Here at Nigeness, we can't let the day pass without celebrating what would have been the 98th birthday of that fine actor and, by all accounts, lovely man, Peter Cushing. From boyhood I always had a soft spot for him, and rather wanted to be like him (that didn't work out). I especially loved his Sherlock Holmes, a part he was made for, as he was for Baron Frankenstein and Dr Van Helsing, not to mention Doctor Who (before the characterisation went wacky). He was a memorable Winston Smith in an early TV version of 1984 - and he even had the honour of appearing with Laurel and Hardy, in A Chump At Oxford (Cushing played a student), and, much later, with Morecambe and Wise on several of their TV shows. A great face, a great voice, one of a great generation of British film actors. Sadly, his last years were overshadowed by grief after he lost his wife, the actress Helen Beck. After his death, his friend Christopher Lee, in an interview, paid him this moving tribute: 'At some point of your lives, every one of you will notice that you have in your life one person, one friend whom you love and care for very much. That person is so close to you that you are able to share some things only with him. For example, you can call that friend, and from the very first maniacal laugh or some other joke you will know who is at the other end of that line. We used to do that with him so often. And then, when that person is gone, there will be nothing like that in your life ever again.'
How eerie is that? I'd just come across this at Laughing Squid.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful tribute. It brings tears 'cause I know that is what I will say if my sister goes before I do. Maybe not the "maniacal" laughter bit, but we laugh together like with nobody else. Life is rich when you're with those people in your life, eh?
ReplyDeleteWhoa that's scary Spine!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes Barbara, the maniacal laughter's a bit odd, but I guess it was all those years of working in Hammer horrors...
It just reminds us how long ago and far away Hammer movies seem now. Growing up seeing the tailers I was never old enough to see one in the cinema. Cushing is long gone, but a couple of other regulars passed away just recently ...or did they? (Cue previously mentioned maniacal laughter) R.I.P Michael Gough and Ingrid Pitt.
ReplyDeleteReminds me too when I see modern American horrors that ours were so grown up! When you let teenagers into horror movies...you get horror movies for teenagers.