The Late Great Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Efrem Zimbalist Jr. died yesterday at the age of 95. He may be best known as the star of the TV shows 77 Sunset Strip and The F.B.I. He also appeared in the recurring role of Dandy Jim Buckley on Maverick and provided the voice of Alfred on Batman: The Animated Series.

Efrem Zimbalist Jr. was born on 30 November 1918 in New York City. His father was Russian born violinist and composer Efrem Zimbalist Sr. His mother was Romanian born soprano Alma Gluck. His mother's family had moved to the United States while she was very young, while his father had migrated to the U.S. in 1911. He attended Fay School in Southborough, Massachusetts. He also attended Yale University, but was expelled for low grades. Afterwards he worked as a page at NBC. He studied acting at the Neighbourhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. Among his fellow students was Gregory Peck.

In 1941 Mr. Zimbalist enlisted in the United States Army and served during World War II. He was injured in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, for which he earned a Purple Heart. Following the war he returned to acting. He made his television debut in 1946 production of Mr. and Mrs. North staged by WNBT.  He made his debut on Broadway in The Rugged Path in 1947. He made further appearances on Broadway in the late Forties in productions of King Henry VIII, What Every Woman Knows, A Pound on Demand / Androcles and the Lion, The Telephone / The Medium, Hedda Gabler, The Telephone, The Medium, and The Consul. He made his movie debut in House of Strangers in 1949. In 1950 Mr. Zimbalist's wife Emily died of cancer. He ceased acting for a time to work for his father at the Curtis Institute of Music.

In the Fifties he was a regular on the short lived daytime soap opera Concerning Miss Marlowe. He played the recurring role of Dandy Jim Buckley on Maverick and starred as Stu Bailey on 77 Sunset Strip. He guest starred on such shows as Star Tonight, The Phil Silvers Show, Conflict, Sugarfoot, and The Alaskans. He appeared in the feature films Band of Angels (1957), Bombers B-52 (1957) , The Deep Six (1958), Too Much, Too Soon (1958), Home Before Dark (1958), and The Crowded Sky (1960). His 1958 feature film Girl on the Run was the first time he played Stu Bailey. It was based on a series of novels by Roy Huggins and served as the pilot for 77 Sunset Strip. Roy Huggins would also serve as the show's producer. Mr. Zimbalist also appeared on Broadway one last time, in a production of Fallen Angels in 1956.

In the Sixties Mr. Zimbalist continued to play the role of Stu Bailey on 77 Sunset Strip. In 1965 he was cast in the role of Inspector Lewis Erskine on The F. B.I. He guest starred on the shows Bronco, Hawaiian Eye, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and Rawhide. He appeared in the films A Fever in the Blood (1961), By Love Possessed (1961), The Chapman Report (1962), Harlow (1965), The Reward (1965), and Wait Until Dark (1967). In the Seventies he appeared in the film Airport 1975 (1974). He appeared on the mini-series Scruples and the TV movies A Family Upside Down, Terror Out of the Sky, The Best Place to Be, and The Gathering II.

In the Eighties Efrem Zimbalist Jr. had recurring roles on the TV shows Remington Steele and Hotel. He played the regular role of Don Alejandro de la Vega on the TV show Zorro. He guest starred on such shows as Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Hardcastle and McCormick, Partners in Crime, Cover Up, Hunter, and Who's the Boss. He appeared in the film The Avenging (1982).

In the Nineties he provided the voice of Alfred on Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures, also voicing the character for episodes of Superman: The Animated Series. He provided the voice of King Arthur in the animated series The Legend of Prince Valiant, as well as the voice of Dr. Octopus on the animated series Spider-Man and Justin Hammer in the animated series Iron Man. He guest starred on the shows Murder, She Wrote; Burke's Law; The Nanny; One West Waikiki; Picket Fences; and Babylon 5. He appeared in the films Hot Shots! (1991), Street Corner Kids (1994), and The Street Corner Kids: The Sequel (1995). He provided the voice of Alfred in the animated feature Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) and the direct to video film Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998).

In the Naughts Efrem Zimbalist Jr. provided the voice of Alfred in episodes of the animated television shows Static Shock and Justice League. He also provided the voice of Alfred in the direct to video films Batman: Vengeance (2001) and Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003).  He appeared in the film The Delivery (2008).

Although primarily known for his acting, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. studied violin for many years. Among his compositions was an eight-part choral setting of the 150th Psalm.

While Efrem Zimbalist Jr. had the looks of a leading man, his talent was such that he could play a number of different roles. Even the characters for which he was best known were markedly different from each other. On Maverick Dandy Jim Buckley was an educated and urbane, but not particularly honest, con man and gambler. On 77 Sunset Strip Stu Bailey was a suave, refined former secret agent turned private detective. While Dandy Jim and Stu had their fair share of character flaws, Inspector Erskine on The F.B.I. was about as straight an arrow as there could be. He was very nearly stoic and almost never questioned his job or how he went about it. His role on Remington Steele brought Mr. Zimbalist full circle back to playing a con man. Steele's mentor Daniel Chalmers would have fit in quite well with Dandy Jim and Brett and Bart Maverick.

Of course, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. played far more characters than Dandy Jim, Stu Bailey, Inspector Erskine, and Daniel Chalmers. He was the voice of Alfred Pennyworth for years, and made a large number of guest appearances in television shows over the years, as well as appearances in films. As an actor he proved extremely adaptable. Indeed, he was one of the few American actors in television who could convincingly do an English accent. Even when the material was not necessarily good, Efrem Zimbaliast Jr. always delivered fine performances, regardless of what sort of character he was playing.

The 50th Anniversary of The Who

It was fifty years ago today that Keith Moon first played with Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, and John Entwistle. And while Messrs. Townshend, Daltrey, and Entwistle had been calling themselves "The Who" since 14 February 1964, a very strong argument can be made that on that evening of 2 May 1964 they truly became The Who.

The Who had evolved out of a band called The Detours, a skiffle band formed in 1961. That same year Roger Daltrey, lead guitarist of The Detours, persuaded bassist John Entwistle to join the band. It was John Entwistle who brought Pete Townshend into The Detours as an additional guitarist. The band would undergo some membership changes before they became "The Who". Original vocalist Colin Dawson left the band in late 1962, to be replaced by Gabby Connolly, who left in 1963. Afterwards Roger Daltrey handled the lead vocals, leaving the guitar work mostly to Pete Townshend.

It was in February 1964 that The Detours learned that there was another band going by that name. It was Pete Townshend's room mate of the time, Richard Barnes, who suggested that they call themselves "The Who".  It was following a failed audition with Fontana Records in April 1964 that their drummer of the time, Doug Sanborn, left the band. Afterwards The Who relied upon session drummer Dave Goulding until they could they could find a permanent replacement. It was at the Oldfield Hotel in Greenford, London that Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, and John Entwistle met Keith Moon, who had been drumming with a cover band called The Beachcombers. After an extemporaneous audition, Keith Moon was hired as the new drummer for The Who. His first official gig with the band was at a birthday party held at a pub on the North Circular in London.

While it could be said that The Who, at least as most of us knew them (Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon), was born on 2 May 1964, the band would undergo a few more changes in the coming year. It was in the summer of 1964 that The Who hired Peter Meaden as their manager. It was Peter Meaden, a Mod himself, who would shape The Who so as to appeal to the Mod subculture. He renamed the band "The High Numbers" and dressed them in Mod fashions. He also wrote their first single, "Zoot Suit", backed by "I'm the Face". "Zoot Suit" was based on The Dynamics' song "Misery", while "I'm the Face" was based on Slim Harpo's "I Got Love If You Want It". The single failed to chart and in August 1964 Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp took over the management of The High Numbers from Peter Meaden.

It was in November 1964 that The High Numbers once more became The Who. It was also in late 1964 that the band signed with American music producer Shel Talmy, who had already produced The Bachelors and The Kinks. Shel Talmy arranged to have their records released through Decca. Their first single as The Who, "I Can't Explain", was released in the United States in December 1964 and in the United Kingdom in January 1965. While the single only reached #93 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, it went all the way to #8 on the UK singles chart. At last The Who had arrived. The rest, as they say, is history.

It may well be impossible to gauge the entirety of The Who's impact on rock music. In fact, it seems likely that every single rock 'n' roll artist who has followed them has felt their impact in some way. Indeed, The Who would play a pivotal role in the creation of entire subgenres of rock music. It was in in the 20 May 1967 issue of The New Music Express that Pete Townshend coined the term "power pop" to describe the music The Who was playing at the time. It should then come as no surprise that the subgenre of power pop owes more to early sound of The Who than any other band except perhaps The Beatles and The Kinks. The Who's influence can be heard in such power pop bands as Cheap Trick, The Posies, Weezer, and Fountains of Wayne.

The Who would also prove to have an impact on other subgenres of rock as well. Proto-punk bands MC5 and The Stooges were both heavily influenced by The Who. As a result, punk bands from The Sex Pistols to Green Day would also feel The Who's impact. While garage rock had developed to some degree before The Who, they would have an impact on the garage bands that followed them, including The Ramones,  The Chesterfield Kings, and The Fuzztones. The Who would even have an impact on heavy metal. The band's use of power chords and the excessive volume of their music in the mid to late Sixties would prove pivotal in the development of metal.

Beyond making lasting contributions towards various subgenres of rock music, The Who would have a lasting influence in other ways. They recorded one of the earliest concept albums in rock history. The Who Sell Out was released in December 1967 and was made to sound like a broadcast of Radio London, complete with commercials. The Who would also prove pivotal in the development of rock opera. It was in 1966 that The Who recorded "A Quick One, While He's Away" for the album A Quick One. "A Quick One, While He's Away" was essentially a 9 minute and 10 seconds medley that Pete Townshend has described as a " mini-opera". May 1969 would see The Who release a full fledged rock opera, Tommy. While it was not the first rock opera (British band Nirvana's The Story of Simon Simopath, side two of Small Faces' album Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake, and The Pretty Things' S. F. Sorrow all came out before it), Tommy may well be the most influential rock opera of all time.

The Who would also have a lasting impact on rock culture in general. The Union Jack imagery, as well as the target motif (both borrowed from the Mod subculture),  often utilised in the band's early days has remained a part of rock iconography ever since. The film Quadrophenia, based on their 1973 rock opera of the same name, would help spark the Mod Revival that lasted from 1978 into the early Eighties. As might be expected, many of the Mod Revival bands, such as The Jam and The Chords were heavily influenced by The Who.

Of course, The Who's most obvious legacy may be their music. From the release of "I Can't Explain" in 1964 onwards The Who have created one of the most lasting catalogues of songs in rock history. While The Who might not boast as many top 40 hits as other artists, many of their songs have remained memorable nonetheless. "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere", "Happy Jack", "Pinball Wizard", "Behind Blue Eyes", The Real Me", and many other songs by The Who have remained popular through the years when other bigger hits by other artists have long been forgotten. And it was through those songs that The Who changed rock music forever. In the end, it would seem The Who's lasting contributions to rock music are such that any reasonable accounting of the greatest rock bands of all time would have to include them at the top.

The Late Great Bob Hoskins

British actor Bob Hoskins died yesterday at the age of 71 The cause was pneumonia. He had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2011.

Bob Hoskins was born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk on 26 October 1942. His mother had been evacuated to Bury St. Edmunds due to the German bombing of London during World War II. He grew up in in Finsbury Park, London. Mr. Hoskins left school at age 15 and worked as a porter, a lorry driver, and a window cleaner. He took a course in accounting, but dropped out before finishing it. It was in 1968 that he accompanied his friend, actor Roger Frost, to an audition. While waiting Mr. Hoskins was mistaken for an auditionee and asked to try out for one of the parts. He tried out and was awarded the lead role.

It was in 1972 that Bob Hoskins made his television debut in an episode of The Main Chance. In 1973 he appeared in a three part episode of Crown Court. During the Seventies he was a regular on the television programmes Thick as Thieves, Pennies from Heaven, and Flickers. He also appeared on such shows as Villains, Kate, New Scotland Yard, Sir Yellow, Softly, Softly: Task Force, Shoulder to Shoulder, and Thriller. He made his film debut in 1972 in Up the Front. He appeared in the films The National Health (1973), Inserts (1974), Royal Flash (1975), and Zulu Dawn (1979). In 1980 he appeared in one of his most famous roles, that of gangster Harold Shand in The Long Good Friday. For the role Mr. Hoskins received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

It was in 1988 that Mr. Hoskins appeared in what could possibly be his best known role, that of detective Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He received an Oscar nomination for his role as ex-convict George in the 1986 neo-noir film Mona Lisa. He also appeared in such films as Pink Floyd The Wall (1982), The Honorary Consul (1983), Lassiter (1984), The Cotton Club (1984), Brazil (1985), The Woman Who Married Clark Gable (1985), Sweet Liberty (1986), A Prayer for the Dying (1987), The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987), Heart Condition (1990), and Mermaids (1990).  On television he appeared in a 1981 adaptation of Othello and a 1983 adaptation of The Beggar's Opera. Mr. Hoskins also appeared as Benito Mussolini in the TV movie Mussolini and I. He appeared on the show Weekend Playhouse.

In the Nineties Bob Hoskins appeared in such films as Shattered (1991), Hook (1991), The Inner Circle (1991), Passed Away (1992), The Big Freeze (1993), Rainbow (1995), Nixon (1995) , Michael (1996). 24 7: Twenty Four Seven (1997), Cousin Bette (1998), Let the Good Times Roll (1999), Felicia's Journey (1999), Captain Jack (1999),and The White River Kid (1999). He appeared in the 1994 TV movie World War II: When Lions Roared as Winston Churchill, as well as television adaptations of David Copperfield and Don Quixote. He appeared on the TV shows Tales from the Crypt and Saturday Night Live.

From the Naughts to the Teens Mr. Hoskins appeared in such films as Enemy at the Gates (2001). Last Orders (2001), Maid in Manhattan (2002), The Sleeping Dictionary (2003), Den of Lions (2003), Vanity Fair (2004), Beyond the Sea (2004), Mrs Henderson Presents (2005), Hollywoodland (2006), Outlaw (2007), Ruby Blue (2007), A Christmas Carol (2009), Outside Bet (2012), and Snow White and the Huntsman (2012). He appeared in television adaptations of The Lost World, The Wind in the Willows, The Englishman's Boy, and Pinocchio. He also appeared on the TV show The Street, and the mini-series Neverland.

Mr. Hoskins also directed two films, The Raggedy Rawney (1988) and Rainbow (1995), as well as the episode "Fatal Caper" of Tales from the Crypt. 

When the average movie viewer thinks of Bob Hoskins, he or she is likely to think of Eddie Valiant from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It was certainly a role of which Mr. Hoskins could be proud. He was incredible in the part. Mr. Hoskins was so convincing as the Los Angeles private eye that one might find hard to believe that he was an Englishman raised in London and not an American. That Mr. Hoskins could transform himself into an American private detective from the Forties (and one in a world where "Toons" are real at that) should not be surprising, as his talent as an actor was such that he could transform himself into nearly any character he wished.

Indeed, it is not many actors who can boast that they had played Benito Mussolini (in Mussolini and I),  J. Edgar Hoover (in Nixon), Winston Churchill (in World War II: When Lions Roared), and Nikita Khrushchev (in Enemy at the Gates) and played every one of them convincingly. The number of different sorts of characters that Bob Hoskins played throughout his career was simply amazing. He not only played gangsters such as Harold Shand in The Long Good Friday, but also theatre impresario Vivian Van Damm in Mrs. Henderson Presents, Captain Hook's boatswain Smee in both Hook and Neverland, shop owner Lou Landsky in Mermaids, and Catholic priest Father Michael Da Costa in A Prayer for the Dying. While many actors are confined to only playing certain types of roles, this was not the case with Bob Hoskins. He had the talent to play nearly any role he was given and be entirely convincing in that role. Indeed, even when a film in which he appeared might not be very good, his performance always was.

Arlene McQuade R.I.P.

Arlene McQuade, who was probably best known for playing daughter Rosalie on the early television comedy The Goldbergs, died on 21 April at the age of 77. She had suffered from Parkinson's disease for some time.

Arlene McQuade was born on 29 May 1936 in New York City. She began her career as a child actor in radio plays. It was in 1948 that she made her only appearance on Broadway, appearing as "Young Alma" in Tennessee Williams' Summer and Smoke. In 1949 the popular radio show The Goldbergs made the transition to television, and young Miss McQuade was cast as teenage daughter Rosalie on the show. She remained with The Goldbergs until it ended its run in 1956. She made her feature film debut in a movie spun off from the television show, The Goldbergs, in 1950.

In addition to her regular role on The Goldbergs, during the Fifties Arlene McQuade guest starred on the programmes The Milton Berle Show, Telephone Time, The Lawless Years, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Have Gun--Will Travel. She appeared in the films Fight for the Title (1957) and Touch of Evil (1958), in which she menaced Janet Leigh's character. During the Sixties Miss McQuade appeared in the TV shows Hawaii Five-O and Death Valley Days.

Arelene McQuade was also an artist who worked in both watercolour and oil paintings, as well as wood and glass sculpting.

5 Great Shakespeare Films for His 450th Birthday

While William Shakespeare's birthday is traditionally observed on 23 April, we have no real way of knowing the date on which he was actually born. Quite simply no birth certificate nor any other documentation givng the exact date of his birth exists. That having been said, we do know when he was christened, as the parish Register for Stratford records his baptism as taking place on 26 April 1564. While we do not know exactly when William Shakespeare was born, we at least know it was late April from his baptismal record. That means April 2014 is the month of the 450th anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth. With that in mind, film buffs might want to check out some films based on his classic plays. Here are five of my favourites.

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935): MGM's 1935 version of A Midsummer Night's Dream may be best known for its all star cast, which included Dick Powell, Olivia de Havilland, Jean Muir, James Cagney, and Mickey Rooney, among others. That having said, there is much more to recommend this adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream than star gazing. The film was directed by legendary stage director Max Reinhardt, who had already directed the play on stage many times (the first being in 1927). Hal Mohr's cinematography is excellent; it is with good reason he won the Academy Award for Cinematography that year. The film also benefits from Ralph Dawson's superb editing (for which it also won an Oscar). While the performances of the cast vary in quality, none of them detract from the overall quality of what is a very good adaptation of the play.

Hamlet (1948): I must confess that I have never liked Oedipal interpretations of Hamlet. I also dislike the fact that Lord Laurence Olivier entirely cut Fortinbras, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern from the film. That having been said, there is much to recommend his 1948 adaptation of Hamlet. Namely, the performances of the film's principals. As Hamlet Lord Olivier gave what could be the best performance of his career (he won the Best Actor Oscar for that year). Jean Simmons is equally impressive as Ophelia (she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress). Writer  J. Lawrence Guntner has said that Lord Olivier's Hamlet drew from both German expressionism and film noir. As a result Lord Olivier's Hamlet looks incredible, suitably dark and moody. Between its look and the performances, the 1948 version of Hamlet is one of the better Shakespeare adaptations out there.

Macbeth (1948): Nineteen forty eight was a very good year for Shakespeare adaptations, as this is also the year that Orson Welles' version of Macbeth was released. Those looking for a faithful adaptation of the play might wish to look elsewhere, as Mr. Welles did alter it substantially, among other things giving the weird sisters a bigger role. That having been said, Orson Welles' Macbeth is surprisingly effective, both moody and spooky in a way that one suspects the Bard must have meant it to be. Oddly enough, the film may actually have been helped by its shoestring budget, which forced Mr. Welles to make up for a lack of money with some inventive direction and cinematography. The end result is that Orson Welles' Macbeth is a dark and even strange film, in some respects as much a horror film as a tragedy. Macbeth also benefits greatly from its performances, with Orson Welles as Macbeth and Jeanette Nolan as Lady Macbeth being particularly impressive. And while there have been those who have complained about it, I think Orson Welles made the right choice in having the performers speak with Scottish burrs. It gives this Macbeth an authenticity that is lacking many other adaptations of the Scottish Play.

Throne of Blood (1957): Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood is even less of a straight forward adaptation of Macbeth than Orson Welles' version is, but it is among the very best. Indeed, Mr.Kurosawa transferred the action from medieval Scotland to medieval Japan and infused it with the sensibilities of a jidaigeki film. On paper it does not sound like it would work and yet Akira Kurosawa succeeded far more in adapting Macbeth than many Westerners have. While Throne of Blood is hardly a faithful adaptation of Macbeth, it captures the spirit of the play very well. Indeed, it is both moody and violent in the way an adaptation of Macbeth should be. As might be expected both the direction and the cinematography on Throne of Blood are incredible. It can quite rightly be described as poetry on film.

Henry V (1989): Sir Kenneth Branagh's Henry V is not a loyal adaptation. Indeed, he even includes flashbacks from  Henry IV, Part 1 and  Henry IV, Part 2. That having been said, it could very well be the best adaptation of the play on film as well as one of the very best Shakespeare movie adaptations. Indeed, Sir Kenneth Branagh's Henry V is simultaneously both a more true-to-life and yet more epic presentation of the play than has previously been seen on film. Indeed, the Battle of Agincourt takes place amidst rain and mud with the sort of violence one might expect of medieval combat. At the same time Henry V benefits from some truly memorable performances, not the least of which is Sir Kenneth Branagh as King Henry V himself. In my humble opinion no previous adaptation of the play was as great as Sir Kenneth Branagh's Henry V  and I doubt any future adaptation will be as great either.

Ella Fitzgerald in St. Louis Blues

Today in 1917 Ella Fitzgerald was born. The Queen of Jazz made only a few film appearances in her career, so it is very notable when she showed on the big screen. This is one of her appearances in film, her cameo as herself in St. Louis Blues (1958). The film starred Nat King Cole as blues composer W. C. Handy. It also featured a cast that reads like a Who's Who of American music, including Eartha Kitt, Cab Calloway, Mahalia Jackson, Pearl Bailey, and a very young Billy Preston (who played W. C. Handy as a boy).

Without further ado, here is Ella Fitzgerald's part in the film. She is performing "If Beale Street Could Talk".

The Evil of Victor Frankenstein in Hammer Films

 (Warning: If you have not seen Hammer Films' "Frankenstein" movies  you might want to avoid this article. Quite simply, Here There Be Spoilers)

When many people hear the name "Frankenstein", they are apt to think of the Creature created by the scientist of that name. And when many picture that Creature, he is played by Boris Karloff in makeup and platform boots. When others hear the name "Frankenstein", however, they are apt to think of the scientist himself, Baron Victor Frankenstein. And when they picture that scientist, he is played by Peter Cushing in exquisite, early 19th Century clothing.

It was in 1956 that the British production company Hammer Films decided to make their own movie based on Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus. The novel had been previously adapted by Universal Pictures in 1931, the success of that film leading to an entire series of movies starring Frankenstein's Creature. Hammer Films' version of the classic novel, The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), would prove equally successful. Like Universal's Frankenstein (1931) it would also lead to a series of films. Unlike Universal, however, the star of Hammer's "Frakenstein" films would be the villainous doctor himself.

At the time that he was cast as Victor Frankenstein, Peter Cushing was primarily a star of British television. He had already starred in several BBC productions, including television adaptations of  Pride and Prejudice (in which he played Mr. Darcy) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (in which he played Winston Smith). He had played supporting roles in a few films, including The Black Knight (1954), The End of the Affair (1955), and Alexander the Great (1956). The Curse of Frankenstein gave Peter Cushing, heretofore a leading man on television and a supporting actor in motion pictures, his first leading role in a feature film. There can be little doubt that his performance in The Curse of Frankenstein was largely responsible for its success. Indeed, not only would Hammer make more "Frankenstein" films starring Peter Cushing as the doctor, but Peter Cushing would go onto play Van Helsing in Hammer's "Dracula" movies, Sherlock Holmes, and Captain Clegg among other roles.

Of course, Peter Cushing owed much of his performance in The Curse of Frankenstein to a particularly strong screenplay by Jimmy Sangster. While the script gave Christopher Lee a choice role as the Creature, the centre of attention in The Curse of Frankenstein remains Victor Frankenstein himself. This is in stark contrast to Universal's Frankenstein, in which the Creature (played by Boris Karloff) is the main attraction. While Colin Clive delivered an excellent performance as Henry Frankenstein (Universal having changed the doctor's name from the novel) in both Frankenstein and its sequel Bride of Frankenstein, he was largely outshined by Boris Karloff. What is more, Colin Clive's Frankenstein is as nearly as different from Peter Cushing's Frankenstein as night and day. Colin Clive's Frankenstein is a misguided scientist who might play with the laws of nature, but is less willing to break the rules when it comes to conventional morality. In Bride of Frankenstein when Dr. Pretorius proposes building a mate for the Creature, Colin Clive's Frankenstein is reticent to do so. One suspects that Peter Cushing's Frankenstein would not only have eagerly taken Pretorious up on his offer, but he probably would have thought of it himself.

Indeed, while Colin Clive's Henry Frankenstein may be considered a hapless anti-hero, Peter Cushing's Victor Frankenstein can be and usually is an outright villain. Quite simply, in Hammer's "Frankenstein" movies Victor Frankenstein is devoted to the pursuit of science at any cost, regardless of if it is illegal or immoral. While Henry Frankenstein in the Universal films was content to get bodies for his experiments through robbing graves or vaults, Victor Frankenstein in the Hammer films is not below getting bodies for his experiments through outright murder. When he needs a brain for his creation in The Curse of Frankenstein, he simply invites Professor Bernstein (played by Paul Hardtmuth) to his home and then promptly shoves him off the top of a staircase.

Despite his devotion to science it would be a mistake to think that Victor Frankenstein cannot appreciate the "better things" in life. Peter Cushing's Frankenstein is an urbane sophisticate with a love of wine, women, and song. Unfortunately, he is as immoral in his pursuit of pleasure as he is his pursuit of science. In The Curse of Frankenstein he has been dallying with his beautiful maid Justine (played by Valerie Gaunt), despite being betrothed to the equally beautiful Elizabeth (Hazel Court). When Justine threatens Frankenstein that she will inform everyone that she is pregnant with his child unless he marries her, he insures she is locked inside the laboratory with the Creature, full well knowing what her fate will be.

This is not to say that in The Curse of Frankenstein Victor Frankenstein does not have his good points. Peter Cushing plays the doctor with such charm and joie de vivre that it is sometimes hard not to root for him, even when he is doing some of the most despicable things. It must also be pointed out that when his fiancée Elizabeth is threatened by the Creature he goes to rescue her, even going so far as to destroy the Creature. It would then seem that Victor Frankenstein is capable of caring for someone other than himself after all.

With the success of The Curse of Frankenstein and the popularity of Peter Cushing in the role of the not-so-good doctor, the expectation would be that he would become an increasingly better person in the successive movies. This was not the case in the Hammer "Frankenstein" films. In fact, with the exception of one film (which I will discuss below) Victor Frankenstein remained as ruthless as ever. In fact, in some ways he would grow even worse than he was in The Curse of Frankenstein. Indeed, when audiences left the evil doctor in The Curse of Frankenstein  he was due to be executed by guillotine. At the start of The Revenge of Frankenstein he escaped by having a priest beheaded in his stead and then buried as "Victor Frankenstein". We later find him in the village of Carlsbruck using the name "Dr. Stein" and up to his old tricks--namely, building a new Creature.

In the fourth film in the series, Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), the doctor shows as little concern for his fellow man as he ever did. When his assistant Hans (played by Robert Morris) is executed and Hans' girlfriend Christina (played by Susan Denberg) commits suicide, he thinks nothing about reviving Christina's body and transferring Hans' soul into it. If anything Victor Frankenstein is even more ruthless in Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969). Not only is he still committing murder to get body parts for his experiments, but when he learns Dr. Karl Holst (played by Simon Ward) has been stealing narcotics from an asylum pharmacy, he promptly blackmails Dr. Holst and his girlfriend Anna Spengler (played by Veronica Carlson) into helping him in his latest experiment.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed also contains one of the most heinous acts committed by the doctor in Hammer's series of "Frankenstein" movies, and it is one that seems out of character for Frankenstein. Quite simply, in one scene he rapes Anna Spengler. Here it must be pointed out that the scene was not in the original script and is never again referenced in the film after it has happened. It must also be pointed out that it was filmed over the objections of Peter Cushing, Veronica Carlson, and director Terence Fisher. Peter Cushing even apologised to Miss Carlson afterwards! The scene was an afterthought added by Hammer executive James Carreras to please American distributors, who were wanting more sex and violence. At any rate, while Frankenstein is not below committing murder in the name of science, it is inconceivable to think of him forcing himself on a woman. In the previous "Frankenstein' films the doctor only uses violence as either a means to advance science (getting bodies through murder, et. al.) or to preserve his own freedom (sending Justine to her death, et. al.). Since the rape scene is not in the original script and is not referenced in the film afterwards, an argument could be made that it never even happened. It could even have been a bad dream on the part of Anna (who would understandably be frightened by Frankenstein).

Regardless, when Peter Cushing returned as Victor Frankenstein in the last film of the series, Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974), he is as amoral as ever. Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell finds Frankenstein working as the head doctor at an asylum. It seems that Frankenstein blackmailed the asylum director, Adolf Klauss (played by John Stratton), who had been playing fast and loose with the asylum's funds, into giving him the position. Of course, this means that Frankenstein now has a new source for body parts for his latest creature. Quite simply, he murders his patients to get them.

Throughout Hammer's "Frankenstein" series, the doctor commits a number of crimes that would guarantee he would be sent to the guillotine that waited him at the end of The Curse of Frankenstein should he ever be caught. The exception to this is the 1964 film The Evil of Frankenstein, which is so different from the other movies in the series that it seems likely it is not even set in the same reality.  Indeed, in The Evil of Frankenstein Victor seems more like the misguided, but ultimately good Henry Frankenstein played by Colin Clive than the ruthless, determined, and amoral Victor Frankenstein played by Peter Cushing in The Curse of Frankenstein and The Revenge of Frankenstein. As if the differences in Frankenstein's character were not enough to prove that this is a different Frankenstein in a different reality, The Evil of Frankenstein provides the doctor and his Creature a backstory that in no way resembles The Curse of Frankenstein and The Revenge of Frankenstein. Although made by Hammer and starring Peter Cushing as Victor Frankenstein, it would seem acceptable to consider The Evil of Frankenstein as belonging to an entirely different continuity from the rest of Hammer's "Frankenstein" series.

Of course, there is one other "Frankenstein" film made by Hammer that definitely exists outside the continuity of their "Frankenstein" series, The Horror of Frankenstein (1970). By the late Sixties Hammer Films wanted to recapture the youth market that had made them the studio for horror films in the late Fifties and much of the Sixties. It is perhaps for this reason that they decided to replace Christopher Lee, with whom they were having dispute, with the youthful Ralph Bates as Dracula in Taste the Blood of Dracula. Unfortunately for Ralph Bates, when Hammer's American distributor Warner Bros/Seven Arts discovered this, they insisted that Christopher Lee must play Dracula. As a result, Ralph Bates lost the chance to play the legendary vampire. He would get to play a legendary character from Hammer's history, however, when the studio decided to reboot their "Frankenstein" series with a remake of The Curse of Frankenstein entitled The Horror of Frankenstein. Ralph Bates played Victor Frankenstein in the film.

Ultimately The Horror of Frankenstein would fail at the box office and Peter Cushing would return as Victor Frankenstein in the last instalment of the series, Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell. The Horror of Frankenstein suffered from a number of problems, not the least of which was director and writer Jimmy Sangster's decision to incorporate campy humour into the film. That having been said, much of the film's failure may have been the absence of Peter Cushing. As played by Ralph Bates, Frankenstein is still as determined, ruthless, and amoral as ever. And if anything he was even more of a sensualist than Peter Cushing's Frankenstein ever was, having seemingly slept with every girl at his university. Unfortunately, while Peter Cushing as Frankenstein possessed such charisma  that one almost rooted for him even as he was killing people for body parts, Ralph Bates' Frankenstein is so unappealing it is difficult to even understand what the girls at his university saw in him beyond good hair and a handsome face.  While Peter Cushing's Frankenstein was an urbane, charming aesthete, Ralph Bates' Frankenstein seems like a simple boor. In the end The Horror of Frankenstein only proved how necessary Peter Cushing was to the success of the "Frankenstein" films.

Indeed, as played by Peter Cushing, Victor Frankenstein remains one of the most memorable villains not only in horror films, but in films of any genre. Baron Frankenstein was a scientist so devoted to the pursuit of knowledge that he was willing to do almost anything to achieve his aims, including blackmail and murder. That having been said, it would be unfair to describe Frankenstein as a "mad scientist". Obsessed as he is with the pursuit of his craft, Frankenstein is as calm, cold, and calculated as they come. What makes Victor Frankenstein so effective as a villain, however, is not that he is utterly ruthless, determined, calculating, and amoral. Instead it is that he is possessed of an ineffable charm, the sort of charisma that would make even a matinee idol envious. One cannot help but like Baron Victor Frankenstein, even when it is against one's best judgement, as many characters in Hammer's "Frankenstein" series learned much too late.

By the mid-Seventies Hammer Films' brand of Gothic horror movies had largely went out of fashion, overtaken by the demonic horror of Rosemary's Baby (1968) and The Exorcist (1973) and slasher films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, released in 1974, would be the last film in Hammer's legendary "Frankenstein" series. While Hammer's brand of Gothic horror went out of style in the Seventies, however, their films remained popular. For many Victor Frankenstein would forever look like Peter Cushing.