Beverley Cross (1931-1998) achieved instant succes in 1959 with One More River starring Sir Michael Caine and directed by Laurence Oliver. His second play, Strip the Willow, made his future wife Dame Maggie Smith a star. Among his other successes were the musical comey Hald a Sixpence (1963) based on HG Wells' book Kipps and his screenplay of Jason and the Argonauts.