Peter Cushing and Andre Morell star in “Cash on Demand”

Cash on Demand (1961) is a British neo noir crime drama directed by Quentin Lawrence and starring Peter Cushing and Andre Morell.

Two days before Christmas, Gore Hepburn (Morell), a phony insurance investigator, pulls a con on a bank by making the manager think that his family has been kidnapped.

Thinking he has no choice, bank manager Harry Fordyce (Cushing) helps Hepburn steal £93,000, hiding his actions from the rest of the bank staff.

Will Hepburn be able to pull off the con, and will Fordyce regain his reputation as an honorable banker?

Quentin Lawrence (1929 – 1979) was an English film and television director. Most of his work was for ATV.

Peter Cushing (1913 – 1994) was an English actor whose acting career spanned over six decades. He appeared in over 100 films and also performed on television, radio, and the stage. He gained fame playing lead roles in horror films produced by Hammer Productions. Cushing gained international fame playing Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars (1977).

Andre Morell and Peter Cushing

Andre Morell (1909 – 1978) was an English actor. He worked in the theatre, film, and television. He is best known for his roles in several BBC Television productions. He had film roles in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Ben-Hur (1959). Morell played Dr. Watson in the 1959 Hammer Productions The Hounds of the Baskervilles.

 

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

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Discussion questions

1. This film was made on a very tight budget but is considered one of the best B films to come out of the U.K. Did it seem like a low-budget feature to you?
2. Peter Cushing plays an honorable bank manager in the film. What did you think of his performance?
3. Andre Morell is the bad guy. Is he convincing as someone who could pull off such a con?
4. Did anything about the film surprise you?
5. Was the ending believable, satisfying?