LITTLE FRANKENSTEIN AND RARE HAMMER FILMS BEHIND THE SCENES

 

#FRANKENSTEINFRIDAY! RETURNS! The year 2018 marks the 200th anniversary of the publishing of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, and even though we make a Cushing Frankenstein themed post most weeks, today sees the return of one of Peter Cushing's most popular characters, to it's weekly spot. To MARK the Frankenstein Anniversary in the remaining month of 2018 and the return our Baron Friday Themed posts, here is an EXCELLENT short video, sent to us by our good friend and regular supporter of the PCAS sites, ANDY WINWARD, a master of the short video... and starring his very cute and talented daughter. Please give yourself a 'Friday Treat' and his short video a watch!

OUR FIRST photo for our return of #FrankensteinFriday today... Peter Cushing on set, boom over-head at the ready, camera waiting to roll in a rare unpublished photograph from a contact sheet of 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed' at Elstree film studios. In just over 7 years time, he would be back, on the spot at this studio, appearing as Grand Moff Tarkin in 'Star Wars'. . .

I LOVE press books and ad campaigns... the 'Must Be Destroyed' newspaper ads are some of my favs of the whole Hammer Frankenstein series! 😀

FOUR CUSHING NETWORK PREMIERS ROLLING OUT IN NOVEMBER!

NEWS: From November 3rd, Horror Channel celebrates vintage 1950s home-grown fantasy and horror with a HAMMER CLASSICS SEASON on SATURDAY NIGHTS! This primetime Saturday night season, is rolling out FOUR network premieres, which star Peter Cushing, and kicks off with Val Guest’s atmospheric masterpiece, 'THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN', The other three, are all directed by Terence Fisher: Cushing and Lee's FIRST Hammer film, THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957), the hypnotically sensual and ground breaking DRACULA (1958), which launched Cushing and Christopher Lee into global stardom, and THE MUMMY (1959). All FOUR make for splendid Saturday Night shocks...and a wonderful introduction to anyone who wants to sample the amazing work of Hammer, Cushing and Lee. What a TRIO! AND WE AT PCAS will be watching them too. We'll be FLAGGING UP a post to remind you of the BROADCAST and invting you to watch too and join us for a chat on the movie after on our FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! PLEASE come and JOIN US!

THE SEASON season kicks off first with : Sat 3 Nov @ 21:00 – 'THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN' (1957) – *Network Premiere : THEN Sat 10 Nov @ 21:00 – 'THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN' (1957) * Network Premiere, Sat 17 Nov @ 21:00 – 'DRACULA' (1958) *Network Premiere and finally, Sat 24 Nov @ 21:00 – 'THE MUMMY' (1959) *Network Premiere. A GREAT line up! - Marcus

THE PCAS REVIEW AND GALLERY ON HAMMER FILMS, 'THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN'

THE PCAS FEATURE AND GALLERY ON HAMMER FILMS,  'THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN'

THE PCAS FULL FEATURE AND GALLERY ON HAMMER FILMS 'DRACULA'

PCASUK INVITES TROY HOWARTH to travel through the HISTORY of the MUMMYfilms and Hammer films, classic THE MUMMY from 1959.JUST CLICK HERE!

THIS WEEK : A HAUNTING AND A WEREWOLF: LAST WEEK: THE HELEN HAYES WIG AND TOUGHY ANSWERS

HERE IS THIS WEEKS TUESDAY TOUGHY! SUSSEX, PETER CUSHING A HAUNTING A WEREWOLF AND A CASTLE? WHAT IS THE CONNECTION? Here is a clue: All FIVE things point to a past Peter Cushing project.  FIND the title of that past project, and you have nailed it!

ANSWERS to last week's TUESDAY TOUGHY: 1: The film Christopher Lee was helping to promote was 'Funny Man' 2: Peter Cushing is playing Count Gerard De Merret in the TV adaption of Balzac's 'La Grande Breteche', in Orson Welles Great Mysteries in 1973. 3: The country that linked these questions was FRANCE

THE APPEARANCES OF THE WIG! You have to have a keen idea, know the costumes or good memory of press photographs from the films, but here are the THREE appearances of the hair piece that Peter Cushing called, 'The Helen Hayes Wig'. I don't think the cinema going public and those who watched Orson Welles Great Mysteries took too much notice at the time, when the wig appeared, but ceratinly since voices and opinions can be heard on the net, the vote on the wig, is quite negative. It's interest to note that, even though Cushing made a joke about the wig, the choice of using the hair piece was actually Peter's!!

RAISING HAIR PROBLEMS! MORE on DRACULA'S HAIR and MANY OTHERS in our FEATURE at the website : HERE!

MANY OF YOU chose Amicus films, 'And Now, the Screaming Starts' or 'Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell', where Peter wore that same wig! The costume, is the giveaway. Well done to everyone who had a go!  Most got Funny Man, but the wig threw most of you . . 

CALLUM MCKELVIE : THE THREE ROLES THAT MADE THE CAREER : RARE GALLERIES

THE THREE ROLES THAT CREATED the career of Peter Cushing! A NEW series of features from CALLUM MCKELVIE starting very soon! The RARE photograph of Peter in this promo banner marks probably one of Cushing's best known roles. Over at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE we asked, which THREE roles would you personally list as being Cushing's TOP THREE? Lots of interesting answers and many suggesting the THREE we have chosen  to focus on, in this new  weekly feature! Feel free  to visit the PCASUK page and join in!

DO YOU REMEMBER RHAID DINISTRIO FRANKENSTEIN? RARE PCASUK SCRAPBOOK CUTTING

HERE IS A RARE CUTTING, from our PCASUK scrapbooks, that I have posted before, but some time ago. Not only is it rare, but the occasion that story in the cutting is was quite an event and quite strange at the time, for quite a few people! I wonder how many of you remember it and if anyone remembers when and what the newspaper cutting is all about? Feel free to join in the discussion and debate at our right now!

PCASUK has several internet social platforms, including a FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE. It has over 33 THOUSAND likes and followers! Please come join us us and have an opportunity to discuss any of the posts you have seen here at the website! 

CHRISTOPHER LEE ON FRANKENSTEIN AND PETER CUSHING

CHRISTOPHER LEE ON PETER CUSHING . . .

TODAY'S POST and all our posts here are also posted and shared at the official

FACEBOOK PETERCUSHING APPRECIATION SOCIETY UK FAN PAGE where lovers of Peter Cushing's life and career can comment and discuss the our daily post. Please feel free to come and join us! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND REMEMBERING HAMMER DRACULA FIRST BRIDE!

REMEMBERING Today we remember Valerie Gaunt. VALERIE'S short career on the big screen featured only in two films, and they were along side Peter Cushing. Just two roles, but they left a lasting impact, that would outlast many longer career! Her playing of Justine in 'The Curse of Frankenstein' (1957) and her performance in Hammer films,1958 'Dracula' hold a special place for lovers of fantasy cinema. Born Valerie Shelia Gaunt, on the 9th July 1932 in Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, England, following an interest in amateur theatre, after leaving school embarked on a career as a model, before auditioning for Hammer and landing her first professional role in 1957. Gaunt married her husband Gerald Alfred Reddington on May 17th, 1958.

OUR PCAS Femme Fatale feature on the life and career of Valerie Gaunt at our website! My apologies for the video clips that no longer work. This is the result of a particular cretin out there who sabotaged our very successful PCAS YOUTUBE channel.. real monsters DO exist! Another PCAS YOUTUBE channel has been created and is being updated, so all clips will be repaired and updated on our features and reviews eventually, Marcus. JUST click HERE! 

IF YOU ENJOY what you see here and would like MORE why not join our Peter Cushing Appreciation Society FACEBOOK FAN PAGE. UPDATED most days with a following of over 33 thousand followers! Just CLICK HERE  and CLICK LIKE there! 

QUESTIONS AND GIFS! TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE ON THE WORLD OF CUSHING AND HIS CAREER!

FOUR NEW GIFS WITH TESTING QUESTIONS for you to try and answer! LAST WEEKS ANSWERS, you will find at the bottom of this feature! HAVE FUN!

QUESTIONS ONE : SHARPENING A STAKE and a busy BRITISH road, where is this and NAME the FILM TITLE! Can you also name  the ORIGINAL shooting title of this film?

QUESTION TWO : THAT'S A NASTY looking chap with some bad eating habits! Can you NAME this film, the ACTOR and THREE PETER CUSHING films he appeared in...and ONE with VINCENT PRICE?

QUESTION THREE : ONE OF THESE ACTORS is celebrated in a US Cartoon series, name that series! They also appeared in a very popular Western-cowboy series, can you name that series too and the TITLE of this movie?

QUESTION FOUR : CAN YOU NAME THE TITLE of this film and the city in which it is based? PETER CUSHING stars, but TWO of his CO STARS appeared in over THREE films that CUSHING starred in too! NAME THE TWO ACTORS and THE SIX FILMS!

IF YOU CAN ANSWER all these questions, send ALL your  answers to our email, petercushingpcas@gmail.com and we will use your ANSWERS and give you a credit next week!

LAST WEEKS ANSWERS:

GIF ONE: WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THIS FILM? I MONSTER THE FILM ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEM DURING PRODUCTION, WHAT WAS THAT PROBLEM? A FAILED PROCESS OF SHOOTING IN 3D. THE CAT IN THE FILM WAS ACTUALLY, a) CHRISTOPHER LEE'S b) STEPHEN WEEKS THE DIRECTOR'S c) PETER CUSHING'S? 

GIF TWO: THOMAS was born in a) WALES? b) LONDON c) EGYPT d) FRANCE.  The film  is part of the KARNSTEIN TRILOGY. IS IT THE SECOND OR THIRD ENTRY IN THE TALE? There were quite a few RATS on the floor of the set on THIS CRYPT. HOW DID THEY GET THE RATS TO STAY IN SHOT? a) WITH STRINGS? b) THE RATS WERE ANIMATED AND NOT REAL? c) WITH PEANUT BUTTER? d) WITH CHEESE?

GIF THREE: JAMES VILLIERS and CHARLOTTE TRAMPLING in AMICUS FILMS ASYLUM in 1972. VILLIERS was quite a prolific actor, who nearly always played sardonic and upper class gentlemen. He worked for both AMICUS and HAMMER FILMS. HOW MANY FILMS DID HE APPEAR IN FOR HAMMER FILMS? THREE: THE DAMNED, THE NANNY, AND BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY'S TOMB. VILLIERS appeared to be of aristocratic background, BECAUSE HE WAS A DESCENDANT OF THE EARLS OF CLARENDON. TRUE or FALSE?  Descendant of the Earls of Clarendon. 

GIF FOUR: CHRISTOPHER LEE as COUNT DRACULA being assisted by Hammer films regular actor, THORLEY WALTERS as  Ludwig in DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1966). WALTERS MADE HOW MANY FILMS IN WHICH PETER CUSHING APPEARED TOO? FOUR THE RISK FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS (IN THE INTRO) FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED IN HOW MANY SHERLOCK HOLMES FILMS DID WALTERS APPEAR? TWO : SHERLOCK HOLMES SMARTER BROTHER and  SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE DEADLY NECKLACE 

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

REMEMBERING ONE OF HAMMER FILMS NICEST MEN : TUESDAY TOUGHIE : WINNERS OF CINEFICCION!

REMEMBERING: A wonderful actor and special guy, RALPH BATES. Sadly, no longer with us, and died today in 1991. A talented actor and a truly gentle and kind man.

THE GREAT, GREAT nephew of the renowned French scientist Louis Pasteur developed into a strangely handsome dark haired, pale complexioned English actor. Ralph Bates was born in 1940 in Bristol, England and attended the University of Dublin and studied at the Yale Drama School. His dramatic talents first came to audiences attention playing the evil Emperor Caligula in the well received BBC TV series The Caesars (1968). However, the Hammer studios resurrection of the horror genre was then in full stride, and Bates was soon engulfed in the swirling cloak of Hammer's success as he appeared in several horror films in quick succession.

FIRSTLY IN A SUPPORT role as demonic Lord Courtley in Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), followed as the lead character Baron Frankenstein in The Horror of Frankenstein (1970), then as Giles Barton in the sexy Lust for a Vampire (1971) and as the well meaning Dr. Jekyll in an unusual spin on the Robert Louis Stevenson story in Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971) and 'Fear in the Night' with Peter Cushing in 1972. Bates brought a new zest to Hammer and with his stylish dialogue delivery and film acting methods, he quickly won himself quite a few fans in both critics and regular film goers!

UNFORTUNATELY, by the early 1970s there had been a downturn in Hammer studios fortunes, and Bates then found himself turning to more traditional character work in other production houses and he appeared in several films before snaring other superb villainous role as George Warleggan in the 18th century period piece Poldark (1975).

AFTER POLDARK, Bates himself kept busy in a few forgettable UK made TV shows and television film roles which did not really do justice to his remarkable talents. In the late 1980s his health rapidly deteriorated, and he sadly passed away from cancer aged only 51 on 27th March 1991. 

BELOW OUR ANSWER to LAST WEEKS TUESDAY TOUGHIE!

ANSWER: THE ACTORS who Peter Cushing worked with BETWEEN 1956 and 1959 who became KNIGHTED were MICHAEL REDGRAVE in TIME WITHOUT PITY (1957) , CHRISTOPHER LEE in a whole range of feature films, STANLEY BAKER in VIOLENT PLAYGROUND (1958) and JOHN MILLS in END OF THE AFFAIR (released 1956)

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY! HERE ARE OUR LUCKY FOUR winners to the competition we held LAST WEEK! YOUR magazine will be with you shortly. IF ytou did not supply a postal address where you would like your prizes mailed to, PLEASE contact me at the PCAS email. AGAIN thank you everyone who took part and entered AND many thanks to DARIO at CINEFICCION for those prize copies! HERE is where you can ORDER YOUR copy too!  ANOTHER COMPETITION LATER THIS WEEK! KEEP LOOKING IN!