LEGENDS PORTRAIT : THE SHERLOCK STAMP : KUNG FU FOR U WITH BITE???

POSTED AT THE FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE WITH OVER A 1,000 LIKES, is this fine full colour photograph, that I am sure you have seen many time in black and white by the late and super talented photographer, Terry O'Neil. Four legends in this pic, . . #PeterCushing, #VincentPrice, #ChristopherLee and #JohnCarradine in 'House of Long Shadows' (1983)... each left us with a stellar filmography, full of variety and cinematic history... .... I've been asking, could you select THE film that you think, in your personal opinion was the pinnacle of their movie careers though??? Suggestions please at the post on our Facebook Fan Page !

ON #SHERLOCKSUNDAY at the FAN PAGE we posted when Peter Cushing's Sherlock, got the 'stamp' of approval . . 

ON SUNDAY TOO lots of interest, when we posted this :Today we are wishing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the lovely ALICE KRIGE. Her first feature film role was in Chariots of Fire (1981) as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon.

Some of her best known roles are the dual role of Eva Galli/Alma Mobley in Ghost Story (1981) ,Mary Brady in Stephen Kings Sleepwalkers (1992) and the Borg Queen in the Star Trek franchise, beginning with the film Star Trek: First Contact and then reprising the role in the Star Trek Voyager finale 'Endgame'.

She co-starred with Peter Cushing in A Tale of Two Cities (1980) as Lucie Manette..... 

ON MONDAY we posted this and marked this BIRTHDAY! Join us today in wishing DAVID CHIANG a VERY Happy Birthday! David Chiang Da-wei was born on the 29th June 1947 in Shanghai, (Republic of China) Chiang is a very famous actor and director, producer in Hong Kong. Chiang was very much a martial arts superstar in the 1970s, working under the Shaw Brothers Studio. He has appeared in over 130 films and over 30 television series.

IN 1974, Chiang starred along side Peter Cushing in Hammer films first of two co-partner feature films with Hong Kong based studio, Shaw Brothers. 'The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires' Peter for the last time resurrected his character of Van Helsing, and together with Chiang, Julie Ege and Robin Stewart, took on an oriental Dracula played by actor John Forbes Robertson and a hoard of Kung Fu zombie vampires!

PCASUK ON FACEBOOK COME SEE COME JOIN! HERE! 

QUOTES OF VALUE : CUSHING AND LEE : RARE DARTH AND TARKIN PHOTOGRAPH

A RARE SHOT and pose of #PeterCushing and #DaveProwse in #STARWARS ..that you won't see in the film, this was taken by the production stills photographer. What a terrifying duo!

PETER CUSHING'S  Golden Rule . . . Over at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page we are asking if our friends and followers have one too?

 . . . AND SO AFTER PETER CUSHING'S ADVICE  . .  #ChristopherLee's. . .

IF YOU HAVE MISSED IT . .  there are still a few days to get YOUR answer in at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page 😊 Good Luck and .. have fun! - Marcus 

LATEX TISSUE PAPER WAX AND GORE : THE ANSWER TO THE MYSTERY BOX

BOX CLEVER ANSWER: Yesterday, I posted a photograph of an 'interesting' multi layer case-box and asked you if you could identify what it was, who was its owner ..and maybe it's contents! A larger version of the pic was also posted at the website, so you get a closer look, if needed. It was quite a puzzle for some, as the compartments of the box also contained, cotton wool balls, pencils, paint brushes.. and two knives and forks!!

ABOVE : ROY ASHTON MODELS HIS FANGS, that were used by David Peel in Hammer films, 'THE BRIDES OF DRACULA' (1960) Peter Cushing's second outing as Van Helsing!

SUGGESTIONS OF  'Something to do with model soldiers?' from Darren Park, was a good guess, as the box has a connection with Peter Cushing and this could have easily been a handy box for his painting and making of his mass collection of model soldiers and model theatres 😉 Daniel Worlsey suggested something similar in 'Is it it not Cushing’s “bit box”, wherein he keeps all the tools for gaming miniatures, paints and the left over bits and bobs of such a hobby?' Mateja Djedovic, asked if it was 'A vampire hunter tool kit box' ! 😁. It could have been, that fork looked nasty! 😉 Stephen Johnson said 'Is it Peter's private make up box, as he was allergic to the studio make up?🤔' which was a good answer and certainly on the right track! Donna Vallois Broughton thought it was a 'Fishing box' 🤔. Hmm...I too have seen plastic versions of these boxes used for that job too. One of the clues was that weird fork 😉 Colleen Crouch suggested 'It looks like a make-up kit. I'd guess Phil Leakey's. Wonder what the fork is for...🤔 The Cushing Connection would be Curse of Frankenstein, among other films.

THIS FORK LEAD QUITE A FEW to the ANSWER : Roy Ashton's Make Up Box. Roy had three. He said, 'One to beautify, one for extras and crowd and the other... for more extensive jobs, like monsters!' This box held fangs, latex vampire bite marks, noses, ears and of course two bottles of 'Kensington Gore'... blood! The Knife and Fork, Roy used '..for lunch'! Often he would find himself on location, or unable to leave work for the 'canteen or catering truck, so would bring his own lunch.. and use THAT knife and fork!

A ROY ASHTON QUIZ from the past! You can find the answers to 'NAME THE MONSTER' HERE! 

NAME DROP ALERT! I did three interviews with Roy, and one quite detailed video interview while he worked. He was always very kind and I was very fortunate to meet him and his wife at home too. You wouldn't think such a charming, calm gentleman could devise and create such works of terror and horror... but he did 😊 

THE BOX IN QUESTION has many connections to Hammer films, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, Amicus and Tyburn productions. Roy told me he only replaced the 'monster box once.. in 1960. The other one the hinges broke!!'😕 So I asked him, which films and creations was THIS box in partnership with himself responsible for?' He replied ' Well. Most of them after 1960... certainly one you would be interested in with Peter. Arthur Grimsdyke in 'Tales from the Crypt'! He then pulled things from the box, that would have been typical of the materials he used over the period of working with Peter on the character, latex, make up sticks Leichner 'Greasepaint 'G' Stick - Light Blue, Black and Greasepaint Stick - Light Grey.. and TISSUE PAPER for Grimsdyke's skin! So HERE was THE box!

QUITE A FEW OF YOU cracked it, but WELL DONE Robert Withers, who got it in 20 minutes with ' Roy Ashton’s box of tricks' 😀 Also, Deb Duncan-Faul, Ben Smothers took two guesses, but got it. No one guessed the movie, lots of suggestions, but not the title I was looking for. . .

ABOVE : ACTOR DANIEL JOHNS who was transformed by Roy Ashton into a 'living wax mannequin' with Peter Cushing in Amicus films 'ASYLUM' (1972)

MIKE GIACOLONE, was almost there with 'Jimmy Sangster's lunch box!!' Sangster was probably there for most of Roy's work in some fashion or another, having written most of the Hammer films on which he did the make up. Thanks for everyone who took part, had a go. I hope you like the photographs too! 😉 Another one soon 😉 - Marcus

 

BOX CLEVER BUT WHAT IS IT PLUS GUSTAV DOES HOUSEHOLD CHORES TOO!

OVER AT THE FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE, I've just posted this little image at the page. Some of you of will probably know what this is and to who it belongs to... AND maybe the Peter Cushing connection. Slip over to our Facebook Page . . . .The answer and some pics will be posted here TOMORROW. . ..

A MAN ON A MISSION.... who's also handy around the house, will also draw your household water... light fires and do some 'chopping'!!!! Peter Cushing as Gustav Weil in Hammer films 'Twins of Evil' 1971

AN AMAZING GALLERY of stills from on the set of #Hammerfilms 'TWINS OF EVIL' RIGHT HERE! 

HAMMER FILMS VAN HELSING DID NOT SPEAK 'DOUBLE-DUTCH!'

A WONDERFUL QUOTE from Peter Cushing, with his touching and typical shy depreciation... 'Well, because of some...all sorts of reason' says he 😊 Incredible that he almost talked himself out of the role.. and we would never have his Van Helsing! One of my favourite all time Peter Cushing roles for sure

😊

... AND HE PLAYED THEM very well indeed..... and the list is endless 😄BUT over at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page, I have open the door on asking followers and friends, if there was ever a character he played, that you didn't like?

BEHIND THE SCENES ON HAMMER FILMS FRANKENSTEIN 1968

WELL. . . . YES, the sound is somewhat distorted, the visual a bit fuzzy... but here is a rare look onto the set of Peter Cushing's Hammer film, 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed' back in 1968. There's some interview with Cushing and Veronica Carlson, and others... plus great sequences of the actual shooting!

BUT I AM SURE the BBC has some crisp and shiny original footage of this in their vaults, that licence payers paid for with the trusted belief that Aunty Beeb would store and look after it, for resources, repeat screenings and cinema archivists to watch and study.... Yes, right.... put another film can on the bonfire Aunty and take care that you don't choke on that lolly and cash sandwich! Enjoy what's left everybody 😉 - Marcus

#HAPPYFATHERSDAY! RARE PICS OF PETER CUSHING, VINCENT PRICE AND CHRISTOPHER LEE #FATHERSWAY!

#HAPPYFATHERSDAY! It's the day for Dad's whoever you are, wherever you are all over the world. Father's here, Father's passed. Father's who can celebrate with their children today, and Father's, for whatever reason can not - Marcus

ABOVE: PETER CUSHING and his family, his father, mother and brother, David

VINCENT PRICE and his daughter, Victoria with pet pug, Puffle!
 

CHRISTOPHER LEE, his daughter Christina and wife, Gitte!

NEWLY SOURCED CHRISTOPHER LEE INTERVIEW ON SET OF 'DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE'

OVER AT UK Peter Cushing Appreciation society Facebook Fan Page we have just shared a 'cracker ' of a newly source VINTAGE INTERVIEW with #CHRISTOPHERLEE shot on the set of Hammer films latest addition to their DRACULA series, 'DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE' in 1968. Lee talks about his Hammer films up to this point, the make used in playing his first role for Hammer with Peter Cushing, the creation in 'The Curse of Frankenstein' in 1957 and how he thinks Dracula is NOT a horror character, and how difficult he finds it to play the Count!' It's great to see Lee quite sparky and at the top of his game! You can go straight to this post at the FAN PAGE on what is our WEEKLY Christopher Lee Saturday! :  HERE!

MORE DRACULA but of a different kind...TODAY we also remember actor DAVID PEEL who was born today 19th June 1920. There are few who have made such an impact as Peel. He only appeared in ONE film for Hammer films and I believe only appeared in one film with Peter Cushing.  

ONLY ONE ROLE, one film and yet, enter VAMPIRE HAMMER into google images, and he will appear in most of the pages. Despite the success long after The Brides of Dracula was made...audiences felt a little cheated that it was a DRACULA film, without Dracula!....I suspect that Peel wasn't impressed with either the film or the subject matter. It is good to see today and for the past few years, fans and critics alike now warming to Peel's playing of the Baron. It is sad he is no longer with us though, to see that reward . . .

AN UNHAPPY MAN, with troubles and issues. You probably know, he left the industry early on and went into antiques and real estate, but life for Peel was certainly difficult. We remember him today though, for that one Hammer film and the impressive performance as Baron Meinster, the boy vampire who certainly pushed the boundaries of vampire film!

BBC DRACULA 2020 ALIVE OR DOA? PLUS TERENCE FISHER REMEMBERED ON ANNIVERSARY OF HIS PASSING

SPOILERS: Back at the beginning in 2020 when some of us started to invest eye-ball time in a much promoted and anticipated production the BBC was rolling out, little did we know what was just around the corner for many of us, many of our friends and families.... and now, six months later, have I found time to catch up on trivial matter like entertainment. Last night I watched the BBC serial of Dracula, written by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, starring Claes Bang as Count Dracula and Dolly Wells as Sister Agatha Van Helsing, plus a ship load of other talented cast members. Back in January I had managed to watch episode one and two, but wrapping the series has been out of my reach since then, so watching from scratch, was he treat last night. It was certainly something different, written and created by two pretty obvious fans of Lee, Cushing and Hammer - Gatiss and Moffat! 

THERE'S LOTS OF NODS and visual paying tributes to Hammer, in-particular, 'Dracula AD 1972' and 'The Satanic Rites of Dracula' .. the last of the Cushing/Lee Hammer series of Dracula films. All lovingly presented, sneaked in or peeping around the corner 😏😊The climax of the series also presented elements of the iconic Cushing and Lee 'fight to the death' from the 1958 movie. All very good and full of twists and turns. I couldn't help thinking back to how maybe many of the Hammer fans felt when Dracula AD and Satanic was released! 'What is THIS???' 😆😉What is it? In my personal opinion, it's all good, exciting and a great turn on a classic and much loved horror-tale, often produced and presented in a modern turn, but of all such modern packages, this was certainly my favourite! Well done, Gatiss and Moffat! Over at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE, I've asked everyone to share their thoughts and opinions on the page post! It will be interesting to find out, what everyone thinks, having a few months to think about it!

REMEMBERING TERENCE FISHER TODAY who passed on this day in 1980. If you enjoy any of the better Hammer films of the 1950's and 60's . . this is the point, you doff your cap 😉 There can be few directors who worked for Hammer films, who did so much to develop that Hammer-in-house style. Terence Fisher, WAS Hammer. Along with Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and the players who helped under pin the rich vision of fairy-tale come Gothic nightmare style. Even when the 'monsters' were 'shaky' the script, with more holes than a Swiss cheese... the look, pace and world beautifully styled by Fisher, just sat so well. The Curse of Frankenstein in 1957 was the first, it also lit the rocket that would spin Peter Cushing into a new and long lasting career within the fantasy genre and Christopher Lee, on scraping off the make up and anonymity as 'the monster', would soon don a cloak and a feral shocking performance as Dracula, that set him on path, for more Fisher, Cushing Hammer classics to come. The Mummy, The Gorgon, and The Hound of the Baskervilles, still stand, as maybe the best of Terence Fisher and Hammer. 

TERENCE FISHER was one of the most prominent horror directors of the second half of the 20th century. He was the first to bring gothic horror alive in full colour, and the sexual overtones and explicit horror in his films, while mild by modern standards, were unprecedented in his day. Fisher although aware of the terrifying elements of his Hammer films, would only smile when questioned about their shock factor, and answer...'I make wicked fairy tales...!' Fisher also along with Lee and Cushing, had a wicked sense of humor, hints of which can often been seen on the screen. Given their subject matter and lurid approach, Fisher's films, though commercially successful, were largely dismissed by critics during his career. It is only in recent years that Fisher has become recognised as an auteur in his own right . . .

WHAT MAKES A GREAT SHERLOCK HOLMES : VINTAGE TRAILER : NAME THE MUSCLE MAN!

TWO FILMS and 16 Television Episodes! Over at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page, I have asked : What Do You Think, Made Peter Cushing such a popular Sherlock Holmes? From 1959 and the Hammer film adaption of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' the role of probably the world's most famous detective 'Sherlock Holmes', became quite permanently welded to Peter Cushing as one of his most entertaining roles... from a filmography containing over 90 motion pictures! From the many actors who portrayed Holmes, what was it in Cushing's performances that made him so popular?? . . . And as you wouks expect, there are some interesting theories and strong opinions... HERE!

A CHUMP AT OXFORD (1940) was the penultimate Laurel and Hardy film made at the Hal Roach studios. Stan Laurel played Stan / Lord Paddington, Oliver Hardy is Ollie! The film is of particular note to us, because Peter Cushing also featured in the cast.
 

#STANLAUREL was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson on the 16th June 1890, at 3, Argyle Street, Ulverston, Cumbria, England. He travelled to the US with the Karno trope, and after a long period eventually Laurel signed with the Hal Roach studio, so did Oliver Hardy, who was a member of the Hal Roach Studios Comedy All Star players...and the rest is history! If I were to pick anyone from this era of cinema history, Stan and Olly get my vote every time.

IF YOU HAVE NOT seen A Chump At Oxford, I highly recommend it, I have added the the theatrical trailer above! It's not just for an opportunity to see a young Peter Cushing at work, but also the joy of watching the skill and talent of the two 'boys'. It never got better. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Stan, you still remain head and shoulders above the rest!

#RichardBurton and Claire Bloom's 1956 production of 'Alexander the Great' might have been seen as 'not so great' at the box office, but #PeterCushing turned in a very good performance, even with such a damp squid of a script.. it also gave us a fabulous colour image like this this one, just months before Cushing's career would take such a dramatic turn!

ABOVE : HERE IS A GOOD FRIEND friend to Peter Cushing, who played more than one villain alongside him.. a STRONG character too! Over at the Facebook Fan Page, I have posted this and  asked if you name him and the two films in which he appeared with Peter Cushing? It's funny how some have complained that the question is too easy, while quite few.. are miles off and have ID the guy, incorrectly! 😀😉