TODAY WE REMEMBER ACTOR ANDRE MORELL, born on this day in 1909. A
celebrated actor whose career had more than a few teamings with Peter
Cushing and the fantasy genre.In 1938, Morell joined the Old Vic theatre
company, and appeared in several of their high-profile productions both
at their home theatre and on tour throughout Britain and across the
rest of the world, appearing with both Alec Guinness and John Gielgud.' He kick-started his association with 'creepy cinema' with Cushing as
Sherlock Holmes, and playing Arthur Conan Doyle's character Doctor John
H. Watson, in Hammer Film Productions' version of The Hound of the
Baskervilles (1959). In 1960. He played Captain Edward Manningham in
'Cone of Silence' in 1960 also starring Cushing, Michael Craig and
Bernard Lee. His wonderful portrayal as the 'bounder' Colonel
Gore-Hepburn in Hammer's 'Cash on Demand' in 1961 makes very
entertaining viewing, as he piles the pressure on Cushing's tormented
bank manger, Harry Fordyce and 65 as Haumeid in Hammer's 'She'..with
rather odd dubbing.
THERE
WERE OTHER VERY GOOD HORRORS and thrillers too, Hammer's 'Plague of the
Zombies' in 66 and the rather limp 'THE MUMMY'S SHROUD' again for
Hammer in 1967, along with Michael Ripper's Longbarrow, one of the few
times where supporting actors are more interesting then the central
'monster'. But, his stand out performance with Cushing, for me has to be
in the BBC live televised production of George Orwell's '1984', as the
chillingly good O'Brien. It's interesting that Morell played a very good
Prof Quatermass in the BBC Quatermass tv series (1958-59) but when
offered the role of the Prof in Hammer's 'Quatermass and the Pit' in
1967, turned it down.
OUR FULL FEATURE REVIEW WITH GALLERY of 'CASH ON DEMAND' starring Peter Cushing and Andre Morell : HERE!
ABOVE: ANDRE MORELL IN PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES'
MORELL
ALWAYS LOOKED very at home in Hammer's early horrors, but inside
personally felt a little more than embarrassed by the subject matter of
some of the films, and often forbid his family to actually see them at
the local cinema. By all accounts, a rather private man, but very
generous on screen and made an outstanding contribution to some of
Hammer and Cushing's best work.
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