REMEMBERING : ROY CASTLE TODAY

REMEMBERING ROY CASTLE TODAY : To give full credit and accurate listing of Roy castle's career, would take a FB page in it's own right! But in addition to his many talents.. and before being a very familiar face on children's television from 1972 -1993 on BBC TV's 'Record Breakers'.. #RoyCastle appeared with #PeterCushing in three films, '#AmicusFilms 'Dr Terror's House of Horrors' in 1966, '#DrWho and the Daleks' in 1965 and Tyburn Films 'Legend of the Werewolf' in 1975. In all three he supplied, a little drama with a good spoonful of comic relief. Although, Castle makes no mention of any of his film appearances, '#CarryOn Up The Khyber', 'The Plank' in his autobiography, it is for these films and his tv appearances you would think he would mostly be remembered...

CASTLE WAS DIAGNOSED with lung cancer in March 1992, and was told that his chances of recovery were slim and that it was unlikely that he would live for more than six months. A non-smoker, he blamed his illness on passive smoking during his years of playing the trumpet in smoky jazz clubs. Castle carried out the high-profile Tour of Hope to raise funds for the erection of the building that would become the #RoyCastleLungCancerFoundation, which is the only British charity dedicated solely to defeating lung cancer. By this stage, however, his condition was deteriorating and recovery was looking highly unlikely.

HIS WIDOW FIONA worked with the charity after her husband's death, and campaigned for the #British smoking ban which came into effect in #NorthernIreland in 2004, Scotland in 2006 and England and #Wales in 2007, banning smoking in virtually all enclosed public places.

 THE PCASUK SERIES of MAKING OF 'LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF' PART ONE RIGHT HERE!

Behind The Scenes Gallery of #DrWhoandtheDaleks : RIGHT HERE! 

FOR ME, of his screen performances, I'll take the 'Photographer' in Legend of the Werewolf. Castle had played stooge for many years early in his career on stage with British vaudeville stars Jimmy Clitheroe and Jimmy James... and was very good at it. These skills he once again brought to the Cushing / Werewolf scene.... classic! Missed and very much remembered... Roy Castle, who died today in 1994 aged 62. 

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'I DON'T WANT TO PLAY DRACULA AGAIN... OR DO I?'

#CHRISTOPHERLEE : A very full career, which Lee managed to steer quite well, certainly in the last twenty years. BUT there has always been a period, which I never quite understood.. along with many others I am sure. After his first #Dracula film in #1958 for #Hammerfilms.. he was quite anti in appearing in anything connected with Dracula.. though he made more than his fair share in the later 60's and 1970's... in the 1980's and 90', he was even against signing Dracula photographs.

 

IF HE WAS AGAINST playing The Count... why on earth did he step up and appear in the #Italian '#UnclewasAVampire'... yup, that's Dracula really... and in my opinion, the 1970 #clanger supremeo.. 'El Conte Dracula' .. where he MUST have been aware things were 'off track' during the shooting... Over at our Facebook PCASUK Fan Page, I am asking for your opinion on this, so please feel free to join our debate 😊YOUR opinions much appreciated 😀 - Marcus

 

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CAROLINE MUNRO UNCUT INTERVIEW 2000: THE FLASHBACK FILES : DRACULA AD 1972 : AT THE EARTHS CORE

AS PROMISED, here is the link to the FlashBack Files interview from 2000 with actress #CarolineMunro UNCUT! Caroline worked with #PeterCushing in 'At The Earth's Core', appeared in Hammer's '#DraculaAD1972' and 'Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter'. There's a little mention of the purchasing of the #BBC '#DoctorWho' rights here too... which is, .... interesting 😒😯
INTERVIEW IS : RIGHT HERE!

HERE'S A INTERESTING full colour with banner stills too PCASUK GALLERY featuring #CarolineMunro promotional stills from Hammer films, #DRACULAAD1972 too...RIGHT HERE! 

PCASUK GALLERY of #CarolineMunro promotional stills from Hammer films, #DRACULAAD1972 too...RIGHT HERE!  

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#HAPPYBIRTHDAY : #MARYSHELLEY! BORN 223 YEARS AGO TODAY!

#MaryShelley It was 223 years ago today, that patter of tiny feet, graced the Wollstonecraft family home. Not long after, Mary put pen to paper and gave us and the film industry the perfect prompt, for the birth and sound of heavier feet to be heard... in the home of one Baron Frankenstein! Please join us in wishing A VERY Happy Birthday to MARY SHELLEY.. who was born today, 30th August 1797...

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IF YOU WANT TO GET AHEAD GET A CAP? PLUS HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANE MERROW : NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT!

AS THE O'L SAYING GOES  . . 'If you want to get ahead....get a hat!' But cap?? Funny thing, I never had him down as a flap cap wearer. Did you? Christopher Lee in Vienna Austria in 2004... with flat cap!

TODAY WE MARK actress JANE MERROW'S BIRTHDAY, born today August 26th 1941! Merrow is an actress with a very impressive CV, for sure, having worked in both the UK and the USA in both film and television. She is noted here, not only because she played the role of young Angela Roberts in the Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee 1967 film, NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT, but also because she appeared in so many classic and respected television fantasy drama series, from 'Mystery and Imagination' in 1966, to 'The Avengers' and  'The Prisoner' in 67, 'Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)' in 69, 'UFO' in 1970. She held three episodes of the US 'The Six Million Dollar Man' and even 'The Incredible Hulk' in 1981.

 

MORE ON 'NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT' in the PCASUK feature written by Callum McKelvie, with a match with Cushing's OTHER Island movie, 'ISLAND OF TERROR', all with stills, images, gifs and MORE : RIGHT HERE! 

MERROW STARTED BY PLAYING the true classical heroine on the late 50's/early 60's stage, she moved to film and TV in 1961. Only earning bit roles in such film fare as 'Don't Bother to Knock' (1961), 'The Phantom of the Opera' (1962) and The Wild and the Willing (1962), her stature grew quickly on TV, bringing forth a noticeable gift of fragility and honesty to her lovely lasses. Standout roles included Oliver Twist's mother in the mini-series 'Oliver Twist' (1962); Rosamund in the TV series 'Jane Eyre' (1963); and the title role in the mini-series 'Licia dolce Licia' (1987) opposite Bill Travers.

 

ON THE OTHERS SIDE OF THE COIN, Jane also became a modern, trendy presence with a lead role opposite Oliver Reed in the film 'The System' (1964) and enjoyed her finest hour on film with the Golden Globe-nominated role of young Alais, the adored young mistress to King Henry, in the Oscar-winning historical drama 'The Lion in Winter' (1968) opposite Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn.

 

MERROW MOVED TO AMERICA, in the early 1970's and enjoyed a transcontinental career for nearly two decades. In sporadic films, she played an Irish lass partnered with American criminal Beau Bridges in 'Adam's Woman' (1970); a blind woman in the Hammer film horror 'Hands of the Ripper' (1971) with Eric Porter; the crime thriller 'Diagnosis: Murder' (1974) starring Christopher Lee and Judy Geeson, 'The Appointment' (1981) with Edward Woodward; and the romantic dramedy 'Almosting It' (2016). On stage, she appeared in a production of 'Arsenic and Old Lace' starring Zsa Zsa Gabor and Eva Gabor in Chicago! Merrow was plentifully seen on America TV programs such as 'Mission: Impossible', 'Alias Smith and Jones,' 'Mannix', 'Cannon', 'Barnaby Jones','Hart', 'St. Elsewhere', 'Days of Our Lives', 'McGuyver' and 'Airwolf.'! She also graced several TV-mini-series and TV-movies including 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' (1972),

SHE WAS SEEN LESS into the 1990's, when Jane returned to England at that time to run a family business. She did star as Vivien Leigh in a one-woman stage tribute that opened in, of course, Atlanta. In 2009, she returned to the stage as Emilia in Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors." She continues to divide her time between homes in London and Boise, Idaho, where I hope today, she sits, taking a rest, a glass of something nice in hand with friends and family 😉 From us all, A VERY Happy Birthday JANE MERROW... we wish you a BIG HAPPY and COOL DAY... and well, not too HOT!  😁😏😃 

 

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TIME TO RETIRE : GET MY HAT COAT CANE AND CHILL : CUSHING 1986

REQUESTED REPOST, Question and an Answer! Following the success of our colour Peter Cushing photograph during his appearance at Bray studios, here is another that has been requested, taken on the announcement of his retirement in 1986! Smart, in natty hat and cane! 😊

.. AND TO THE MESSAGE AND QUESTION, I received this morning.. ' Marcus, Is it really necessary, for you to use the 'exclamation mark' so often in your comments? It's excessive, annoying, tatty and quite camp.'... Oh, Thank goodness for that, I thought I was letting things slip ........! 😃

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WHEN PETER CUSHING FLEW IN TO THE 'BATTLE FOR BRAY' 1990

WHEN PETER CUSHING Flew in to 'Save Bray Studios!' Back in 1980, what was once the impressive home of Hammer films, Bray Studios, was under serious threat of being 'sold off'... the site and studio, despite being used by other production companies for over 40 years since Hammer left, demolished, making it valuable real estate, for the building of luxury apartments. Several names from the entertainment world, joined forces to raise awareness to the cause of 'Save Bray Studios'.

ON AUGUST 9TH 1990, Peter joined a tv news and press day at the studios, flying in by helicopter, for a chat with the press and photo ops, bringing a high profile to the cause. Bray studios was of course where many of Cushing's and Christopher Lee's classic Dracula and Hammer film were produced. It was a well fought battle, but I think everyone knew, despite the efforts of the 'Save Bray' campaign . . it would be a battle lost.

OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, the Bray studio empty lots and production buildings have been demolished. The major 'mansion house' Down Place, used in many of the Cushing's Hammer films like, Dracula (1958) The Mummy (1959) The Curse and Revenge of Frankenstein.. and so many others, despite being in a quite a poor state, was privately purchase, and is being cleaned up and internally restored as I write. It will be used as a private residence.

Bray Down House in 2015 : Bray Studios is centred around Down Place, country estate built in 1750 by the Tonson family. It became residence of the Hartford family between 1835 and 1901. In 1951, Hammer Film Productions, in search of a base to make their budget horror films, settles on the derelict Down Place. Shooting in country houses avoided the need to build sets, and usually also meant large grounds were available for location work. As the one year lease on Down Place ran out and a union strike prevented a move to a studio, Hammer decide to build a studio in the grounds of Down Place, and name it Bray Studios, after the local town.

 

In 1965 Mr Ernest Oliver, owner of the adjacent Oakley Court, dies, leaving the Court uninhabited. 

 

The building became an ideal setting for many Bray productions, especially featuring in Hammer Films such as 'The Old Dark House', the 'St Trinian's' film series, 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show', 'Half a Sixpence' and 'Murder By Death'. 

 

Hammer sold Bray Studios in 1970 and it then became a renowned centre for specials effects teams, e.g. 'Space 1999' and the model and miniature filming for notable films including 'Alien' (1979; 'Reign of Fire' (2002), 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' (2009) Over the years, the studio lots were also used for pre-production rehearsals by many groups such as Radiohead, Kings of Leon, Amy Winehouse and Live Aid back in 1985.  

 

 

It was announced back in 2013 by Neville Hendricks, the then owner of Bray Studios, that the studios are no longer viable and were sold to property developers. There was a high profile local campaign supported by many past stars such as Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Richard O'Brian to save the studios but if failed. In July 2015, it was announced that the listed Down Place building would be restored and converted into luxury apartments and the sound stages and workshops would be demolished to make way for new houses.

 

 

Recently however, like many of it's Hammer resident vampires of old, it proved it wasn't done just yet.. Elton John's bio-pic 'Rocketman' and the BBC 2020 retelling of a tale in a grand three part spectacular saw THE COUNT return to his old haunt in 'Dracula' produced and written by Mark Gatiss and Stephan Moffat! This was filmed, while the final plans, for the bull-dozer....have not won the day yet! 

 

 

 

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