COMPETITION! TWO SETS OF PC BOOKS UP FOR GRABS WITH TWO GREAT RARITIES!

I AM SURE MOST of you will know TWO of these books, the one other maybe not. The first published in 1986, 'Peter Cushing An Autobiography' was reviewed at the time as ' Peter Cushing discusses his childhood, his early acting career in films and on stage, his BBC television work and his renowned years at Hammer, all with literary wit and charm. While Mr. Cushing's humour will tickle readers' funny bones, the everlasting love story between Mr. Cushing and his dear wife Helen will touch their hearts' It is I am happy to say, all that and more . . 

THE SECOND AUTOBIOGRAPHY , 'Past Forgetting : The Hammer Years' published in 1988 picks up from the end of the first, covers lots of anecdotal material from his TV and theatre years, he does dip into 'Hammer Time' but many thought at the time... not enough. It's a good read and links with Volume one perfectly

THE THIRD BOOK 'Peter Cushing' was edited and published by Donald Fearney in 1996. It's Mr Fearney...and a whole raft of actors, directors and friends paying tribute to Cushing, with personal stories and impressions of working with Peter. Every page carries one or more very nice photographs, beautifully produced with large-format glossy pages. The tributes include contributions from Ingrid Pitt, Christopher Lee, Joyce Broughton, Francis Matthews, Charles Gray, Barbara Shelley, Freddie Francis and many more. 

THIS BOOK RARELY sits on eBay, but when it does it sells for £25 and up to £40, depending on its condition. This one is mint! You can enter this competition either by sending your entry via email to 'theblackboxclub@gmail.com' label YOUR entry 'BOOK COMPETITION' OR you can zip along to the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE and send your entry via the chat / message box! Any entries posted onto the post or the thread below the post, will be deleted and not entered into the competition.   Good luck Everybody! Have fun!

ABOVE: IF YOU ALREADY OWN the Peter Cushing autobiographies, if you haven't read them yet... have you CHECKED them??? READ HERE!

ORIGINALLY POSTED AND SHARED HERE  two years ago. ANOTHER great story, with a Peter Cushing Autobiography connection: READ HERE!

VALENTINES DAY SURPRISE THATS ALL HEART AND TRUE LOVE

A #VALENTINESURPRISE .... like no other! Revenge delivered on #ValentinesDay, with #PeterCushing as Arthur Grimsdyke in 'Tales from the Crypt' (1972) . .  below I have posted a screen capture from Peter's 'Poetic Justice' tale from 'Tales from the Crypt' that includes a framed photograph of Grimsdyke's wife, Helen. Despite what many presume, this isn't actually a photograph of Peter Cushing's wife, Helen who sadly passed away on 14 January 1971. . . the film was released on 28th September 1972... This is a stock photograph of another actress. But, Helen did appear in a framed photograph, as Peter's character's wife in Tyburn films, 'The Ghoul' in 1975

PETER AND HELEN CUSHING : ' I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you...' Both Peter and Helen Cushing were True Valentines and inseparable, even after Helen's passing. Here is Helen's short piece she wrote for a magazine back in the early 1960's, about how they met and there love for each other... '

ABOVE: RARE news reel footage of Peter and Helen at a film premier evening in 1959

'THE NIGHT THEY TERRIFIED THE WHOLE COUNTRY' : BBC ORWELL'S 1984 INTERVIEWS

FROM 1960, Peter Cushing, Yvonne Mitchell, writer Nigel Kneale and director Rudolph Cartier reflect on the huge reaction to the live broadcast of the BBC Sunday Night Drama, '1984' aired 12th December 1954. For any television broadcast to prompt any reaction from the government at this time, was indeed quite rare. But watching Peter, Yvonne Mitchell and Morell here, gives a pretty good idea of THEIR fears too... To an extent it changed drama on the BBC and put Cushing into a another area of work all together, for many years to come... It's a short feature and certainly worth watching... 

ONE MAN AND HIS PASSION FOR TOYS WITH THEATRES FULL HOUSE AND SOLD OUT!

PETER CUSHING was certainly a man of hobbies. MANY hobbies. Collections, books, stamps, coins, figures, soldiers, trains, cigarette cards, models .. and toys! After Peter's passing, it took two major auctions and several smaller charity sales, to clear a vast collection of passions. Toys were something he had a great love for and the older and simpler it was, the more he liked it 😀 Eighty years after it was purchased and given to him . . he still owned his first and most favourite toy... Piglet!

This weeks quote is taken from Peter Cushing: Past Forgetting' Weidenfeld and Nicolson 1988.

RARE AND UNPUBLISHED PHOTOGRAPHS : PCAS ALBUM : AT HOME WITH PETER CUSHING : PART ONE

ON SEEING these rare and unpublished photographs for the first time, it isn't obvious who the man in the pics actually could be. A neat and trim moustache, the absence of a hair piece and several pounds of body weight along with clothing that wasn't the usual attire familiar to the thousands of cinema goers, who had watched him on the big screen and tv over the past three decades. 1971 was a year that changed Peter Cushing's life forever. The loss of his wife, Helen in February after many years of fighting her illness, set Cushing on a path of work, that would have psychically and emotionally exhausted many others.

THE GRIEF AND LOSS effected everything in Cushing's life, except as he saw, his one distraction away from the loneliness and pain. Work. These unpublished stills were taken in December 1971, as part of a Radio Times magazine feature, promoting a BBC radio programme Peter had recorded earlier on July 27th -29th July 1971 at his home in Whitstable. The programme 'Nature Spectacular' focused on the wildlife and birds of which Peter was very familiar and loved around his beach front home. I am sure you have seen the many watercolour's and sketches that Peter produced over the years, here on PCASUK. He was a lover of nature. The photo session produced quite a few unique captures of Peter, that we will be sharing over the next three weeks. . . 

THIS LOOK INTO Peter's home study, gives us a peep into the things that surrounded his day, the photo portrate of his late wife, the paperwork, the delicate bird figures he made and his desk, which I am very proud to be sat at, while writing this. Just a few weeks before these photographs were taken, Cushing had began his journey, in 'keeping busy' in March until April, he returned in his first film just weeks after Helen passed, Hammer films 'Twins of Evil', September he filmed his award winning performance as Arthur Grimsdyke in Amicus films, 'Tales from the Crypt' at Shepperton studios, work on Hammer's Dracula AD 1972' as Van Helsing with Christopher Lee as the Count, kept him busy from September 27th until November 5th along with several radio appearances from September 30th until early November. He brought the year to an end, with shooting Hammer films, 'Fear In The Night' with Ralph Bates and Judy Geeson' .... hence the little moustache, of his character headmaster, Michael Carmichael. Cushing was allergic to spirit gum that would hold on a false tash, so he grew his facial hair when roles required it! A busy time, indeed.

THE BRAVE AND GENTLE SOUL OF PETER CUSHING PICS AND COMPETITION

THE 1972 AMICUS FILM, 'Asylum' which is featured in our Second Sight Films / PCAS competition this week, was a film that contains quite a sad and poignant role for Peter Cushing, both his character and Cushing in his own life, were dealing with the grief of losing a loved one. After the release of Asylum in the UK, the connection of the role and Cushing own loss, prompted quite a few interviews and features in magazines and newspapers. A few weeks ago, we posted the quite well known photo of Peter sitting at a dresser in his home in Whitstable, with framed photographs of Helen at his side. On posting this pic, I received quite a few messages from many of you out there who were very moved to see Peter looking so remorseful. So, I looked into our files and to find this 'other' photograph from this photo session and post the two here today 😀 The loss of Helen was something from which Peter Cushing never truly recovered, but being the gentleman and brave soul he was, he always managed to push on, to another day ... I hope you like the insert photo - Marcus 😉

ABOVE: YOU CAN bag your chance to win a copy of the LIMITED EDITION BLU RAY SECOND SIGHT FILMS  release of  'ASYLUM' in our PCASUK COMPETITION  right now at our FACEBOOK PCAS FAN PAGE! The competition is open until SATURDAY 29th of June 2019, so there's still time to take the opportunity now!

SHE LIVED FOR HIM AND HE LIVED FOR HER : REMEMBERING HELEN CUSHING TODAY

TODAY January 14th marks the 48th anniversary of the passing of HELEN CUSHING. Peter and Helen were married for nearly 28 years. They were a devoted couple. She lived for HIM and he lived for HER. . .. the story of the effect on Peter of Helen's passing is well documented here on the page and website. Both of them thought their meeting was kismet, meant to be . . . years after, she would remember their first meeting, as if it were yesterday ...

THROWBACKTHURSDAY: TO VINTAGE HAMMER FRANKENSTEIN AND MUMMY ON SET

#ThrowbackThursday: A rare peep onto the set of Hammer films, 'Frankenstein Created Woman' at Bray studios, with Peter Cushing and Peter Madden all set for the camera to roll. Those you who know the film, will also know this scene is one of Cushing's Hammer Frankenstein vocal repore highlights, where his dialogue in the dock, shows how the Baron could, if needed, reduce authority figures into a bumbling half-wits. We would see it again,to jaw drop and marvelous effect in Cushimg and Hammer's next Frankenstein film, 'Must Be Destroyed', where his sharp tongue would 'slap the pomp and stupid' out of a party of toffs and top hatters 😉 Peter Madden would also appear, sadly briefly, in the last Hammer Cushing Frankenstein film, 'Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell' in 1974.

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: January 11th 1971. An on set, off camera rare photograph of Peter Cushing as Professor Julian Fuchs and Valerie Leon as daughter Margaret Fuchs , during Peter Cushing's one day of shooting on the Hammer films, 'Blood From The Mummy's Tomb'. Sadly, it was a set and role to which Cushing would never return, Helen Cushing, Peter's wife was taken ill on this day and died shortly after, on January 14th 1971. Actor Andrew Keir would step into the role, just three days later. Cushing would return to work and Hammer films two months later, with the role of Gustav Weil in 'TWINS OF EVIL'.

FULL FEATURE AND STILLS GALLERY FROM 'TWINS OF EVIL' : The Collinson PUT THE BITE into HAMMER : CLICK HERE!