CaptainWaggett

Does this mean Max qualifies as a forgotten character player?

batman

Unfortunately yes .... hence the title of this very interesting essay.

LINK: The Forgotten Man: The Films of Maxwell Reed. [Part 1]

"Aha Mr Aubergine ... that's where you're wrong!"

Houdi Elbow

My information was garnered during research for a project on Hammer Actors & Actressses, cross-referencing between as many print and internet resources as available and wherever possible tracking down the film in question to confirm an appearance either via the credits or through spotting them myself - the bulk of this was way back in the early 2000s so I can't really recall if I was able to view SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING to confirm Anne's apperarance at that time...

Incidentally, while reseraching Anne I never came across any reference to her being in YIELD TO THE NIGHT...

As for FERDY MAYNE, he's another (largely) forgotten character player with 3 Hammer films among his numerous credits (there's an extensive list in QUINLAN'S CHARACTER STARS), including the Doctor in THE VAMPIRE LOVERS...

"You watched it, and you can't unwatch it."

cornershop15

Thanks for that information (do I call you 'Houdi'?). You must be a Horror 'buff'. I must try and find a book on actors from that genre, preferably with mini-biographies on them. I don't know what to make of that Yield To The Night scene. The clip shown in the Diana Dors documentary was long enough for me to recognise Anne Blake, and she did have a speaking role (about the imminent hanging), so I shall have to wait until I see the film again.

Now, much sooner than expected, I have yet another 'Forgotten Character Player' to test your memories.
This is Paul Whitsun-Jones:


For once, there is someone else in the world who goes into even greater detail than me about one of those unheralded actors. At IMDB, someone has practically written a proper obituary for Paul, which is wonderful to see (and read). That saves me a lot of work!

So I'll just say that I remember him best, so far, for two roles. He was in the Avarice part of The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins as a pompous businessman who forced his chauffeur (Bruce Forsyth) to rescue a "fifty pence piece" from the drain it had just fallen down. I've always liked Bruce's line at the end: "I've found it, Mr. Elsinore, I've found it!", which he kept saying as his boss fell in to another drain.

But my favourite memory of Paul Whitsun-Jones is from Room at the Top as the 'Laughing Man at Bar'. He's only there for a few seconds but managed to make a sensational impact, just by repeating his "Gin and Pla-tonic" line. I guess you'll have to watch the film to understand what I'm on about! Incidentally, he repeated his role in the sequel, Life at the Top, a few years later

Very sadly, Paul died when he was 50, "shamefully young" in the words of that contributor to IMDB, which is all too true. And yet, he's been so vivid in my mind, largely based on those two performances, that I've never felt he died. The DVD 'boom' has meant I've seen several more of his appearances, including my current viewing of The Three Musketeers, the 1960s TV adaptation. Interestingly, he was also in the 1954 TV version.

His other credits include EIGHT Armchair Theatre plays and four in The Avengers as well as a Doctor Who story. Like Ferdy Mayne, my previous subject, Paul was in four episodes of The Saint too. He deserves to be remembered as one of Britain's most distinguished - AND distinctive - character actors, but instead has been rathet forgotten compared to others from that generation. It's up to us to keep his name alive!

When you understand the past, the confusion of the present becomes clearer - John Betjeman.

wearysloth

Ah the Ferdy Man whose filmography almost parallels that of Christopher Lee (with whom he has appeared at least 5 times)

Here he is in Revenge of the Pink Panther sporting double glazing that would make Colin Gordon green with envy.

Dr. Schreck

Ferdy also played with Peter Cushing, of course, on stage an screen. =)

Paul Whitsun-Jones - the name does not ring a bell, but wasn't he the main villain in the Avengers episode Room Without A View? The fellow who gets the food only shown, but isn't allowed to eat for health reasons?

"I swore then that they would never be rid of me!"

Houdi Elbow

[QUOTE=cornershop15;328805]Thanks for that information (do I call you 'Houdi'?). You must be a Horror 'buff'. I must try and find a book on actors from that genre, preferably with mini-biographies on them. I don't know what to make of that Yield To The Night scene. The clip shown in the Diana Dors documentary was long enough for me to recognise Anne Blake, and she did have a speaking role (about the imminent hanging), so I shall have to wait until I see the film again.

Calling me "Houdi" is fine (call me "Ishmael" if you like!).
Yes, I suppose I am, or was, a "horror buff", especially Hammer which combined nicely with a fondness for 50s and 60s British films in general...
And you could well be right about Anne Blake being in YIELD TO THE NIGHT, as I'm sure there are several undocumented appearances out there waiting to be discovered for Anne and many other "character players" (during my research it was always a thrill to find a "new" credit for the likes of Milton Reid or Lucy Griffiths) - though with YIELD regarded as a bit of classic it's surprising she hasn't been spotted before, so kudos to you if you're right!

"You watched it, and you can't unwatch it."

Harbottle

Paul Whitsun-Jones was most memorable in an otherwise inferior Doctor Who story 'The Mutants' (1972). He played the megalomaniac Planet supremo reminiscent of Hermann Goring, going a little more bonkers as each episode passed.

thatllbetheday

Has Patick Newell been forgotten or will his Avengers appearances be his memorial?

If I could find a place that makes me feel like Tiffany's

Dr. Schreck

Well, I always enjoyed Newell - in all his Holmes connected appearances, in his Avengers guesting (before his latter regular part as Mother) ... He did not do that many movies, though, mostly TV, so my knowledge of his work is limited.

"I swore then that they would never be rid of me!"

Brief Encounter

What about the delightful Enid Stamp-Taylor?

John Llewellyn Moxey

Funny man and talented actor. I remember him well.

John

kelp

I used to get Ferdy Mayne and Sidney Tafler confused way back in the black & White days of British film. Anyone else find them similar?

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR...YOU MAY GET IT!

kelp

Oh, and does anyone remember that wonderful London actor "HARRY LOCK" and another of my favourites that might fit this genre...Canadian actor "LEE PATTERSON". He was a good lookin' bloke wasn't he.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR...YOU MAY GET IT!

mallee59

I also remember Patrick in an advert for Jacobs cream crackers probably in the '70s
Mallee

The only problem with having an open mind is that others keep trying to put things in it...