Michael Crawford, born in 1942 in Salisbury, England, is an actor known for his diverse talents across stage and screen. In The Knack... and How to Get It (1965), he delivers a memorable performance that highlights his comedic timing and charm, a precursor to his later fame in the iconic role of the Phantom. With a career that began in the 1960s, Crawford's work reflects the playful yet edgy spirit of British cinema during that era, making him a fitting presence in the SassyFlix catalog.
The Knack... and How to Get It
In England, the times are a changing: it's mods and rockers. On the day Nancy gets off the London train, cases in hand, looking for the YWCA, Colin has had enough of missing out on the sexual revolution. He begs his smooth (and misogynistic) pal Tolen to teach him 'the knack' - how to score with women. Serendipitously, Colin and his new lodger Tom meet up with Nancy while Colin's buying a bed larger than Tolen's. The three hit it off, but their simple fun ends when Tolen meets Nancy. Colin is jealous but impotent, and Tolen both attracts and repels her. She swoons, wonders what happened, and cries 'rape.' Impish serendipity rubs against unsettling ambiguity. Cool, sophisticated Tolen (Ray Brooks) has a monopoly on womanizing - with a long like of conquests to prove it - while the naïve, awkward Colin (Michael Crawford) desperately wants a piece of it. But when Colin falls for an innocent country girl (Rita Tushingham), it's not long before the self-assured Tolen moves in for the kill. Is all fair in love and war, or can Colin get the the knack and beat Tolen at his own game?
