THROWBACK: SHE'S HAPPY AS A TRIBBLE : 1975 NEW YORK AND LONDON : WHAT DO YOU HANG IN YOUR SHOWER?

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY! Remember THIS? Cushing's Tarkin and others SING. Kinda. 'It's Not A Moon'... was released and posted here back in March 2018. Written, sung and created by the super talented Bad Lip Reading. I found it again this morning and made FATAL mistake of pressing play. It's been on repeat ever since! Clever, catchy and outrageously funny, me thinks. Has an excellent video edit to boot. Still makes me howl...and sing along too 😉 What do you think?

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY! 1975 . . that year, Cushing was in New York for the Famous Monsters Convention, his debut at a convention in the Big Apple . . while Vincent Price flew in and met wife, Coral at Heathrow Airport, London . . all ready to start rehearsals for his role in 'ÒArdeleÓ' in which he would make his West End debut...with Coral co-starring! So anyone out there, who maybe attended either or both???? 😉 - Marcus

NEED HELP investigating and finding that grot and fluff, in those creases and cheeky bits? 😩😟 The #Cushng 'Sherlock In The Shower' could be the answer! #Sherlock Soap Up and get scrubbing and solve that problem Many thanks to Howard Ostrom, for finding and sharing this! Thanks Howard 😉 You can find THIS and other BESPOKE 'Cushing Curtains' RIGHT HERE!

TALKING TARKIN : WHEN FAN ASKS MARK HAMILL THE BURNING QUESTION!

WHEN A FAN RECENTLY asked Mark Hamill on Twitter which actor from Star Wars he wished Luke could've shared a scene with if there was a chance, Hamill posted a touching reply. Not only did Hamill start with the late and great Peter Cushing, who played Grand Moff Tarkin, but he said basically everyone else from the films, calling out the sequel trilogy actors in particular. In a funny way it's a quintessential Luke Skywalker response 😊

REMEMBERING CARRIE FISHER PLUS THE MOMENT TARKIN HIT A TONGUE-TWISTER!

TODAY, WE ARE REMEMBERING  on her birthday the lovely Carrie Fisher a woman, who was never dull, touched all she met, was a mountain of energy and fun and yet sadly, like many of us, carried another life, that sometimes worked against her, making even the sunniest of days, dark and exhausting. Many here of course will know her connection to Peter Cushing, through the movie, STAR WARS 

WITH CUSHING playing the evil TARKIN and Carrie the vulnerable PRINCESS LEIA Tarkin, together they played a key scene, with Peter cranking up his performance, as the cruel and most Machiavellian of characters in the Star Wars universe. Carrie later shared how difficult it had been for her to find the motivation, to hate Peter's Tarkin. She too,like many before her, had been charmed and moved, by his kindness and manner on set, it was quite a task to actually say those lines. Even though she left us a wonderful library of work on screen and on the page, it's a weird feeling, knowing, she isn't around to cheer us up and make us laugh in her interviews. As a teen she was my first crush, she dazzled and shone very brightly . . on screen and in life, a real Princess! 😊 We remember Carrie today . ..

REMEMBERING : CARRIE FISHER SHINES ON

IT SEEMED, quite surreal last year writing this, and even more so, today . . . TWO years on. Today, I am sure many Star Wars fans and lovers of Carrie's work will be feeling the same, sharing posts and photographs of a woman, who was never dull, touched all she met, was a mountain of energy and fun and yet sadly, like many of us, carried another life, that sometimes worked against her, making even the sunniest of days, dark and exhausting. On December 27th 2016, the day we lost CARRIE FISHER, the shock rippled around the world, and I am sure today, many will again feel that disbelief. Many here of course will know her connection to Peter Cushing, through the movie, STAR WARS.

WITH CUSHING playing the evil TARKIN and Carrie the vulnerable PRINCESS LEIA Tarkin, together they played a key scene, with Peter cranking up his performance, as the cruel and most Machiavellian of characters in the Star Wars universe. Carrie later shared how difficult it had been for her to find the motivation, to hate Peter's Tarkin. She too,like many before her, had been charmed and moved, by his kindness and manner on set, it was quite a task to actually say those lines. Even though she left us a wonderful library of work on screen and on the page, it's a weird feeling, knowing, she isn't around to cheer us up and make us laugh in her interviews. As a teen she was my first crush, she dazzled and shone very brightly . . on screen and in life, a real Princess! 🙂 We remember Carrie today . ..

WHY THIS DR WHO DESERVES TO REMAIN SEPARATE AND NOT PART OF ANY CANON . .

SO. STEVEN MOFFAT in his new novelisation of Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special 'The Day of the Doctor', reveals that the PETER CUSHING DR WHO FILMS, exist in the Whoniverse as actual movies, with Cushing starring in big-screen adventures adapted from the Doctor's "real" exploits . . . .

ANY CUSHING FAN WHO READS THIS SITE, would have seen the post we made about Moffat's attempts at making Cushing's-Dr Who, part of the party a while ago, from The Doctor Who Magazine. Moffat had previously wanted to incorporate this idea into the TV version of 'The Day of the Doctor', with plans for UNIT's Black Archive to include ACTUAL CINEMA POSTERS from the two Cushing films, DR WHO AND THE DALEKS (1965) and DALEKS INVASION EARTH 2150 AD (1966).

TWO EXAMPLES of the CINEMA POSTER art for BOTH of Cushing's DR WHO films that Moffat tried to obtain permission to use in the BBC episode, 'DAY OF THE DOCTOR' . . but failed.

"IN MY HEAD, in the Doctor's universe, those films exist as distorted accounts of his adventures," Moffat told Doctor Who Magazine. "Sadly, we couldn't afford the rights to the posters."

FOR SOME CUSHING ADMIRERS it has been a matter of debate and often irritation for years, that the MOVIES and CUSHING's 'DR', aren't considered to be canon, worth it and / or wasn't 'serious entertainment for families and children' now or even back then. . .! Really....?

WELL, personally I think many might have much respect for Mr Moffat, for trying what sounded to be quite an interesting angle. It's certainly very kind and generous, to include Peter Cushing in the novel though. But, it wont change anything and to be honest, I am relieved, the inclusion of Cushing's playing a character called Dr Who, didn't come to fruition.  THIS Doctor is Peter Cushing's Doctor and as he said many times, QUITE different from a Doctor Who excellently played by William Hartnell in the TV series. It's Cushing's creation, not unlike his ABER PERRY from his AT THE EARTH"S CORE film of 1976. THIS creation, just doesn't fit anything that the tv series has grown and developed since the TOM BAKER years. 

THE FILMS were made for what was seen as the young audience who were watching the TV series...and cash in on that popularity. It was as I remember, kids floating up and down the school playground and streets, with the hood from their anorak up, one arm extended, screeching EXTERMINATE, not grown ups?  Over the years, I have met all kinds of exciting, warm, wonderfully friendly and open minded Cushing admirers, who love to explore and chat about his life, career and even the maybe expanded background, to some of his characters. 

ALSO MANY PEOPLE who worked at producing the BBC's Doctor Who series and Doctor Who dvd / blu ray extras, magazines and merchandise. Really friendly and helpful folk. Sadly, I can't say my experience of meeting and chatting with some of the Doctor Who fans has ever been that enjoyable, particularly if the subject of the two movies come up!! Which is a bit like a fan of Cushing's Sherlock Holmes movies and tv work, getting a little weird about someone mentioning .. BASIL RATHBONE and his unique and wonderful performances also as that great detective! 

IT'S NO SECRET, that Peter Cushing himself was not personally a fan of the tv programme, and found little to say about the movies, except he enjoyed working with the cast and the talent of Roberta Tovey. Typically generous, he made the condition that he would only agree to appear in the second DALEK film, if Tovey would be included too. 

ABOVE: PETER CUSHING talks on PLAYING DR WHO in

 TWO movies in the MID 1960'S 

NOPE. Peter Cushing wasn't a fan and only ever made one comment about his Dr's prime enemy, the DALEKS . . he found them, 'Not my cup of tea. Daleks did rather get on my nerves'  So, there you go. If Peter were still with us, I am sure he would tell us he is flattered, to be mentioned in the novelisation of 'The Day of The Doctor'  . . . and then probably ask if we had ever seen that amazing, universally popular blockbuster film, that he once appeared in during the 1970's, called STAR WARS. . 

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT CUSHING'S DR WHO MOVIES? HERE IS CALLUM MCKEVIE'S SUNDAY FEATURES, WITH GALLERIES OF RARE STILLS:  PART ONE ON DR WHO AND THE DALEKS HERE! AND PART TWO HERE!

CUSHING was talented and popular enough to have had  three careers. In theatre for many years, when he first began, in television drama and receiving several awards during the 1950's and 60's and to a huge success in film on the big screen. He carved out quite a reputation for his appearances in adult supernatural movies. 

WHENEVER HE WAS APPROACHED by his agent, John Redway, about a appearing in something that wasn't a horror film, he had a simple rule and method he used before, signing on the line. 'Would children like to see me in this?' He agreed to appearing in At The Earth's Core and Star Wars, using this very technique, and mentioned doing so in many interviews. I am pretty sure, he applied it to the 'Yea and Nay' of making the Dr Who films too. 'I am making them for children, because it's pretty obvious, they are intended for a young audience!' Children. . .  In the words of Cushing's Dr Who, 'Fascinating!' . . .

FINALLY for those of you back home in the UK,  I would love to bring to your attention , what sounds like a real TREAT.  I personally greatly admirer the work of the actor LON CHANEY jr and I am  more than a bit annoyed I am missing 'Cursed Horror: 'Son of Dracula' Talk and Film Screening presented by Mark Iveson at the NEWCASTLE CASTLE THIS SATURDAY, April 14th starting 6pm until 8pm. Here is the FACEBOOK LINK to an evening that sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun.

. . . Join author and horror expert Mark Iveson to find out more about the screen legend ahead of a film screening. The definitive Wolf Man who scared many a young woman during his horror reign during the forties, Lon Chaney’s greatest fear stemmed from the shadow of his famous father, and whose own insecurities were hidden behind an abrasive personality and a dependence on alcohol, the latter of which would eventually destroy him. Our talk centres on the rise and fall of this horror great . . . .

 
AS WELL AS producing a fine book entitled, CURSED HORROR STARS on the lives of Bela Lugosi, Peter Lorre, Robert Quarry and Basil Rathbone, he has also written some excellent features for this website, called THE GREATEST PETER CUSHING FILMS NEVER MADE!, full of facts, stories and 'what it could have looked like' images of blu ray box and cinema stills and posters, had those films ever seen the light of day! Mark certainly knows his stuff, writes and presents well researched detail and  backgrounds on his subjects, and isn't in the business of character assassinations, of the people his is presenting, even if it is warts and all. If you are looking for a fine night out, in the company of Chaney and one of his all time BEST movies, go grab your ticket NOW! 

MARK HAMILL ON THE CUSHING CGI AND NO TO ITS USE FOR LATE CARRIE FISHER AND LEIA

MARK HAMILL doesn’t think re-casting late Carrie Fisher in Star Wars: Episode IX is a good idea. The actress who passed away on December 27, 2016, after going into cardiac arrest at the age of 60 has left a prominent role in question for both fans and the makers. In an interview with Collider, Hamill, who portrays Carrie Fisher’s on-screen sibling Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, said that Fisher as Princess Leia is irreplaceable.

”First of all, I don’t know what the specific plans were for that character but just the way Han Solo was more prominent in [Episode] VII, Luke more prominent in VIII, we assumed Leia would be more prominent in IX, especially since the dynamic of having Kylo Ren as her son,” Hamill said. “I think it would be tough recasting Carrie because she is so indelibly linked to that character.” SAYS MARK HAMILL

NOTABLY, the Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson has already confirmed that the makers don’t want to alter Fisher’s final performance, ultimately positioning her for a return in Episode IX. But the fact that Lucasfilm won’t attempt to digitally recreate the actress in any way, has left fans questioning about the character’s future.

“They’ve already ruled out of a computer-generated performance like they did with Peter Cushing [in Rogue One] so, gee, that’s gotta be a real, not insurmountable problem, but I know that the script had been in development so that when we lost her they had to go back to square one,” Hamill added. “But she is irreplaceable, you know, as far as I’m concerned.”

RECENTLY, some Star Wars fans came up with an online petition pleading the filmmakers to cast Meryl Streep to play the role of Leia in Star Wars: Episode IX But there is one person in particular who is not for the change: Mark Hamill.

HAMILL has posted about his devastation over losing his space sister on countless occasions. He also said in a previous interview he is not able to watch Luke and Leia's scene in Last Jedi. Kathleen Kennedy of Lucasfilm has gone on record saying Last Jedi would be Fisher's Star Wars film, meaning no CGI or repurposed material in following installments.

NOW, everything stands in the hands of co-writers J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio. It will be interesting to find out how they handle Leia’s character in Episode IX when the film lands in theaters on December 20, 2019