate Filippo Del Giudice
Filippo Del Giudice
Filippo Del Giudice, , born in Trani, Italy, was an Italian film producer.In 1933 he fled fascist Italy for England and entered films four years later when, with Mario Zampi, he founded Two Cities Films.-External links:...
founded Two Cities Films. While the company was noted for such serious films as In Which We Serve
In Which We Serve
In Which We Serve is a 1942 British patriotic war film directed by David Lean and Noël Coward. It was made during the Second World War with the assistance of the Ministry of Information ....
, Henry V
Henry V (1944 film)
Henry V is a 1944 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. The on-screen title is The Cronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France . It stars Laurence Olivier, who also directed. The play was adapted for the screen by Olivier, Dallas...
, and Hamlet
Hamlet (1948 film)
Hamlet is a 1948 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, adapted and directed by and starring Sir Laurence Olivier. Hamlet was Olivier's second film as director, and also the second of the three Shakespeare films that he directed...
, Zampi is most remembered for comedies. He made his mark with such films as Laughter in Paradise
Laughter in Paradise
Laughter in Paradise is the title of a British comedy film released in 1951. The film stars Alastair Sim, Fay Compton, George Cole, and Guy Middleton...
(1951), The Naked Truth
The Naked Truth (1957 film)
The Naked Truth is a 1957 British film comedy starring Peter Sellers, Terry-Thomas and Dennis Price. Peggy Mount, Shirley Eaton and Joan Sims also appear...
(1957), and Too Many Crooks
Too Many Crooks
Too Many Crooks is a 1959 British comedy film about a bunch of inept crooks who kidnap the wrong woman. It stars George Cole as the leader of the gang, Brenda De Banzie as the victim, and Terry-Thomas as her husband...
(1959), often in the dual role of director and producer.
Filmography
Director and producer unless otherwise indicated.- Tredici uomini e un cannone (1936) producer
- 13 Men and a Gun13 Men and a Gun13 Men and a Gun is a 1938 British-Italian war film directed by Mario Zampi and starring Arthur Wontner, Clifford Evans and Howard Marion-Crawford...
(1938) - French Without TearsFrench Without Tears (film)French Without Tears is a 1940 comedy film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Ray Milland. It was based on the play of the same name by Terence Rattigan who also co-wrote the script.-Cast:* Ray Milland - Alan Howard* Ellen Drew - Diana Lake...
(1940) producer - Spy for a DaySpy for a DaySpy for a Day is a 1940 British comedy thriller film directed by Mario Zampi and starring Douglas Wakefield, Paddy Browne and Jack Allen. During the First World War a British farmer is abducted by the Germans to take the place of a spy about to be executed whom he closely resembles.-Cast:* Douglas...
(1940) - Freedom RadioFreedom RadioFreedom Radio is a 1941 British propaganda film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Clive Brook, Diana Wynyard, Raymond Huntley and Derek Farr. It is set in Nazi Germany during the Second World War about an underground German resistance group who run a radio station broadcasting against the...
aka A Voice in the Night (1941) producer (uncredited) - The Phantom Shot (1947)
- Third Time Lucky (1948) producer
- The Fatal Night (1948)
- The Happiest Days of Your LifeThe Happiest Days of Your LifeThe Happiest Days of Your Life is a 1950 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder, based on the play by John Dighton. The two men also wrote the screenplay. It's one of a stable of classic British film comedies produced by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat for British Lion Film Corporation. The...
(1950) producer - Shadow of the PastShadow of the PastShadow of the Past is a Big Finish Productions audiobook based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
(1950) - Come Dance with Me (1950)
- Laughter in ParadiseLaughter in ParadiseLaughter in Paradise is the title of a British comedy film released in 1951. The film stars Alastair Sim, Fay Compton, George Cole, and Guy Middleton...
(1951) - Ho scelto l'amore, aka I Chose Love (1952) director
- Top SecretTop Secret (1952 film)Top Secret is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Mario Zampi and starring George Cole, Oskar Homolka and Nadia Gray. A sanitation inspector is mistaken for an international spy.-Cast:* George Cole - George Potts* Oskar Homolka - Zekov...
, aka Mr. Potts Goes to Moscow (1952) - Happy Ever After, aka Tonight's the Night (1954)
- Now and ForeverNow and Forever (1956 film)Now and Forever is a 1956 British drama film directed by Mario Zampi and starring Janette Scott, Vernon Gray and Kay Walsh. It is based on the play The Orchard Walls by R.F. Delderfield...
(1956) - The Naked TruthThe Naked Truth (1957 film)The Naked Truth is a 1957 British film comedy starring Peter Sellers, Terry-Thomas and Dennis Price. Peggy Mount, Shirley Eaton and Joan Sims also appear...
, aka Your Past Is Showing (1957) - Too Many CrooksToo Many CrooksToo Many Crooks is a 1959 British comedy film about a bunch of inept crooks who kidnap the wrong woman. It stars George Cole as the leader of the gang, Brenda De Banzie as the victim, and Terry-Thomas as her husband...
(1959) - Bottoms UpBottoms Up (1960 film)Bottoms Up is a 1960 British comedy film.It stars Jimmy Edwards in a spin-off of his TV comedy series Whack-O!, playing a seedy headmaster.The plot involves Melvyn Hayes playing a Cockney youth who tries to impersonate an Indian prince.-Cast list:...
(1960) - Five Golden HoursFive Golden HoursFive Golden Hours is a 1961 Italian-British comedy film directed by Mario Zampi and written by Hans Wilhelm. It stars Ernie Kovacs, Cyd Charisse and George Sanders, and features Dennis Price and John Le Mesurier.-Plot:...
, aka Cinque ore in contanti (1961) director