CUSHING'S COFFEE AND COFFIN NAILS : RATE YOUR FRANKENSTEIN : QUICKIE QUIZ AND CHRISTOPHER LEE ASKS 'WHAT DO I DO FOR AN ENCORE?'

AN ADDITION TO CHRISTOPHER LEE birthday post, here is another very interesting INTERVIEW! Lots to see here and some more interest stories with Lee sharing his thoughts on the American method of film making at the time, his love of opera, the 'art' of making the unbelievable- believable and his time with Hammer films and Peter Cushing!

OVER AT THE FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE TODAY, I've had a quick look through the Peter Cushing Frankenstein posts, and it reveals these two Hammerfilms titles, appear to have more than their fair share of negative responses. But how would you rate them against each other? I'd love to read any of your thoughts and opinions on your rating too. Ten is highest 😉 Have fun! This could be interesting... 

ALSO AT THE PCASUK FACEBOOK PAGE PETER CUSHING fights the GOOD fight! We're asking for the thread 'what film is this and who is he playing?? and 'only THE correct FULL name please' 😊  It's a challenge, that ain't that simple . . .

FOLLOWING A BIT OF INTEREST a few days ago in this magazine photo advertisement that Peter Cushing did for NESCAFE in what I think was the late 50's 1960's, promoted me to think of another AD he did at another time. Peter Cushing was very much a tea man, in the morning, afternoon, night-time and any other time, he could fit in the flow of a cup or four! He would think nothing of having a constant stream of his favourite brew at the ready. What my Gran called a 'Tea Belly'! Which makes a bit of a mockery of his 1960's press advert for instant #Nescafe coffee! Hey! It's work! 😕😏😃😉 

THE COFFEE AD TURNED UP on the 'POSTS BY OTHERS' at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE section where Dave Robbins of Nottingham (?) UK, posted the coffee ad, he says he had not seen before. Well, there's more AD's like these and one in particular, from a time and attitude 'loooog gooone' for 'Deadly Lady Tobacco' comes to mind, with a strap line, that would get advert and promotion guru's spluttering their coffee and coughing their 'coffins nails' across many, many miles! - Have a great day everyone and take care - Marcus

WHEN CUSHING STOOD IN THE SHADOW OF NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL

WATCHING AND LISTENING to the news tonight, I am so sad and shocked by the horrific fire, that is destroying and consuming the beautiful and historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It's a place I have visited many times since I was a teenager. No time in Paris can be spent, without seeing 'The Cathedral'. With it's an amazing architecture, inside and out, the paintings, the sculpture... the history, you could sense so strongly when you walked inside. Peter Cushing visited it quite a few times too and loved it, very much. He sat and painted in water colours the spire, the arches and roof. It's truly, truly sad to see the iconic spire and parts of the first tower, now vanishing in the flames. To all our followers and friends in Paris and France... our hearts go out to you...

BACK IN THE EARLY 80'S, it wasn't unusual to sometimes meet up with some of the 500+ people back then, who were international subscribers to the PCAS Newsletters and Journals. PCAS was then a team of three people. We treated managing the society as a hobby! Often we would spend a weekend in London, Sheffield or Bristol, meeting many of those members who loved Peter Cushing, Hammer films and anything connected! We would always take gifts of some stills or a press book, for anyone we were meeting! One trip, I remember well, was a three day trip to Paris. It was a hoot! We arranged to meet outside Notre Dame Cathedral. Peter Cushing always had, and still does have, a very healthy crowd of 'fans' in France! I only knew one of the people we were meeting in that crowd, one Jacqueline Carron! We had spoken on the phone and written a few times. this was PRE internet, remember! My French was a joke, but her English, perfect! The group we were meeting all knew each other, so we were the visitors. They were the kindest, most polite people, generous with time, they didn't want us to leave! Some brought their partners and Mum's along too! We walked, talked and eventually, all as planned spent the evening at Jacqueline's home, watching anything and everything, we had managed to record or copy of Peter Cushing on video!  Jacqueline lived a short distance from the Cathedral, and the towers could be seen from her living room. The following morning, we met again for a coffee and took pics of our new 'Cushing friends' under the shadow of the Cathedral towers....it was a special time...

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JUDY MATHESON AND THE GRAND CINEFICCION ISSUE EIGHT IS OUT!

HERE IS A HEADS UP for all Spanish speaking followers and fans of the pretty amazing CINEFICION magazine! The latest issue is OUT NOW and available for order. As always editor Dario Lavia has put together another well PACKED issue along with the VERY nice regular middle pull out full colour feature... this issue it covers the Universal CREATURE films. There are so many great things about this issue! Just a few of the items covered are Sara Karloff, Julie Adams, Claudio Huck reviews the 'Stepford' series of films, Alfredo Paniagua Garcia's 'Kaidan Cine De Clasico Japones' four page feature is an eye-opener and look out for Carlos Diaz Maroto review of, the 2017 film, 'The Shape of the Water' plus the whole thing kicks off with a Doctor Who feature, from yours truly and the PCASUK website 😉 I always look forward to that sealed package, sent by Dario when receiving my latest issues. This week the large envelope containing the latest, also came with a neat little sketch of PC, hovering over my postal address! A NICE touch, Dario 😉 Order your copy now while stocks last : CINEFICCION ISSUE 8 : HERE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUDY! 🙂 Today marks a special day for actress, Judy Matheson! Judy appeared in the Peter Cushing 1971 film, 'Twins of Evil'... playing one of the village unfortunates, who were burnt at the stake! 

JUDY HAS HAD QUITE a full career over the years appearing in Crucible of Terror and also Hammer films, Lust for a Vampire too. Her television career has spend across tv favorites such as ITV's Coronation Street, the BBC sci series Blake's 7, Z Cars ( lead female role, twice), The Professionals, The Adventurer, The Sweeney, Harriet's Back in Town, Citizen Smith, Dead of Night,and for several months she starred in Crossroads, playing Sandy's girlfriend and Hugh Mortimer's secretary, Vicky Lambert! She played the poet Shelley's lover, Jane Williams, opposite Robert Powell in the BBC's film of the life of Shelley directed by Alan Bridges.

HER THEATRICAL WORK includes starring opposite Richard O'Sullivan in a British tour of the comedy Boeing-Boeing with Yootha Joyce & Sally Thomsett, Ray Cooney's Chase Me Comrade, Stage Struck by Simon Gray, Hugh & Margaret Williams’ The Flip Side, Funny Peculiar by Mike Scott and Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce. Currently she does occasional voice-over and narration work, and sometimes attends film conventions and Hammer Film events, as a guest. I have had the opportunity, as have many, to quickly chat with Judy here on facebook several times, and I can honestly say she is always very friendly and happy to chat! A lovely lady 🙂 Please help us celebrate Judy's birthday today and wish her a VERY Happy Birthday 🙂 We hope you are enjoying your day, Judy?

 

CALLUM MCKELVIE'S CUSHING SUNDAY FEATURE: FLAMES GAMES AND PASSION! SHE HAS IT ALL!!

ANOTHER TRIP DOWN memory lane this week, examining a film that, although not strictly a horror picture, has become one of my all-time favourite Cushing roles. More than that it’s a film that represents what can be described as a ‘by-gon’e age of fiction, both literary and cinematically, that of the ‘Boys Own’ style adventure story. Produced in 1965, She was one of Hammer films most expensive productions and certainly one of their most lavish. Featuring an all-star cast, including ex-bond girl Ursula Andress as the title character, it’s a bold move for the studio and one that demonstrates that they really could compete with the big boys and weren’t just up to making horror pictures. I saw She during my early teens, when I became fascinated with the science fiction and fantasy of the Victorian age and of course the wonderful films of the 50’s and 60’s based on these works.

FROM THE EARLY 1950’s all the way to the mid 1970’s, there was a slew of science fiction, fantasy and adventure styled films based on the works of classic Victorian writers and adapted as period pieces. Amongst these were the works of such noted authors as H.G Welles, Jules Verne. Arthur Conan Doyle and the subject of todays piece H. Rider Haggard. These films were extravagant adventure films, with often fantastic set designs and equally superb casts. Amongst these films include such classics as Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1959), The Time Machine (1960), First Men in the Moon (1964), At The Earth’s Core (1976) and The Lost World (1960). 

DURING MY OBSESSION with this fascinating sub-genre I saw all of these and more, including films like Walt Disney’s wonderful adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The latter is still one of my favourite films and James Masons portrayal is evident of the quality that was brought to this kind of film. It’s a genre that has, somewhat sadly, faded into the past. Partly this is due to the more dynamic difference between children’s and adult cinema, with family films now being dominated primarily by the Superhero genre. Also it can be connected to the dated colonial subtext of many of these films and their respective novels (though not all 20,000 Leagues is a wonderful piece of anti-colonial literature, with Nemo waging war against ‘that hated nation’).

MANY OF THESE FILMS helped me discovered the brilliant novels behind them and She is no exception. When I was first getting into Hammer, I purchased Marcus Hearn and Alan Barnes wonderful The Hammer Story, as something of a go-to guide. My Mother was fascinated upon discovering She was a Hammer film, it being something of a minor favourite of hers. That Christmas (along with The Reptile and Dracula: Prince of Darkness) 

I RECEIVED SHE as a gift and we watched it that boxing day. In my mind it’s still the perfect Boxing Day film, the mix of old fashioned adventure and pure wonder making great mid-afternoon viewing. Immediately I fell in love with Cushing’s portrayal of the character of Major Holly and the wonderful sincerity he brought to the role. When embarking on an exchange trip to Spain, I was inspired enough by the film to purchase the novel and well, I can safely say it’s a book that changed my life.

I HAVE SOMETHING of a theory that books read during ones formative years, if of significant quality will leave a lasting impression. Rider Haggard's She did that for me. Whilst certainly dated and having some….bizarre concepts (She herself being so beautiful that anyone who looks at her immediately falls in love- an idea thankfully scrapped in hammers film version) it’s still a wonderfully powerful exercise in fantasy. I have so many memories connected to that novel, reading it on the plane out loud to a friend and suddenly noticing that all the aisles surrounding me had gone quiet. Listening? Or wondering what the weird kid was doing reading out loud? I guess I’ll never know!

SADLY THOUGH, as grand and as wonderful as Hammers film version is, it simply couldn’t compete with the epic vistas presented in the novel. For the most part when reading there was very little I visualised from the film. I pictured a different woman to Ursula Andress (it may be sacrilege but I always found her portrayal a little stilted), the Balali of the novel is a kindly old man and so Christopher Lee was out too. All except Cushing. I’ve no idea if he read the book, though I suspect he did but he nails Rider Haggards portrayal instantly. Holly is the narrator and in many ways the main character of the novel and despite having slightly less to do in the film Cushing still manages to bring across the same sincerity and honesty that made him such a wonderful character.

ANOTHER SUNDAY CUSHING DOUBLE BILL RETURNS NEXT WEEK: JOIN US! 

DID YOU MISS CALLUM MCKELVIE'S SUNDAY CUSHING FEATURE LAST WEEK ON BRIDES OF DRACULA??? NO PROBLEM! THE CLIPS, GIFS AND RARE STILLS GALLERY ARE RIGHT HERE JUST CLICK THESE BLUE WORDS!

#MOMENTSOFTERROR MONDAYS! CAROL MARSH AS LUCY HOLMWOOD CAPTURED BY CUSHING'S POWERFUL PROF VAN HELSING!

TODAY'S #MOMENTOFTERROR clip, LINKS with a film and actress that is the title and person who is the subject matter of our #FEMMEFATALEFRIDAY! The ACTRESS CAROL MARSH and the film, Hammer film's 'DRACULA' from 1958.

IT'S A SCENE that most fans of the film appreciate, not only because of Cushing's VAN HELSING fighting off the evil of LUCY HOLMWOOD's vampire but also actresses Carol Marsh and a very young Janina Faye, presenting such horrible pathos and trauma  . . . a niece who truly wants to help and love her, DEAD AUNT!

CAROL MARSH, would have found this role another of many, that asked  for a certain ability. Ability that many had no idea about, what it meant to her as an actress or where the  ability came from . . . what that means, will be revealed in OUR PCAS #FEMMEFATAL FEATURE on CAROL MARSH . .

REMEMBER! 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

#SILENTBUTDEADLY #GIFS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRAM AND THE MANY DEATHS OF DRACULA

BORN TODAY November 8th 1847 in Clontarf, Dublin, Republic of Ireland… BRAM STOKER, creator of Dracula and a hundred thousand nightmares! Happy Birthday, Mr Stoker! . . I guess it would never have crossed his mind that his creation, would in the future, die SO MANY DEATHS!

 BELOW: 'Dracula' / 'Horror of Dracula' (1958)

'Dracula Has Risen From The Grave'  (1968)

'Taste The Blood Of Dracula' (1970)

'Scars Of Dracula' (1970)

'Dracula AD 1972' (1972)

'The Satanic Rites Of Dracula' (1972)

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  . .