PATRICK MACNEE REMEMBERED

THIS WEEK AT our facebook fan page, we rememberd the wonderful actor Patrick Macnee who was born on this day in 1922. He was best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed in the British television series The Avengers and The New Avengers.

PATRICK MACNEE and Peter Cushing had the opportunity to work together several times. In 1968 Patrick was very much established in a superb tv programme made in the UK called The Avengers...Peter worked with both Patrick and Diana Rigg on this programme. Later in 1970, they worked together again, Macnee and Cushing both 'landed' in a film called 'Incense For The Damned' aka 'Bloodsuckers' It received a limited release at the time, but seems to have found something of a 'cult-status' in the land of '100 Horror Poor and Weird Films' dvd compilations!! In 1978, the Avengers tv series was rebooted and relaunched and it's first episode, not only brought us Macnee and Cushing ....but also two new side -kicks for Macnee...Gareth Hunt as 'Tough man' Gambit and Joanna Lumley as Purdey.....who not only supplied buckets of sex appeal to the tea time Sunday evening program, but high kicks and a hair style that anyone who considered themselves a bit of a catch, were proudly modeling within days of the first program being broadcast! Lumley had played Cushing grand-daughter Jessica Van Helsing in Hammer films 'The Satanic Rites of Dracula' (1973)

MACNEE also shared a close friendship with Christopher Lee, since the pair attended school together (at Summerfields Preparatory School in Oxford) and also performed together several times, including playing Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson in two TV movies in the early 1990s, Incident at Victoria Falls and Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady. Patrick Macnee died peacefully at his home, in Rancho Mirage, California on 25th June 2015. He was 93.

CLEGG HERO OR MONSTER : MONSTERMONDAY

#MONSTERMONDAY: Peter Cushing's Captain Clegg aka Rev. Dr. Blyss comes from the much loved Dr Syn pirate adventure books written by Russell Thorndyke.... Much has been shared here about the alternative titles used during the release of this Hammer film, 'Night Creatures (US) Captain Clegg (US) and the copyright problems with the name of Syn and the bad timing of being produced the SAME TIME as Disney's Dr Syn The Scarecrow feature film! ...Want to know more about that... you'll find extensively illustrated features starting  HERE at this website!

WAS BLYSS a good man, robbing from the Tax Collectors and Exercise Menand giving to the poor of his parish..OR was his treatment of Milton Reid's character... cutting out his tongue and banishing him to an island, a bit on the rough side of justice??? He WAS a pirate. He did fight and kill....the stories of his fights were legendary in the books.. he was a man to be feared! This still stands as one of the Cushing films that is least seen by most people here. If you haven't caught this one, now is the time... in the tradition of Robin Hood and Errol Flynn Peter LOVED playing this role and even spent time writing a sequel to this Hammer classic! So, Clegg...Villain, Monster and a Slayer on the High Seas....or a Hero? YOU decide!

TRIVIA: Above is the face well known of a quite well known British character actor who appeared in Captain Clegg / Night Creatures and at least TWO films with Peter Cushing... but can you name him and the title of the ONE television show he also appeared in with Cushing? ANSWER later....

CUSHING TARKIN EPISODE IV MONTAGE

GETTHECUSHIONITSCUSHING: Maybe one of Peter Cushing's most terrifying roles...what do you think? All in one montage, ALL of his scenes from Star Wars IV A New Hope!

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EXCLUSIVE MODEL KIT PROFESSOR NEWS

OK..NEWS EXCLUSIVE: What do YOU think? The LIMITED EDITION COLLECTABLE MODEL KIT FIGURE of the Peter Cushing influenced character that appears in the excellent #THEPROFESSOR comic..is now in the planning stages and Andrea Corbetta, the sculptor Roberto De Meo and the guy who had the idea, Davide Decina . .  have very kindly let us a quick sneak preview of what the figure could actually look like.... and from the first impressions, looking at their illustrations on our banner..it looks very impressive! We'll be keeping you posted with updates and any news, as we get it from the Professor team.

Along with the CGI Tarkin posts and Star Wars news, our last post on THE PROFESSOR, was one of the highest website hits in the past six months!! Looks like this is going to be very popular model kit... let us know what you think of the figure so far?? - Marcus

CUSHING BY NUMBERS : TWO MINUTES THIRTY SECONDS

PETER CUSHING BY NUMBERS : Tarkin Screentime in the 2016, 'Rogue One' Star Wars feature film . .

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HAPPY FRIENDS DAY! THE BEST OF FRIENDS : THREE GREAT CLIPS!

IT'S  INTERNATIONAL #HAPPYFRIENDS DAY! I Hope you are having a 'HAPPY' ONE!

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RARE FOOTAGE: PETER AND HELEN CUSHING AWARDS 1956

#FRANKENSTEINFRIDAY: Here's a rare piece of footage of both Peter Cushing and his wife, Helen. The occasion was the  Chronicle TV Awards at the Dorchester Hotel London, in 1956. Peter Cushing was presented with the BEST TELEVISION ACTOR AWARD. This was the fourth Best Actor Award that Cushing won in as many years. This evening was just months away from Cushing working for  #HAMMERFILMS for the very first time., and his casting in 'The Curse  of Frankenstein' , would change his career, forever . .

THE FOOTAGE shows Peter and his wife, arriving at the Dorchester and meeting Sir Robert Fraser of ITA (The Independent Television Authority). This is the first time, this footage has been available for fans to share . . . 

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DR WHO AND JOHNNY GET THE GIF TREAMENT BY REQUEST!

#GIMMETHEGIF : REQUESTED BY Margaret Copleland, Peter Cushing as Dr Who surveys the landscape of SKARO for the first time in 'DR WHO AND THE DALEKS' (1965)

GIMMETHEGIF: Requested by Ceil Martin. Jonny Alucard (Christopher Neame) reacting to sunlight in this cool shot from Hammer's Dracula AD 1972

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OOOH THE CELLER??? #TOOCOOLTUESDAY

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY : Here's a little gem that always makes me laugh, no matter how many times I watch it. Twenty-five years after Peter Cushing's 'The Man Who Finally Died' was released in 1963, some snippets featuring Peter were used in a tv promotion campaign by Holsten Pilsner... you know the one where' they turn the sugar into alcohol' 😉 .. It was quite clever using Cushing's character's dialogue into a plug for a tipple, and the pay-off, is a funny one.

APART FROM PRESS ADVERTS in the 1950's and 60's, Cushing hadn't until 1987 made any tv commercials, but based on the positive response to this ad, he signed up to appear in two TV ads for Borthwick's Roasts and Steaks! In the ads he plays a professor who discovers a Neanderthal man..shades of 'Horror Express?...

BUT CUSHING HAD SIGNED UP for the ads as a test. He had only recently recovered from illness, and contracts for several film commitments, The Holmes 'Abbot's Cry' for Tyburn being one, were awaiting his signature. The commercials took four days to shoot, and in his words, 'Really took it out of me. These adverts will be my swan song..' 'I did them because I had been offered two films parts and I didn't know if I would be up to the work. I didn't want to let anyone down so I thought I'd cut my teeth on these two commercials. But having spent four days shooting, I have decided not to do any more films....'

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NEWS : MILL CREEK RELEASES CREEPING FLESH AND TORTURE GARDEN BLU RAY PACKAGE

For those of us who have been waiting A LONG TIME for a blu ray release of Cushing's 'The Creeping Flesh', it looks like, Mill Creek, have answers our prayers!-Marcus

NEWS: Under the 'ROLL UP, ROLL UP' rollicking title of PSYCHO CIRCUS, MILL CREEK have announced the release of a three film collection blu ray... TWO of the films featured are Cushing related... #TORTUREGARDEN and a much welcomed, first time, long awaited release on blu ray, #THECREEPINGFLESH. The third film in the package 'The Brotherhood of Satan' (1971) is an interesting addition to the collection. No preview copies to view as yet. The release is available now for order and purchase for a very reasonable $14.98  A download stream is also on offer. See LINK below.....

 ORDER : HERE

OUR FEATURE ON 'THE CREEPING FLESH' HERE

OUR FEATURE ON 'TORTURE GARDEN' HERE

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