Stanley Baker

[Charles Bronson]

I was watching Stanley on YouTube yesterday in Hell Is A City, made on 1960. The quality of the Video was fantastic.
I already have a DVD of this film anyway, but I thought I'd watch it for a while. (I'll catch up on the rest later on.)

I think it's a pretty good crime film, one of my favourites of Stanley Baker's. Set in Manchester of course. I understand that some of the city locations in the film have changed beyond recognition since 1960.

Stanley was good in his prime.

Charles.

[Cartman]

Excellent film. I have seen it several times and some locations are still recognisable, some I can remember from when I was a kid.

[Sam Tyler]

Stanley Baker was a good actor and another one of those that died far too young. I've never seen Hell Is A City but numerous times have watched Robbery and The Guns Of Navarone.

Sadly dying at the age of only 48 I'm sure he would have gone on to even greater success.

Sam.

[Cartman]

He was also in another good film called Hell Drivers made in the late 50s. Patrick McGoohan was in it too.

[Charles Bronson]

So Stanley was only forty eight years old when he died? Thats really young. I thought he might have been in his fifties.
What a shame!

I read a few years back that he made his first acting appearence in a play in a Liverpool theatre in the late '40s alongside Richard Burton. They appeared there for a week and spent a lot of time touring the pubs together.

Michael Caine said in his autobiography that when he was filming Zulu, (His big break.) he overheard a remark that made him think that they were going to recast his role. He told Stanley about his fears, and Stanley told Caine there was no way he would put up with it and not to worry.

Charles.

[Steve Austin]

Thanks for mentioning this film Charles, I started watching this film during my lunchbreak (hard taskmasters here at OSI) and (spotted Warren Mitchell, Sweeney stars get everywhere don't they) will watch the rest later with Jamie.  I have enjoyed what I've seen so far, Baker is a class act, no pun intended.

[Charles Bronson]

Apr 26, 2017 10:05:45 GMT Cartman said:

He was also in another good film called Hell Drivers made in the late 50s. Patrick McGoohan was in it too.

I'm always amazed when Hell Drivers is on the box at how many well know actors are in this film, just about everyone in it was well known.

Another good Baker film. I liked Herbert Lom's performance in this one.

Charles.

[Arthur Pringle]

'A Prize Of Arms' is a really good but lesser known film starring Baker alongside Tom Bell & Helmut Schmid as a trio who infiltrate an army camp posing as soldiers in order to rob the payroll. Much of it is shot at night, very atmospheric & tense as the three of them try to avoid being caught. Like 'Hell Drivers' the cast is a who's who of familiar tv actors.

Baker appeared in a film called 'The Butterfly Affair' ( aka 'Popsy Pop' ) written by & starring Papillon himself, Henri Charriere. It used to be shown regularly on sat tv on a 'Movies4Men' type channel that no longer exists, it wasn't very good from what I remember. Charriere's only acting credit.

He was considered for the role of Regan of course ( Baker not Papillon ).

[Gene Hunt]

Not a lot of people know.....

The house in the 1967 film "Robbery" where Stanley Baker's character "Paul Clifton" lives with wife "Kate" (Joanna Pettet) was actually Stanley's real house at the time of filming. It was No 7 Queensmere Road, Wimbledon and was demolished just a few years later for redevelopment.

Gene.

[Charles Bronson]

Apr 26, 2017 16:32:53 GMT Gene Hunt said:

Not a lot of people know.....

The house in the 1967 film "Robbery" where Stanley Baker's character "Paul Clifton" lives with wife "Kate" (Joanna Pettet) was actually Stanley's real house at the time of filming. It was No 7 Queensmere Road, Wimbledon and was demolished just a few years later for redevelopment.

Gene.

I will look out for the house next time I watch Robbery.

Charles.