Ken Annakin subsequently decided to emigrate to New Zealand, and travelled around the world in a variety of jobs.
38 Facts About Ken Annakin
2.
Ken Annakin was compere and stage manager of Eugene Permanent Waving Company's roadshow, touring the Northern provinces.
3.
When World War II broke out, Ken Annakin became a firefighter in Soho, then joined the Royal Air Force.
4.
Ken Annakin had made a number of documentaries for Sydney Box, and when Box took over as head of Gainsborough Pictures he brought Ken Annakin with him and assigned him to his first feature, Holiday Camp.
5.
Box called in Ken Annakin to replace Michael Charlton, who was directing Miranda with Glynis Johns.
6.
However, Quartet, an anthology film based on stories by W Somerset Maugham, for which Annakin directed one segment, was well received.
7.
Ken Annakin moved to Associated British Pictures Corporation, for whom he directed Landfall, a war film; and Double Confession, a thriller.
8.
Ken Annakin did another installment for an anthology movie based on Maugham stories, Trio.
9.
Ken Annakin then received an offer from Walt Disney to make The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men with Richard Todd.
10.
Ken Annakin made an action film set during the Malayan Emergency, the United Artists film The Planter's Wife with Jack Hawkins and Claudette Colbert, which was a big hit in Britain.
11.
Disney reunited Ken Annakin and Todd on The Sword and the Rose, co-starring Glynis Johns; it was a commercial disappointment.
12.
Ken Annakin was offered the chance to direct a third historical film with Richard Todd, Rob Roy, but John Davis refused to let him out of his contract with Rank.
13.
Ken Annakin made a comedy, You Know What Sailors Are then did another imperial adventure story with Hawkins, The Seekers.
14.
Ken Annakin arranged for Rank to buy the rights to a Pearl Buck novel The Hidden Flower but then decided not to make it as he felt interracial romance was out of date.
15.
Ken Annakin worked on a film set in Burma, Elephant Bill but John Davis of Rank refused to make it as it was too expensive.
16.
Ken Annakin returned to comedy for Value for Money with John Gregson and Diana Dors, for Rank; Loser Takes All with Johns, based on a script by Graham Greene, for British Lion Films.
17.
Ken Annakin was going to direct The Alcock and Brown Story for Alex Korda starring Kenneth More but the film was cancelled when Korda went bankrupt.
18.
Ken Annakin was going to direct The Singer Not the Song with Marlon Brando and Peter Finch but pulled out when they were unable to reaise finance and John Davis insisted Dirk Bogarde be cast.
19.
Ken Annakin made Across the Bridge with Rod Steiger from a story by Graham Greene.
20.
Ken Annakin was going to direct The Singer Not the Song but was unhappy with the idea of making the film with Dirk Bogarde.
21.
Disney called again and hired Ken Annakin to make a mountaineering tale, Third Man on the Mountain.
22.
Ken Annakin returned to comedy with Very Important Person with James Robertson Justice.
23.
Ken Annakin travelled to South Africa once more for The Hellions with Richard Todd.
24.
Ken Annakin did some British comedies with Leslie Phillips, Stanley Baxter and a young Julie Christie: The Fast Lady and Crooks Anonymous.
25.
Ken Annakin then made The Informers with Nigel Patrick for Rank.
26.
Ken Annakin directed the big-scale war film Battle of the Bulge the same year for producer Philip Yordan and Cinerama.
27.
Ken Annakin started writing a follow up to Flying Machine called Monte Carlo or Bust.
28.
Ken Annakin planned to make epics about the Spanish Armada, Cortez and the Indian Mutiny, and a film about martians.
29.
Ken Annakin continued to travel widely with his films: The Call of the Wild was shot in Finland, with Charlton Heston; Paper Tiger, with David Niven in Malaysia.
30.
Thanks to the money made from his films, Ken Annakin moved to the south of France with his family.
31.
In 1978, Ken Annakin left France and moved to Los Angeles.
32.
Ken Annakin wouldn't stay only in America, as he travelled to Europe for The Fifth Musketeer.
33.
Ken Annakin's last completed film was The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking which he directed, produced and co wrote.
34.
Ken Annakin would continue to work on more screenplays, as well as attempt to develop a new film about Amelia Earhardt called Redwing.
35.
Ken Annakin was honored as a Disney Legend by The Walt Disney Company in March 2002.
36.
Ken Annakin is only the second film director to be so honoured.
37.
Ken Annakin was awarded an OBE the same year for service to the film industry and received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Hull University.
38.
Ken Annakin died on 22 April 2009, the same day as Jack Cardiff, who had been his cinematographer on the 1979 film The Fifth Musketeer.