MovieChat Forums > The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) Discussion > henry brandon , christopher lee and pete...

henry brandon , christopher lee and peter sellers


I"ve only seen "Mask" once, but Republic's DRUMS OF FU MANCHU is great. Brandon's FM was the only serial villain to have gotten away at the end of the serial, vowing "the world will hear from me again.
Lee did well in the role, but I think the low budget and bad scripting ruined the films.
As for Sellers version, he should never have followed up BEING THERE with his interpretation.

reply

Lee's Fu was by far the most sinister..but then Lee can do 'sinister' in his sleep!

What about Warner Oland's Fu Manchu? Have you seen any of his portryals?

reply

I have a very vague memory of seeing a Fu Manchu movie on NY tv in the mid-50's maybe having to do with Hitler who suvived WWII.

Somehow the good Doctor seems to get lost in the shuffle when it comes to Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto and charges of racism in movies back then. I read the books and one short story and could see how well they adopted to Saturday matinee serial format.

Brandon had an impressively long careet when you realize he started out with L&H. worked with John Wayne, Mel Brooks and John Carpenter among others. Carpenter in his commentary on ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 said he "knew how to die well."

I read an interview with him years ago where he talked about doing ARSENIC AND OLD LACE with Elisha Cook at a dinner theater. Cook got a big round of applause because his face was so familiar, but nobody recognized Brandon because he was often wearing makeup.

I was surprised to learn he was gay as was veteran Western heavy Black Jack Shea who, apparently, was Capote's lover.

See you at the movies.

reply

Had he ever been played by someone actually Asian?

"When the chips are down... these Civilized people... will Eat each Other"

reply

Don't forget Nicolas Cage in Grindhouse!

If we all liked the same movie, there'd only be one movie!

reply

That I don't remember, probably because the "trailers" were left out of the DVD's.

reply

I really think the only way to watch those movies is as originally intended, as a "drive-in" double feature, with the missing reel, the choppy frames, the discolored scenes and the previews and food ads. What a shame it didn't do better as a package. I loved the whole thing, from beginning to end.

If we all liked the same movie, there'd only be one movie!

reply

And as U know, Sellars died as this was his last. I don't agree with your liking of Brandon's FM as the serial itself is a real stinker; hilarious is a better adgective. Karloff's version is far better and completely un PC. Delicious dialog! Warner Oland played the part as well and his are just too dull. Lee fit the description quite well, but only the first with Richard Greene was really decent.

Reference is inscrutable because there is nothing to scrute.

reply

The Serial Squadron recently restored Drums of Fu Manch along with several other Republic serials and also made The Lost Special and The Vanishing Shadow availbab for scholars and researchers. If you blink your eyes with TVS you miss Lee J. Cobb while TLS is based on a Conan Doyle story in which a certain, unnamed detective makes a cameo appearance.

I remember seeing a FM film in NY in the 50's but don't know which one. I seem to remember him teaming up with Hitler which, of course, was a bad idea for Hitler.

Caught Albert Dekker a few days ago on Rawhide where he's a drunken reprobate who tries to sell the herd for a bottle of cheap whiskey. I used to have two of his Paramount films, one where he plays twin brother, and Buy Me That Town, a Runyonesque comedy with Lloyd Nolan. First time I ever saw Dekker do comedy--as one of Nolan's dimwitted stooges.

reply

That Albert Dekker "Rawhide" U mention was the last episode of the series, the one with Johnny Crawford of "The Rifleman" fame. I wrote a review on Imdb for a Dekker noir I can't now remember the name of. Think I'll go look it up so I can pass it on for your amusement.

Hitler and FM must have been a lovely couple.

I didn't know Serial Squadron was still in business. Have not heard of either of those you mentioned before.

I think I vaguely remember the Dekker one where he played twins, another film noir I believe; it hasn't been on the tube in years and I wish they'd bring it back before I, too, disappear into the night.

"Among the Living" was the one where Dekker played twins. And "The Pretender" from 1947 was the one I wrote my review for, if anyone cares.

Reference is inscrutable because there is nothing to scrute.

reply

Among the Living was the title I couldn't remember. Buy Me That Town has Nolan, Dekker and somebody else literally buying a small, bankrupt town and running it the way they would their own business. The Pretender, I think, features Linda Stirling.

The Serial Squadron is alive and well and just produced an aural serial starring Adrian Booth/Lorna Gray. The Lost Special is a 12-chapter serial starring Frank Albertson who's probably best known for It's A Wonderful Life and Psycho where he makes the mistake of giving Janet Leigh all that money to put in the bank.

TLS has an "impossible" crime John Dickson Carr could have used--the train that vanishes into thin air. Republic filmed it twice as The Great Train Robbery with Bob Steele and The Last Bandit with Bill Elliott and Forrest Tucker.

The Vanishing Shadow is another U serial starring Onslow Stevens as the hero-scientist. Cobb turns up as the foreman of a road construction crew who sets off the dynamite just as Stevens drives by. When I was working for the Marine Corps in the 70's it was turned into an educational film to encourage kids to read. At one point the film stopped and the camera focussed on Cobb's face. "Do you recognize this famous actor? Do you give up? It's Lee J. Cobb. Even great actors have to start somewhere."

As far as I know my niece's movie Welcome to Harlem is still looking for distribution. It was shown at Maryland U in Feb but I don't do distance driving anymore.

reply

I don't do much driving anymore, either. Such whimsy is best served on diners looking for a golden throne. There's my poetic itch coming out. I could never work for any Marine Corpse, don't get along well with stuffed up sticky beaks.

Reference is inscrutable because there is nothing to scrute.

reply

"Marine Corpse"? Was that deliberate pun?
I spent so many years working FOR the Navy, interviewers would ask if I had been IN the Navy. Not the same thing.

One memorable experience was a retirement ceremony in the Commandant's office. If you had 30 years service in the Government, you coud ask for a special retirement ceremony with the Admiral. The week before Cushman had testified before the Watergate Committee as to why he had supplied Hunt with fake ID papers, spying equipment. Cushman, who had been Deputy CIA director, said he new Hunt worked out of the White House and must have had high up clearance, but he didn't ask Hunt why he needed that stuff.

I saw Hunt's biographer on the Today show where he said Hunt got real life mixed up with his fiction. One of the local stations said Hunt's sold better before he became famous. If you looked him up in Current Authors, you would find Hunt under one of his pseudonyms with a biography that had nothing to do with his actual career. I read a few of his books--imitation James Bond--and wasn't impressed.

Going back to RG Armstrong? What did he say about working with Peckinpah? The only person who worked with SP I ever met was Stella Stevens. She said he had his demons and that she enjoyed working with Strother Martin. I just watched The Deadly Companions on DVD and found it better than his later films. Maureen O"Hara's brother James Fitzsimmons is featured, and Wills reminds me of the character he played in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.

reply

Deliberate pun intended. I have a masters in creative writing so I must unload on occasion.

RG told me how diificult it was for Sam to take any criticism, even when it was helpful.. Also he talked about cost overruns which gave the studios fits. Too bad Sam wasn't working today as he'd fit better with cost overrun kids who make genuinely awful films. Not that Peck's were all masterworks.

Reference is inscrutable because there is nothing to scrute.

reply

I used to have two books on Peck: a biography and a collection of essays on The Wild Bunch. I still remember seeing Valentini at the AFI years ago saying if they hadn't heavily cut it, he would have given it an X rating. Has anybody ever seen the 5hr workpring version. I have the 5hr plus version of Apocalypse Now which is one very long movie with a number of technical problems. Oh, well you can't have everything.

reply