#MONSTERMONDAY: CHRISTOPHER MAITLAND IN THE SKULL

#MONSTERMONDAY: Greg Jenkins suggested Peter Cushing's Christopher Maitland from Amicus films, The Skull today...and we thought this was a great suggestion. The Skull is a terrifying story of a collector caught up in having his sights set on the ultimate addition to his collection... THE Skull of the Marquis De Sade.

EVENTUALLY, Maitland wins his prize at an auction, and then it all goes terribly wrong.... very quickly. It's a story of greed, obsession, pride, torment and ultimately destruction. But, I am not quite sure if Cushing's Maitland, is as an innocent victim, as he first appears... what do you think, Victim or Monster?

READ ALL ABOUT  PETER CUSHING ROLE IN THE SKULL AND MANY OF HIS AMICUS FILMS THROUGH OUT HIS CAREER IN SERIES THE AMICUS FILMS OF PETER CUSHING : PART ONE . .

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#FRANKENSTEINFRIDAY: WHO IS THIS BOY?

#FRANKENSTEINFRIDAY: Here's an interesting publicity photograph, from a Cushing film, that you really don't see very much in the way of new unseen material. But, this is a great little pic! So. Any idea? This pic has just been loaded and shared onto the #FRANKENSTEINFRIDAY thread at at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE . Why not jump on the page, it is open to everyone, not just members, and see what everyone else thinks about this young lad!?

REMEMBERING DIRECTOR TERENCE FISHER ON HIS BIRTHDATE

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY : #TBT : 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!.

 

 

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A COUPLE OF GRUESOME GIFS FOR WEDNESDAY!

 A BUSY WEEK and just time for a few requested gifs

GIMMETHEGIF: Above, Paul Toombs (Vincent Price) makes a run for it when he sees 'Dr Death' approaching from AIP/Amicus's Madhouse (1974) Requested: G Williams, Leeds UK

#GIMMETHEGIF: Linda Hayden is bumped of in a grisly fashion, in  making the next victim of Dr Death in 'Madhouse' (1974) Requested: Tammy Rexford Flordia, USA.

GIMMETHEGIF: A scene that really did put the scares on the audiences back in 1960.Greta (Freda Jackson) helps a 'fresh' vampire rise as Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) watches on in horror from Hammer's The Brides Of Dracula (1960) Requested: S. Jackson, VA, USA

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#TBT : MIRRORS, TEA, LOOSE CHANGE AND DR TERROR!

MIRRORS TEA AND LOOSE CHANGE! A beautiful colour slide of Peter Cushing as Doctor Schreck / Dr Terror from the Amicus classic, Dr Terrors House of Horrors. A role that Peter Cushing played very well and one of my personal favorites. Schreck was a crafty 'soul', who used tarot cards and the hold that superstition has over us, to tell his tales and seal fates. Which kinda got me thinking... superstitions and private rituals? I always stir tea or coffee anti-clockwise never the other way, I NEVER look into a mirror UNLESS there is a light on in that room and when I go out...I have to have the SAME amount of loose change in each of my two coat pockets! Crazy? Maybe.

DO YOU have any kind of rituals, things you HAVE to do? Over at our Peter Cushing Appreciation society Facebook Fan Page, we opened the thread of this post and asked everyone to tell us if they also have any superstitious quirks or rituals! HERE are a few from those who spilled the beans and tempted fate, by telling us! 

ROGUE ONE BLU RAY DVD AND 3D CONTENTS REVEALED : TRAILER : CASES ART WORK

NEWS: ROGUE ONE BLU RAY CONTENTS REVEALED AND TRAILER! And the line up of the contents sound good too! Can't wait to own this one. What do YOU think of the contents???

THE STAR WARS stand-alone has earned more than $1 billion at the box office. Disney has revealed that Rogue One will hit Digital HD on March 24 and Blu-ray on April 4th. There are a very large helping of bonus features, but a few of the more intriguing ones include "Epilogue: The Story Continues," which is billed as the cast and crew looking forward to the Star Wars tales to come, and "Rogue Connections," which looks at the film's Easter eggs.

AS WE HOPED, there also is a featurette examining the visual effects that went into resurrecting Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin and brought back a young Princess Leia (The late Carrie Fisher). Rogue One earned more than $1 billion worldwide at the box office, including $528.8 million in the U.S. The second Star Wars stand-alone movie, about a young Han Solo, will be released in May 2018.

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#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: TOGS THREADS AND DUDS : SHARP DRESSER AND NO SCHMATTA

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: Look around you. Today, it's all too easy to slip on a tee-shirt and a pair of joggers and go to the store. Just the other day, sitting on a train, the majority of my fellow passengers looked like they didn't have a mirror in their home! Back in the day, not so, Peter Cushing. Ok, the 1950's and 60's did have a certain class, no onesies back then. Individuals had dressers and consultants, who would purchase clothing for them, AND dress them.

BUT, NOT MR C. There are some who can wear a hat, 'You have a head for a hat' I've heard people say, or there are men who put on a suit and look a million bucks. Like Peter Cushing. Maybe it was his height, his slim build? He certainly could carry a suit very well. It wasn't always this way.

TRIVIA: PETER CUSHING  was a member of the 'WAISTCOAT CLUB', which was founded in 1953, by actor Jon Pertwee. Above we see Cushing at a Waistcoat Club New Years Eve Party function.

WHEN HIS WIFE HELEN, met Peter for the first time, she though he was a tramp! 'He wore an old velvet cap, with a hole in the crown and was carrying a very heavy old kit bag, like sailors use. A jacket beyond description AND repair. A white shirt, that was spotless, but worn at the cuffs and collar, a pair of once dark corduroy trousers, most of the nap worn away from constant wear and a pair of down-at-heel shoes of grey suede. I was later to find that the shoes had holes in their soles, as large as half crowns. His woolen socks had never known the comfort of a darning needle. BUT I knew I would love him, for the rest of my days...and beyond...' Cushing's attire did certainly improve once he and Helen were married in 1943. Cushing clothing was of enough merit, i think to mention here today. And if you are wondering where this feature will archived? You'll find it in the same file, as 'Christopher Lee's wigs'! It's all good! - Marcus

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#MONSTERMONDAY: HORROR EXPRESS CREATURE IN THE CRATE!

#MONSTERMONDAY: ....So, you've decided to go on that much needed holiday / vacation and opt for a long journey to your destination by...train. Two days in, the food is awful, there's always queues for the rest rooms are nasty AND blocked...and then, there's an ape like maniac loose on the train, who is roaming around in the dark, killing everyone. You wouldn't mind so much, but you suspect, he hasn't even bought a TICKET! Wow. What a Monster! To be fair, the 'primitive humanoid creature' at the center of this very popular horror film, was quite happy having nap for 200,000 years, when it was rudely woken, stuffed in a crate, and lobbed into a train wagon ... not even access to the buffet car or a second class ticket! I would be stomping around, fit to murder someone too! The choice is YOURS Monster or Victim?

'HORROR EXPRESS' was made for $300,000 (about £240,570 sterling at today prices) though you would never know it. With a sparkling cast, headed up by Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Telly Savalas, the story twists and zips along like Thomas the Tank engine on sherbert meets The Walking Dead. While often cited as being loosely borrowing it's format of 'The Thing from Another World' (1951) . . . this film that has much more going for it, than just that... and there is something for everyone...monster on a train, Cushing, Lee, zombies .. and a very humm-able theme tune, provided by John Cacavas, who also wrote the theme to 'The Satanic Rites of Dracula'.

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CONGRATULATIONS: ROGUE ONE SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS OSCAR NOMINEE!

#MONSTERMONDAY : CONGRATULATIONS to the whole team at INDUSTRIAL LIGHT AND MAGIC on your OSCAR NOMINATIONS! GOOD LUCK!

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GORE AND GIBLETS : WITH THE MONSTER FROM HELL

#GETTHECUSHIONITSCUSHING Sunday . .. I hope you have finished your lunch.... would be most interested to hear your opinions on this post. This week we have some very interesting post coming up, a FEATURE on the Dressing Rooms of Peter Cushing! Some VINTAGE Peter Cushing press on his television work of the 1960's, some RARE photographs from Cushing's THE GHOUL and others, and fingers crossed, NEWS on a new Cushiung blu ray release ! It's a full week here and at the website and youtube channel, i hope you'll pop by - Marcus

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TOTALLY TARKIN? : GO COMPARE

SPOILERS: #GETTHECUSHIONITSCUSHING! 'Suddenly all heads turn as Commander Tagge's speech is cut short and the Grand Moff Tarkin, governor of the imperial outland regions, enters. He is followed by his powerful ally,The Sith Lord, Darth Vader. All of the generals stand and bow before the thin, evil-looking governor as he takes his place at the head of the table. The Dark Lord stands behind him.' 

THAT IS HOW, George Lucas outlined the entrance and desciption of Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin in the script of #STARWARS (1977) There can be few roles that Cushing played that were so ruthless and evil, on such a grand scale? Here's a chance to see BOTH cinematic TARKIN'S. Personally, I think we have yet to get to the point of the CGI being flawless..but this will do for me. BOTH are quite amazing, for different reasons. Maybe things in the industry will never be the same, I think it's an interesting tool, and how wonderful, that this first step on such a grand scale, will always be associated with Peter Cushing..... 

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THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA MONTAGE

#HAMMERFILMSATURDAY : It's the weekend, it's Saturday...and only GOOD things should happen, weekends...like treats. Like this wonderful montage using John Cacavas (Airport 1975, Kojak, Horror Express) music and a skillful edited from CNN Ironhandz . .. It's Glitter meets the Gothic in Hammer films 1973, The Satanic Rites of Dracula starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. together as the Count and the Hunter, for one last time. The older I get, the more I really DO love this films and Dracula AD 1972. too There's a VERY DARK LATTE at the Cavern Coffee Bar, that this will be released on BLU RAY before the end of the year! (2017)

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DO YOU REMEMBER PATRICK TROUGHTON IN CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN?

MOST OF US are aware of Peter Cushing's first #FRANKENSTEIN film for Hammer films, 'The Curse Of Frankenstein', that it was made at Bray studios,  directed by Terence Fisher and rocketed Peter Cushing into 'Spooky Stardom' and opened a door to one, Christopher Lee who in a matter of months, would also be tripping the 'Spooky Light Fantastic', with his performance as Count Dracula, in Hammer films 'Dracula / Horror of Dracula' the following year in 1958. We are maybe also familiar with the supporting cast, the aforementioned Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein, Lee as the Creature, Robert Urquhart as the Baron's long time friend and assistant, Paul Krempe, Hazel Court as Victor's cousin and fiancée Elizabeth, Valerie Gaunt played the Baron's lover Justine, Melvyn Hayes played a young Victor Frankenstein and finally, Court's own daughter, Sally Walsh played the young Elizabeth. There is also a smattering of very good, UNCREDITED players.

A CLOSER LOOK AT MUCH of the early publicity material, press stills swatches and a copy of the ultra rare British press-book, reveals ANOTHER more surprising name, in the supporting cast, that seems to have bypassed many fans . . . .

ACTOR PATRICK TROUGHTON, he of most impressive acting career ( Doctor Who, The Omen and.. The Black Knight (1954), and...Olivier's 1948 Hamlet, which also starred Peter Cushing as Osric... Troughton appeared in quite a few TV dramas with Cushing too.) was also cast in The Curse Of Frankenstein. But I KNOW what you are thinking, you don't remember seeing him in the film? Don't get it? Stay with me . . . .

FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, here is our theory, to what may have happened here. Sometime during the editing or the shoot, during that freezing cold November of 1956, it was decided that either, Mr T's footage had a problem, he was double booking at the Charnel House that day, or director Terence Fisher had a hunch, an epiphany and recast a different actor for the role of Kurt, the Charnel House Keeper. Yes, this role even though the actor's face isn't ACTUALLY SEEN, also had a name. How do we know this? BECAUSE it's in the PRESS BOOK, with Patrick Troughton's name along side it! I guess, no one thought to tell the Pres department, that Troughton was no longer in the show?! As it played out, everything came good for Troughton, in a few short years he would land the prize role of television's favorite doctor,  DR WHO when William Hartnell would sadly leave the role. But, WHO IS Kurt, if not Patrick Troughton?....Still with me?

ABOVE: THAT SCENE IN GIF FORM!

STAND UP AND TAKE A BOW JOSEF BEHRMANN! We have a hunch it is Behrmann who can be seen in this scene and was cast replacing Troughton. Those HANDS! Josef Behrmann was born on June 25, 1925 in Ventspils, Latvia. Behrman started his career as a jobbing actor in the early 50's . . having lived and survived through an incredible journey of survival during and immediately after the second World War in Latvia. Between 1941 and 1945 he passed through 14 concentration and work camps, including the infamous Buchenwald, surviving them all by astonishing luck, yet remaining scarred for life by what he had seen.... Read his story here. In an acting career, which also give him many theatre opportunities, under the name of Joscik Barbarossa, he also appeared in over 100 films, The Naked Runner with Frank Sinatra and Edward Fox (subsequently to be a great friend), The Ipcress File with Michael Caine, Gene Wilder's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother, 1984 with Richard Burton and Carve Her Name with Pride with Virginia McKenna – in which he played a brutal SS officer. Later he was an advisor for The Odessa File and Schindler’s List.

I SOMEHOW FEEL, this isn't going to end here... but for whatever the reasons were behind the casting in 'Curse', Patrick Troughton's loss was Josef Behrmann's and our gain! And isn't strange how sometimes, stories like these have neat endings?? Speed forward seventeen years later, where Terence Fisher and Peter Cushing are now marking the end of the Hammer Frankenstein cycle with the production of Hammer films, 'FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL' ...and who should be playing the grave robber, helping a young SHANE BRIANT, to find specimens? Not from the Charnel House this time though, but 'Body Snatcher', from the local spooky cemetery.... it's Patrick Troughton! I wonder if Fisher remembered Troughton, when he was bringing together some of the best of British character actors for this, his last Hammer Frankenstein film with Peter Cushing!  And yes, the press-book did contain Troughton's name.........

 

 

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