Richard O'Brien is the Child Catcher from the premiere cast of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The Child Catcher is a fictional character from the film and theatrical productions of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In the 1968 film, he is played by the late Ballet dancer Sir Robert Helpmann. In the theatrical version in London, he was played by Richard O'Brien, and on Broadway, he was played by Kevin Cahoon. Image File history File links Richard_O'Brien. ... Image File history File links Richard_O'Brien. ... Richard OBrien (born Richard Timothy Smith on March 25, 1942 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England) is a writer, actor, television presenter and theatre performer. ... Chitty the Musical is a stage musical based on the story Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming and the 1968 film. ... This article is about the musical film. ... Act 4 of Swan Lake: choreography by Petipa and Nureyev, music by Tchaikovsky. ... Robert Helpmann Sir Robert Helpmann (April 9, 1909 – September 28, 1986), Australian dancer, actor and choreographer, was born in Mt Gambier, South Australia. ... Richard OBrien (born Richard Timothy Smith on March 25, 1942 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England) is a writer, actor, television presenter and theatre performer. ...

He works for the Baron and Baronness of Vulgaria to kidnap and lock up the country's children. He wears an all-black suit, with a top hat, and has moderately long black hair. In general appearance, he is quite pale, thin, and has a spider-like quality and grace in the way he moves. His most recognizable feature is his elongated nose, with which he is able to smell children and find where they are hiding. When searching for the children, he carries a large net and a hook to catch them. From the way he talks about children, one can assume that he knows a lot about the way they behave in frightening situations. He says that they get under the floor boards, in cracks in the walls, and in wood work, by which he means they are so small and flexible, they can squeeze into the smallest and hardest-to-reach places. He drives a horse-drawn dark buggy equipped with a cage, but he sometimes disguises the buggy as a candy-and-ice cream wagon in order to lure, and so ensnare, children. He also disguises himself with colorful clothing and carries lollies and other sweets with which to tempt the children out of their hiding places (not unlike the Pied Piper) and--to younger viewers at least--is therefore easily the most intimidating character in the film. Vulgaria, played by Neuschwanstein Castle Vulgaria is a fictional European barony visited by the Potts family and Truly Scrumptious in their amazing flying car, in the classic childrens film/stage musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. ... Look up Cage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Cage may refer to more than one article: A cage (enclosure) is an enclosure made of mesh, bars or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something. ... Pied Piper is a novel by Nevil Shute, first published in 1942. ...

Trivia

• Robert Helpmann was well liked by the child actors Adrian Hall and Heather Ripley on the film, and he himself loved children.
• Dick Van Dyke recalls that when Sir Robert Helpmann was driving the wagon in the scenes for the film, the wagon tipped over the side, but as it did so, Helpmann managed to perform a quick stunt of his own to escape. He said Helpmann stepped across the carriage as it was tipping over.
• After the end of the day when Helpmann was finished work, he gave Adrian Hall, and Heather Ripley his facial wax add ons.