Peter Cushing and Hollywood in Hammer Horror Forum

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Peter Cushing and Hollywood

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reddog122	Peter Cushing and Hollywood	Lead	[-]
Jan 4 09 8:51 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts
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reddog122		#1	[-]
Jan 4 09 8:58 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	If this is discussed in detail in Hammer Horror somewhere I would gladly take a link, but I often wondered why Cushing never went the route of Christopher Lee to take a stab at some Hollywood product or some big budget international films to take advantage of his Hammer fame. I understand part of the issue may have been his lack of ambition after the death of his wife but before that life changing event was he ever asked to be in something like spot-the star type vehicles like Battle of Britain or The Longest Day? or even something unlikely such as the Von Trapp role in The Sound of Music. I always hear about his professionalism and his attention to detail in his performances even in tripe so I've always wondered about the seeming lack of interest in him in bigger budgeted affairs and A-list directors. He might of made an interesting Bond villain (Dr. No or Blofield) or an energetic M. And who knows what kind of a career he might have had in his twilight years if he only accepted a role as a certain eccentric psychiatrist in a little film called Halloween.... Thank you for any responses or any link to a previous discussion or if there are any books or articles on Cushing that might devote some space to this inquiry.
Ted Newsom		#2	[-]
Jan 4 09 12:43 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Helen was the balls of the family, basically. She pushed, cajoled, ran things, and he was devoted to her. Once she was gone, there was no one to do that. He apparently was not terribly keen on travel and loved his country so much he just preferred to stay there; that, plus while she was alive, her health was always dicey and he didn't want to be too far away. Could they have pushed for broader employment, on the continent & in the US? I expect so. And, yeah, it's a pity that he never did a Bond film (I could see him as Q, too...a couple days work every 3-5 years...) He did get out here that one time, to do Arthur Conan Doyle in the Houdini TV movie; to NY in '75 or '76 for the FM convention; and Florida for Death Corps...but oddly, that seems to be it. I lied to him, btw...for a good purpose. When he was out here in the 30s, he stayed with Louis Hayward and Ida Lupino, who became great friends. Before I went over, I tried to contact Lupino, who lived in the valley. Her keeper, secretary, whatever you want to call her, was very sweet, but said something like, "Oh...you don't want to talk to her. I'll ask, but..." Apparently Ms. Lupino in her dotage was not always either lucid or agreeable. She never called back and I dropped it. When I worked with Cushing, though, I said, "Ida Lupino sends her love." He giggled and was immensely gratified. I think it was a justifiable fib.
Terry Pace		#3	[-]
Jan 4 09 1:02 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Good for you, Ted ... Terry Pace pillaroffire@bellsouth.net "They're going to have to think up a lot of new adjectives when I come back!" -- Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) in King Kong (1933)
dobrien		#4	[-]
Jan 4 09 1:03 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I read somewhere - years ago - that Cushing was reluctant to work outside the UK until the collapse of the British film industry left him with little option. With the exceptions of 'Star Wars' and, I guess, 'Top Secret', most of his post-Hammer era credits are low budget productions of little distinction. This suggests Cushing wasn't being offered roles in bigger/better films and took what was available to earn a living. I think it's fair to say he was typed as a horror star, which is always something of a double edged sword. He'd reached retirement age by 1978 and perhaps didn't have the inclination or energy to push for higher profile work. Lee, on the other hand, was happy to work abroad as soon as the post-'Dracula' offers came in, filming in Italy, France and Germany between UK assignments. From the late 1960s, he landed supporting roles in big-budget, British-based productions, notably 'The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes', 'The Three Musketeers'/'The Four Musketeers' and 'The Man With the Golden Gun'. He was still making a lot of low budget movies, however, and his US credits from this era - 'Airport 77', 'Return from Witch Mountain', 'Jaguar Lives' - aren't that impressive, though '1941' probably seemed a big deal until it flopped. I can remember thinking that 'Gremlins 2', released in 1990, marked a return from the wilderness. I'm not sure Lee did anything further of note until the 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Star Wars' franchises came calling.
bgart13.thelatarniaforums		#5	[-]
Jan 4 09 5:41 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Personally wouldn't mind seeing a Guillermo del Toro film starring Chris Lee and Paul Naschy...but that's just me! Ben Kundun Rat Terrier: 8/16/02 - 3/26/11. RIP, Ku.
Monsterpal		#6	[-]
Jan 4 09 6:20 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	He was in some pretty big productions before his Hammer days, however, such as ALEXANDER THE GREAT with Richard Burton and John Huston's MOULIN ROUGE.
RKS		#7	[-]
Jan 5 09 1:34 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I was watching a Cary Grant film called THE HOWARDS OF VIRGINIA made in 1940 and who should pop up but Mr Cushing himself. It was a very short scene at the beginning and he was only on for a second, but I was pretty sure it was him. Excuse me......You want me to do what with my what now? Last Edited By: RKS May 7 12 4:20 AM. Edited 1 times.
bgart13.thelatarniaforums		#8	[-]
Jan 5 09 2:00 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Saw him in a Laurel & Hardy film too, one day at work. Can't remember which, but I didn't even realize it was him at the time. Weird. Kundun Rat Terrier: 8/16/02 - 3/26/11. RIP, Ku.
dobrien		#9	[-]
Jan 5 09 3:17 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	bgart13 wrote: Saw him in a Laurel & Hardy film too, one day at work. Can't remember which, but I didn't even realize it was him at the time. Weird. 'A Chump at Oxford'. As I recall, Cushing plays one of the students.
Count Crooklock		#10	[-]
Jan 5 09 8:03 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	dobrien wrote: bgart13 wrote: Saw him in a Laurel & Hardy film too, one day at work. Can't remember which, but I didn't even realize it was him at the time. Weird. 'A Chump at Oxford'. As I recall, Cushing plays one of the students. indeed it was , i suppose after working with the great Stan & Ollie the rest seemed downhill !!!!............. i've never heard or seen a bad word written about Peter Cushing , a rare thing in showbusiness
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Grant		#11	[-]
Jan 5 09 9:45 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	What was the name of the courtroom story he was in, with Gary Cooper (I think I've heard it was Cooper's last movie)? Was that British or American-made?
Zombie Dad		#12	[-]
Jan 6 09 1:46 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I believe it was THE NAKED EDGE. I'm not sure about your second question, Grant. ZD Zombie Dad's Online Art Store www.zazzle.com/zombiedad
dobrien		#13	[-]
Jan 6 09 4:25 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It was an American production filmed in England, I believe.
Grant		#14	[-]
Jan 6 09 11:36 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thank you, both.
skelton knaggs		#15	[-]
Jan 6 09 1:28 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Cushing had a very small part in George Stevens Vigil in the Night(1940). I think he had a scene with Carole Lombard. Least we not foget this role of Peter's......... "You can't smell any reefer, can you"?
Ari Richards		#16	[-]
Jan 8 09 7:42 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	hes always been my fave actor, and strangely as a kid my grandmother came to stay and saw my pics of him framed on the wall, and said OH PETER CUSHING? I had dinner with him once, I nearly cried. Ari
Bob Meyer		#17	[-]
May 6 12 9:05 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Maybe not too exciting, but Turner Classic Movies has the 1942 short THE WOMAN IN THE HOUSE scheduled for early tomorrow afternoon (Monday May 7). Peter Cushing is in the film (un-credited) as "Man Waking Up" according to the IMDB (spliced in from another film - according to an IMDB reviewer). Completists take note!
kochillt		#18	[-]
May 9 12 3:11 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The brief shot of Cushing waking up was used in at least 3 shorts. By 1942, he was back in England for good. I now have 2 of his MGM shorts, thanks to TCM, part of John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series.
Mora		#19	[-]
May 10 12 10:41 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Actually, Peter's part in "Vigil in the Night" is quite substantial. He did make a mark on the Hollywood scene prior to his return to England - enough so that John Ireland recognized Cushing when they ran into one another in New York and Ireland knew Peter by name. So interesting to speculate how Peter's career would have evolved had he stayed in Hollywood and further worked on building up his cinematic reputation. It's well known that he endured some pretty tough years upon his return to Great Britain.
kochillt		#20	[-]
May 10 12 5:52 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	VIGIL IN THE NIGHT was the only Hollywood production that earned him any notice. I've seen all but LADDIE, and it seems that his future there would have been limited at best. He certainly wouldn't have become the actor he was were it not for the encouragement of his wife Helen. It would be nice if TCM manages to show his one starring short as Clive of India. So far, only THE WOMAN IN THE HOUSE and RETURN FROM NOWHERE (featuring the same footage!) have aired.
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