A
man who certainly needs no introduction to anyone who regularly visits
this page. Today we mark the birthday of the late Terence Fisher, a
director whose trade mark blend of fairy-tale, myth and sexuality, gave
us some of Cushing's and Hammer films greatest hits. The Curse of
Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, The Gorgon, Frankenstein Must Be
Destroyed..... and many, many others. All absolute gems. Happy Birthday
Terence Fisher!.
Tuesday 24 February 2015
DIRECTOR TERENCE FISHER 'THE MAN WHO TOLD US FAIRY TALES'
Labels:
auteur,
birthday,
british gothic,
british horror film,
director,
fairy tales,
frankenstein created woman.,
hammer films,
peter cushing,
terence fisher
Sunday 22 February 2015
SIR JOHN MILLS REMEMBERED: SHERLOCK HOLMES THE MASKS OF DEATH
Today we mark the birth of one, Lewis Ernest
Watts Mills... or as we knew and loved him... Sir John Mills. He was
without doubt, one of our most popular and beloved English actors and
born today February 22nd 1908. In a career that stretched
over eight decades, Mills appeared in over 120 films, debuting in 1932
in 'Midshipmaid Gob' right up until 2009 in 'The Snow Prince'. Many of
his roles like Pip in 'Great Expectations' in 1946, Shorty Blake 'In
Which We Serve' in 42, Captain Scott in 'Scott of the Antarctic' in 48
and the alcohol troubled Captain Anson in 'Ice Cold in Alex' in 58 would
make him an internationally renowned star.
Mills appeared in two films with Peter Cushing, the first in 1976 entitled 'Trial by Combat' aka 'A Dirty Knight's Work' as Sir Edward Gifford. It was no more than a guest appearance, slotted in when another project on Cushing's slate fell through. The second though, was a much grander enterprise with Tyburn films and marked Cushing's return to the character of Sherlock Holmes...and Mills as Watson! They made a terrific team as a much older duo, so impressive was the chemistry that another Cushing /Mills / Sherlock film from Tyburn was planned entitled 'The Abbot's Cry', but was scuppered owing to Cushing's fragile health.
Like Cushing, Mills was in his private life a sensitive romantic, in January 2001 at the age of 92, he and wife Mary, age 89, renewed their marriage vows at St. Mary's Church, next to their home, Hills House, in Denham, England. When they had wed 60 years earlier, he was denied a church service because he was serving in the Army during World War II. Happy Birthday, Sir John!
Sir John Mills died on the 23rd of April 2005.
Labels:
abbots cry,
anthony hinds,
great expectations.,
hammer films,
in which we serve,
john mills,
kevin francis,
masks of death,
peter cushing,
remembered,
sherlock holmes,
tyburn films
Wednesday 18 February 2015
JACK PALANCE REMEMBERED ON HIS BIRTHDAY TODAY 1919
Today we remember JACK PALANCE, born on this
day in 1919....everyone has a favourite Palance movie and there's many
crackers to choose from..Shane, Batman, Hawk the Slayer, City
Slickers...or even his performances as Dracula in 74 or Dr Jekyll
and Mr Hyde in 1968.
The Cushing connection would his be crackling
performance as Ronald Wyatt in 'The Man Who Collected Poe' story in
'Torture Garden' (Amicus films 1967) A man of few words off the set, he
owned his own cattle ranch and displayed other creative sides as a
exhibited painter and published poet.
Read our review of 'The Man Who Collected Poe' - 'Torture Garden' : HERE
Labels:
amicus,
city slickers.,
dan curtis,
dracula,
jack palance,
man who collected poe,
mr hyde,
peter cushing,
shane,
torture garden
Saturday 14 February 2015
OLIVER REED REMEMBERED
Today we remember Robert Oliver Reed, born
today February 13th 1938. The 'Cushing Connection' spreads over three
films, 'Captain Clegg /Night Creatures' in 1962, 'Sword of Sherwood
Forest' in 60, both for Hammer films and a car crash of a film
entitled 'A Touch of the Sun' in 1979... a film produced in Africa, and
never found a distributor outside of it! A larger than life character
both on and off the screen..who was always happy to acknowledge his
'Hammer film roots.... 'The Curse of the Werewolf in 1961 and 'These Are
The Damned' in 1963. Happy Birthday Oliver!
Labels:
a touch of the sun,
africa,
birthday,
captain clegg,
curse of the werewolf.,
oliver reed,
peter cushing,
pirates,
remembered,
these are the damned
Friday 13 February 2015
RALPH BATES REMEMBERED : BORN TODAY 1940
REMEMBERING: Born today in 1940, RALPH BATES. Sadly, no longer with us. A talented actor and a truly gentle and kind man.
The great, great nephew of the renowned French scientist Louis Pasteur
developed into a strangely handsome dark haired, pale complexioned
English actor. Ralph Bates was born in 1940 in Bristol, England and
attended the University of Dublin and studied at the Yale Drama School.
His dramatic talents first came to audiences attention playing the evil
Emperor Caligula in the well received BBC TV series The Caesars
(1968). However, the Hammer studios resurrection of the horror genre
was then in full stride, and Bates was soon engulfed in the swirling
cloak of Hammer's success as he appeared in several horror films in
quick succession.
Firstly in a support role as demonic Lord Courtley in Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), followed as the lead character Baron Frankenstein in The Horror of Frankenstein (1970), then as Giles Barton in the sexy Lust for a Vampire (1971) and as the well meaning Dr. Jekyll in an unusual spin on the Robert Louis Stevenson story in Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde
(1971) and 'Fear in the Night' with Peter Cushing in 1972. Bates brought a new zest to Hammer and with his stylish
dialogue delivery and film acting methods, he quickly won himself quite a
few fans in both critics and regular film goers!
Unfortunately, by the early 1970s there had been a downturn in Hammer studios fortunes, and Bates then found himself turning to more traditional character work in other production houses and he appeared in several films before snaring other superb villainous role as George Warleggan in the 18th century period piece Poldark (1975).
After
Poldark, Bates himself kept busy in a few forgettable UK made TV shows
and television film roles which did not really do justice to his
remarkable talents. In the late 1980s his health rapidly deteriorated,
and he sadly passed away from cancer aged only 51 on 27th March 1991.
Labels:
birthday,
dear john,
dr jekyll and sister hyde,
fear in the night,
hammer films,
horror frankenstein,
peter cushing,
poldark,
ralph bates,
remembered,
taste the blood of dracula
Wednesday 11 February 2015
CHRISTOPHER LEE STILL SHARP!
Labels:
92,
christopher lee,
dracula.,
hammer films,
intelligence,
james bond,
military,
peter cushing,
vincent price
Tuesday 10 February 2015
THE WALKING DEAD : GRIMSDYKE NICOTERO TRIBUTE
Comicbook.com
reports today: WALKING DEAD tribute to Cushing's Grimsdyke: On
tonight's episode of AMC's Talking Dead, host Chris Hardwick and special
effects guru Greg Nicotero revealed that the walker pictured above and
at right was, in fact, an homage to the classic Tales From the Crypt ghoul known as Grimsdyke.
That undead unfortunate, played by Star Wars and Dr. Who and the Daleks veteran Peter Cushing, can be seen at left...and, yeah, it's easy to see why eagle-eyed fans who spotted things like George Romero's Bub and the in-jokes ranging from The Boondock Saints to An American Werewolf in London, didn't immediately pounce on this one. It's a solid likeness, but hardly identical...mostly because of how far effects have come since Cushing's day.
It isn't that the effects aren't great on Nicotero's end -- it's that the look they were mimicking came from a time when the effects weren't that great, and it would have been odd and out of character for The Walking Dead to have a walker look just like him -- so it was more "in the style of," rather than a more direct copy, and that made him a touch harder to spot."
More on this: HERE
The Arthur Grimsdyke make up was created by Hammer / Amicus make up legend, Roy Ashton.
The Arthur Grimsdyke make up was created by Hammer / Amicus make up legend, Roy Ashton.
Labels:
amc,
amicus films,
greg nicotero,
grimsdyke,
make up,
peter cushing.,
romero,
roy ashton,
star wars,
tales from the crypt,
the walking dead,
undead,
werewolf,
zombie
Friday 6 February 2015
VINCENT PRICE PETER CUSHING 1974 MADHOUSE GETS BLU RAY / DVD RELEASE
NEWS: COMING IN JULY FROM Kino Lorber Studio Classics - ON BLU-RAY & DVD! - from a BRAND NEW 2015 HD MASTER!
Amicus Films MADHOUSE (1974) Starring Peter
Cushing, Vincent Price, Robert Quarry, Adrienne Corri, Natasha Pyne and
Linda Hayden. I know there are many of you out there who have been
awaiting for this. More news on this soon!
Labels:
adrienne corri,
amicus films,
blu ray.,
dr death,
herbert flay,
kino lorber studio,
linda hayden.,
madhouse,
natasha payne,
paul toombes,
peter cushing,
robert quarry,
vincent price
Thursday 5 February 2015
DR WHO AND THE DALEKS COMPETITION TV 21 1965 STYLE
PETER CUSHING DR WHO: Here's a great competition
from back in the day, when prizes meant PRIZES! All 450 of them up for
grabs, including 'THREE film Daleks' from 'Dr Who and the Daleks'
starring Peter Cushing and seen her with the Dalek, Roberta Tovey. All
this came courtesy of the kids comic TV 21... If you happen to have a
Tardis or any other time machine handy, let me know and we'll nip in it, off to 1965 and bag those prizes!
Peter Cushing, Jennie Linden and Roy Castle...
'Dr Who and the Daleks' (1965) Castle's clowning for the camera and
press here with Dalek 'Claw-thing', would have many Who fans today
rolling their eyes, I am sure... but all good fun at the time.
Labels:
aaru productions,
abc cinema,
amicus,
comic,
dalek prizes,
daleks,
doctor who,
dr who,
film competition,
film daleks,
jennie linden,
prizes,
roberta tovey,
subotsky.,
tardis,
tv 21
Tuesday 3 February 2015
TARKIN IS BACK! STAR WARS REBELS CALL TO ACTION
starwarsunderworld.com posts: TARKIN IS BACK! After having his name dropped several times in
the premiere of Star Wars Rebels back in October, Grand Moff Wilhuff
Tarkin will be making his first appearance on the series next week. The
episode "Call to Action" premieres on
Disney XD next Monday February 9th, but was made available this morning
to subscribers on the Watch Disney XD app.
The episode
will see voice actor Stephen Stanton reprise the role after playing the
character on several occasions in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The
character first appeared in A New Hope back in 1977 and was played by
the legendary actor Peter Cushing. The episode description reads, "As
public awareness increases around the Rebels activity, they target an
important Imperial network." How Tarkin fits into this is still
unclear, but you can bet he's not too happy about what the crew of The
Ghost have been up to for the past several episodes.
Labels:
animation,
death star,
grand moff tarkin,
lucas,
new hope.,
on set,
peter cushing,
star wars,
star wars rebels,
stephen stanton,
voice artist
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