SHERLOCK HOLMES TAKES ON THE MASKS OF DEATH! #WATCHWITHCUSHING #WATCHPARTY!

DON'T THINK FOR A MINUTE THAT YOU CAN'T take another post of a Cushing Sherlock Holmes adventure? Snap out of it.😉😀 This one... is different 😉 #SirIanMckellen was 75, when he made that amazing Mr Holmes feature back in 2015. #PeterCushing was 71 when he appeared in what would almost be his 'swan song' for the big screen, and he pours just about everything he has in it 😊'Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death' (1984) is a pretty clever film, with a very cool cast to help make it work. 

THE THREE FACES OF Peter Cushing's Sherlock Holmes 

'The Hound of the Baskervilles' (Hammer films 1959)

Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC Television series of 1968

Cushing's Holmes in semi retirement in 'Sherlock Holmes and the 

Masks of Death (1984)

THERE ARE MANY very nice touches in this film and despite Peter's obvious age and his belief he was too old to play it, it works, helped by Cushing's good friend, John Mills who fills the role of Dr Watson confidently and with a few well timed 'matured-creaks and groans'. Roy Ward Baker directs also Ray Milland, Anne Baxter and #AntonDiffring are all lovely to watch and help put the cherry on what could have been quite a stale and mouldy cake! 

I VERY MUCH LIKE the story in this film. At times it's bleak, quite dark and uses one of the 'world's darkest of times' to under pin the evil and threats' in this #Sherlock and #Watson drama, written by Hammer's Anthony Hinds and N.J Crisp. It is a shame Cushing thought himself not fit enough or capable to nail another Holmes film, which was planned for production after this one. But, he did wait while Tyburn were trying to source funding.  

CUSHING MADE '#Biggles' (1986) while waiting, which would be his last cinema role. I think he more than managed to do his last Sherlock justice and finally bow out from one of his most accomplished and always most confidently performed roles in his long and varied career. I hope you enjoy this too 😊Marcus

CATCH UP on ALL the PCASUK '#WATCHWITHCUSHING! 'watch parties' at the FACEBOOK UK PETER CUSHING APPRECIATION SOCIETY FACEBOOK PAGE HERE!

NEWS: THE ZOO GANG COMES REMASTERED TO BLU RAY!

SOME GREAT NEWS for fans of some of PETER CUSHING's television work! CUSHING appeared in an episode of the ITC series called 'THE ZOO GANG' back in 1974. In THE COUNTERFEIT TRAP, CUSHING plays Judge Gautie and appears with the very neat cast of usual's who play the GANG, John Mills, Brian Keith, Lili Palmer and Barry Morse... the majority CUSHING had experience of working with in previous productions, from Amicus films to Sherlock Holmes! THIS is a GREAT release.

THE VISUAL QUALITY OF THE BLU RAY REMASTER LOOKS EXCEPTIONAL!

 

MANY OF US have been waiting for a REMASTER and BLU RAY of this series for a LONG time. MANY thanks to NETWORKS for doing a splendid job again. Below is the SPEC on the release. It seems almost like a LIMITED release as far as availability of copies is concerned, so if you WANT that copy, I wouldn't be hanging around placing your ORDER.

WHO ARE THE ZOO GANG?

Four veterans of the French Resistance, reunited nearly thirty years after the war, join forces to meet adventure, danger and excitement in this hit series based on Paul Gallico's best-selling novel. Starring Brian Keith, John Mills, Lilli Palmer and Barry Morse, The Zoo Gang has been newly remastered in HD from the original 35mm film elements for this Blu-ray edition – it has certainly never looked better!

FIVE FRENCH Resistance fighters, known by their animal-based code names (the Wolf, the Tiger, the Elephant, the Leopard and the Fox) fought during World War II. Their efforts came to a stop when one of their number, Claude Roget (the Wolf) was betrayed to the Gestapo by a contact called Boucher. In their interrogation, one of their number Roget, who as the husband of Manouche (the Leopard) was shot dead before her eyes.

THIRTY YEARS LATER, Thomas Devon (the Elephant) spots Boucher (who was going under the name Rosch) in his shop. The surviving members of the Zoo Gang drop what they are doing and rendezvous for vengeance. The series follows the adventures of the remaining gang of four resistance fighters reunited 30 years later to scam habitual con artists and criminals in order to take their money and use it for good causes. Despite their ages, they put their skills and experience to use to raise enough money to construct a hospital in the memory of Claude. The gang is (reluctantly) aided by the son of Manouche and Claude, an inspector in the French police.

THE SERIES is set on the French Riviera in Nice. Guest stars included Philip Madoc, Peter Cushing and Jacqueline Pearce. Roger Delgado, best known for his role as Doctor Who villain The Master also appeared although he died in a car crash prior to transmission.
 
SPECIAL FEATURES:

60 second trailers for each episode

Commercial Break Bumpers

Damaged section (from The Counterfeit Trap)  

THIS IS CUSHING'S EPISODE

Monochrome Mute Takes (from The Twisted Cross)

Monochrome and Colour Mute Title Sequence Offcuts
 

FIND OUT ALL YOU NEED RIGHT HERE! 

  

JOHN CARPENTER ON HAMMER CURSE AND REMEMBERING SIR JOHN MILLS AS DR JOHN WATSON

#TBT #THROWBACKTHURSDAY! Here's a clip we edited for Callum McKelvie's first Weekend Double feature, on Hammer films, The Curse of Frankenstein and Revenge of Frankenstein, with 'Halloween' director, John Carpenter sharing his thoughts on one of his all time favorite Hammer films... 🙂 It's great when established directors give credit to work that influenced them . . .Tim Burton and Martin Scorsese have all stepped up and doffed their caps...

TODAY WE MARK THE BIRTH of one, Lewis Ernest Watts Mills... or as we knew and loved him... Sir John Mills. He was without doubt, one of our most popular and beloved English actors and born today February 22nd 1908. In a career that stretched over eight decades, Mills appeared in over 120 films, debuting in 1932 in 'Midshipmaid Gob' right up until 2009 in 'The Snow Prince'. Many of his roles like Pip in 'Great Expectations' in 1946, Shorty Blake 'In Which We Serve' in 42, Captain Scott in 'Scott of the Antarctic' in 48 and the alcohol troubled Captain Anson in 'Ice Cold in Alex' in 58 would make him an internationally renowned star.

MILL APPEARED IN TWO FILMS with Peter Cushing, the first in 1976 entitled 'Trial by Combat' aka 'A Dirty Knight's Work' as Sir Edward Gifford. It was no more than a guest appearance, slotted in when another project on Cushing's slate fell through. The second though, was a much grander enterprise with Tyburn films and marked Cushing's return to the character of Sherlock Holmes...and Mills as Watson! They made a terrific team as a much older duo, so impressive was the chemistry that another Cushing /Mills / Sherlock film from Tyburn was planned entitled 'The Abbot's Cry', but was scuppered owing to Cushing's fragile health.

LIKE CUSHING, Mills was in his private life a sensitive romantic, in January 2001 at the age of 92, he and wife Mary, age 89, renewed their marriage vows at St. Mary's Church, next to their home, Hills House, in Denham, England. When they had wed 60 years earlier, he was denied a church service because he was serving in the Army during World War II. Happy Birthday, Sir John!

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

THE ZOO GANG : LESSER SEEN CUSHING SEASON : REMEMBERING SIMON WARD

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY! Here's the SECOND in our weekly series of 'lesser seen Peter Cushing Roles'. Last week, 'Some May Live' this week, it's an episode which some of you in the UK may remember, from the tv series The ZOO GANG, called The Counterfeit Trap (1974) Peter Cushing plays Judge Gautier . .. . another accent! Let us know what you think about this little gem! BTW Our season is playing out at our PCAS YOUTUBE channel and PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGEtoo . . . .

REMEMBERING: Born today, Simon Ward. If you take a look at the raft of obituaries for Simon Ward who sadly passed away in 2012, it's a common fault that they state that his career was kick started when he was 'plucked from obscurity' and appeared in Richard Richard Attenborough’s 'Young Winston' in 1972. Maybe that is how the press and publicity agents remember it....but for Ward, it was not so.

WARD ACKNOWLEDGED Hammer films 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed' made in 1969 as the film 'that started it all' and the generous help and assistance from his co star Peter Cushing, that made anything afterwards possible... In a interview with PCAS in 1979, Ward acknowledges his debt to Cushing, who he said, '..had time and patience with me. I knew nothing of the technique needed for working with a camera or about the studio floor. Peter was extremely kind, taking time to explain the simple but very important rules of pace and nuance, so the editor can get in there. This and try to not fall over the cables. He did so much for me. Quite extraordinary. I mean, no one has the time to do that, everyone is busy. But he did it for me, many times through out the film. And it's something I've always remembered, and not come across since... a very kind, gentle, gracious man. He really did save my skin'.

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 .

DOUBLE BILL OF PETER CUSHING : SHERLOCK AND A WEREWOLF!

 ALL UPLOADS AND CLIPS AT OUR

YOUTUBE CHANNEL ARE NON MONETIZED. 

ANOTHER NEW DOUBLE BILL at our PCAS YOUTUBE CHANNEL TWO rare Peter Cushing films, that have never had a digital release. One marks Cushing's last performance as Sherlock Holmes and the other, interestingly is a story that originally started life as the original idea, that went on to become #HAMMERFILMS bench-mark in Gothic werewolf horror, 'The Curse of the werewolf, directed by Terence Fisher and starring Oliver Reed!

ALTHOUGH HE NEVER GETS THE CREDIT, back in the 1970's, producer Kevin Francis did a very brave thing indeed, with his company, 'Tyburn films'. Just as the film industry in the UK, was in it's last gasps, Francis nailed his colours and formed a production company, that not only gave us three very good Peter Cushing releases...but also a format for making feature films in the UK, that was new, cost effective and quite radical. Sadly, even with the best plan in the world, nothing could stop the rot, that turned off the oxygen, to what was once one of the country's greatest assets and exports. That was then, now...put your feet up and enjoy Francis's vision of a great Peter Cushing movie... he went on to become a very close friend to Cushing, but was also very much a HUGE FAN of his work.

JOIN US AT OUR OFFICIAL PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE : JUST CLICK HERE AND THEN AGAIN THERE!

SPACE 1999 : THE FUGITIVE : ASYLUM ACTOR BARRY MORSE REMEMBERED TODAY

TODAY WE REMEMBER actor BARRY MORSE, who was born on this day in 1918. A prolific character actor whose career spanned seven decades with hundreds TV and film credits to his name.

WITH EPISODES of The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone,The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and a regular role in the Gerry Anderson sci-fi tv series Space 1999. Perhaps his best known role was as Lt Phillip Gerard in 'The Fugitive' tv series of the 1960's.

MORSE also co-starred with Peter Cushing in Amicus films, Asylum (1972) and Tale Of Two Cites (1980) , the Space:1999 episode, 'Missing Link' and The Zoo Gang episode, 'The Counterfeit Trap'….. He was friends with Peter for many years, before and after, they shared their screen time together.

NOW with over 23 THOUSAND  Friends and

 Followers: JOIN US : HERE

SIR JOHN MILLS REMEMBERED: SHERLOCK HOLMES THE MASKS OF DEATH

Today we mark the birth of one, Lewis Ernest Watts Mills... or as we knew and loved him... Sir John Mills. He was without doubt, one of our most popular and beloved English actors and born today February 22nd 1908. In a career that stretched over eight decades, Mills appeared in over 120 films, debuting in 1932 in 'Midshipmaid Gob' right up until 2009 in 'The Snow Prince'. Many of his roles like Pip in 'Great Expectations' in 1946, Shorty Blake 'In Which We Serve' in 42, Captain Scott in 'Scott of the Antarctic' in 48 and the alcohol troubled Captain Anson in 'Ice Cold in Alex' in 58 would make him an internationally renowned star.

Mills appeared in two films with Peter Cushing, the first in 1976 entitled 'Trial by Combat' aka 'A Dirty Knight's Work' as Sir Edward Gifford. It was no more than a guest appearance, slotted in when another project on Cushing's slate fell through. The second though, was a much grander enterprise with Tyburn films and marked Cushing's return to the character of Sherlock Holmes...and Mills as Watson! They made a terrific team as a much older duo, so impressive was the chemistry that another Cushing /Mills / Sherlock film from Tyburn was planned entitled 'The Abbot's Cry', but was scuppered owing to Cushing's fragile health.

Like Cushing, Mills was in his private life a sensitive romantic, in January 2001 at the age of 92, he and wife Mary, age 89, renewed their marriage vows at St. Mary's Church, next to their home, Hills House, in Denham, England. When they had wed 60 years earlier, he was denied a church service because he was serving in the Army during World War II. Happy Birthday, Sir John!

 Sir John Mills died on the 23rd of April 2005.

THE FINAL BOW: ROY WARD BAKER ON 'THE MASKS OF DEATH' CUSHING'S LAST SHERLOCK

Wonderful! Sherlock Holmes was to manifest himself once more. The producer, Kevin Francis, had conjured him up and this was to be a film by Holmes buffs, for Holmes buffs. Based on a story by John Elder (the pen name of Hammer films Anthony Hinds), the script by NJ Crips was packed with in-jokes. It also had a number of twists on the traditional style: Holmes is no longer infallible and makes several mistakes, which he admits; Irene Adler reappears, in the person of Anne Baxter, but this time she is a goodie.

Over recent years there have been several versions of the Sherlock saga, plus pitches, new stories, etcetera, etcetera, some very faniciful indeed. Peter Cushing, Sir John Mills and I met for a discussion of the relationship between Holmes and watson. Not surprisngly, we were all of one mind: we had re-read the books and out opinions were based on what we had read.

They were both bachelors of a certain social status. They were both looking for a modest and comforatble set of rooms in a respectable area not too far from the centre of london. They each had a small income which wouldn't run to a suitable place, but if they shared the expenses they would be able to rent such a set, together with a housekeeper, They scrupulously respected each other's territory, using the sitting room as a common ground. It was an exclusively male existance and they became fast friends. In the course of adventures they came to depend on each other. Contrary to the speculations of some latter-day commentators, they were never envinced the slightest in homosexuality. The period of 'The Adventures...' runs from 1881 to 1903, the present story 'The Masks of Death' is set in 1913, with Holmes being dragged out of retirement.

Peter Cushing was one of the best of many actors who played Sherlock Holmes. This was his seventeeth and final bow in the part; he knew the man and understood him perfectly. Johnnie Mills had never played Watson and to my mind, his was the best version ever. It is the devil of a character to convey as a real person. He is usually presented to us a thick-headed stooge to the great man, which of course makes one wonder how Holmes puts up with him - that can't be right. Holmes is the eccentric, imaginative figure, while Watson is down to earth, methodical, practical: after all, he is a doctor of medicine. The two men are complete oppersites but in thier different ways they are equals, or at any rate of equal value to each other. They respect each other. I guarentee that this picture is worth a look just to see this performance. I don't mean to belittle any of the othetr actors, who are all fine: Anne Baxter, Anton Diffing, Gordon Jackson and Ray Milland, all on great form.

The crew was largely a collection of old friends. Anthony Mendleson, the brilliant costume designer and three stalwarts from Hammer films: Make up artist Roy Ashton, editor Chris Barnes and guess who as sound editor - the 'other Roy Baker! Ray Sturgess was the camera operator. We had worked together several times before but this time he was presented with some special problems.

The ruling was that we must use camera equipment from the Pinewood camera dept[artment, which hadn't been used for years! Pinewood had been a wall-to-wall studios for ages. Therefore all visiting crews brought their own gear with them. Anyway the Pinewood stuff was cleaned up and tested but it was old fashioned, which didn't make life easy for Ray. It was due to his efforts that everything worked out well. Brendan Stafford was the lighting cameraman who, like Holmes, had to be  dragged protesting out of retirement to do the film. He enjoyed it , I am sure....

 

Taken from The Director's Cut

By Roy Ward Baker

Reynolds and Hearn 2000

Images and Design: Marcus Brooks