Here is the second part of Christopher Gullo's fascinating article on Peter Cushing and his roles in the Amicus films. Be sure to go to www.petercushing.co.uk to check out the book that Mr. Gullo wrote about Cushing and his life.
“My whole life is centered around Edgar Allan Poe in every aspect”--Peter Cushing as Lancelot Canning (Torture Garden: Segment – The Man Who Collected Poe, 1966 film).
Torture Garden was the second anthology film by Amicus, but unlike its first venture, Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, Torture Garden is for the most part a severe disappointment. American actor Burgess Meredith performed as Dr. Diabolo, the owner of a sideshow attraction at a carnival who shows his patrons some cheap scenes of horror before offering a private exhibit of real horrors for an extra five pounds. Inside Dr. Diabolo’s private exhibit, the customers are introduced to a waxwork figure from an ancient legend, Atropos, goddess of destiny that will reveal to the patrons their own hidden horrors. Unfortunately, the segments which follow are not scary and the film drags on slowly. The Man Who Collected Poe is definitely the best of the four segments, although the overacting by Jack Palance almost does in a good performance by Cushing. But the two actors do exhibit the obsessive nature of collecting as Ronald Wyatt tells his host “It’s true, collecting can become a kind of mania.” Palance, a former boxer known for his off-screen tough guy image and his one-armed publicity pushups following his role as Curly in City Slickers (1991), evidently showed Cushing no mercy during filming. Viewers who watch closely will notice that the entire set moves when Palance shoves Cushing into a ‘wall’ before clubbing him with a candlestick holder.
“Was she modeled from life?”--Peter Cushing as Philip Grayson (The House That Dripped Blood, 1970 film)
In The House That Dripped Blood, Cushing appeared as a character that would soon uncannily resemble his own personal life. This third anthology film by Amicus was definitely better than their last outing Torture Garden, but still was not up to par with their excellent first venture into the format with Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors. The link story of a house that reflects the personality of its inhabitants is a good idea but poorly presented. The police sergeant keeps trying to convince the inspector with no success. Even the real estate broker is oddly portrayed, telling potential customers not to rent the house; perhaps he didn’t want the commission. The best of the four stories, “Sweets to the Sweet,” involves Christopher Lee dealing with the coming of age of his daughter, a budding witch. As the star in the segment “Waxworks,” Cushing would practically become his character, Philip Grayson, when Helen passed away in early 1971. Grayson at first tells the broker that “I’m used to being alone,” but later admits to his friend Rogers, “To tell you the truth, I was getting a bit lonely.” Was Cushing predicting what would soon happen in his real life? Cushing, known to make many of his own dialogue rewrites, most likely had a hand in this. Grayson’s hobbies of gardening, reading and listening to music were also prevalent in Cushing’s life; surely they were no mere coincidence. An interesting bit in the segment with Cushing has him flipping through some old theatre playbills. One is for The School for Scandal (1949), a play that Cushing himself starred in as Joseph Surface. This represented a happy time in Cushing’s life, for he was touring with Helen and working with his good friends Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh.
“The essence of civilization is the restriction of individual appetite”--Peter Cushing as Frederick Utterson (I, Monster, 1970 film)
Amicus’ adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic tale of horror Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is well done. It follows the book closely and contains many references to Freud's theories on the nature of good and evil. The film would also provide Christopher Lee with one of his best roles. Lee is allowed to show much range in his performance, from the respectable Marlow to the maniacal Blake. The transformation from Marlow into Blake is well done--Lee dons false teeth, a bulbous nose, plus thinning hair and a five o’clock shadow to become the evil personality. He also gets across the power of drug addiction, as Marlow at first does not want to give up Blake via denying that there is any problem. As Marlow explains to Utterson, “The face of evil is ugly to look upon, but as the pleasures increase the face becomes uglier.” Cushing, in the supporting role of Utterson, is wasted here, mostly left to smoke cigars and read the newspaper until the finale. His big scene in the climax with Lee is also very brief, leaving fans wanting more.
“I don’t understand it, everyone was so kind. Now this, no work, no children, no one to make toys for”--Peter Cushing as Arthur Grimsdyke (Tales from the Crypt, 1971 film)
Tales from the Crypt was Amicus Studio’s stylish adaptation of the original 1950’s E.C. comics Tales from the Crypt and Vault of Horror. At the time, Cushing’s role as the elderly widower Grimsdyke in the segment “Poetic Justice” was an obvious yet incredibly moving take on his own sense of sorrow. With a few days growth of stubble and a woolen cap, Cushing created a character that was all too real. One cannot help but think of the actor’s own personal grief when watching Grimsdyke trying to communicate with his wife, also named Helen. His tortured existence at the hands of the Elliots is truly sad and was one of the best performances in Cushing’s career. Cushing’s appearance as the Grimsdyke zombie was horrifying, with black gauze for eye sockets, a set of crooked teeth borrowed from an old BBC Sherlock Holmes episode, and grayish makeup to complete the lifeless, rotting look. This would be the only time in Cushing’s career that he would don monstrous makeup, for he always wanted Helen to recognize him. For his emotionally powerful role as Arthur Grimsdyke in Tales from the Crypt, Cushing received the Licorne d’Or Award as the Best Male Actor of 1971 at the second French Convention of Fantasy Cinema.
“Am I correct in assuming that you can tailor a garment from any material of my own selection?”--Peter Cushing as Mr. Smith (Asylum, 1972 film).
By the time Amicus Studios made Asylum, their sixth anthology horror film, they had clearly mastered the format. The film benefited from an excellently assembled veteran cast, some clever stories by screenwriter Robert Bloch and the best linking story since the studio’s original foray into the format with Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors. The linking story had a young Dr. Martin (Robert Powell) arriving at the Dunsmoor Asylum for the incurably insane. There he has applied for a position as the senior houseman. But he is asked by Dr. Rutherford (Patrick Magee) to undergo a special ‘test’ before being hired--he must examine the asylum’s inmates and deduce which one was the former head of the institution. The segment with Cushing, The Weird Tailor, was not the best, which goes to the horrifying Frozen Fear, but worked because of the combination of the acting of Morse and Cushing that carries the segment from beginning to end. While Morse’s performance has a steady feel of constant worrisome, Cushing’s performance builds throughout, from being a mysterious figure to a desperate father willing to risk everything in order to bring his son back to life.
(To be concluded next week)
