FREE COLOUR HAMMER FILMS DRACULA CONTACT SHEET : HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY AND COLLECTORS WEDNESDAY

WELL THERE COULD only be one face here today, for certain! Have a Happy Valentine, Everyone - Peter Cushing as Arthur Grimsdyke, resurrected in Tales From The Crypt (1972) in the VALENTINE story, Poetic Justice. Peter Cushing was awarded The Licorne d’Or Award at the French Convention of Fantasy Cinema, for his role of Arthur Grimsdyke . .

THE RARE COLOUR contact sheet BELOW features FOUR images that were never used in  publicity for the film, and probably not published as a contact sheet before today, on the net. Even though these are posted here at as hiigh a resolution as blogger will handle, these images are still very LARGE and taken to a print shop, after a little cleaning with picasa  . . . .or photoshop, if you are really particular . . they would print of as great 10 x 8 stills or even large full colour posters! Have FUN! - Marcus.

NEXT WEEKS CUSHING COLLECTORS POST: PETER CUSHING

CHRISTOPHRE LEE WRITES: "Unfortunately, I am also to be opened up--on June 7th I have open heart surgery that day (no lilies, please) to replace a mitral valve. At least it will prove that I do have a heart--and if anything goes wrong, nobody will believe it. Peter [Cushing] has very kindly offered to act as consultant; I have slight reservations on this one, having once been the result of his genius . . . . I think this all started on HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS. What with my heart, John [Carradine]'s hands, Peter's [unreadable] and your legs, we should be able to put together some sort of composite immortal which would keep Landis, Cronenberg and Carpenter in funds for many years."

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 

FREE COLOUR DRACULA CONTACT SHEET : CUSHING COLLECTABLE WEDNESDAY!

THIS WEEKS and our FIRST Collectable is a contact sheet of press stills from #hammerfilms Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968) The shots were taken during shooting the 'Dracula's hide out' which were shot on sets at Pinewood Studios. Featured the shots are Christopher Lee appearing in his third Dracula film for the studio. Also actress Barbara Ewing as barmaid Zena and Veronica Carlson as Maria. This scene marks the seducation and 'biting' of Ewing's Zena. The film was directed by Freddie Francis. #dracula #hammerfilms #christopherlee

WHAT ARE MOVIE CONTACT SHEETS? : Back in the ‘classic’ movie  days, still photography went hand-in-hand with film making, to the point that photo negatives were just as important as the reel of the film being produced. Publicity shots made the film and its stars eternally shine. Photographers had to show a keen flattering eye for capturing the stars of the film, as the public’s perception, and success of the film, heavily depended on them. From a sheet containing maybe eight to ten exposures, the press office would choose maybe just one or two, which would be published and exhibited. The rest of the poses and pics would never see the light of day or be unpublished. THAT is what makes contacts rare and valuable. It’s sad to say that many contact sheets were trashed after the movie released or had public run. Most of these contact sheets have survived, because someone dug it out of the trash.”

TODAY is the first of our new weekly themed day here at facebook and our PCAS website. #CUSHINGCOLLECTORSWEDNESDAY! Each each week we'll be giving away rare stills, contact sheets from the press offices of the past and other visual goodies for the digital image collectors among you to add to your collections. Not every goody will be Cushing related, some will be, as in this case something from the Hammer or Amicus films archive. But all will be certainly worth having, individually un-watermarked and even if you don't collect...these can be printed off as photographs or large posters.

SO, THIS WEEK we start with TEN colour images still as originally processed by the Hammer films Warner Brothers press office. These images taken by studio stills photographer. They have not been clean or edited. They are in their original state and are YOURS 😉 Feel free to right click, save and copy.

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  

ANOTHER HORROR OF DRACULA CINEMA POSTER READY TO GO UNDER THE HAMMER

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY! For most Hammer fans it's known as THE cinema poster. It's a 30 x 40 inch sheet of vintage paper, that encapsulates every thing that was magical about British Horror films and the studio that not only rebooted the horror film genre in the late 50's, but made Christopher Lee a star and a household name. The studio was Hammer films, the named star was Peter Cushing, the film was Dracula aka Horror of Dracula (1958) The credits rolled, the title appeared, the blood splashed on the stone tomb... and things were never the same again...If you want to own this piece of that story and cinema history, it will set you back somewhere between Five and Seven thousand pounds sterling, at an auction taking place at WHYTE'S Auction House on February 3rd 2018. The last time another Dracula / Horror of Dracula poster was valued, it hit the over the 5000 pound sterling mark. (See Clip Below!) So, got your credit card ready??? Very cool . . .

REMEMBERING : Sir James Carreras, born today in 1909. Son of Enrique Carreras, the co-founder of Hammer Films and the Blue Hall theatre chain... and father of Hammer film producer and director, Michael Carreras. It was JC who hit on the formula of '..design a poster for a potential film, for the backers to actually see!' A simple but very effect method.  It is said that he, '..judged the success of his films not by critical plaudits, but strictly on the basis of box office returns.' Maybe so, but for a long time his approached worked, making very large profits for the backers, giving Hammer films the Queens Award to Industry Award back in 1968 and a loyal fan base that remains to this day. He is remembered each year by Variety: The Children's Charity, with The Sir James Carreras Award. '...This Award honors the name of Sir James Carreras MBE, who served Variety International with great distinction as one of its past International Presidents. It is presented annually to a physician who has demonstrated exceptional dedication and skill in the field of pediatrics'.

STARTING TOMORROW here at the WEBSITE and at the PCASUK FACEBOOK FAN PAGE #CUSHINGCOLLECTORSWEDNESDAY! Every week, a chance to download a piece of British Horror Cinema History. Some weeks rare CONTACT SHEETS, other weeks rare hi res colour transpaencies. Some weeks several items, others rare one off items. But ALL FREE!

AND FINALLY . . . Above this week's TUESDAY TOUGHY . .  ANSWERS FRIDAY!

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  

FREE HAMMER CONTACT SHEETS : BATES AND LEE TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA AND A BIRTHDAY!

 

#CHRISTOPHERLEESATURDAY! It's a great shame, that Ralph Bates lost his opportunity to play DRACULA. How do you think he would have played it??? #dracula #casting #hammerfilms #pulltheplug #vampires

FREE CONTACT SHEETS FROM HAMMER FILMS : HAMMER FILMS TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA : FEATURING LINDA HAYDEN, ANTHONY HIGGINS  . . . .

'I’VE SEEN THE LIKES TONIGHT that mortal eyes shouldn’t look at!’… say that line of dialogue and any Hammer film fan worth his or her salt, quick as a flash will reply, ‘Michael Ripper, as the poacher in 'The Mummy!’.. And it is Michael Ripper who we remember today on the day his birth, 27th January 1913. Ripper appeared in many productions for Hammer, seven with Peter Cushing, nine with Christopher Lee.  . . .

INN KEEPERS, coachmen, police officers, Ripper an accomplished stage and film actor it could be argued is as much part of the Hammer family as Cushing, Lee, Fisher and Francis. Christopher Lee once announced to a packed convention in Baltimore, with Ripper standing at his side.. 'This man IS Hammer!’ And for many of us, he always will be . . .

IF SOMETHING INTERESTING comes my way, I love to be able to share with you! Such is the case of this rarely seen candid photograph of Christopher Lee and Michael Ripper at a signing. The little I have leaned about this occasion, has come from the owner of this photograph, James Murray. 

JAMES WAS WORKING 'on the door' this day at a book shop in London and remembers it well. It was a book signing, attended by Christopher Lee, signing copies of his book, 'Tall, Dark and Gruesome' the Midnight Marquee edition. Being an admirer of Christopher Lee, he brought along his camera and posed for a pic...and managed to capture Michael too! . . .MORE ON THIS STORY: HERE!

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  

GIFS WEDNESDAY REMEMBER MILLAND AND THE DOCTOR PAYS A VISIT TOMORROW!

IT'S ENOUGH TO PUT you off chest freezers for life! What a wicked way to go though? Here is MICHAEL TODD, matinee idol of the 40's and 50's. appearing in AMICUS FILM 'ASYLUM' (1972) As ever, Milton Subotsky, pulled together a fine cast, with then likes of Peter Cushing, Barry Morse, Sylvia Syms, Charlotte Rampling, Patrick Magee, Herbert Lom, James Villiers, Geoffrey Bayldon and Britt Ekland. All fine actors with long careers and experience behind them . . part of the secret that made the Hammer films and Amicus movies so entertaining were the actors, who knew their trade, not only gave value in the billing, to get bottoms on seats, but were very good at their jobs! Amicus may have low budgets, and were often seen as a bit low brow . . .but how often did a mainstream entertainment film carry a cast like this one??

POOR OL ROBERT HELLER, his plan appeared to be going like clock-work in Hammer films 'FEAR IN THE NIGHT' (1972), the last thing he expected under that sheep was MOLLY! Me too. I have mentioned this before, but I must be one of the few, certainly in my group of friends, who watches a movie, I mean WATCHES the movie. I get so pulled in by the story, I am not distracted by trying to work out, what happens next. So, this film was very enjoyable for me! When we met and interviewed RALPH BATES and JUDY GEESON back in the early 1980's, the memory of making this film and working with Peter, was still very fresh in the minds. They LOVED it. But, I don't think Joany, did though.....! Pity.  

PROBABLY THE ONE FILM we get request for GIFS from, than any other from Peter Cushing's long career! This chase taken from Hammer films, 'DRACULA' (Horror of Dracula) is one of Hammer's most iconic scenes, it never git better. Fisher repeated a chase through the castle (below) in Hammer's next Van Helsing film, good as it was, it didn't reach the drama that this one created. Peter Cushing was a very athletic man and actor . . .he swam in the sea ever morning, at his beach-side home in Whistable!! Christopher Lee, not so much. In fact, I have spent some time while posting these gifs, thinking of I have ever seen Christopher RUN in any other films? I can't think of any. Cushing was graceful, Lee despite highly skilled at mime which he studied was, by his own admission quite a clumsy man! But, with the help of some technical twiddling, dubbing OUT Dracula footsteps, during this chase, he whips along like a hunted gazelle! 

PETER CUSHING AS VAN HELSING chases Baron Meinster, though the chateau in Hammer films, 'THE BRIDES OF DRACULA' (1960). Again, like the 1958 DRACULA, this scene was shot at Hammer's home studio at Bray. A small studio, with not very big stages at this time. But, if you look carefully, you can spot many props and furniture, that Van Helsing would have past, during his early chase scene with DRACULA in 1958!

WE CAN'T LET TODAY go by with remembering this chap! The much loved and  very talented actor Ray Milland, whose screen career lasted from the 30's all the way into the 80's… and covered multiple genres with his most notable films being The Lost Weekend (1945) (for which he won an Oscar) , Dial M For Murder (1954) and the horror classic's The Premature Burial (1962) X The Man with the X-ray eyes (1963) both for Roger Corman. He starred with Peter Cushing in The Uncanny (1977) and The Masks Of Death (1985) ….. Do you have a favorite Milland film?

LARGE PHOTOGRAPH SCAN: Here's a wonderful behind the scenes shot from Dalek Invasion Earth 2150 AD, one of many . . . . plus a few unseen pics from the film... I'll be sharing here tomorrow, for #Throwbackthursday. In the film, this scene really does look like an exterior location. Lighting camera men really knew there jobs back then, and the crews worked hard to archive great results like this one. LOOK carefully and you can spot one, way up in the lighting gantry, just over RAY BROOKS, who is standing on the set demolished building . . MORE TOMORROW! SEE BELOW!

THE FIRST of a TWO PART GALLERY featuring behind the scene rare images and photographs from BOTH Peter Cushing DOCTOR WHO DALEK movies from the 60s! PART ONE ARRIVES HERE TOMRROW #THROWBACKTHURSDAY!

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