UNDEAD CASH 1984 AND THE DEVIL HOUND! REMEMBERING ACTOR ANDRE MORELL : BORN TODAY 1909!

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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WHEN A HAMMER HORROR SCRIPT WENT AWOL AND ALMOST DIDN'T GO INTO PRODUCTION!

THERE WAS ONLY ONE completed MASTER SCRIPT in existence... and on the day it was to be in the hands of producer Anthony Nelson Keys . . it went missing! Which classic Peter Cushing Hammer film script was this and where was it RESCUED and FOUND? . . . .it wasn't The Hound of the Baskervilles! The ANSWER will be posted at our FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE where you can submit YOUR answer! Please feel free to join in with the other suggestions, being submitted by the friends and followers on our Fan Page TODAY! 

YOU CAN JOIN AND FOLLOW the THE FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE just by clicking HERE! . Please come JOIN US, you will be most welcome! 

 

THE OTHER SHERLOCK PRODUCTIONS! CAN YOU SOLVE THIS WEEKS TUESDAY TOUGHY?

PETER CUSHING appeared in HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES for HAMMER FILMS in 1959, an ENTIRE television series of  SHERLOCK HOLMES for the BBC from 1968 and the 1984 movie, THE MASKS OF DEATH.. . .BUT OTHER productions were planned. CAN YOU SOLVE THE TITLES?

READ OUR FEATURE and SEE THIS GALLERY HERE!

READ THIS FEATURE and SEE THIS GALLERY HERE!

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY! BFI ANNOUNCE CUSHING ACTOR OF THE 70'S AND WE REMEMBER NIGEL STOCK

Remembering Today: NIGEL STOCK a superb Watson in the BBC 'Sherlock Holmes' television series of the 60's, with Peter Cushing as Holmes. Sadly, Stock left us in 1986, aged 66....Today would have been his birthday...

NEWS: #THROWBACKTHURSDAY!THE BFI (British Film Institute) have announced they are BUILDING an online film database in which they are breaking down which UK actors appeared in the MOST films in each decade . .. . Peter Cushing represents the 1970's. Wow! What do you think of THAT???

'To launch its online filmography database, the BFI also broke down statistics by decade. The men with the most film appearances are John Le Mesurier (1960s), Peter Cushing (1970s), Robbie Coltrane (1980s), Keith Allen (1990s), Sir Michael Gambon (2000s) and Jim Broadbent (2010s). For actresses, Marianne Stone dominated the 1960s-1970s, followed by Liz Smith (1980s), Sadie Frost (1990s), Shirley Henderson (2000s) and Kate Dickie (2010s) . .. 'The Daily Telegraph' Sept 20th 2017.

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY!: Here is a meeting of the casts from TWO hammer films in released 1971. . . . almost 46 years ago. Eric Porter from 'Hands of the Ripper', the Collinson Twins and Peter Cushing from 'Twins of Evil' .... in the middle producer / director Michael Carreras.

IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA     

NO TIME FOR RETIREMENT : ONCE AGAIN THE GAME IS AFOOT AND GIFS

CHRISTOPHER LEE PLAYED Sherlock Holmes three times in his career first in Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962) in which he was unfortunately dubbed by another actor, and twice more in the TV films Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady (1991) and Incident at Victoria Falls (1992) Not discussed as often as other roles in Lee's career, how do you rate his performances as Holmes?

CHRISTOPHER LEE as Sherlock Holmes with Morgan Fairchild and with Patrick MacNee as Dr Watson in TV film "Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady" (1991)

PETER CUSHING AS HIS OLDER SHERLOCK and Jenny Laird as Mrs Hudson..... proving even Sherlock Holmes gets stressed! And talking of stress, This 1984 film, The Masks of Death, Peter Cushing last performance as Sherlock, originally started as a project kick started by Tyburn films producer, Kevin Francis... it was to have been a new version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. Francis intended to cast Peter as Holmes, which would have been Cushing's third take on the Doyle tale, after the 1959 Hammer production and the two-part production for the 1968 television series..it was to have featured a stop-motion dog created by Ray Harryhausen!

However, STRESS....funding for the proposed film collapsed, and that led to Francis discussing an original tale with Hammer films writer Anthony Hinds. Peter Cushing considered Sherlock Holmes to be his favorite role but now with his age, Cushing being in his 70s, it required the part to be written for a much older Holmes....so Holmes was brought out of retirement and 'The Masks of Death' was born!

DOUGLAS WILMER AND CUSHING AT THE BBC WITH HOLMES

Marking the sad passing of  #Douglaswilmer this week, here is some interesting background about Wilmer's and Peter Cushing's time at the BBC making the SHERLOCK HOLMES tv series in the 1960's

#douglaswilmer #petercushing #sherlockholmes

BBC FOUR : 'HOW TO BE SHERLOCK HOLMES'

Thanks to Becky Jarrett and John Cooper for this info: BBC Four are going to air a documentary called 'How to Be Sherlock Holmes' at 10.00pm on Sunday the 12th of January. Christopher Lee is a contributor & Peter's tenure as the Great Detective is covered. The following link has more information, some nice little clips, & details of repeats xxx http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03pzsd9

FOSSILS, FINGERS AND THE COUNT IS BACK: A TALENT TO TERRIFY : PART FIVE

The year 1971 got off to a horrible start for Cushing: Helen finally succumbed after years of ever-worsening health.  For Cushing, the loss would prove unbearable.  Helen was everything to him: his most valued critic, his biggest fan, his best friend, his doting mother, his wife… It was not a loss that Cushing would rebound from easily; indeed, it would cast a pall over his remaining years.  The crestfallen actor considered suicide, but religious principles compelled him to tough it out.  His therapy would be work – non-stop, if at all possible.

One of Cushing’s first films following his tragic loss was Hammer’s first crack at updating the Dracula myth to the modern milieu.  Dracula AD 1972 would be Cushing’s first appearance as Van Helsing since The Brides of Dracula (1960), and the passage of time would be all the more obvious due to the actor’s precarious mental condition at the time of filming.

Cushing had always been a thin man, but after the loss of Helen he would become gaunt – he would also attain something of a haunted aura about him… The original screenplay by Don Houghton initially had Van Helsing as a modern-day father, trying to keep his flower child Jessica (Stephanie Beacham) in line, but Cushing had aged noticeably and a decision was made to make him into Jessica’s grandfather. Cushing’s frail appearance stands in stark contrast to the utter commitment and energy he brings to the role.  It is certainly my favorite of his several attempts at the character, and he has real chemistry with Beacham in their scenes together.

As for Lee, the actor had long vocalized a dissatisfaction with how Hammer had been treating his most iconic role.  He came to AD 1972 out of sheer desperation, as several projects he had signed on to had fallen through at the last minute.  It would seem that the presence of Cushing re-energized him, however, as he approaches the role of Dracula with a gusto that had been notably absent in Taste the Blood of Dracula (1969) and Scars of Dracula (1970).

The two stars cross path on screen at the beginning (in a wonderful, nineteenth century-set prologue) and again at the end, and their chemistry remains as palpable as ever. Fans would react with mixed emotions at the updated setting, however, and for some the film remains the nadir of the series. Even so, the Lee/Cushing dynamic remained untarnished, and more collaborations were ahead, in short order…

Late in 1971, Lee and Cushing flew to Madrid to make Horror Express.  For Lee, working in the Spanish film scene was nothing new – he had already done several films for Jess Franco, after all.  But for Cushing, leaving the confines of England was a different matter.  He had filmed in Spain and other locales in the 50s – but always with Helen tagging along for support.  Things were different now and with the Christmas holiday looming, he had a change of heart. Fortunately, Lee’s friendship and encouragement would prompt Cushing to stick with it – and thank goodness for it.  Horror Express (1972) would emerge as one of the most purely enjoyable films of either actor  career – and in many respects, it may remain the definitive Lee/Cushing movie.

The two actors are cast to type – Lee stuffy and imperious, Cushing impish and charming – but the characters allow them to grow in interesting ways.  Lee is particularly good as the pompous archaeologist who does an about-face when he realizes that his indifference towards the mayhem is monstrous in itself. He ends up as a swashbuckling hero, rescuing the damsel-in-distress (Silvia Tortosa) in the process.  Cushing is also in fine form as Lee’s scientific rival, and the two actors have some marvelous dialogue.  Cushing’s “Monsters?  We’re British, you know!” is rightly famous, but I always get a chuckle out of Lee’s impatient “What’s he raving about?!,” directed at guest star Telly Savalas, who shows up long enough to liven things up in the final act.

Director Eugenio Martin keeps the action moving at a terrific clip and for once, Lee and Cushing are afforded more-or-less equal screen time.  The supporting cast is marvelous as well, notably Alberto De Mendoza as the Rasputin-like Pujardov, a religious fanatic who crosses swords with Lee (who, of course, played Rasputin himself, for Hammer) and the afore-mentioned Savalas, who makes for an unlikely Cossack but is thoroughly delightful, just the same.

  

PCASUK Review and Gallery 'Horror Express' HERE 

After this, it was back to England – but The Creeping Flesh wouldn’t be produced by Hammer or Amicus.  Instead, the “other” major UK genre studio, Tigon, was responsible for this – their only Lee/Cushing vehicle.  In what could only be seen as an amazing coincidence, the story bore a strong resemblance to that of Horror Express: in both films, an ancient fossil is unearthed which contains a clue to the origin of Evil.

 

Horror Express had been a fast paced romp, while The Creeping Flesh was darker, slower and altogether more somber.  The film would mark a return to form for director Freddie Francis, who had spent much of the 70s hacking out one poor film after another – Tales from the Crypt (1972) to one side.  The literate and intriguing script for The Creeping Flesh inspired him to make a more committed job of it, and he responds with one of his most carefully crafted films.  Only a gratuitous subplot involving Kenneth J. Warren’s escaped convict drags the film down; it’s not that these scenes are bad, they’re simply pointless and scream “filler”.

Top-billed Lee isn’t in it as much as all that, but he’s in great form as the embittered half-brother to Cushing’s pampered scientist.  Lee conveys the hurt, resentment and burning anger that is quietly bubbling under the surface and manages to steal every scene he is in.  Cushing has the larger role, and the showier one, and he impresses as the slightly addle-brained researcher.  In what was becoming an obsessive trope, the actor plays a lonely widower who is assailed by memories of his late wife.  Cushing brings tremendous pathos to the role, making him instantly sympathetic, and the ambiguous fade-out makes it unclear whether the story really did happen or if it was just a paranoid delusion.  Lorna Heilbron steals the film from her stars as Cushing’s naïve daughter, who succumbs to the taint of evil.  Duncan Lamont, Michael Ripper and other stalwarts help to boost up the faux Hammer flavor, and Paul Ferris contributes a good, creepy soundtrack.

 PCASUK Review and Gallery of 'The Creeping Flesh' Here

The same year, Christopher Lee would launch his own production company, Charlemagne Productions; the name derived from his illustrious ancestor, the Emperor Charlemagne, and the intent was to create a company that could give Hammer and Amicus a run for their money by producing mature, “up market” horror films for the discerning viewer.  Sadly, Lee would lose control of the project early on and Nothing but the Night would become a problematic film on many levels.

 

The script was based on the novel of the same name by John Blackburn,.  There was a good story to be told there, and in a sense its tale of “possessed” children anticipated a certain Hollywood blockbuster by a year… but the film would be a rather listless and dreary affair, and Rank’s inability to do much with the film in the UK coupled with distribution woes in the US put an end to Lee’s dream of running his own company.

 

 

None of this should suggest that the film is a total loss, however.  Director Peter Sasdy had just directed three fine films for Hammer (one of which, Taste the Blood of Dracula, was among the better of Hammer’s Dracula series) but his stylistic verve is only evident in spurts here.  Too much of the narrative is given over to an unappealing love story between Keith Barron and Georgia Brown, while Lee and Cushing linger on the sidelines as a sort of modern-day Holmes and Watson team.  Lee comes into his own in the second half and gives a commanding performance, while Cushing struggles with a rather unusually bitchy characterization which requires him to snap a lot and shoot plenty of dark glances.

PCASUK Review and Gallery of Nothing but The Night Here

The film builds to a memorable, fiery finale which can’t help but remind viewers of another, much better Lee vehicle from the same period: The Wicker Man (1973).  Speaking of which, it has been rumored that Cushing was considered for the pivotal role of Sergeant Howie in that film – which would likely have made The Wicker Man the most artistically rewarding of their many films together… but the reality is, Cushing was much too old for the part and the man who eventually got the job, Edward Woodward, did a brilliant job with it. If Cushing ever had any particular feelings on nearly being a part of The Wicker Man, he never said so. In any event, his career would continue to move full steam ahead...

The final part of 'Talent To Terrify' will be posted this weekend: 'The Count's Last Stand..And The Gang 's Here Too!'

'A Talent To Terrify: The Twenty Two Films Of Peter Cushing And Christopher Lee is written by Troy Howarth with images and artwork by Marcus Brooks.

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