Dear Sara,
I am a big fan of the original five PLANET OF THE APES movies, and I’ve always wondered why Roddy McDowall is in the first and third films as Cornelius, and the fourth and fifth films as Caesar, but a different actor plays Cornelius in the second film, BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES.
Thank You For Your Time In Research,
Larry G.
Dear Larry
David Watson, a British actor who had a recurring role on RAWHIDE and once played Robin Hood on LAUGH-IN, was brought in to play Cornelius because Roddy McDowall was unavailable at that time. This was because McDowall was making his feature directorial debut with TAM LIN, aka THE DEVIL’S WIDOW, starring Ava Gardner, Ian McShane and Stephanie Beacham. McDowall has a passion for the visual arts and published several coffee table books of his acclaimed photographs, though he did not direct again.
It’s In The Bag,
Sara Bellum, Editor-at-Large Buzzy Mag
