WHAT MAKES A GREAT SHERLOCK HOLMES : VINTAGE TRAILER : NAME THE MUSCLE MAN!

TWO FILMS and 16 Television Episodes! Over at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page, I have asked : What Do You Think, Made Peter Cushing such a popular Sherlock Holmes? From 1959 and the Hammer film adaption of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' the role of probably the world's most famous detective 'Sherlock Holmes', became quite permanently welded to Peter Cushing as one of his most entertaining roles... from a filmography containing over 90 motion pictures! From the many actors who portrayed Holmes, what was it in Cushing's performances that made him so popular?? . . . And as you wouks expect, there are some interesting theories and strong opinions... HERE!

A CHUMP AT OXFORD (1940) was the penultimate Laurel and Hardy film made at the Hal Roach studios. Stan Laurel played Stan / Lord Paddington, Oliver Hardy is Ollie! The film is of particular note to us, because Peter Cushing also featured in the cast.
 

#STANLAUREL was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson on the 16th June 1890, at 3, Argyle Street, Ulverston, Cumbria, England. He travelled to the US with the Karno trope, and after a long period eventually Laurel signed with the Hal Roach studio, so did Oliver Hardy, who was a member of the Hal Roach Studios Comedy All Star players...and the rest is history! If I were to pick anyone from this era of cinema history, Stan and Olly get my vote every time.

IF YOU HAVE NOT seen A Chump At Oxford, I highly recommend it, I have added the the theatrical trailer above! It's not just for an opportunity to see a young Peter Cushing at work, but also the joy of watching the skill and talent of the two 'boys'. It never got better. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Stan, you still remain head and shoulders above the rest!

#RichardBurton and Claire Bloom's 1956 production of 'Alexander the Great' might have been seen as 'not so great' at the box office, but #PeterCushing turned in a very good performance, even with such a damp squid of a script.. it also gave us a fabulous colour image like this this one, just months before Cushing's career would take such a dramatic turn!

ABOVE : HERE IS A GOOD FRIEND friend to Peter Cushing, who played more than one villain alongside him.. a STRONG character too! Over at the Facebook Fan Page, I have posted this and  asked if you name him and the two films in which he appeared with Peter Cushing? It's funny how some have complained that the question is too easy, while quite few.. are miles off and have ID the guy, incorrectly! 😀😉  

ON THE EVE OF TARKIN'S RETURN: TARKIN GIFS

#GIMMETHEGIF: AND SO ON THE EVE of the opening of #ROGUEONE we count down the hours and share some requested GIFS of Peter Cushing from 'STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE' . . .

FOR ROSA STRICKLAND #ROGUEONE ...#PeterCushing's Tarkin as calm and as scheming as ever. All those years of playing Baron Frankenstein obviously prepared him for such an icy role...

FOR DEBRA KENDRICK 

FOR PAUL HUGHES

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK HERE

#petercushing #rogueone #tarkin

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU : THREE TOP TARKIN GIFS

JOIN US AT OUR OFFICIAL FACEBOOK FAN PAGE HERE

 #starwarsday

ROGUE WARS: TALKING TARKIN: MORE CASTING SUGGESTIONS

Two more suggestions from friends and followers of our Peter Cushing Appreciation Society Facebook Fan Page  

GUY HENRY: An English stage and screen actor, with roles in Rome and John Adams. He appeared in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2 and, more recently, the hospital drama Holby City as the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Henrik Hanssen. In 1987, Henry appeared in the episode 'Rumpole and the Official Secret' from Season 4 of Rumpole of the Bailey.

In the early 1990s, he played the acerbic, demonic Dr Walpurgis in The Vault of Horror, a BBC Halloween special. His make-up was provided by Hellraiser veteran Geoff Portass. Guy also introduced a few series of cult horror films in several BBC One Friday night horror seasons (with a name change to 'Dr. Terror'), with scripted introductions written by horror novelist and film historian Kim Newman. He appeared in the 1996 schools series Look and Read: Spywatch, the BBC's 1996 adaptation of Emma.

In 1998 he made one appearance in the medical soap opera Peak Practice and in two episodes of The Grand. His film credits include appearances in Another Country with Rupert Everett, later in Stephen Fry's 2003 film Bright Young Things (appearing in the poster for it, top left) as Archie, in V for Vendetta as Conrad Heyer, in Starter for 10 as a university professor, in Expresso and as Pius Thicknesse in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2. In 2014 he appeared in the critically acclaimed short film Done In.

Paul Benjamin "Ben" Mendelsohn (born 3 April 1969): An Australian actor, known for his work in the films Animal Kingdom, The Dark Knight Rises, Killing Them Softly, The Place Beyond the Pines, Starred Up, Exodus: Gods and Kings, and Lost River. Mendelsohn currently stars in the Netflix series Bloodline, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe nomination.

After several early television roles, including The Henderson Kids, he attracted notice in his breakout film, The Year My Voice Broke (1987), winning him the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Supporting Actor. His next major role was in The Big Steal (1990), and Spotswood (1992) co-starring with Anthony Hopkins; this was followed in 1996 by Cosi and Idiot Box. In 2000 he was in two contrasting films, the Australian Mullet and the Hollywood Vertical Limit. In 2005, he was preparing to play Mark Antony in the Sydney Theatre Company-produced Julius Caesar, and he was in the Terrence Malick-directed film The New World. 

In 2007, Mendelsohn starred in the third season of the TV series Love My Way and in 2008, he appeared in Baz Luhrmann's Australia and filmed the 10-part Melbourne series Tangle, which premiered on Showcase in 2009. In 2009, he appeared in the American science fiction film Knowing directed by Alex Proyas. The same year, Mendelsohn starred as Ned in Beautiful Kate, directed by Rachel Ward, opposite Bryan Brown and Rachel Griffiths.

In 2010, he appeared in Animal Kingdom, starring in the film as Andrew 'Pope' Cody, a criminal on the run from the law living in the notorious Melbourne Underworld. This role won him many awards including IF Award's Best Actor and the AFI's award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He was also named GQ Australia's Actor of the Year for 2010.

He was selected as one of the entrants to the Who's Who in Australia 2012 edition^. In 2012, Mendelsohn played the supporting role of John Daggett in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises.

In 2012, he appeared in Florence + the Machine's music video for "Lover to Lover". The video was directed by Vincent Haycock. In 2013, he guest starred in the TV series Girls as the father of Jessa, played by Jemima Kirke. In 2014, Mendelsohn joined the cast of Bloodline, a Netflix original from the creators of Damages. The first season premiered on the site on 20 March 2015 and was well received. Mendelsohn's performance on the series has been critically lauded, with IGN reviewer Matt Fowler saying in his review of the first season "Everyone on the show shines...but it's Mendelsohn's lanky, damaged, bitter Danny Rayburn that truly drives the show into harrowing places. Spectacular work that I hope gets recognized come awards season."

Join us at our Peter Cushing Appreciation Society Facebook Fan Page : HERE

ONE WEEK BEFORE RELEASE OF JAMES LUCENO TARKIN

For all you Peter Cushing / Tarkin / Star Wars followers out there...there is just one week to go before the release of James Luceno's book STAR WARS: TARKIN! ....'Bestselling Star Wars veteran James Luceno gives Grand Moff Tarkin the Star Wars: Darth Plagueis treatment, bringing a legendary character from A New Hope to full, fascinating life.' ....'The novel provides a nuanced, multi faceted anti hero that is captivating, ominous, and calculating, in many ways, this is an original tale of the Empire, as much as it is Tarkin. It may very well be one of my favorite Star Wars novels..' Dan Z. Coffee..

STARLOG: PETER CUSHING REMEMBERS STAR WARS : ISSUE 96 PART ONE