THE FINAL QUESTION IN THE 'FIVE QUESTIONS PCASUK COMPETITION!

QUESTION FIVE: HOW MANY FEATURE FILMS DID PETER CUSHING AND CHRISTOPHER LEE APPEAR IN TOGETHER... 'THEY SHARED SCENES ON THE SCREEN TOGETHER'... FOR HAMMER FILMS AND AMICUS FILMS AND WHAT WERE THEIR TITLES??

AND SO, here we are! Question FIVE, the final question in our 'FIVE QUESTIONS' PCASUK COMPETITION. I hope you have read the last four questions, posted every day, over the past four days? Now READ CAREFULLY .... What you do next? We now need you to send YOUR answer to THIS question today AND the last FOUR QUESTIONS, to us here at our EMAIL: petercushingpcasgmail.com OR you can send them and enter at our FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE !  

ANY ANSWERS posted in the message box below or on any of the other posts, will be deleted and counted as void. Once you have sent us your FIVE answers, sit back...and wait for the draw of us pulling out the ONE lucky winner's name, who wins the prize of a our SIGNED, full colour, framed photograph of Christopher Lee as Dracula in Dracula AD 1972! ALL ANSWERS MUST BE IN BY FRIDAY 30th NOVEMBER 2018. The winners name will be posted and shared here the following day on Saturday 1st December 2018! So you have quite a few days to study the questions and send in your FIVE ANSWERS entry 😊 It's been a great competition to be part of, I wish you the VERY best of luck 😀You can NOW send us all FIVE of your answers 😀😃 Marcus 

ABOVE: THE PRIZE AND THE START OF PROMOTION FOR THE 'FIVE QUESTIONS COMPETITION' FROM TUESDAY 20TH OF NOVEMBER 2018'

WIN SIGNED COLLECTABLE RARE CHRISTOPHER LEE FRAMED PORTRAIT : OUR LAST WARNER BROTHERS DRACULA AD COMPETITION

AND SO... HERE WE GO: The last of our competitions celebrating Warner Brothers release of two fantastic remastered blu rays Hammer films, 'Dracula AD 1972' and 'The Satanic Rites Of Dracula' both starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee 😁 It's a rare and collectable prize and a competition that's little more fun maybe. The first of the five questions will arrive here today, with four more to follow, one a day, until the FINAL QUESTION on Saturday 24th November at midnight GMT. If you have any questions about the competition, the prize or what to have for dinner this evening, please don;t hesistate hesitate to email us HERE!

ABOVE is our FIRST QUESTION of FIVE, that will be posted here over the next FIVE DAYS, the final question, question FIVE on Saturday 24th when the competition closes at midnight GMT. Answer this question, keep your answer SAFE, because come Saturday, you'll be asked to send ALL five of your answers by EMAIL to us here at PCASUK! PLEASE do not post your answer to us today OR message them in the website message box. Question TWO will be posted here on the website TOMORROW 🙂 The prize, as you probably know by now, is a rare and collectable colour autographed frame photograph of Christopher Lee from 'Dracula AD 1972'. It's in mint condition, one of two that I personally own. The framed photograph was donated by Hammer Art back in 2011. It was signed in 2012, along with another exact version of what was being signed. Today is the day, I am giving one away as a prize😮😀 The frame with the photograph is 20 x 14.5″ in size, printed on Hahnemuhle German Etching Paper 315gsm and was one of ONLY TEN in a limited edition. You can also if you wish, chat and enter the competition at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE Meanwhile, have fun with this and GOOD LUCK Everyone! 😊 - Marcus

WHAT A WAY TO GO ! SPIDERS IN A MYSTERY RARE PHOTOGRAPH

WHAT A HORRIBLE way to go! Here is Peter Cushing breathing his last gasps, in a film I am pretty sure you all know 😉 This is a RARE photograph, I have never shared before. QUESTION: There was only ONE #vincentprice film in which Peter also appeared, but didn't die! If you know THAT title, you'll know which film takes the theme on SUNDAY when CALLUM MCKELVIE joins us again, for the first in another series of great features with RARE stills galleries! Crack my QUESTION you have the film for Callum's first FEATURE 😉 - Marcus

WANT TO SEE MORE? Come join us at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! UPDATED EVERY DAY! 

BEST BUDDIES CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL BEST FRIEND DAY!

TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL BEST FRIENDS DAY! Although, maybe the characters that Cushing, Christopher Lee, Vincent Price and John Carradine played in The House Of Long Shadows, were not the best of buddies.....OR were they?.... you can certainly say, off set .. three of them, were almost BLOOD brothers...! Which is quite conveniently marked and shown, on the latest clips from Lee and Cushing's THE LAST MEETING series, we have just added to our 're-vamped' PCAS YouTube Channel! Here is one of them, which I am sure you'll enjoy! (ELEVEN PARTS HERE!) Happy Best Friends Day!

BROTHER'S (LIONEL) (Price) and Sebastian (Cushing) with Father (Lord Elijah Grisbane) and Corrigan (Lee) pose for a killer pic! The House of The Long Shadows (1983) All good buddies really...aren't they??

PLEASE COME VISIT OUR REVAMPED PCAS YOUTUBE CHANNEL! SUBSCRIBE AND DON'T MISS A THING! JUST CLICK CLICK HERE!

THERE IS A NEW POST SHARED EVERY DAY AT OUR PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE  PLEASE COME JOIN US AND ALONG WITH OVER 33,000 FOLOWERS HELP KEEP THE MEMORY OF PETER CUSHING ALIVE!

FRIDAY FEMME FATLES: THE HAMMER FILM ACTRESS WHO MARRIED A VICAR, MOVED TO AN ISLAND AND WAS FRIENDS WITH LIZA MINNELLI : IT'S ALL VERY VALERIE!

"THE WOMAN WHO WILL BE REMEMBERED as the first Hammer horror vampire to bare her fangs on screen, Valerie Sheila Reddington, died at St Mary’s Hospital, Newport, on November 27, aged 84 . . . . ' These were the first three lines, that appeared in actress Valerie Gaunt's obituary, printed in the County Press Newspaper in 2016, the daily news of the Isle of Wight, Gaunt's place of residence for almost the last twenty years of her life. 



ABOVE AND BELOW: OF THE TWO TELEVISION DRAMAS, that GAUNT appeared in, Only The Father In Law, survives, as her earliest work. Sadly, the ITV Playhouse drama ' A Chance Meeting' from 1956, which was the play, in which Fisher heard, that scream . .  is thought lost.


IT'S INTERESTING THAT Valerie Gaunt’s film career actually amounted to just two supporting roles in two Hammer films, and two small roles in a pair of TV dramas! And yet, she exerted an enduring fascination for horror fans who mourned her early retirement in 1958.  Just like that. Not unlike the poorly credited 'Vampire Woman', a role without a name, in Hammer films, 1958 'Dracula' she vanished into the night . . .

FOR GAUNT, her association with Hammer films began when she caught the attention of, a soon to be Hammer films, go to director Terry Fisher. While watching the tv one night, Fisher had the chance in a million of hearing Valerie deliver her spine-tingling scream, in the unfolding drama. He immediately sent her a telegram, pleading with her to get in touch, with him, as soon as possible. Right there, Hammer history was hatched and Gaunt was to be forever associated with her two roles for the company.

AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT,  those two roles were key in two of Hammer Films most iconic productions. In 1957 she played Justine, the naughty maid to — and secret lover of — one #PeterCushing Baron Frankenstein, in 'The Curse of Frankenstein'. Cushing was fresh from the broadcast of several major BBC TV drama productions. He had been award a BAFTA just sixteen months before, the camera turned on 'The Curse of Frankenstein', in November 1956. Given the few scenes where Gaunt appears in the film, she managed to deliver a full-blooded and nuanced character. Thanks to her jealousy, Justine falls foul of her paramour and ends up suffering an unseen, but implied grisly fate at the hands of his monstrous creation . . .an unknown actor at the time, called Christopher Lee.

BEFORE THIS FIRST screen appearance, Gaunt studied theatre at RADA, London. From 1951, she busily appeared in.... 'this week we perform play 'A', while learning and rehearsing next week's play 'B'...repertory theatre. Another life changing event happened in 1957, the same year that 'The Curse of Frankenstein' was released. Gaunt met her husband to be Gerald, a stockbroker and non-stipendiary priest, later to become a vicar! The happy couple, tied the knot at All Saints’ Church, Margaret Street, West London, on May 17 the following year.

NOW MRS REDDINGTON, she kept the embers of her first role on film glowing, until  almost a year to the day, when she wrapped on Frankenstein, she began work on the film, that would change the fortunes of one Christopher Lee, and sadly snuff out any desires she may have had to continue as an actress. This second role was no less significant. Clad in a just demure nightgown, she pleads with a naive Jonathan Harker, to save her from the evil clutches of the Count, before sinking her fangs into his neck

HUSBAND GERALD, was also a friend of Christopher Lee. On invitation to the set, he watched his wife, shooting her iconic scenes for 'Dracula' at Hammer Studios, Bray. What he made of all the demonic hissing and horror, to say nothing of the feral  fanged fight between his friend Lee and his new bride, we shall never know. But aficionados of  English Gothic cinema, exemplified by the two films in which Gaunt appeared now argue that, Gaunt provided the template, for what would later became known as “Hammer glamour”. 

ALTHOUGH GAUNT enjoyed her stint as a scream queen, Gaunt’s husband, Gerald Reddington, recalled that after the premier of Dracula she came home, kicked her shoes off, sat on the bed and said: “Well thank goodness that is over, I’m never working again!” And really, who could blame her? Gaunt was clearly a woman of character, she knew what she wanted from life. It seems she always did . . .

AND SO, although Gaunt, Mrs Reddington never acted professionally again, she was a dynamic behind-the-scenes force, directing two plays at the prep school attended by her oldest son, Marcus, and later spent five years bringing her talents to teaching drama students, at the Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts, East Grinstead, West Sussex, she also read books for the blind for the Calibre Audio Library. . . . . .

VALERIE GAUNT was born on June 26, 1932, in West Bromwich, the only daughter of a Birmingham industrialist. At the age of 26, having been to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in repertory theatre in Birmingham for four years, she relocated to London. Gaunt moved into a house bought from the stepmother of the man who would become her husband. Having met Valerie, she phoned Reddington and said: “I’ve just sold Queen Anne Street to a very rich man with an only daughter, and you must meet her.” By coincidence, Gaunt’s mother had met Reddington at the same time and invited him for a drink — to meet her daughter.

ALTHOUGH BROUGHT together initially by the gentle meddling of family members, the couple were united by their shared faith. According to Victoria Jol, the couple’s youngest daughter: “The young couple were invited to stay at his family’s country house. However, he was on duty as a server at All Saints church, Margaret Street, so instead my mother went to church with my father — and they never really left.” The church became an integral part of the lives and faith of Valerie and Gerald, who, after a career as a stockbroker, became an ordained minister. They married at All Saints; their four children were baptised in the church; their daughter Benedicta was married there and the memorial for their son Adam, who died when he was just nine years of age, was held there.

AT THE TIME OF HER sad passing on November 27th, 2016 Gaunt was survived by her husband and three of her children. Marcus Reddington, who, like his father, started out as a stockbroker, eventually found his way into the theatre, and is a showman and puppeteer working on the West End production of Wicked. Benedicta Green is a psychotherapeutic counsellor. Victoria Jol worked at the Wiley academic publisher in Australia and the UK and until her Mother's passing, was a full-time carer for her parents.

VALERIE'S TIME IN THE GLOW of the studio ark light was brief, but she certainly made an impression. She decided being an actress was not for her. Maybe also, Hammer studios way of retaining an almost repertory band of crew and actors, could have become a clash of personal sensibilities. She had already appeared in a pair of box office smashers. What if they were to call on her again? Understandably, the church and the glamorous, materialistic and shallow world of entertainment and . . .  horror films, could never be the best of friends. BUT, Valerie was a friend of Judy Garland who moved in such glamorous circles. Gaunt was an unlikely vicar’s wife. Although she once crisply informed a church volunteer that buttering scones was not part of her purview — “Oh no, I’m not into catering” — she flung herself into other duties with gusto: writing stories, painting watercolour portraits of children, putting on musicals and editing the parish newspaper. . . which was very much part of her purview, and Very Much Valerie . . .. 

Valerie Reddington's funeral was held at St Peter’s Church, Isle of Wight on December 2nd 2016. Mrs Reddington, is survived by her husband Gerald, son Marcus, daughters Benedicta Green and Victoria Jol, and three grandchildren. 

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

#petercushing 

CHRISTOPHER LEE SATURDAY: SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE LEE INTERVIEWS AND CHATS

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

DARK CORNERS HAMMER FRANKENSTEIN FRANCHISE 1 AND 2 : MONSTER MUSICAL CONNECTIONS : PC MAN AND BOY!

#PeterCushing Femmefatalesfriday! Here's an interesting musical motif connection, between Valerie Gaunt and Christopher Lee. Btw Valerie is the subject of next week's #femmefatale feature here at the website!

PETER CUSHING AGED NINE, with a letter from his school, that was requested by his father, George. It's interesting to read how even back then, he was consciousness and stood out, even at school! 

THE ABOVE BANNER was posted today at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE. With it was a message to everyone who follows and comments at the page, that this is the last post for a while, on the page.  FACEBOOK is a for PCAS is a great tool, to connect with fans of Peter Cushing's work, to devise competitions and get together with others, who have a love of Peter and the whole world, that connects to his work and life. But all of that shudders to a halt, if the followers can nit see the posts we make three to four times daily. Some are reporting seeing none at all, for DAYS! 

ABOVE A FACEBOOK MESSAGE we received seconds after posting the news of taking a some time out from posting on the PCAS facebook fan page. If it wasn't so stupid and manipulative, it would be funny . . BELOW the revised header banner

THE SOLUTION appears to be clicking a button, making a prioritization of the posts you see on facebook..without it, you will not see the PCAS posts, and the account, is starved of the interaction that facebook insists it receives, OR it buries the account. We are taking a few days off from the PCAS PAGE, and waiting to see, if things change . . . .Posts will continue here, unchanged. Thanks to YOU both this website and our PCAS YOUTUBE CHANNEL are very healthy indeed! I'll keep you posted - Marcus 

WHILE WE MAY BE EXPERIENCING visibility issues at our FACEBOOK PAGE, we are still very happy to promote and raise awareness of other society, groups and in this case, excellent video documentaries. I received a message from the chaps at the DARK CORNERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL  a short time ago, asking if we could possibly, post a LINK to their channel. There reason, I had already discovered that very morning. TWO SUPERB documentaries called HAMMER AND THE FRANKENSTEIN FRANCHISE.  Written and presented by Robin Bailes, directed and edited by Graham Trelfer, the docs are in TWO parts, and each are well worth your time, as are many of video docs. Packed with tons of images and clips, both are very well edited and presented, making these many steps above, what usually passes for docs and reviews on Youtube and also many extras on current blu rand DVD releases. Don't take my word for it, go look them up pr click these links for PART ONE and  PART TWO 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