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...
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.
ON SEEING these rare and unpublished photographs for the first time, it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unpublished stills were taken in December 1971, as part of a Radio Times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 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!
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:
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!
A SPECIAL DAY.. A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY: Join us in wishing VERONICA CARLSON a VERY Happy Birthday TODAY! Image: Veronica Carlson and Peter Cushing pose for a publicity photograph during the making of #hammerfilms 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed' at Elstree film studios in 1969. You can read more about Veronica and her career, in our excellent series feature by BRUCE HALLENBECK HERE plus the work she did with Peter Cushing in Tyburn films, THE GHOUL and FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED
VERONICA CARLSON : WOMEN IN GOTHIC PART FIVE WITH GALLERY : HERE!
MORE VERONICA CARLSON AND CUSHING in THE GHOUL! JUST CLICK HERE
ABOVE THIS WEEKS TUESDAY TOUGHY! Good luck with this one and feel free to pop along to the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE and post YOUR answer in the THREAD! MEANWHILE, below here is LAST WEEKS ANSWER!
ANSWER: DAVID KRESKIN an American Mentalist who was very popular on television in both the US and UK during the 1970's. In 1973 he broadcast a daytime TV series on ITV in the UK. Kreskin always claimed to be an 'entertainer', never a psychic, he operated using the power of suggestion, not paranormal or supernatural. In JULY 1973 Peter Cushing appeared as a guest on the daytime UK show and took part in a ten minute feature, where he was invited to write a NAME of his choice, on a piece of paper. Kreskin did not see the name, as it written and folded up. This paper was then set alight with a match, placed onto a china plate and the ashes from the paper were then rubbed lightly, onto the bare arm of Cushing, where the name HELEN then magically appeared! Helen was Cushing's late wife, who had died just two years previously. Kreskin at the beginning of the trick, did mention he had no prior knowledge of the name that Peter Cushing had chosen to write on the note paper. As with all magic tricks . . . the trick is in the preparation!
ABOVE: TELEVISION LISTING MAGAZINE TV TIMES with the listing of Cushing's appearance on the show. BELOW: Not AUSTIN POWERS but KRESKIN, during his tv show . . .
AT THE TIME when Cushing was still still in deep moaning for his late wife, I personally think, this was such an odd event and choice from Cushing. He never truly recovered for the twenty years odd years, he outlived Helen. Granted, he did a few years later also include a photograph of Helen in the Tyburn film, THE GHOUL'. But this, just seems weird and more than a little mawkish? Maybe it's just me, but I remember seeing this show as a teenager when it was broadcast, and even then, thought it odd. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this. It's a tv appearance which many would not now remember and is hardly ever mentioned. I am sure there will be several comments on this at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE TODAY. PLEASE feel free to join in with your comments and thoughts too!
