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Hey, Henry VIII showed up on a compilation programme recently. Always admired Michell's work on this. It was a huge bbc sunday night prime time drama back then, when the bbc was good and did serious costume stuff superbly. Sorry to hear his passing. The show made him a household name in the uk.
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Posted: |
Nov 22, 2015 - 11:41 AM
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By: |
Graham Watt
(Member)
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In THE HELLFIRE CLUB, Michell stars as a young man who loses his parents as a child, returning as a young man to reclaim his legacy from his cousin, who has usurped his title and estate. Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman co-produced and directed the 1961 film, which was scored by Clifton Parker. Embassy Pictures released the film in the U.S. in 1963. Like others here of a certain age, I'll always remember watching his performance on TV in the '70s, as Henry VIII. I was too young to appreciate good acting, but I remember my mum (a history buff) commenting on how good he was in the part. I must admit, I didn't follow everything he did, but being a Peter Cushing enthusiast, and interested in the background to the infamous Hellfire Club, I purchased the film on DVD. It was a bit of a let-down. Where was the debauchery? Cushing's role was minimal too, and Michell was cast for his acrobatic physique and wide grin, a bit like Burt Lancaster for the kids. Matinee fodder, and the Hellfire Club itself was innocuous enough that even my grandmother enjoyed the film. Incidentally, as with other Baker/ Berman films of the era (such as THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS), two versions were shot, one in which the girls got their kits off. If you scour the Internet enough, you'll find comparative shots of THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS and THE HELLFIRE CLUB, showing the "family friendly" shots next to the "tits oot" ones. Bob, I've singled out your post which includes THE HELLFIRE CLUB partly because it's the film I'm talking about, and partly because it's one of the worst examples of poster art I've ever seen.
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Posted: |
Nov 23, 2015 - 12:53 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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I must admit, I didn't follow everything he did, but being a Peter Cushing enthusiast, and interested in the background to the infamous Hellfire Club, I purchased the film on DVD. It was a bit of a let-down. Where was the debauchery? Cushing's role was minimal too, and Michell was cast for his acrobatic physique and wide grin, a bit like Burt Lancaster for the kids. Matinee fodder, and the Hellfire Club itself was innocuous enough that even my grandmother enjoyed the film. Incidentally, as with other Baker/ Berman films of the era (such as THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS), two versions were shot, one in which the girls got their kits off. If you scour the Internet enough, you'll find comparative shots of THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS and THE HELLFIRE CLUB, showing the "family friendly" shots next to the "tits oot" ones. Bob, I've singled out your post which includes THE HELLFIRE CLUB partly because it's the film I'm talking about, and partly because it's one of the worst examples of poster art I've ever seen. You can blame the Aussie's for the lousy poster. Below is the French poster, which, while better drawn, is perhaps even more guilty of making the film seem racier than it is. The French title translates as either "Club Hell" or "Club Inferno." Along the bottom of the poster has been pasted another title, in Dutch, which calls the film "Club of Fornication."
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