Kill Straker & Sub Smash

Just as an aside, I've always felt it was harder for British actors, or for
that matter, Canadian and American actors working IN Britain, to get the
attention and kudus they deserved.

Even greats like Lawrence Olivier and Vivien Leigh had to really make their
mark on the stage, as opposed to film. When Olivier was playing the lead in
"Wuthering Heights" he was referred to as that "ugly actor" by the MGM
studio boss. His stage acting was considered laughable on film. Vivien won
two Academy Awards (for GWTW and Streetcar Named Desire), but other greats
like Richard Burton were nominated many times and came up empty handed.

Much as I hate to say this - Hollywood and the Californian film industry
seems to be the Holy Grail of moviedom. Those who work in other countries DO
NOT get any kind of consideration. Even the great Orson Welles turned to
other nations and foreign backers to get the $ he needed for his later
films. His genius was first recognized overseas - the American film industry
was so aghast at his talent - and so jealous -that they passed him off time
and time again.

Returning to the subject of UFO actors and actresses - they have been most
unfortunate in that UFO was made in Britain - and just before the sci-fic
film/TV popularity explosion took place only a few yrs later with the
syndication success of Trek and such blockbuster films as Star Wars etc.
Don't forget, Star Wars itself was not expected to do well at the box
office. It was as much of a sleeper surprise to Lucas as it was to the
general public. Maybe if UFO had been made around that time frame, the
actors and actresses would have gotten much more exposure and that would
have upped the ante on their careers both inside and outside of Britain.

Let's face it - Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hammill were MADE by
Star Wars. Who had ever heard of them before that film came out? Ford was
the only one who'd done any creditable work prior to that, but most of it
was TV eps in guest starring roles (i.e. Bonanza, etc). The others were
relative newcomers who burst onto the world stage because of SW. Even after
the film and its sequels were history, the one whose career took off was
Harrison Ford. Carrie writes books and gets divorces, and Mark Hammill does
mostly voice over work for documentaries and the odd personal appearance on
TV shows (i.e. the Outer Limits and Just Shoot Me).

So I guess my point here is to say that Fisher, Ford and Hammill had an
opportunity tailor-made for them that the UFO people didn't get - and
certainly, Ed B. and Mike B are no worse than Mark Hamill as actors. They
probably are better because they've had more training and work over their
careers. And, I've always felt Mike B.'s deprecating attitude to his own
work spurred him to go to the Actors' Studio in NYC to get better. To learn
his craft. In that, he's in fine company - the Actors' Studio also turned
out such people as Marlon Brando, Eli Wallach, Paul Newman, Marilyn Monroe.

Pam

CONTENTS DELETED

> << I wonder whether James would have seen Ed Bishop as Willy Loman in
> Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman', during his two years at the
> National Theatre ? >>
> I would have KILLED to see him as Loman. WHINE!!! I knew he did a lot
of
> Miller plays but that one, siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggggggghhhhhhhhh.
I
> am depressed now <g>

Yeah I would have loved to have seen that!
He was excellent in Strike Gently Away From Body when I saw him at the Young
Vic twice!
>
> Just to hear *that* voice live on stage.

He is wonderful in a stage poduction.
>
> Damn electric.
>
> Amelia <biased and proud of it >

Me too!

Sheila

Ed Bishopophile

> Wait a minute Amelia, are you saying that Ed and Suzanne Neve are in the
> first film version of Portrait of a Lady together?
>
> James Killian wrote the above

Yes they are and it was just before UFO. She rejects him in this too..LOL!
BTW I am with you James on this thing about UFO actors acting ability..don't
care what anybody else says.

Sheila

Still UFO Crazy crazy crazy crrraaazzzzy!

Actually the BBC version was the one I meant. Perhaps I should have said TV
movies to make it clear I did not mean the one of a few years ago with Nicole
Kidman in the lead.

James K.

Thanks for the support. And thanks for the info on the film. I'm always
looking for new stuff that the UFO cast has been in for my Video Raiders
articles and this will be a new one for Ed although I knew Suzanne had
starred in it the dumb reviewers at IMDB had not other cast listed.
Weren't you looking for someone who had seen Vampire Circus?

James K.

In message <00a901c0f225$4a7d20c0$5d7fd1d8@ordinateur>, Anny Theberge
<[hidden email]> writes

<snip>

>
>--La Petite Anny :-)
><who likes the actors and how they acted (with much subtlety, in his
>Bishopness' case) in the series or she wouldn't even still be watching the
>thing after more than 30 years because UFO's more than the sum of errors one
>can find within it.)
><wise nod>
>

Thank you, Anny, I could not have put it better myself;-)

LOL!!!
--
Suzanne Sutherland
La Grande

In message <[hidden email]>, Pam McCaughey
<[hidden email]> writes
>Much as I like Tom Hanks, I HAD to LOL at your comment! I feel the same way
>about John Revolta and Matthew Broderick....However, I can sit through Ed B
>and Mike B. anytime. I agree Vladek Sheybal was a fine actor, but he was
>often shown as a rather nasty man in UFO. Actually, there is a man in my
>building who looks remarkably like Mr. Sheybal!
>

Really??? Do tell!!
--
Suzanne Sutherland
aka drdougjackson

In message <[hidden email]>, [hidden email] writes

>
>And Ed is nail bitingly handsome in this, ladies <chuckles> As usual! He
>basically looks wounded and pines away for Suzanne's character. <grin>
>

And so he should;-) I have lots of character!

And, yes, I have seen this on video and he is quite dashing but there
isn't enough of him in the story. Richard Chamberlain is excessively
annoying in this production, too.
--
SuzannEd Sutherland

Hi Amelia,

<<Just to hear *that* voice (Ed Bishop's)live on
stage.

Damn electric.>>

The voice reference makes me think of Ed's radio work,
particularly his starring in several 1977 BBC Radio
dramatisations of Raymond Chandler's 'Philip Marlowe'
private eye novels, set in Los Angeles in the late
1930s-early 40s. (Published on tape in 1999 and still
available, eg from Amazon).

He has an ideal voice for it, playing the slightly
world-weary, outwardly cynical but inwardly decent
detective to perfection.

Regards,

Andy


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--- In SHADO@y..., Yuchtar <yuchtr@e...> wrote:
> andy_lovie@y... wrote:
>
> > Mike B. certainly wasn't happy at the time with his acting
on 'UFO' - saying that he felt immediately after the series he might
never get offered work again ! - but personally, I feel that to be
far too self-critical. His portrayal of the Foster character had, as
others have said, an intensity which made it a creditable
performance...
>
>(Yuchtar) it's possible he meant that he was afraid he would be type-
casted and never be offered anything other than sci-fi stuff again.
That happens a lot with shows like that.>>

On reflection, I'm sure you're right, type-casting rather than the
quality of his acting was his concern regarding finding acting work
after 'UFO'.

Regards,

Andy

In message <[hidden email]>, Andy
Lovie <[hidden email]> writes
Ed *is* Philip Marlowe. The part must have been made in Heaven for him.
--
SuzannEd Sutherland