Cedric Hardwicke

One of the grandest of the golden generation of Hollywood character actors, Sir Cedric Hardwicke owned the sort of vocal pipes and dextrous diction perfectly suited to the world of recorded literature. He may be a bit less well known for these types of albums than other actors with similar prestige, having steered mostly clear of the type of material, Edgar Allan Poe for example, made forever memorable on LP performances by peers such as Boris Karloff and Vincent Price. There was a fine version of Treasure Island tracked by Hardwicke for release in the Bookmark line; for the reliable Caedmon imprint, this actor's projects include a large amount of recited poetry by William Wordsworth as well as a pairing with Robert Newton promising to explore Metaphysical and Love Lyrics of the Seventh Century.
Other types of recorded documentation could conceivably result in Sir Cedric Hardwicke nesting comfortably in thy record collection. He co-starred in a radio series based on the tales of Sherlock Holmes, material that has found a new audience in CD reissues of vintage radio broadcasts. He also shows up as an adjunct to romantic musical stars such as Bing Crosby on original soundtrack compilations. One recording involving something quite close to this name should not be confused with the actor: a bassist named Cedric Hardwick made some records in the '40s. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi