Basil Wrangell

Basil Wrangell (born Basilio Petrovich von Wrangell) was an Italian-born film and television editor and director who worked in Hollywood from the 1920s through the 1970s.^[1][2]

Basil Wrangell
Born	Basilio Petrovich von Wrangell June 19, 1906 Ponte a Moriano, Toscana, Italy
Died	April 26, 1977 (aged 70) Los Angeles, California, USA
Occupation(s)	Film editor, Film Director
Spouses	Isabelle Fair ​ (divorced)​ Vivian Ducloux

Biography

Basil was born at the Russian embassy in Ponte a Moriano, Italy, to Peter von Wrangell and Marussia Sasso-Ruffo. On his father's side, his family line had reportedly served as court attaches of old Russia since 1200 A.D.^[3] Basil's brother, George Wrangell, was a society columnist in New York City.^[4]

Basil attended the elite Grosvenor School in Nottingham, England, as a young man, until his family lost their wealth during the Russian Revolution. A chance opportunity to serve as an interpreter for Fred Niblo on Ben-Hur led to Basil traveling to America to take an entry-level job in a cutting room at a studio.^[3][5] He ended up becoming a proficient editor, eventually earning the chance to direct shorts and features.^[4] For television, he edited many episodes of I Spy, Peyton Place, Combat!, and Adventures in Paradise.

Selected filmography

As editor:

• The Only Way to Spy (1978)
• Tobor the Great (1954)
• Love Happy (1949)
• The Good Earth (1937)
• Whipsaw (1935)
• Shadow of Doubt (1935)
• Hide-Out (1934)
• Hips, Hips, Hooray! (1934)
• Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men (1933)
• Midshipman Jack (1933)
• Bed of Roses (1933)
• Gabriel Over the White House (1933)
• Ladies They Talk About (1933)
• Freaks (1932)
• Sidewalks of New York (1931)
• Min and Bill (1930)
• Love in the Rough (1930)
• Let Us Be Gay (1930)
• The Woman Racket (1930)
• Marianne (1929)
• The Voice of the City (1929)
• All at Sea (1929)
• The Cameraman (1928)
• The Cardboard Lover (1928)
• A Certain Young Man (1928)
• The Latest from Paris (1928)
• In Old Kentucky (1927)
• Twelve Miles Out (1927)
• California (1927)

As director:

• South Seas Adventure (1958)
• Heartaches (1947)
• Philo Vance's Gamble (1947)