When the Count Went West

Actor Sir Christopher Lee, who many consider the greatest Dracula in cinema history, as well as an outstanding cinematic Sherlock Holmes, died on June 7, 2015. After serving with the RAF and the British SOE in WWII, Lee chose acting as a career. For nearly 70 years he entertained audiences worldwide in more than 250 films. Lee’s range was amazing and he was still acting up to 2014, famous for his role as Saruman in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies. But while he starred in almost every genre of film and television, Lee’s roles in Westerns were far and few between. He was cast in two Western vehicles, both connected to director Burt Kennedy. The first role was in the 1971 film Hannie Caulder, as “Bailey” the sympathetic gunsmith in the ensemble cast led by star Raquel Welch, and co-stars Robert Culp, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam and Strother Martin.  He then returned as a guest-star in the Burt Kennedy co-directed 1977-‘78 TV series for ABC, How the West Was Won, in which Lee played The Grand Duke in an homage to the Russian Grand Duke Alexis in both “The Pilot” episode and the “Buffalo Story.” If only someone had optioned Loren Estleman’s novel Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula and cast the great Christopher Lee in a duel role and filmed it in the West!