TV and Movies

[Oznell]

Saturday, 10:15 p.m. Eastern--  "The Hound of the Baskervilles"    Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Andre Morell, Marla Landi, Miles Malleson, John Le Mesurier, David Oxley, Francis De Wolff, Sam Kydd, Helen Goss

Sherlock Holmes on Saturday night!   Deliciously eerie, well-produced classic from the peerless Hammer Films group, yay.

Peter Cushing as Holmes, Andre Morell as Watson, and of course Christopher Lee as Sir Henry Baskerville, work as a well-oiled team in this critically acclaimed interpretation.

Holmes and Watson are drawn to beautiful Dartmoor (in Devon) after one of the aristocratic Baskervilles has died under weird circumstances out on the moor.  There's a certain old family "curse", and a wild hound.... 

Baskerville's friend believes that Baskerville's heir, Sir Henry Baskerville, will be in the same danger when he takes over Baskerville Hall. Holmes and Watson must keep him from harm, as well as investigate the mysterious doings around the manor....

The charismatic Christopher Lee smolders....

I also think Peter Cushing makes a smashing Holmes (and I say that as one still fully in life-long thrall to the magnificent Jeremy Brett, whose Holmes is an endlessly inventive and eccentric wonder.)    

The acquiline Cushing impressively has those cut-glass cheekbones, and Holmesian pensive stare....

In short, a thoroughly satisfying version, for a popcorn-tossing Saturday night.

[spiderw]

This one is right up my alley as they say!!!!!  Hammer productions, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, that's all I need to know It's a great blend of acting and somehow brings class to a good thriller or horror film!!!!!  

I love the Hound of the Baskervilles and have it on my DVR ready to tape.  I have seen it and enjoyed .  I have mentioned my taste for Hammer films  when Cushing and or Lee are in them ,  Of course this is based on the Sherlock Holmes character in Doyle's novels, great watch!

[Mz iMac]

@Oznell  Thanks for the heads up.  I love Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee movies.  Especially when both are in the same movie. 

CL also plays a really good Dracula.

[sunshine45]

i have such  difficult time seeing anyone else other than BASIL RATHBONE and NIGEL BRUCE as holmes and dr watson......they are so fantastic in those roles.

[Oznell]

Dittos to the pairing of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, @spiderw and @Mz iMac .   Did you know they were very good friends?  Cushing was deeply immersed in his Holmes interpretation, and Lee wrote of being so impressed on the set of  ".....Baskervilles" at the comprehensiveness of his performance.   He was devastated at Cushing's death, and wrote a moving tribute to their friendship.

I'm that way about some "defining" roles, @sunshine45 ,  but as noted, I have room for more than one great Holmes interpretation!   I used to have only one ideal "Miss Marple",  then when I saw one equally fascinating, but different, I suddenly had two top favorites....

[spiderw]

Oznell

Thank you for that information about Lee and Cushing being such good friends, I wasn't aware, interesting.  They had chemistry when they acted and complimented each other in roles which would have been mediocre if they weren't in them.  I am referring to the horror/ thrillers which stood above because they were in them.  I felt that way about Vincent Price also, another great actor of that genre. 

[Oznell]

Vincent Price, oh so true, @spiderw --  where would the horror/thriller genre be without him?

[Oznell]

Oh, I realized I should have mentioned a crucial point for those who are less familiar with the horror genre, like me.  I'm not well versed in horror, not like our experts here, @spiderw and @SharkE , among others.

Hammer Film Productions, Ltd., in Britain, founded some time in the Thirties, later became known for their expert and lurid, horror, suspense and gothic film output.  I think some of their movies were among the earliest to do horror classics in color.

Anyway, there was controversy in the late Fifties when they wanted to put their flamboyant stamp on a classic of detective literature, Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Hound of the Baskervilles".  Purists were worried.  And there's no doubt, Hammer's version came out pretty melodramatic and splashy!  But effective. 

[SharkE]

I watched 'The House That Dripped Blood' the other day on a local free channel. Comet channel.  Seen it long time ago of course, but, kept it on my Tivo. LOL   Christopher Lee played a really strict father, real hard military type in 1 of the segments. All these old Hammer films always put out movies with 3-4 sub stories in them.

[spiderw]

Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, three distinguished actors making their mark in horror/thriller movies, they certainly added class and excellence to a genre I love !!!!!!

I just want to add I also love the Sherlock Holmes movies with Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathbone , their version of The Hound of the Baskervilees is a classic.