WHAT KATY DID AFTER HER EVIL STINT AND VERY GRIM FIGURE IN FRANKENSTEIN AND ITS NOT FROM THE LAB!

#GETTHECUSHIONSUNDAY! Here's pretty neat, large hi res photograph, taken by the publicity stills camera man. This would have been cropped out by the magazine or newspaper editor. But if you look carefully, as well as the lovely Katy Wild in this shot on the back lot set of Cushing's 'The Evil of Frankenstein' at Bray studios, the Baron appears to live quite close to a 1960's railway line... and the large 1964 Bedford truck top right, maybe keeping the engine running, to give the Baron, his goods and chattels a quick get away maybe?

A QUESTION on the PCASUK FACEBOOK FAN PAGE TODAY promoted the banner above, after posting the Katy Wild behind the scenes photograph, from 'THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN'

EDWARD MORLEY asks: 
'Wasn't she an actress from 'The Horror of Frankenstein' and later moved to Australia? I am sure she was in a mini series called 'Spy Force'. A really lovely actress'.

WE ANSWERED:
'You are right, Edward. Katy appeared in Spy Force as Lieutenant French! The series, as you say was Australian and ran for two series. Actress Kate O'Mara appeared in 'The Horror of Frankenstein' (1970) with Ralph Bates and Veronica Carlson, sadly no Katy though. I've posted some items from the series and two pics of her, in a banner for you above....

EDWARD REPLIED: 
'Oh Wow! Thank you so very much for the update and info. Just so many wonderful actresses and hopefully still with us. 

AND FINALLY, a post that prompted much laughter at the PCASUK FACEBOOK FAN PAGE yesterday . . .The next time you are watching Peter Cushing's second installment in the Hammer films Frankenstein series, 'The Revenge of Frankenstein' . .. take a look at the REAL monster sitting in the corner of the room, during the meeting of the medical committee. Those who say the film didn't really have a monster, need to feast their eyes on THAT lump of plaster, that I think is trying to allude to the Greek Venus de Milo by one, Alexandros of Antioch . . . I have a feeling this one was created in ten minutes at the Hammer carpentry and plaster shop by the great 'Bert of Cheswick', after a liquid lunch at the local hostelry just outside Bray studios! I almost feel like shouting 'Behind YOU!' to Cushing! BLIMEY! . . .N.B Many of you also mentioned that this 'statue' also appears almost five years later, in Hammer films, THE GORGON (1964), in the foyer entrance of Castle Borksky!

IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA  .

#MONSTERMONDAY: THE BLOODY COUNT IN THE CHATEAU WITH GIFS!

#MONSTERMONDAY: Requested By Tel Morrison, UK. David Peel as Baron Meinster... he comes in for a lot of stick, but I think he did very well. Peel really is acting his 'socks-off' here! A very gentle man, older that his casting, was met by his appearance on screen, with cries of 'But...he's NOT Dracula' and 'It Says DRACULA on the poster outside!!' Soul destroying, I would think. He wore lifts because his height was deemed not tall enough for the role (Tell me about it!) and a page boy blonde wig.... to give that look of innocence. All the more frightening, when he changes into the raging vampire beast, that the BARON really was.... I think he did a great job....

IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Please Us Help Keep The Memory Alive!

COMPETITION: KICKS OFF HERE TODAY AT 9PM GMT

#MERCHANDISEMONDAY PCASUK: COMPETITION COMING UP AT 8PM GMT TODAY! PLEASE JOIN US! The Competition will be OPEN for 24 hours if you miss the launch time

START THE WEEK. MONDAY TREAT! JOHNATHAN HARKER HAMMER DRACULA' 1958 VINTAGE STILL ALBUM

Here's a 'start off the week', Monday treat! A Hammer films, 'DRACULA' (1958) John Van Eyssen as Johnathan Harker FIVE PHOTOGRAPH album! Included here is the RARE shot of the UNDEAD Harker, a shot that didn't appear in the final edit of the film.  All the photographs here are full size scans from original vintage photographs, in as high res as the server would allow....and for free! Have a great week everyone!

PETER WILTON CUSHING O.B.E.

Peter Wilton Cushing. O.B.E. We're coming up to our third year as a facebook fan page, fourth year as a website and as a society... we've been around since 1956. Help us spread the word. Help us celebrate the life and career of the gentlest man of British cinema.. Peter Cushing!

https://www.facebook.com/petercushingblog

DONALD FEARNEY'S 'THE LEGEND OF HAMMER VAMPIRES' DVD DOCUMENTARY

The Legend of Hammer Vampires is a documentary created by Donald Fearney, the man behind the Hammer at Bray and Cine Lumiere events. Over the years Donald has managed to invite most of surviving members of the Hammer family to his intimate events. That he managed to do so without having his own website or even email address is an indication that nothing beats pure passion when it comes to organising events. Over the years, fans visiting his events have become accustomed to the idea that they may need to send letters to Don in order to purchase tickets or that in order to determine availability, you may even need to give him a long distance phone call. As a result, he has managed to be personally identified with these events and has established himself as one of Hammer fandom most recognisable personalities.

It's hardly surprisng  that Donald's first foray into Hammer documentaries often comes across as a veritable Who's Who of Hammer personalities and offers a good overview of the regular celebrity visitors that once frequented his events. In actual fact some of the interviews were shot during those occasions.

Contributors include John Forbes-Robertson, Edward De Souza, Jimmy Sangster, Carol Marsh, Janina Faye, Yvonne Monlaur, David Prowse, Christopher Matthews, Tudor Gates, Caroline Munro, John Cater. Additional older audio clips can also be heard with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing; Andrew Keir also makes a visual appearance from an historical archived clip.

Though the majority of the documentary is indeed very much interview focused, we also get to see lots of rare behind-the-scenes footage and pictures and clips from the various films. One of the most original aspects of this documentary are the introductory scenes, starring none other than Donald himself together with John Cater (Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter) as grave robbers on the run from a copper. After finding Dracula's ashes, all is revealed as a studio set with John Forbes-Robertson (The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires) stepping out of the shadows to introduce the subject matter of this documentary

Extras on this DVD include an audio interview with John Gilling, an interview with Tudor Gates and an overview over some set designs.

Legend of Hammer Vampires [ 2008 ] UK

Directed by: Don Fearney. Language: English

Runtime: 96 min.
Aspect ratio: 4:3 (Full Screen Standard)

You can order your copy by emailing: pevans113@btinternet.com and then  making your purchase through paypal.

Price: UK and EUROPE: £10.00 inc postage and package

USA: $23.00 including post and package

PART TWO: BEHIND THE SCENES: AT BRAY STUDIOS CANDID PHOTOGRAPHS : LEE AND CUSHING

PART TWO: 'The Art of Non Verbal Communication at Hammer Films, Bray Studios !' Behind the scenes with PC during the making of Frankenstein Created Woman with Mr Walters making his point.. and Christopher Lee during the making of Dracula, Prince of Darkness, demanding two sugars in his coffee, next time. As we all know, 'V' stands for victory...!

TROY HOWARTH REVIEWS: A LIFE IN FILM: PETER CUSHING DAVID MILLER

Of all the actors, writers or directors associated with the horror genre, arguably the most beloved and admired as a human being is Peter Cushing.  Much of this stems from the multiple accounts of his good nature and professionalism.  Unlike his frequent co-star and good friend Christopher Lee, he seldom spoke ill of the films he appeared in.  He approached each role with dedication.  Surviving documents show that his preparation was remarkably detailed, right down to the choice of costumes and hair pieces.  He was, by all accounts, a class act.  Like so many people who have been enshrined, however, the reality is somewhat more complex - yet it is seldom reported, let alone alluded to.  A number of writers have tried to come to grips with Cushing and his legacy, but few have attempted anything beyond the most routine of biographies, with an emphasis on the many films (91, in total) he completed between 1939 and his death in 1994 at the age of 81.  David Miller's book Peter Cushing: A Life in Film would have seemed an ideal opportunity to paint a proper portrait of the man himself, but it, too, charts a safer course.

 

The book kicks off with a loving introduction by Cushing's co-star from Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed and The Ghoul, Veronica Carlson.  Carlson was able to get to know Cushing before the death of his beloved wife Helen, and she also saw how her passing affected him when he appeared at his most forlorn in The Ghoul.  She notes the change in his character and recounts her time with him with genuine affection.

After that, Miller takes over with a bit of biographical background.  Miller's prose is engaging enough, but he fails to dig beneath the surface or ask any probing questions about his subject.  Instead, we are subjected to the usual portrait of Cushing as a hale fellow well met - a reputation which was undoubtedly well earned, but which doesn't allow one to really understand him and what made him tick.  As a biography, the book doesn't really bring anything new to the table - we hear much the same anecdotes that have cropped up in the other books on Cushing, thus giving the book a sense of deja vu.

Miller is more successful at charting the films and Cushing's meticulous work therein, though even here he resists the urge to buck convention by towing the conventional line that the actor was always at the top of his game.  The closest he gets to being openly critical is in his write up of the minor Vernon Sewell cold war thriller Some May Live (1967), which does indeed feature Cushing in one of his less memorable performances.  Cushing's rather difficult-to-take "old duffer" portrayals in the Dr. Who films and At The Earth's Core would appear to be as accomplished as his iconic turns as Dr. Van Helsing and Baron Frankenstein in this context, but ultimately it is very much a matter of opinion.

 

Ultimately, one doesn't wish to be too hard on Miller or his efforts.  Writing about Cushing is a difficult task.  He is so revered, so beloved, that any attempt to cut through the cliché and find the three-dimensional human being underneath is bound to be met with suspicion, even hostility.  Miller doesn't elect to take that approach and one can't really fault him much for it - after all, he is a true blue fan and his passion for the subject is evident on every page.  The end result may not be the definitive tome on Cushing, but that's perfectly OK.  It's an enjoyably breezy read, beautifully illustrated, which allows one to take in the diversity of Cushing's career - which went well beyond the confines of low budget genre fare for Hammer and Amicus.  The folks at Titan Press are to be congratulated for making this such a polished and classy looking production, one befitting the nature of its subject only too well. 

Troy Howarth

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Haunted-World-of-Mario-Bava/357391387737585?fref=ts

TROY HOWARTH REVIEWS BRUCE HALLENBECK'S DOUBLE BILL ON HAMMER FILMS 'FRANKENSTEIN' AND 'VAMPIRES'

I must begin this review with a confession: I have known Bruce Hallenbeck, the author of The Hammer Vampire and The Hammer Frankenstein, for about 20 years now.  "Known" seems a misleading word, however, as we've never met in person.  I first came into contact with Bruce due to a letter I had written to the magazine Fangoria regarding the absence of Hammer films on home video in the United States.  At that time, most of the key Hammer films remained out of reach, and those that were available were often compromised in one way or another.  In those pre-internet days, it was wonderful to find somebody who shared my passion for these films and we maintained a steady correspondence until around the end of the decade.  After that, we lost track of each other for a time - and indeed I lost track of my passion for Hammer for a time, as my interests expanded into the realm of Italian and Spanish horror - until the wide world of Facebook brought us back into contact with one another.  I guess it would be unreasonable to expect me to have a truly objective and impartial view of the work of somebody I've been on good terms with for so long, but... I'll give it a try, anyway.

Bruce's overviews of the subject matter in these two books is comprehensive and passionate; it's truly the work of a fan who has devoured every bit of information he can on these films and their production histories.  The Vampire Film is probably the more ambitious of the two texts, simply because Hammer experimented so much more with that genre than they did with the Frankenstein saga.  Not only do we get an overview and critique of all seven "official" entries in the Dracula series (that is: [Horror of] Dracula; Dracula Prince of Darkness; Dracula Has Risen from the Grave; Taste the Blood of Dracula; Scars of Dracula; Dracula AD 1972; The Satanic Rites of Dracula; Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires - in other words, the ones that actually had the character of Dracula in them!), but there's also information and critical analyses of such popular titles as The Brides of Dracula, The Kiss of the Vampire, Vampire Circus and the "Karnstein Trilogy," comprised of The Vampire Lovers, Lust for a Vampire and Twins of Evil.  Hammer certainly knew how to offer variations on a theme and this comprehensive study gives ever title their due.

The Hammer Frankenstein covers a smaller terrain, as the series was only seven strong and didn't inspire any real spin-offs, but don't let that deter you: there's plenty of information in store here, as well.Both books provide a nice recap of the background of the novels which inspired these popular films - Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Bram Stoker's Dracula, naturally - and also offer a good, pithy overview of the treatment of these subjects in the cinema from the silent era to the modern day.  The books also contain forewords by veterans of their respective franchises: Jimmy Sangster, the screenwriter who helped to offer up a tighter, more modern treatment of Dracula, pens the foreword for The Hammer Vampire, while still-beautiful Veronica Carlson (the imperiled heroine of Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed and The Horror of Frankenstein) contributes to The Hammer Frankenstein.

Hallenbeck's prose is smooth and easy to follow throughout.  His enthusiasm for the films comes across in a genuine and unaffected manner and while I do not always agree with his assessments of the individual films - indeed, if I had one criticism to level, it's that I simply think he's too easy on some of these films! - there's no denying that he's a skillful writer who knows his stuff. Hallenbeck also had access to production documents and original scripts, thus allowing him to point out the way that directors like Terence Fisher deviated from what was on the page.  The critics who argue that Fisher was simply a working hack who shot whatever he was given should be given pause here, as Hallenbeck clearly outlines some subtle but crucial changes that he implemented in the filming: if he had stuck with Sangster's script and allowed Christopher Lee to make his grand entrance as Dracula in the 1958 original with the top hat and visible fangs which were specified, there's a damn good chance that Hammer Horror may have been struck dead, right then and there...

Both volumes have been published in the U.K. by Hemlock Film and are to be brought out in the U.S. by Midnight Marquee Press.  I cannot comment on the Midnight Marquee editions as I've not had the opportunity of seeing them, but the Hemlock books are handsomely designed and feature a nice mixture of the familiar and the rare with regards to images.  All told, these books - and Bruce's Hammer Sci-Fi - belong on the shelves of Hammer enthusiasts.

Find out about Troy Howarth's revised and updated 'The Haunted World of Mario Bava' here: 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Haunted-World-of-Mario-Bava/357391387737585